David Thaxton
David Thaxton is from Sparks, Nevada, where he is currently in his 31st year of teaching Elementary music to pre-K through 6th grade. He holds a B.M.E. Degree from the University of Northern Colorado and an M.M. from Eastern Washington University.
As an AOSA-certified teacher trainer for Orff Level I, II, and III pedagogy and Levels I and II recorder, David teaches Summer Courses in Reno, San Diego, Birmingham, Chicago, and Portland. He has presented workshops and clinics at local, state, and national levels, and he also presents to Orff chapters throughout the country.
David is also a Past President and current Treasurer for the Sierra Nevada Chapter of AOSA, where he was co-founder of the Sierra Nevada Orff Festival. At the national level, he has served on the Editorial Board of The Echo Journal of the American Orff Schulwerk Association and the monthly online publication, Reverberations. He is currently the Treasurer for the American Center for Elemental Music and Movement and was also awarded the ACEMM Spotlight Educator Award. His book “Making Tracks: Recorder Explorations, Creations and Improvisations,” published through Sweet Pipes, is used in elementary music classrooms across the country as an improvisatory approach to recorder instruction. His most recent publication, “Rounds all Around” through F-Flat books, features a collection of original rounds in addition to “Sasquatch,” an eBook for elementary students due for release in 2026.
eBooks by David Thaxton
Posts by David Thaxton
Sigur Ros, Burnout, & the Joys of Making a Good Playlist
I have roughly 200 playlists in my Apple Music [...]
Research to Practice: Understanding and Moving Through Burnout
It seems like information about teacher burnout is everywhere right now. I’m not sure if it is because we’re still facing COVID-19-related difficulties in the classroom or if we’re just less afraid to talk about the less glorious side of teaching. [...]
My Instruction Philosophy
My focus is not to train students to just [...]
Research to Practice: Embracing Differences
It is through treating our students as individuals that they can learn to meaningfully connect to music. That means that we, as teachers, should seek to make music classes not just about our own musical interests, but about the musical interests of our students too. [...]
“Pandemic Flux Syndrome” and Teaching: Why it feels so hard
I read an article by social psychologist Amy Cuddy and [...]
The Gut Level Music Teacher Reflection
The Gut Level Teacher Reflection At the end of [...]