The common coquí is a species of frog that’s unique to Puerto Rico. It’s also the subject of today’s song. The song talks about the sounds of the coquí and how that familiar sound brings comfort and peace. If you’d like to explore more...
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...
Sounds of the Forest by Sofia Gubaidulina is the musical embodiment of the birds chirping, rushing water, and rustling leaves. If you’re looking for a piece to teach several concepts that could be adapted to multiple grade levels, this is it. Sofia Gubaidulina...
Back in November, I wrote about how to teach tempo using art music. I covered pieces by Florence Price, Johannes Brahms, and Alton Adams. In this post, I’m going to discuss how to use Astor Piazzolla’s Libertango to teach timbre; specifically the wind...
There isn’t a day that goes by in my town without the sound of a train. For many students, train sounds are a familiar part of life. And what better way to feel the beat, than to imitate the sounds of a moving train through a speech piece? Engine, Engine, Number...
I’m back this week with more ideas to incorporate art music into your lessons. In November, I wrote about Vivaldi’s Autumn, and how you can use the piece to teach dynamics, timbre, and form. Today, I’ll be revisiting Vivaldi and focusing on the next...
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