The Music-Literacy Connection – And How to Make the Most of It

Resources Recommended Books  “The Doorbell Rang” by Pat Hutchins “Drip Drop” by Sara Weeks “Stop That Pickle” by Peter Armour “The Leopard’s Drum” by Jessica Souhami “Knick Knack Paddywhack” by Barefoot Books “Row, Row, Row Your Boat” by Jane Cabrera (and all Jane Cabrera books of songs) “Creak! Said the Bed” by Phyllis Root “Farmyard […]

Nice news!

Hi everyone – I hope you all had a very merry holiday! I just got a nice surprise – a great review from the Midwest Book Review! Most preschool teachers have musical instruments in their classrooms, but may not realize they can use them for science explorations. Science, technology, engineering, arts, and math (STEAM) these […]

One Instrument, Many Timbres

Recently, a music teacher named Elisabeth Kirby (@JeffersonSings) tweeted that the song “Ghostbusters” uses 3/4 of the vocal timbres: sing, speak and call! (The fourth is whisper.) I admired Ms. Kirby’s observation, and also felt kind of jealous because I’d never noticed this. Also, it somehow makes it seem more “educational” to use “Ghostbusters” in […]

“I Have an Idea!” – Creating Music and Dance for Young Children

From the way young children react when they see me enter their classroom for a music enrichment class, you’d think I was driving an ice cream truck with Dora the Explorer. They’re running up to hug me, yelling my name, and jumping and down – often all three at the same time! Why all the […]

How to Rain

How to Rain It’s that time of year when rainy day after rainy day can often dampen the mood of the classroom. Without sunshine and fresh air room to run around, children can get restless and easily frustrated. Interesting new things to do can help distract them from that penned-in feeling and perk up their […]

STEAM Lessons: Sandpaper

Young children can discover so much from exploring the sounds and texture of sandpaper, it’s really a gold mine of learning. Well, not a GOLD mine… more like bauxite mine. More on that later. As a music teacher working with young children, I often use sand blocks, those small (but heavy, if you’re carrying around […]