Episodes

Have you ever noticed how wiggly kids can be? This is especially true in the music room. How are you supposed to teach music when some of your students just can't sit still? In this episode, I answer this question …

When it comes to working with upper elementary students in the music room, a lot of questions (and frustrations) can arise within the 4 walls of your classroom. In this episode, I'm answering a few questions from a music teac...

We're just wrapping up the Reflect and Renew challenge. On day 2, we talked about processing through what's working and not working when it comes to your teaching life. While listening to the replay, take the steps mentioned ...

You carve out time to lesson plan each week, but do you ever block time out of your calendar to do some self assessment? That's where reflecting, processing, and renewing come into play. Without consistently using and applyin...

As the music teacher, you might want to collaborate and share ideas with the other teachers on your team, but you aren't sure how. When talking about your team, of course this will look different from a grade level team. …

You might be passionate about both teaching and something else. Maybe you love inspiring your students and teaching them in new and exciting ways while also pursuing passions outside of teaching. If this is you, then you don'...

The way we create and organize our lesson plans has a profound effect on classroom management and the classroom climate in general. While focusing on creating and delivering lessons, you may not realize how much of an impact ...

While going throughout the school year, it's important to consider that it's a marathon and not a sprint. Each quarter, you'll experience different highs and lows and realizing where you're at in the race of the school year w...

Professional development doesn't always support what music teachers actually need. We all know the feeling of sitting through yet another PD that has everything to do with math or language arts, and nothing to do with music. ...

Using centers in the music room isn't as scary as it sounds. There are ways to plan for centers and ways to provide choice centers to your students. Along with that, centers are a great way to assess your students. …

Following a roadmap is the way to successfully build a curriculum for your classroom that you love. In this episode, I'll talk about the steps of that roadmap and what to do in order to get to your end goal.... …

Assessment and lesson planning work together and not against each other. So many times, teachers (including myself) do a great job lesson planning, but feel frustrated their students aren’t connecting the dots between concept...

Every grade level that comes into the music room has a different set of concepts you need to cover. It's the how to do it part that can get a bit confusing. When you use concept based teaching in the …

Curriculum development in the music room is already happening every day. Yes, you’re a curriculum developer and designer whether you know it or not. When you lesson plan, plan for units, prepare for programs, and use assessme...

There are many types of instructional models. Some are used to design courses, others are used to design lessons and curriculum, yet all can be used by you, the teacher. Although there are many instructional design models to ...

In your first 5 years of teaching, it's important to set yourself up for success. While it's important to build a strong music program, it's also important to focus on your why, your who, and your what. When you do …

Most of the time, you probably sit down to plan lessons on your own. As an elementary music teacher, more often than not, you’re the only music teacher at your school. Also, it’s hard to find the time to collaborate …

Why are you more than a music teacher? How can you inspire your students day in and day out in the music room? What are ways you can build authentic relationships with your students? Throughout my conversation with Franklin W...

Maybe you've wanted to bring more technology into your elementary music classroom, but you're needing new ideas. There's so much amazing technology available to use and it can get overwhelming knowing where to start and what ...

In this episode, I'll recap 10 of the most popular episodes from 2022. 2022 was a great year, and 2023 will bring new solo and guest episodes! Grab your free Simplifying Lesson Planning guide. Sign up for teacher coaching or …

What do you do when you feel like quitting music teaching? More than ever before, teaching has gotten harder for a variety of reasons. Maybe you used to love your job, but the thought of doing it anymore just drains …

You’ll be amazed at how well students pay attention when they have to completely focus on what you’re doing and not just what you’re saying. As you’re singing and talking all day every day, try to plan for days where …

As a music teacher, you may be wanting to put work you've created into the world. Or, you want to consume more content, but aren't sure where exactly to go. Whether you're a consumer or a creator, the resources shared …

Most of this episode comes from what is written in chapter 4 of my book “Make a Note” and other parts of the episode come from personal experience, different coaching I’ve done, or from conversations I’ve helped foster betwee...