Blog
Ha’kyo Jung for the Elementary Music Classroom
Ha'kyo Jung is a children's song from Korea that would be great for practicing half note, as well as pentatonic melodies. I used to teach Ha'kyo Jung in my class from a recording by the Making Music series (a lifetime ago). However, you can find a recording of this...
Mistakes I Made While Working From Home
When I first transitioned from teaching to working from home (WFH) full-time, I made a whole lot of mistakes, which I plan to share today. I suspect we'll see a mass exodus of teachers next year due to long-standing exploitative work practices (that were exacerbated...
Blooket for the Elementary Music Classroom
You're probably sick of hearing about new tech for the classroom, but believe me when I say Blooket (blue-kit) is worth your time! In a nutshell, it takes questions you create, and turns them into video games for students to play. When I found myself playing Blooket...
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...
