Over the years, I've tried several different ways of teaching the notes on the treble clef staff. For a while, I used the silly sentences (like "Every Good Boy Does Fine" and "Elvis' Guitar Broke Down Friday" for the lines) and "FACE" for the spaces. Then one year I decided I'd show them that the treble clef is sometimes called the G clef because it crosses the G line four times. Then, they had to figure out that the next note was A, the note after that was B, etc. I thought maybe this was better than the silly sentences, but I quickly learned that al…
Over the years, I've tried several different ways of teaching the notes on the treble clef staff. For a while, I used the silly sentences (like "Every Good Boy Does Fine" and "Elvis' Guitar Broke Down Friday" for the lines) and "FACE" for the spaces. Then one year I decided I'd show them that the treble clef is sometimes called the G clef because it crosses the G line four times. Then, they had to figure out that the next note was A, the note after that was B, etc. I thought maybe this was better than the silly sentences, but I quickly learned that al…
Over the years, I've tried several different ways of teaching the notes on the treble clef staff. For a while, I used the silly sentences (like "Every Good Boy Does Fine" and "Elvis' Guitar Broke Down Friday" for the lines) and "FACE" for the spaces. Then one year I decided I'd show them that the treble clef is sometimes called the G clef because it crosses the G line four times. Then, they had to figure out that the next note was A, the note after that was B, etc. I thought maybe this was better than the silly sentences, but I quickly learned that a…
For many years, I’ve been tweaking my process for teaching meter/ time signatures. I wish teaching this were just as easy as saying, “In 2/4, there are 2 beats in every measure, and in 4/4, there are 4 beats in every measure,” but as we all know, it is much more complicated than this. In this blog post, I'll detail some strategies that have worked well for me in teaching meter or time signature. In order for students to understand time signature, they need to feel that the first beat of every measure is the strongest. They need to be able to track measures. They need to be able to figure o…
For many years, I’ve been tweaking my process for teaching meter/ time signatures. I wish teaching this were just as easy as saying, “In 2/4, there are 2 beats in every measure, and in 4/4, there are 4 beats in every measure,” but as we all know, it is much more complicated than this. In this blog post, I'll detail some strategies that have worked well for me in teaching meter or time signature. In order for students to understand time signature, they need to feel that the first beat of every measure is the strongest. They need to be able to track measures. They need to be able to figure …
Some of my favorite memories as a child are of choreographing my own dances in the basement. With my sister, I created a dance to the Jackson Five's "Rockin' Robin," with my best friend Bronwyn, I choreographed a dance to "One" from "A Chorus Line," and then by myself, I choreographed a tap dance to "The Longest Time" by Billy Joel. It was always so much fun to decide which music I'd use, which moves would go where, and what the finished product would look like! It wasn't until a few years ago, though, that I began having my own students …
Some of my favorite memories as a child are of choreographing my own dances in the basement. With my sister, I created a dance to the Jackson Five's "Rockin' Robin," with my best friend Bronwyn, I choreographed a dance to "One" from "A Chorus Line," and then by myself, I choreographed a tap dance to "The Longest Time" by Billy Joel. It was always so much fun to decide which music I'd use, which moves would go where, and what the finished product would look like! It wasn't until a few years ago, though, that I began having my own students …
For this week's Friday Freebie, I thought I'd post one of my students' all-time favorites: the cup game! This activity is a GREAT way to engage your students--especially your older students who are self-conscious about singing. My rule is that they have to sing to play the cup game, and they happily oblige! I teach the cup game with the song "I've been to Haarlem." You can download the chant, activity directions, and the song "I've been to Haarlem" by clicking here . For those of you who are visual learners, I've posted videos of my students performing…
For this week's Friday Freebie, I thought I'd post one of my students' all-time favorites: the cup game! This activity is a GREAT way to engage your students--especially your older students who are self-conscious about singing. My rule is that they have to sing to play the cup game, and they happily oblige! I teach the cup game with the song "I've been to Haarlem." You can download the chant, activity directions, and the song "I've been to Haarlem" by clicking on the picture below: For those of you who are visual learners, I've posted videos of my stu…
For this week's Friday Freebie, I thought I'd post one of my students' all-time favorites: the cup game! This activity is a GREAT way to engage your students--especially your older students who are self-conscious about singing. My rule is that they have to sing to play the cup game, and they happily oblige! I teach the cup game with the song "I've been to Haarlem." You can download the chant, activity directions, and the song "I've been to Haarlem" by clicking on the picture below: For those of you who are visual learners, I've posted videos of my stu…
This week has been a bit crazy, as I am not only rehearsing for my 3rd and 4th grade programs (which means I have 100+ kids at a time on risers, for close to an hour each day), I have also invited Kindergarten parents into my room for an "informance." So what exactly is an "informance"? It is a way to inform parents of what a typical music class is like. It is similar to a performance in that there is an audience, but instead of rehearsing set pieces like you would for a program, students simply participate in music class. It is a great way to educate your school community…
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