As some have been having trouble opening the previous version, here is a .PDF of the Circle Seating Chart. Sorry for the confusion!

Hello one and all! Thought I’d take a minute and post some of the documents I’ve been working on for the start of the school year. They are free to download and use as you please, but I ask that you give me credit if you are using them for more than personal or classroom [...]

I worked on my word wall today. Click on any of the thumbnails in this post to see a bigger picture. It is truly a conglomeration now of music and movement words! I started last year with alphabetizing my list of music words and using wet erase markers to write them on the glass of [...]

Here’s a few photos of the two arrangements in my room for the Wiimote Whiteboard(WW). First arrangement, up in the “front” of the room by the real whiteboard. My room is longer than it is wide, so I originally installed my projector screen on the little overhang on the side so I could have the [...]

Well, folks, I finally have a few minutes to sit and compose a blog post! It’s been a crazy past couple months with a successful performance and lots of state testing going on. Things have returned to “normal” and I can finally make music in the music room again! Lately, though, I’ve been using my [...]

Started teaching the first of my Backwards Designed units today (How to Blues- 5th grade) and I thought I’d reflect on the experience. Up ’til now I’ve just been puttering along, re-designing each “unit”(or rather set of fun, but otherwise meaningless, activities) that I have scrapped together and taught since the beginning of the year. [...]

So, what we do, what I do anyway, is get the kids all “riled up” according to one classroom teacher who will remain unnamed. We all know that; its the nature of the beast so to speak. And thus begs the question, how do we teach creativity, movement and freedom of expression in the elementary [...]

Conference time has come and gone. I’m back in the classroom on a snowy January. Testing pressure is mounting and kids are going crazy already. I am frantic to find time to fit in curriculum and performance material (which should be one in the same, but inevitably end up different somehow).  And I just don’t [...]

Today we started the third 6-week rotation cycle and I have decided to ramp up the keyboard lab in anticipation of the VH1 folks coming from NY in 2 weeks. I’m nervous that the kids won’t be ready to show anything at that point, but I think they are coming to see my teaching anyway. [...]

I’m sitting here typing as my 6th graders are practicing guitars. The whole class is engaged and focused and on task! I’m so grateful for my friend Nancylee Summervill who shared the Guitar Connection with me. It has streamlined my teaching of guitar and is creating an air of enthusiasm and enjoyment in my sixth [...]