As I type this blog post, I'm currently nestled under a blanket and sipping hot tea. In Southern Pennsylvania (where I call home), we get the full spectrum of seasonal changes. Two weeks ago, my kids were swimming in 80 degree weather. Today, there's a chill in [...]
Assessment as Data One of the core memories from my undergraduate experience was in my assessment course taught by Dr. Darrel Walters at Temple University. On one mind-blowing morning circa 2006, he proposed that, as teachers, assessment was a tool to measure how well we taught our students. [...]
Rejecting Common Narratives This last minute music teacher gift guide may be different than what you're thinking. Since transitioning to working at F-flat Books on a more full-time basis, I've been planning out our blog content months in advance. This week, I scheduled a post about our top [...]
The Grammys have long been associated with all the glitz and glamour that comes with the music industry. But, a few years ago, it became more than that as the Grammy Foundation started including music educators in their awards show. And, while the award has had its [...]
What do you do during the first month of school to build connection with your music students? I remember starting as a teacher and feeling like rules were first, and relationship was second. I was so wrong about that. Not only did I struggle with classroom expectations, [...]
What makes you #morethanamusicteacher? In this blog series inspired by Franklin Willis’ Book, More Than A Music Teacher, we invited teachers around the world to share their stories. Today, we’ll hear from Susana Rodríguez-Snyder and Amanda Aragon. Read on as we celebrate the incredible changemakers in our profession of [...]
What makes you #morethanamusicteacher? In this blog series inspired by Franklin Willis’ Book, More Than A Music Teacher, we invited teachers around the world to share their stories. Today, we’ll hear from David Russell Getz and Anna Mounts. Read on as we celebrate the incredible changemakers in our profession [...]
What makes you #morethanamusicteacher? In this blog series inspired by Franklin Willis’ Book, More Than A Music Teacher, we invited teachers around the world to share their stories. Today, we’ll hear from Elizabeth Shier and Crystal Briley. Read on as we celebrate the incredible changemakers in our profession [...]
I spent the first four years of my teaching career with zero instruments for my high school general music class. We had nothing, and I was told there was no budget for my class. I tried to make the best of it by gathering all of the "leftovers" [...]
If you’ve read this blog before, you know that I’m a fan of Nate Holder’s work. In 2020, I reviewed his book, Why is my piano Black and White? Since the release of that work, he has written many other books and has even adapted Where are all [...]