When I was a new teacher, I approached lesson planning this way: 1- Identify concepts to teach 2 - Select song material to teach concepts 3 - Consider what materials and instruments were needed My lessons had a strong sequence of steps and students participated in the activities. [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
Re-Igniting the Spark Take a moment to think back to your undergraduate college experience. (Perhaps that was only a few months ago, or perhaps you have to reach back a bit more to access this season.) Either way, I would venture to assume that for many of us, [...]
A Music Teacher’s Guide to Soundtrap Like all good broke college students, I have a very old laptop - almost 7 years old in fact. It’s very possible that my MacBook Pro has been running on the same software update for as long as I’ve been able [...]
I have roughly 200 playlists in my Apple Music library. Not the algorithmic ones that our benevolent tech overlords provide for us - my very own creations. 200 of them. Perhaps that’s more than any sane human should have. Most of them are for me. Some are [...]
Today’s Topic: Culturally responsive teaching with exit tickets (fostering joy) Today’s Tip: Utilize daily exit tickets for qualitative data that informs your practice. Exit tickets work! Since the pandemic started, I have been using exit tickets to gauge student engagement and understanding. It started as a [...]
THE RUN Last week, I started on my usual 5 AM run. I laced up my shoes, donned all of my safety gear, and started on the route I had planned. I had my Spotify playlist on blast, trying to wake myself up as I took my initial [...]
Since our schools closed their doors almost five weeks ago, I have been flooded with so many emotions. For a while, I could not really determine what these emotions were. I just knew each day felt different. After reflecting, I began to realize that what I was feeling [...]
My first teaching video was inspired by a group of fourth grade flute players and their enthusiastic eagerness to learn how to play ‘Firework” by Katy Perry. As one might expect, once I taught the tune to my Monday 9:00am flute group, word spread quickly and the demand [...]