Ahhhhh ….mistakes! I think I made a big one this morning! I downloaded an application to my computer and it is still scanning……I am praying everything will be ok!! However, it got me thinking! What message do we send our kids when they make a mistake. Hopefully it is “Oh well, no big deal. Let’s […]

When educators think about a well balanced language arts program, writing is always included. Why don’t we think about this in the music classroom? Are we so intimidated by the greats? There is evidence to suggest this. (I wonder what Bach and Mozart would think about teaching composition to all, even if students did not […]

When I taught language arts in a first and second grade split classroom in Cambridge, MA, we paid special attention to how we introduced a book. We read the title and asked students to predict the subject matter. We looked at all of the pictures and modified our thoughts on the story line. The idea […]

Now that introductions have been made and the schedules set….for the most part :-), it is time to think about the meat of the curriculum. What kinds of activities will ensure an enriching music literacy experience for our students? The beginning of the year is a great time for exploration. In “Letting Go!” I spoke […]

I had the most amazing weekend!!! I was in Santa Cruz with Mary Knysh in one of her workshops: “Music, Rhythm, Movement Exploration and Play!” We explored singing, playing instruments and moving our bodies. Our goal was to produce sounds and movements without any or very little planning time. It was a bit scary…I am […]

Tuesday I spoke about “thoughtful “demonstrations” taking place in our classrooms. It is a term I read in Regie Routman’s book Invitations in reference to teaching reading and writing in language arts. She talks about how important it is to model excellent reading and writing skills. This thought fascinates me because I don’t think we […]

Happy first weeks of school everyone! Some of you have already started and others will be starting soon. It is a busy time! I have started teaching the children’s choir, but will really get going on September 8the due to initial assessments and “no school” days. In preparation as the Music Literacy Specialist, I have […]

This morning I came across a funny video from Jimmy Fallon’s The Tonight Show. It was of Chad Smith from The Red Hot Chili Peppers and Will Ferrell having a “Drum Off”. Of course it was funny, as Will Ferrell always is, but more importantly is was showcasing music as something special. Clearly Ferrell couldn’t […]

A funny thing happened today with the Youth Choir. I had planned on using hand chimes to read rhythms, but when they came in the room and saw the colorful Boomwhackers and desk bells, that was the end of that! They wanted to play the “fun” instruments. Regular choir bells meant serious music, while the […]

As my colleague and I prepare for the second semester of teaching a church choir, many things come to mind. How can we fit it all in? How can we make it fun? How can we do it so that we are ready for when we sing in public? Experience answers these questions in part, […]