Hope you have had a wonderful start to your year! Since it is January, I am posting my five favorite pins of this month. If you are a blogger, feel free to join the linky party by following the directions at the end of this post. Here are my five favorite pins this month! You can click on each picture to be taken to the original pin. #1: Snowman melodic activity I love this idea of breaking down a song into its parts: lyrics, rhythm, and melody! I've been trying to break down songs like this with my students, but I love this visual! #2: Teaching Music Backwards This is a really interesting article about teaching music history backwards, so that you can teach students about a musician's influences, then study those influences, then study the musicians influencing those people, etc. This could be a great way to bring in more relevant and current music, then work backwards to the masters! #3: 8 things to have at your desk This is a great list to take to the store so that you'r......

This past month, as my fifth graders were learning tim-ka, or dotted eighth/sixteenth, I started going through my resources to see how I might best practice this rhythm with them. It's been many years since I've taught this concept--as I've not had students long enough to get to the rhythm--so I was excited to see what I could find in my resources! I found this resource which I admit I've heard great things about but just haven't used very much! Click on the picture to see the book at West Music. If you are an Orff-trained teacher, you likely have a well-worn version on your bookshelf. Although I've had some Orff experiences, I do not have training....but I know that good teaching is good teaching, and Orff can complement Kodaly-inspired teaching very well! So I thought I'd write how I used this book to practice tim-ka, explore body percussion, and begin to learn a piece on instruments.  Two disclaimers: first, because this is a copyrighted resource, I canno......

This past month, as my fifth graders were learning tim-ka, or dotted eighth/sixteenth, I started going through my resources to see how I might best practice this rhythm with them. It's been many years since I've taught this concept--as I've not had students long enough to get to the rhythm--so I was excited to see what I could find in my resources! I found this resource which I admit I've heard great things about but just haven't used very much! Click on the picture to see the book at West Music. If you are an Orff-trained teacher, you likely have a well-worn version on your bookshelf. Although I've had some Orff experiences, I do not have training....but I know that good teaching is good teaching, and Orff can complement Kodaly-inspired teaching very well! So I thought I'd write how I used this book to practice tim-ka, explore body percussion, and begin to learn a piece on instruments.  Two disclaimers: first, because this is a copyrighted resource, I canno......

Today was my first day teaching for this summer's Kodaly Level I at DePaul University! It was a fun day; I'm looking forward to the next two weeks. I've been a bit busy preparing for it, so I realized I needed to post about my five favorite pins this month! To see the pin, click each picture. Here goes! #1: Kindergarten Xylophone Introduction I absolutely love this You Tube video about introducing students to Orff instruments. How magical! #2: Steady Beat Swords This idea by Tracy King to use pool noodles as light sabers with the "Imperial March" from "Star Wars" is absolutely brilliant!  #3: Kalani Rhythm Game This is a great game to improve memory and partwork skills! I'm thinking you could start just with one pattern, and then in the next lesson, add another on top of the first pattern. Love it! #4: Classroom Organization Ideas TONS of great ideas to organize your classroom in a very cute way! #5: 27 Apps Lots of great apps listed here! Some of th......

We are well into autumn (and still, the weather is amazing!) Since it is October, it is time for my October Linky Party! If you are a music education blogger, see the directions at the end of this blog for how to link up. Here are my five latest favorite pins! #1: Generate your own newspaper article This is a VERY neat tool! Click on the picture below to see the original source of the pin. The idea is this: you can write your own article--specific to your students and your school--and the website listed in the blog will create a picture that looks like a newspaper article. I'm still brainstorming ways to use this, but I think it could be a very cool tool! #2: Missus White Freebie Just in time for Halloween, Emily F on TpT created this super cute freebie! The set comes with the chant, a slideshow, visuals, detailed lessons, and an Orff arrangement. Thanks to Emily F (check out her blog at  http://thesweetestmelodymusic.blogspot.com/ .) #3: "Bang" Rhythm Game This is a very......

Today, I'm trying my first linky party; I'm blogging about my five favorite pins this month! I love Pinterest...I think it's such a wonderful way to share ideas (especially teaching ideas!) Here are my five favorite pins for this month: #1: Bim Bum You Tube Video: Maybe these girls made this video to share with other kids their age, but they are doing such a service to music teachers, especially those who want to collect folk songs and teach through technology! I transcribed the music below (in a more comfortable key for singing with children): The song could be used for fa and tika-ti, and I love that the girls break it down into small steps. You could put the You Tube video on and have them learn by watching them. I can see kids really loving this song! These girls also made several other videos with other songs...I'm excited to check those out as well! #2: Patti Anderson's Blog I'm always excited to find other music teacher blogs! I met Patti when I presented......

This year, I took the position of elementary music co-chair in my district. After our first meeting, I sent out a survey, asking teachers to list their needs for professional development. A vast majority of the teachers—including me--wanted more information about improvisation. Knowing that improvisation is a bit focus in the Orff philosophy, I then approached three Orff specialists in our district and asked them to present a session with improvisational strategies. The session was so helpful, and helped teachers to foster musical creativity with their process. I will list here the process for improvisation I adapted from the session, as well as a composition activity that grew out of the same improvisational activity. Note: A special thanks to Clinton Wright, Tina Wilson, and Jason Bash, for presenting the session, and to Ginger Littleton and Sue Leithold-Bowcock, whose template for composition helped me immensely! During the session, Clinton, Tina, and Jason presented an improvisatio......

As a musician in jazz band all throughout high school and jazz band, I struggled with improvisation. As a teacher, I always jump at the chance to hone improvisational skills with my students. When I received a Martha Holden Jennings grant in 2004, entitled "Musical Creativity, Improvisation, and Composition," I searched for literature and methods to achieve improvement in those areas. I've found that working on improvisation is actually quite accessible and non-threatening, by providing students with the right tools, where no "wrong answer" exists. The following list contains some of the activities I used with my students.  Rhythm Card improvisation:  After reading through rhythm cards with the new rhythm, I have students go to the barred instruments set up in C, F, or G pentatonic (taking down the bars not needed). First, they say the pattern from the card, then they play it, using whatever pentatonic notes they choose. It actually sounds quite beautiful, and i......