Elementary Music Teacher January Jumpstart

I know it can be hard to think about going back to work when you're enjoying a relaxing winter break snuggled on the couch under a blanket, so today I thought I'd share all of my top tools and ideas to make your life easier as you head back to school, from calendars and organizational tools to lesson ideas and management tips. Hopefully this will help...

Read more "Elementary Music Teacher January Jumpstart"

Meaningful Ways to Encourage Teachers

If you haven't heard, teaching is hard! And at this point, a jeans pass is not going to cut it to make teachers feel better about their jobs- we need real, systemic changes in policies, pay, budgets, and so much more. But I also know that is a long game that is going to take a lot of time and group effort, and many of us are looking for ways to help...

Read more "Meaningful Ways to Encourage Teachers"

Teaching Fa

I introduce solfege notes sequentially over the course of 4 years to really make sure students are comfortable working with the pitches before adding more to the mix. The very last note that I introduce in the middle of 4th grade is fa, and today I'm sharing some of my favorite lessons for introducing and practicing reading, writing, hearing, and singing...

Read more "Teaching Fa"

Interactive Display for Teacher Staff Lounge

The staff lounge can be a very negative place sometimes. While it's good for teachers and staff to have a safe place to vent and complain, it's also important for our own emotional well-being to share positive things as well, and that can be difficult to do when you pop in to have an adult conversation for the first time in 4 hours! This is a simple...

Read more "Interactive Display for Teacher Staff Lounge "

#Watertok Education Hydration Station for the Teacher's Lounge

I've been especially focused this school year on finding ways to boost teacher / staff morale in my building. The last few years have been incredibly stressful, to say the least, and with so many new teachers coming into my building I knew it would be important to try to build a positive, supportive work environment with my colleagues if I was going...

Read more "#Watertok Education Hydration Station for the Teacher's Lounge"

Teacher Shoutout Book

I've been especially focused this school year on finding ways to boost teacher / staff morale in my building. The last few years have been incredibly stressful, to say the least, and with so many new teachers coming into my building I knew it would be important to try to build a positive, supportive work environment with my colleagues if I was going...

Read more "Teacher Shoutout Book"

Teaching Ti

I'm returning to my series on melodic teaching strategies from years ago today with my favorite lesson ideas for introducing ti. After working on the pentatonic scale in 3rd grade, I introduce ti in 4th grade: singing it, identifying it aurally, and notating it as well.My favorite song to use to introduce ti in 4th grade is "Boots of Shining Leather"....

Read more "Teaching Ti"

Teaching Do / Re / Mi and Pentatonic

I'm returning to my series on melodic teaching strategies from years ago today with my favorite lesson ideas for focusing on the do/ re/ mi pitch set. If you sequence your teaching by starting with these 3 notes, you can use these ideas to work on just do/re/mi. If you, like me, start with mi/ sol/ la and add do and re afterwards to make a pentatonic...

Read more "Teaching Do / Re / Mi and Pentatonic"

3 Common Consequences Music Teachers Need to Stop

We need to be able to enforce boundaries and standards of behavior, but it can be hard to come up with consequences that we can use as elementary music teachers when our class times are so short and there are often several days between the times we see them. But there are some common practices I hear teachers recommending to others regularly that I...

Read more "3 Common Consequences Music Teachers Need to Stop"

Elementary Music Lesson Warmup Activities

I've been using student-led warmups at the beginning of my elementary general music lessons for years now and I am a big fan! I've gotten a lot of questions about the warmups I do and how I do them, and over the last few weeks I've been sharing my favorite activities for lesson warmups in my K-6 general music classes (26 in all!) that focus on important...

Read more "Elementary Music Lesson Warmup Activities"