The Elementary Music Teacher Podcast: Music Education

The end of the school year is inching closer and closer and up goes the energy of your students.  Maybe you have guilt about what you haven't done or what you should've done, but haven't really taken the time to appreciate the fact that you've almost taught an ENTIRE school year during a Pandemic. In this episode, I'll address some mindset stuff you may be feeling, but will also share some practical tips and ideas for engaging your students in music class, no matter what your teaching situation may look like.  Links mentioned in this episode: "How to Put On an End of the Year Talent Show" podcast episode 48 "5 End of the Year Elementary Music Activities" blog post "6 Fun Elementary Music Center Ideas" blog post Sign up for a summer professional development workshop Find out more about and sign up for the HARMONY membership waitlist here. Head to my website to grab your free music teaching resource. Join the Elementary Music Teacher Community Facebook group to continue the conversation. I'd love for you to leave a rating and a review of the podcast on I-tunes, be sure to share the podcast with any music teacher friends who would find it helpful and be sure to tag me on Instagram or Facebook.

Self care is more than a buzzword.  So many times, we hear phrases like "just take care of yourself" or "find the one thing that works for you" or even "pencil in time to get that pedicure." But, self care isn't the same as self soothing.  In fact, it's about the daily, mundane, and boring stuff that will help you to feel better every single day that matters.  In this episode, Beth Duhon does a great job of explaining what self care REALLY is and has an easy to remember acronym called "MAP" that will give you amazing tips to implement what you're hearing today. Beth Duhon is, to borrow Tracy King’s phrase, the K-5 “ambassador of joy” at Travis Elementary in Rosenberg, TX.  This is her fifth year teaching in Lamar Consolidated ISD.  She has received over $14,000 in classroom grants for a keyboard lab, iPads, and music manipulatives in addition to regularly receiving travel grants for music education conferences.   In 2021, she presented “Self-Care for the Music Educator: Not Just a Buzzword” for TMEA and the LCISD elementary music teacher cohort.  Previously, Ms. Duhon was a successful horn private lesson teacher, clinician, and freelance performer in the West Houston area for over a decade.  She also taught elementary music in Williamsburg, VA and middle school general music in Falls Church, VA before moving to Texas.   She was an honors recitalist, principal horn in the wind ensemble and orchestra, cum laude and an inductee of Pi Kappa Lambda from Illinois Wesleyan University where she received a B.M.E.  At the University of Houston, Ms. Duhon was a teaching assistant in the music history department, summa cum laude and a student of Roger Kaza (St. Louis Symphony) and Nancy Goodearl (Houston Symphony).  She received an M.M. in horn performance.   Ms. Duhon met her husband, Jimmy, when they were both performing as instrumentalists at Busch Gardens Williamsburg.  They have a ten-year-old son, Mark. You can connect with Beth here: On her Facebook account here See her YouTube presentation (as long as it's available) right here Join her "Self Care for the Music Educator" Facebook group here. Find out more about and sign up for the HARMONY membership waitlist here. Head to my website to grab your free music teaching resource. Join the Elementary Music Teacher Community Facebook group to continue the conversation. I'd love for you to leave a rating and a review of the podcast on I-tunes, be sure to share the podcast with any music teacher friends who would find it helpful and be sure to tag me on Instagram or Facebook.

No two schools are the same.  The way you teach at one school won’t be the same as the way you present the same exact lesson at another school. Funding is different, relationship building is so important, you'll need to adjust and adapt what you do a lot, some of your students are dealing with a lot, and you won't have as many resources to work with at times.   In this episode, you'll hear about my story with teaching in a low income school and why teaching music isn't a "one size fits all" approach.   Read the blog post that goes hand in hand with this episode right here. Find out more about and sign up for the HARMONY membership waitlist here. Head to my website to grab your free music teaching resource. Join the Elementary Music Teacher Community Facebook group to continue the conversation. I'd love for you to leave a rating and a review of the podcast on I-tunes, be sure to share the podcast with any music teacher friends who would find it helpful and be sure to tag me on Instagram or Facebook.

The word inclusive means, "aiming to provide equal access to opportunities and resources for people who might otherwise be excluded or marginalized, such as those having physical or mental disabilities or belonging to other minority groups."  Every student can and should have the opportunity to receive a quality music education.  There are not ifs, ands, or buts about it.  Unfortunately, some kids aren't getting the same opportunities to learn music for a variety of reasons.  In this episode, we're going to explore why making music education inclusive for all students is so important and how you can go about doing that. Read the blog post that goes hand in hand with this episode right here. Come to the Make A Note book club Find out more about and sign up for the HARMONY membership waitlist here. Head to my website to grab your free music teaching resource. Join the Elementary Music Teacher Community Facebook group to continue the conversation. I'd love for you to leave a rating and a review of the podcast on I-tunes, be sure to share the podcast with any music teacher friends who would find it helpful and be sure to tag me on Instagram or Facebook.

In today's episode, Casey Hall came on the podcast to talk about culturally relevant music education.   We discuss:  what culturally relevant music education is why it's so important why forming relationships with your students is so important understanding the culture of your students researching what music your students like Mr. Casey Hall is a Fine Arts Education Program Specialist at the Georgia Department of Education. As a Fine Arts Education Program Specialist, it is our mission to create the next generation of fine artists and foster a deep appreciation of the arts for students and fine arts patrons in the State of Georgia. In Georgia, we believe this occurs with a world-class fine arts education, fine arts experiences in the arts community, and fine arts extensions of learning after school. He joins the GaDOE Fine Arts Department team from Fulton County Schools as a Fine Arts Support Teacher (FAST) and the Music Specialist at Wolf Creek Elementary School in Atlanta, Georgia. On the FAST Team, he coached and provides support for elementary music teachers across the district. He was a member of Fulton County's Vanguard Team and works with educators across all grade levels and disciplines to support a personalized learning environment in their classrooms, build capacity, and seamlessly integrate technology. He was selected to be a member of the Working Committee to revise the Georgia Performance Standards for Music in 2017. Most recently, he was awarded the title of 2019-2020 South Learning Community Teacher of the Year for Fulton County Schools. He holds a bachelor's degree in music education from the Schwob School of Music at Columbus State University and a master's degree in music education from Georgia State's School of Music. While at GSU, he studied and developed the term, culturally driven pedagogy (a comprehensive term which uses students' culture to drive instructional practices) as well as developed a songwriting curriculum for the Johnny Mercer Foundation. Mr. Hall has presented at various conferences on topics such as Project-Based Learning, Personalized Learning, App Smashing, Cultural Pedagogies, Culturally Driven Pedagogy, and Behavior and Classroom Management at international, national, state, and local school district professional development sessions. Connect with Casey here: GaDOE Fine Arts Website: https://www.gadoe.org/Curriculum-Instruction-and-Assessment/Curriculum-and-Instruction/Pages/Fine-Arts.aspx GaDOE Fine Arts Twitter: https://twitter.com/Jesbooth GaDOE Fine Arts Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/GADOE-Fine-Arts-Department-104588351442666 My Personal Education Twitter: https://twitter.com/mrhallpass Head to my website to grab your free music teaching resource. Join the Elementary Music Teacher Community Facebook group. I'd love for you to leave a rating and a review of the podcast on I-tunes, be sure to share the podcast with any music teacher friends who would find it helpful and be sure to tag me on Instagram or Facebook.

Implementing instructional software in elementary music can be a bit tricky or even overwhelming.  In this podcast episode, I share 3 ways you can easily do this with with your students. I'll discuss: Drill and practice Tutorials Simulations Read the blog post that goes hand in hand with this episode right here.  Find out more about and sign up for the HARMONY membership waitlist here. Head to my website to grab your free music teaching resource. Join the Elementary Music Teacher Community Facebook group to continue the conversation and you can watch the Thursday Facebook lives on my Facebook page The Domestic Musician. I'd love for you to leave a rating and a review of the podcast on I-tunes, be sure to share the podcast with any music teacher friends who would find it helpful and be sure to tag me on Instagram or Facebook.

I'm so excited for you to listen in to this episode with Eric Young.  We talk a lot about how to connect elementary music to secondary music and why it's important for it to be a seamless transition for students.  But, Eric also talks about his love for Orff Schulwerk and how it easily transfers to what he does in secondary music as well as what technology he has used with his students and why.  Eric has been both an elementary and secondary music teacher, so he understands both worlds.  This conversation will help bridge the gap in a way between what happens in elementary and secondary music and how teachers of both worlds can talk to and help each other out.  Eric Young taught Pk-5 Elementary Music for 12 years with Montgomery County Public Schools in Christiansburg, VA. In 2016, Eric left the classroom to focus on full time music education consultant work. He worked with Lynn Kleiner's Music Rhapsody teaching online teacher training, manager of Lynn Kleiner's Music Box, and content/lesson development. In 2018, Eric returned to the classroom teaching K-3 music and 4-5 beginning band with Roanoke City School. He then returned to Montgomery County in 2019 teaching Pk-5 Elementary Music. Currently, Eric is in his first year teaching middle school Band, Choir, Guitar and General Music at Auburn Middle School in Riner, VA. Additionally, Mr. Young is an adjunct faculty member at Radford University where he teaches Music Technology for the Music Educator. Eric frequently presents music education workshops all over the US and China. Eric holds a BAchelor of Music in Music Education from Radford University and a Masters of Arts in Curriculum and Instruction from Virginia Tech.  Mr. Young completed his Orff Schulwerk Levels I, II, III and Master Class from Appalachian State University. Eric lives in Christiansburg with his husband Joe and their spunky boxer, Luna. You can connect with Eric here on: Instagram @heymisteryoung Twitter @heymisteryoung Find out more about and sign up for the HARMONY membership waitlist here. Head to my website to grab your free music teaching resource. Join the Elementary Music Teacher Community Facebook group to continue the conversation and you can watch the Thursday Facebook lives on my Facebook page The Domestic Musician. I'd love for you to leave a rating and a review of the podcast on I-tunes, be sure to share the podcast with any music teacher friends who would find it helpful and be sure to tag me on Instagram or Facebook.

A formal music education is so important.  But, it's not the end all be all to learning.  It’s not that having a music degree doesn’t matter, because it does. It just means that although you have your degree, never stop learning from others, growing as a music educator, thinking outside of the box, and not staying stuck in your ways.  In this episode, I talk about what a formal music education doesn't teach you and my feelings around that.  Purchase the book "Make A Note:  What You Really Need To Know About Teaching Elementary Music" right here. Find out more about and sign up for the HARMONY membership waitlist here. Head to my website to grab your free music teaching resource. Join the Elementary Music Teacher Community Facebook group to continue the conversation and you can watch the Thursday Facebook lives on my Facebook page The Domestic Musician. I'd love for you to leave a rating and a review of the podcast on I-tunes, be sure to share the podcast with any music teacher friends who would find it helpful and be sure to tag me on Instagram or Facebook.

In this episode, Lori Burke and I discuss her story as a songwriter and how you can help your students write songs with ease.  She gives so many actionable steps including choosing a topic, using music to write a story, changing up the words to a familiar melody, and so much more.  We also discuss the importance of music education and music teachers and how music can be used as a tool in students lives when they need it.   Lori Burke is the business owner and entrepreneur at Lori Burke Music LLC.  She uses music and kinesthetics as a medium to achieve dreams. She's a Sesame Street alumni songwriter, Division 1 Javelin athlete, Hall of Fame for Volleyball (playing and coaching) and T&F, and has been nationally recognized for her work by the Today Show, PBS, Huffington Post, Redbook, and YouTube viral video.  Lori has been married for 20 years to her high school sweetheart and has 2 beautiful children who are teens also achieving their big dreams.    You can connect with Lori here: Website: loriburkemusicshop.com Instagram: @lori_burke_music Facebook: Lori Burke Music Facebook group:  Sing-A-Long Parenting Group Find out more about and sign up for the HARMONY membership waitlist here. Head to my website to grab your free music teaching resource. Join the Elementary Music Teacher Community Facebook group to continue the conversation and you can watch the Thursday Facebook lives on my Facebook page The Domestic Musician. I'd love for you to leave a rating and a review of the podcast on I-tunes, be sure to share the podcast with any music teacher friends who would find it helpful and be sure to tag me on Instagram or Facebook.

This episode is an interview with JoEllyn Sumner of The Tuneful Teacher.  She, like a lot of you, shifted to virtual teaching both as an elementary music teacher and in her parent child music classes.  We talk about how parents and teachers are looking for creative ideas to do with their children while you're at home more than you usually are.  JoEllyn stresses the importance that parents can be their child's teacher and how you don't need to have the greatest singing voice to do so.  Being an elementary or secondary music teacher is way different than teaching the little learners.  So, it can be confusing knowing what to do with the littles, whether it's your own child or if you're asked to teach a preschool music class.  In this episode, you'll hear SO much helpful advice that you can apply to your elementary music teaching or if you're a parent as well.  JoEllyn Sumner is a 15 year K-4 music teaching veteran from the Chicagoland area, who has also been virtually teaching parents how to cultivate a Tuneful Home for the past year. She has 2 B.A.'s - Vocal Performance and Music Education, as well as an M.A. in Educational Administration.  She also has countless post-graduate credits specializing in Orff-Schulwerk, First Steps in Music, Conversational Solfege and prenatal, infant, and toddler music as well.  JoEllyn loves singing, dancing, and listening to all sorts of music from around the world -- and wants to bring that passion to all the parents and families she meets! You can connect with JoEllyn here: Website:  www.thetunefulteacher.com Instagram: @thetunefulteacher Facebook Page: The Tuneful Teacher Facebook Group: The Tuneful Teacher Parent Group YouTube: The Tuneful Teacher Twitter: TheTunefulTeach Other links shared in this episode: Find out more about and sign up for the HARMONY membership waitlist here. Check out the Learn Piano At Home course right here. Head to my website to grab your free music teaching resource. Join the Elementary Music Teacher Community Facebook group to continue the conversation and you can watch the Thursday Facebook lives on my Facebook page The Domestic Musician. I'd love for you to leave a rating and a review of the podcast on I-tunes, be sure to share the podcast with any music teacher friends who would find it helpful and be sure to tag me on Instagram or Facebook.