I was introduced to early childhood music in 1997 at Temple University, where I observed music enrichment classes based on Dr. Gordon's Music Learning Theory. It's been over two decades, but I still remember the feeling of excitement and wonder as I watched the beautiful and interactive "dance" of songs, chants, patterns, movement, and play. It looked so easy, but as it turned out, leading a rich and meaningful early childhood music class is not easy at all. It requires an enormous amount of preparation, from understanding how very young children learn music to developing a repertoire of tunes to learning to improvise in every tonality, meter, tempo, and keyality in the moment and on the spot. Over the years of leading early childhood music enrichment classes, I have noticed that each class had a similar shape. While songs and activities varied from week to week, the overall shape followed somewhat of a classical sonata. The following "map" is based o...

Lately, I've been having a lot of fun creating music education materials. Thank you for all the views, likes, and downloads! In appreciation for your support, I'd like to share this game with you. My students have been having a lot of fun playing it! You can use with the whole class, in small groups, or with individual students. If your students are beginning to learn rhythm reading, read the patterns aloud as they play the game. If your students are more experienced, invite individuals/whole class to read the patterns. Competitive Rules: Two Teams Divide the class into two teams. Decide which team starts first. I ask a volunteer from each team to come up, and play "Rock, paper, scissors. The first team sends a student to flip over the first card. Then the team sends a second student to flip the second card. If it's a match, the team earns one point. The turn goes to the other team. Tie Breaker If your students are playing the 4-pair version, and the s...

Picnic day, field day, special programs, assemblies, trips...the end of the year is a busy and exciting time. After teaching for 20 years, you'd think I have it all figured out, but to be honest, the end of the year always catches me off guard. It takes a few days to adjust to the realization that there will be no consistency from one day to the next. In reflecting upon the last two decades as a general music teacher, I present to you my personal end-of-the-year survival guide. Maintaining expectations Do your students forget how to act in class, raise their hands, or use indoor voices? If only there was a vaccine for end-of-the-year amnesia! Now more than ever I find it is crucial to be consistent with classroom expectations, and to continue to hold my students to the same standards I have been all year. Some days, I'll spend part of the lesson helping my students practice our classroom routines like we did in September. It may take 1 minute, or half of the cl...

New song is like a new adventure Do you ever get excited about teaching a new song to your students? For me, developing teaching ideas for a new tune is as intriguing as going on an exotic road trip. There are so many possibilities! You never know what you will find along the way. Often, my best guides on this journey are my students. The challenge is to keep a good "travel log": remembering to write down all the different music games we end up creating and exploring. The song "Get Rolling" from my new Songbook collection is one of these songs. It started as a simple movement activity. On our musical journey, my students and I discovered many fun ways to play with this tune. I hope you enjoy it with your students. Please feel free to share new discoveries in the comments below! Get Rolling Early Childhood Emphasis  Take a nap:  Sing this tune during a “nap” activity. Turn down the lights, and invite everyone to lay down. Once the song becomes fami...

"Hello, Somebody" is a traditional greeting song that appears in Jump Right In  Grade 3 General Music Series. I've been using it for several years, singing the song and engaging students in improvising on a woodblock between verses.  Listening and Improvising: Rhythm Focus  This week I decided to try something new. Instead of singing the entire verse before demonstrating improvisation, I broke each verse into phrases, and modeled improvising 4-macrobeat (two-measure) rhythm patterns on a woodblock after each phrase. I also transposed it to D-major to make it more accessible for developing voices (usually between D and A). VERSE 1: IMPROVISE ON THE WOODBLOCK ( two measures) IMPROVISE ON THE WOODBLOCK ( two measures ) VERSE 2: Hello, somebody, hello.  Somebody wants to know your name  (Improvise) Hello, somebody, hello.  Somebody wants to know your name  (Improvise) After I modeled the sequence--alternating singing and ...

Songs without words are a wonderful opportunity to focus solely on music and movement. This week, we are musiking with the song "Bouncing Ball" from "Growing Up With Music" songbook, and experimenting with form, movement, resting tone ostinato, and rhythm. Originally, I composed this song for an early childhood setting, and often used a stretchy band to enhance it. With upper elementary students, I begin by singing to them, and exploring the song's phrasing throrough locomotor and stationary movement. There are many creative ways to modify this activity. Below are just a few examples. PHRASE 1 STRETCHY BAND: Seated in a circle, gently bounce stretchy band to macrobeats. MOVEMENT: Swing arms to macrobeats. Bend knees as you swing. PHRASE 2 STRETCHY BAND: Move the stretchy band in curvy pathways in front of you. Use indirect, bound flow. Avoid moving to the beat. MOVEMENT: Give a smooth ride to an imaginary object in the palm of your h...

On Wednesday, I had the privilege of directing over 200 students in our school's annual Spring Concert. https://youtu.be/v4p2Ldfgtt0 This year, we were focusing on good character. Our title was based on the closing song, "We Are One", by Alternate Routes. For me, the process of putting together a concert is very exciting. I get to learn, arrange, and perform new songs; see the songs change through my students' voices, and in the end, hear it come to life better than I could have ever imagined. These performances are reflective of my students' talents and personalities, and are an extension of the music making happening in the classroom.  The Story I like to think of a performance as a story, with all the qualities that make a story great: theme, characters, value, captivating plot, tension, resolution, and a strong ending. But most of all, a great story takes you away from reality, and touches you on an emotional level: it makes you FEEL.  My Set Lists...