Holidays are always fun to incorporate into material for music class lessons. Valentine’s Day is difficult though, being that there’s not a whole lot of Valentine’s music around – it’s not like we’re listening to a Valentine’s holiday station on the radio 😀 So if the music doesn’t exist, why not write it?!?! That was theContinue reading “Valentine’s Day Music Composition Project”
Tag Archives: Visual Aids
100th Day of School Song with PowerPoint
A standard favorite this time of year in my classroom is “One Zero Zero” from Music K-8’s Volume 13, No. 3 issue. If you have never seen this periodical/music magazine, you must check it out here!! Last year I created a PowerPoint to go along with the song to make it easier for my studentsContinue reading “100th Day of School Song with PowerPoint”
Beginning Recorder Method Book: "Recorders Rock"
Presenting my original Recorder Method book, “Recorders Rock” (enter trumpet fanfare)! Just kidding. But seriously, I have finally completed my recorder method, “Recorders Rock.” The title reflects me and my students’ sentiments about playing recorder. It’s fun, awesome, and it “rocks!”This project started small and has over time taken on a life of its own.Continue reading “Beginning Recorder Method Book: "Recorders Rock"”
Thanksgiving Song: Ten Days of Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving Song – Ten Days of Thanksgiving Day 1 Looking for a Thanksgiving song to use for fun in your classes? Look no further than one of my go-to blogs and websites, ListenLearnMusic.com. Rachel Rambach, a music therapist, produces a huge range of original music for all settings, themes, and holidays to use in herContinue reading “Thanksgiving Song: Ten Days of Thanksgiving”
Halloween Song for Recorder: Minor Tonality and Composing Original Lyrics
Simple Halloween Song for Soprano Recorder – in Em Not sure if anyone else has discovered this, but there exist very few Halloween-themed or even minor tonality songs for soprano recorder. In my quest to find a simple Halloween song for soprano recorder, I ended up writing my own simple melody. As you can seeContinue reading “Halloween Song for Recorder: Minor Tonality and Composing Original Lyrics”
Pitch Lesson with Boomwhackers®: Five Little Pumpkins
October is by far my favorite month of the year! And Halloween ranks up there with Christmas and Thanksgiving as my favorite holidays! In my Kindergarten and First Grade classes this week, we are using the song/fingerplay/story “Five Little Pumpkins” to learn about pitch. I use the version made famous by Raffi. Visit thisContinue reading “Pitch Lesson with Boomwhackers®: Five Little Pumpkins”
Free Lesson Ideas Using BrainPop and BrainPopJr
Need a new idea for great music lessons? My go-to lesson “fun-maker” is BrainPop Jr and its big brother, BrainPop. These two sites are subscription based for full-access, but there are a number of free resources, lessons, and movies available for use as well! My school district has a site-wide subscription of both sitesContinue reading “Free Lesson Ideas Using BrainPop and BrainPopJr”
Making Composition Successful with Younger Students
I have discovered over my 7 years teaching that, with younger students (grades 4 and under), music composition can be a challenge. This is especially true when attempting to use traditional notation. My students are quite proficient at reading music notation and playing a treble-clef instrument (recorder, xylophone, etc.); it is a whole different storyContinue reading “Making Composition Successful with Younger Students”
Eric Whitacre’s Virtual Choir 2.0
I watched this while eating lunch today. I am so moved by the beauty of this piece; even more so, by Eric Whitacre’s vision and creativity. Using technology to allow 2,000 voices to sing together through YouTube is a revolutionary idea – allowing technology to enhance music-making at its best! Enjoy! This work is licensedContinue reading “Eric Whitacre’s Virtual Choir 2.0”
Friday Fave – Homemade Rhythm Chart
In the manner of many other bloggers, I will be posting a favorite of mine on Fridays. It could be tech, music, or education related or even something “out-of-left-field” related. Today I would like to share the rhythm chart I use almost daily in my classroom. Homemade Rhythm Chart This lovely, homemade rhythm chart hasContinue reading “Friday Fave – Homemade Rhythm Chart”
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