Blog
The Wind Blow East for the Elementary Music Classroom
The Wind Blow East is a fantastic song for practicing syncopation. Additional verses describing "Sunshine" and "China" give some insight into the meaning of this song. According to the HNU Kodaly Center, "The Sunshine and the China were ships; they were lying in...
Bate Bate Chocolate in the Elementary Music Classroom
Bate Bate Chocolate is a traditional children's rhyme. As with many children's rhymes, it has different versions. Some lyrics describe cooking mole sauce (a delicious sauce native to Mexico), while others describe stirring chocolate. My favorite version is the one...
Bell Horses for the Elementary Music Classroom
The origin of Bell Horses is uncertain, but there's plenty of concepts to cover using this song, such as quarter rest, mi-so-la, and improvisation. Be sure to check out Mama Lisa's page HERE (scroll to the bottom) if you'd like to read personal reminiscences about...
Winter Favorites
Today I'll be sharing some of my favorite things from the winter season. Like all of you, my interests extend far beyond music education, so I'll be including all of the other things I've loved this season too. MUSIC ED Fostering Social-Emotional Health in Elementary...
4 New Instruments to Try for Music Teachers
I’ve always loved playing instruments that are new (to me). Give me an instrument I've never played before, and I'll be in bliss for hours. It’s a natural interest, but I think it serves a useful purpose too. It reminds me what it’s like to be a beginning...
An Easy Lesson on Timbre with the Mystery Sound Game
Unbeknownst to my nephews, they get a quick and easy lesson on timbre every time they come to visit us. We listen to a podcast called Brains On. Partway through the show they play a "mystery sound". The hosts try to guess the sound, and then play it again later to...
