This week, I'm blogging about my playlists for each grade level, in my music room. For more information about how and why I'm using playlists,  check out this post . Today, let's talk about fifth grade! Here are three recordings from my fifth grade playlist: #1: I Love a Rainy Night by Eddie Rabbitt  A few years ago, I found a dance for this song in a resource from Sanna Longden, which you can now view for free here . My fifth graders LOVE this line dance...and when you find a dance that fifth graders love, then, well, you have to do it every year! #2: Oh a Shoe a Shoe As I wrote about in this post, I read "World Music Pedagogy, Volume 2," by Christopher Roberts and Amy Beegle this summer. It was such a great read, with really practical ideas for implementing world music listening lessons in your classroom. This song was mentioned in the book as a possible listening lesson, with opportunities for students to listen intently, identify words......

In my last blog post , I discussed how there will always be students who, for one reason or another, might not feel welcome in our classrooms, but that we as music educators can ensure that students feel more welcome and accepted. In today's post, I'm discussing more ways that students can be made to feel welcome: through songs with a message, and through children's literature. Singing songs with a great message If you can find a song that truly has a great message, go for it! Students will really connect to meaningful lyrics, especially students who are feeling fearful and uncertain. My friend Lessia Bonn at I am Bullyproof Music has a beautiful song called "Same Love," with a great message for these times. Here is a video of the song: After listening to the song, you could have students discuss what the song is about, asking questions like "What does 'same love' mean?" "What does 'light up the dark' mean?" "What are the ......

In my last blog post , I discussed how there will always be students who, for one reason or another, might not feel welcome in our classrooms, but that we as music educators can ensure that students feel more welcome and accepted. In today's post, I'm discussing more ways that students can be made to feel welcome: through songs with a message, and through children's literature. Singing songs with a great message If you can find a song that truly has a great message, go for it! Students will really connect to meaningful lyrics, especially students who are feeling fearful and uncertain. My friend Lessia Bonn at I am Bullyproof Music has a beautiful song called "Same Love," with a great message for these times. Here is a video of the song: After listening to the song, you could have students discuss what the song is about, asking questions like "What does 'same love' mean?" "What does 'light up the dark' mean?" "What are the ......

There will always be students who, for one reason or another, might not feel welcome in our classrooms, perhaps because of something happening at home, or because of some of the students in the class, or because of something we as teachers are or are not doing. In our current world, though, there are more reasons for students to not feel welcome. Some students in our classrooms may be worrying about their families, their friends, and their futures. Regardless of political affiliation, it is really important as educators that we make ALL students feel welcome in our classroom. As music teachers, we have the distinct advantage of bringing children together through song, of linking cultures and experiences in a way that is completely different than any other subject. In my own teaching, I've had some interesting conversations with students about other cultures. Once, after teaching the song "Ye Toop Daram" from Afghanistan (found in this blog post ), I had a student exclaim,......

There will always be students who, for one reason or another, might not feel welcome in our classrooms, perhaps because of something happening at home, or because of some of the students in the class, or because of something we as teachers are or are not doing. In our current world, though, there are more reasons for students to not feel welcome. Some students in our classrooms may be worrying about their families, their friends, and their futures. Regardless of political affiliation, it is really important as educators that we make ALL students feel welcome in our classroom. As music teachers, we have the distinct advantage of bringing children together through song, of linking cultures and experiences in a way that is completely different than any other subject. In my own teaching, I've had some interesting conversations with students about other cultures. Once, after teaching the song "Ye Toop Daram" from Afghanistan (found in this blog post ), I had a student exclaim,......

Today, I'm blogging about a mini-unit I recently did with my 4th graders. I have a unique situation this year, in that I see all of the 4th graders once every five days for 50 minutes, but my colleague--who is also Kodaly-trained--also sees them once every five days for 50 minutes. We decided this year that the first marking period, she would teach them the "typical" Kodaly-inspired lessons, and I would teach extension lessons. Then at the start of the next marking period, we would switch, so that I'm teaching the typical lessons. This marking period, I've been doing the extension lessons, and the last couple of weeks, I did a Japanese mini-unit. First, I taught them the singing game "Stew Pot," shown below: This is a fun folk song that I learned from this book: This book has lots of other great folk songs, and includes a CD! I've been using the song for recorder, as the song only uses mi, re, and do, which I have them play on B, A, and G. I have a s......

Today, I'm blogging about a mini-unit I recently did with my 4th graders. I have a unique situation this year, in that I see all of the 4th graders once every five days for 50 minutes, but my colleague--who is also Kodaly-trained--also sees them once every five days for 50 minutes. We decided this year that the first marking period, she would teach them the "typical" Kodaly-inspired lessons, and I would teach extension lessons. Then at the start of the next marking period, we would switch, so that I'm teaching the typical lessons. This marking period, I've been doing the extension lessons, and the last couple of weeks, I did a Japanese mini-unit. First, I taught them the singing game "Stew Pot," shown below: This is a fun folk song that I learned from this book: This book has lots of other great folk songs, and includes a CD! I've been using the song for recorder, as the song only uses mi, re, and do, which I have them play on B, A, and G. I have a s......