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, […]
This morning on the news they mentioned that Applebee’s is going to place a tablet at every table so that customers can peruse the menu, order additional items and pay bills. This will not replace the server, but act as additional customer service. Of course this got me thinking about schools and our use of […]
I am now teaching Note Knacks to children in a choir. They sing with my colleague for half the time and are with me for the other half. It works quite well! I have never had so much to teach in so little time! ….even after teaching in public school for over 15 years! The […]
Yesterday I taught a group of young boys and they were as energetic as one might expect. They enjoyed joking around and being silly. The question that occurred to me was: at what point does having a good time turn into being disruptive? The short answer is always when the students are not learning […]
Before your panic really sets in as to how much needs to be done for concert season, we thought we would put together a checklist to help! Here is our Ultimate Concert Checklist: 2 Months Out: Choose concert and dress rehearsal dates (be aware of other events going on) Choose Venue (be aware of where […]
The Power Your Creative Mind Campaign has finally arrived!….so what does that mean for you? It means there will be plenty of material to power your creative mind! We know that you have busy lives and finding new and thoughtful material to add to your classroom can be difficult. We are here to make it […]
The POWER YOUR CREATIVE MIND!! Campaign Look for the links in your November Newsletter on October 15th! Sign up on our homepage at the bottom! Our website will be jammed packed with: • More Articles • More Lesson Plans • More Strategies • More Solutions More ways to Reach Your Students!