Entries by Note Knacks Music

A Good Lesson

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 […]

Thoughts For The New Semester

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, […]

Pace Yourself!

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 […]

A Balancing Act!

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 […]

What To Do With Behavior?

  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 […]

The Ultimate Concert Checklist!

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 […]

It Is Finally Here!!

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 […]

ITS COMING……..

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!  

Flipped Classroom?

“In case you missed all the hype, the flipped classroom is a form of blended learning in which students learn online at least part of the time while attending a brick-and-mortar school. Either at home or during a homework period at school, students view lessons and lectures online. Time in the classroom, previously reserved for […]

School Reform Points to Teachers

I saw this quote posted on Facebook this morning and it intrigued me. I have been researching it all morning!! Who is Diane Ravitch? What does she stand for? What else does she say about Bill Gates? I am not a fan of Mr. Gates, to say it lightly. He may know computers, but education, […]