Tag: music
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Powerful music history lessons that will provoke curiosity.
Music history can be dry. Rote memorization of the big names and important pieces can be downright painful, especially for younger students who have not yet had their interest for music history piqued. Here are some cool ways to inspire your music students to WANT to learn about music history. 1. Start with more RECENT…
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Did you know that misbehavior can inspire SPECTACULAR music lessons?
Hear me out…. some of my BEST music lessons have come from watching student “misbehavior,” and this is my plea for YOU to consider letting student misbehavior inspire your lesson ideas. First, a story about hula-hoops: As a new teacher with a donated set of hula hoops, my original lesson idea was to scatter the…
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POWERFUL Social-Emotional Learning Activities for the Music Classroom
Students today are facing challenges that we teachers can’t fully imagine. They are growing up in a post-pandemic, social-media saturated, rapidly changing world. Now more than EVER, we need to give these children skills to cope with these new and evolving obstacles. Here are some ways to incorporate social-emotional lessons into music class. Project Idea…
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Indispensable advice for auditioning your music students.
Auditioning is stressful for students of any age. As a music teacher, there are some some things that you can do to help your students with this process. Here are some ideas! Tip #1: Make sure students know EXACTLY what will be asked of them at the audition. Not only does this give your students…
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SPELLBINDING Music Class Activities to Embrace the Magic of Autumn!
The taste of pumpkin spice lattes. The smell of fallen leaves and bonfires. The excitement of the impending holidays in the air. As Autumn creeps into the last days of summer – we music teachers can begin to consider music class activities to embrace the MAGIC of the season! Here are some AWESOME project ideas…
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Outside Activities for Music Class!
Hooray! It’s May! In every single class last week, my students asked me their favorite spring question; “Can we please go outside?” I also adore going outside, but I like to keep our outdoor activities musical when possible. Here are some of my “go-tos” for when I take my music students outside! 1. Rhythm Dictation;…
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Summer Themed Projects for the Music Classroom!
Have your music students mentally checked out for the school year? Have YOU mentally checked out for the school year? Let’s face it, this time of year EVERYBODY is ready for summer. It’s time for warm days, beach trips, sleeping in, etc. Here are some fun music education projects to celebrate the impending summer months!…
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Quick tricks to get your music students SINGING!
Some students walk in the door singing and dancing. If only that were the case for everyone. Some students, believe it or not, hate singing at first. As music teachers, it is our job to try and turn this around. Here are some ways that I have found to help get these students out of…
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The most common thing I hear from other music teachers is….
“I have no idea how to plan for so many grade levels.” This is the plight of the specials teacher. Currently, I teach 9 grade levels (k-8), run two choirs, and vocal music direct my school’s musical. My first year of teaching, it felt nearly impossible to plan for so many grade levels. But it…
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POV: You’re the music teacher on CAREER DAY!
Recently my school celebrated career day, and it got me thinking about how I can make careers relevant in music class. The truth is, many of my students won’t become professional musicians, BUT I want to make sure they have a chance to at least explore the idea of a career in music. Check out…