In tune singing- it is a vital part of Kodály music and a goal for most music teachers for their students. Although it is a goal, it is not always easy to achieve. You have to work at it, even to help students to feel comfortable singing in front of others and exposing their voice, …
Easter Egg Rhythm Hunt
In an effort to do something fun before Spring break, but also to review at the same time, I did an Easter Egg rhythm hunt. Get Some Plastic Eggs I went to Walmart and bought a box of 250 eggs for 9.98, although you can buy just a few dozen if you want to. I …
Connecting with Second Language Learners in the Music Classroom Part 1
I have always loved teaching songs from around the world, abundant in the Kodály repertoire. In the past 10 years, our district has changed to include an increasing number of second language learners. I have enjoyed working to connect with these students in the music classroom, more challenging because of the limited time we have each …
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An Easy and Inexpensive Christmas Gift for Coworkers, Neighbors, or Friends
Every year, I try to find something for my close coworkers and a few neighbors that is nice but won’t break the bank. I saw this idea at a boutique but it was Thanksgiving/autumn mitts, so I thought I’d look around to find some that are nice for all year. I also used music ribbon …
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The Silent Scream: Playing Fun Games while Keeping Your Sanity
Kids love to play games and they can learn so much from them. They learn social skills and how to follow directions. In Kodály teaching, these games help with important teaching concepts. In the song, “We are Dancing in the Forest”, students can practice sol, mi, and la. They can practice the rhythms of ti-ti (two …
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Finding the Strong Beat
In Kindergarten, 1st,, and 2nd grade, I work on helping students feel the steady beat and the strong beat. We do the beat on our laps, saying beat is steady to various songs. A favorite song for learning the strong beat is called “Frog in the Middle”. We pat our laps on the strong beat. …
Drumming Up Fitness Made Easy
I see different kinds of fitness drumming all over youtube. I wanted to do a fitness class using more traditional music, rather than all of the pop music. If you look at some of the published programs out there, they are very expensive and there is no traditional music used. I have done a lot …
Teach Eighth and Two Sixteenth Rhythm in a Way They’ll Never Forget!
I love teaching rhythms through games. It makes it so easy to learn! The students love singing a song and playing a game and can so easily translate into a new rhythm. We play a game that makes learning the eighth and two sixteenths as well as two sixteenths and and eighth patterns so easy …
Teach Eighth and Two Sixteenth Rhythm in a Way They’ll Never Forget!Read More
Tug of War in the Music Classroom
Every year in 4th grade, we do a very fun activity that the students love. I got the idea from my favorite mentor. There is so much to learn from this activity and it is a huge hit. PLAYING THE GAME We sing the song, “Oranges and Lemons” and play the game by getting into …
Growth Mindset in the Music Classroom
Growth Mindset is on my mind lately. Our principal has been emphasizing that we help kids think of working the process, getting better, and improving. As a group, our teachers came up with ideas that go along with the letters in our mascot name. I made separate 8 1/2 inch sized posters and a large …
