The Elementary Music Teacher Podcast: Music Education

In episode 92, Melissa Stouffer comes on to talk about what solfege is, how to teach it and use it in your classroom, and how she sees it helping her students to thrive in the music room.   Whether you've already implemented solfege, it's brand new to you, or you're just looking for new strategies in using it, you'll find this episode so helpful.  I know I learned so much just from my conversation with Melissa. Mrs. Melissa Stouffer is the music teacher in her 10th year of teaching. She teaches preschool through 5th grade general music, elementary choir, middle school choir and middle school band. She earned her BS in Psychology and BME in Music Education from Central Michigan University. Mrs. Stouffer is Kodály Level Two certified and serves as the president of the Michigan Kodály Educators as well as the MMC Planning Committee representative for the Michigan Music Educators Association. She is a music education blogger and frequent presenter at conferences in the region. She is married to Sam, a financial analyst, whom she met in marching band at CMU. They live in Metro Detroit with their dog, Cindy Lou Who. You can connect with Melissa here: Her website mrsstouffersmusicroom Her TPT store On Instagram On Facebook 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 is such a stressful time right now.  Whether your school has closed, is going to close soon, or you're just not sure what's going to happen, you're still a music teacher. Those relationships you spent all year building have not been in vain. Let's talk about that today... Check out the "How to Teach Elementary Music Remotely: Ultimate Resource Round-Up" blog post here Access the "Sing with Mrs. Jessica" course here 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.

Did you know a flower and teaching music have a lot in common?  From starting out as a seed, then growing into a bud, and then eventually a full flower, it takes time for it to grow.  With the right nurturing and care, the flower grows into it's full potential and doesn't compare itself to other flowers along the way.  This episode goes into how you are just like a flower when it comes to your growth, confidence, and uniqueness as a music teacher.  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.

If you've ever transitioned to a new school, you know it feels like a transition for sure.  There are so many things you need to process mentally and emotionally before starting at your new school.  Whether you're about to transition to a new school, have already done so, or are just thinking about it, this episode will help you as you hear from Rachel Hahn about what it was like for her to make the decision to move school's and her mindset behind it.  Rachel Hahn teaches elementary music in Owasso Public Schools in the Tulsa, OK area. She is in her eighth year of teaching K-5 music. She previously taught in Broken Arrow Public Schools before switching districts this summer. She is a graduate of Oklahoma Wesleyan University and University of Nebraska-Lincoln, where she earned a Master of Music degree in Clarinet Performance. Rachel completed her Kodály certification at the University of Oklahoma in 2015. In 2017 she was chosen as a Fund for Teachers Fellow to travel to Austria to study the music and lives of Mozart, Haydn and Beethoven. She performed in the Classical Music Festival in Austria as part of her fellowship, performing music by these great composers in the original places they were performed hundreds of years ago! Rachel joined the music teacher Instagram community last year when she started her TpT store, Harmony with Mrs. Hahn (formerly Harmony with Ms. Hammon). Although her teaching schedule keeps her busy, she enjoys playing in her church orchestra, teaching clarinet lessons, serving as an accompanist, and playing the occasional gig.  You can connect with Rachel here: Instagram  Facebook  TPT  Blog  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.

One thing I’ve been seeing around lately is how teachers don’t feel like they can be effective teachers without a levels course under their belt.  Remember that degree you received or that certification you worked towards?  Remember taking that Praxis test and the other teacher exams?  Remember keeping up your PD hours every year?  Remember being in the classroom and teaching music?  That matters too!  Coming into teaching elementary music whether new teacher or not, you won’t have a levels course under your belt and that’s ok.  You are there to teach music, which is the main goal, and your students need YOU! Blog posts that you can refer to: 3 Ways to Teach with the Kodaly Method 4 Ways to Teach with the Orff Method Also, be sure to refer to the different Kodaly and Orff interviews and solo episodes on the podcast as well.  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, Allison and I discuss how to do movement and improvisation in the music room while using the Orff approach.  I love how Allison breaks down how she loves doing movement and improvisation with her students and easy strategies you can implement in your own classroom even if this is brand new for you.   Allison Croskey is an elementary general music teacher from Cincinnati Ohio.  She received her Bachelor's and Master's degrees in music education from Miami University.  Allison has completed all 3 levels of Orff-Schulwerk certification as well as Orff Curriculum, and utilizes the Orff approach in her classroom everyday.  She currently serves on her local Orff Chapter's executive board.  Allison has presented lessons at her Orff Chapter's Sharing Day as well as county-wide professional development days.   Allison and her husband Greg live in Cincinnati Ohio with their 2 black labs Cameron and Cady and are parents to their first baby.   You can connect with Allison here:  Mallets and Music website  Instagram Facebook  Twitter Some books Allison recommends are:  Creative Dance for All Ages by Anne Green Gilbert  Teaching Movement and Dance by Phyllis S. Weikart  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 podcast episode 87, we're going to talk about how to encourage love and kindness in the music room.   As a music teacher, your job is to obviously teach music, but it's so much more than that.  Your job is to also help bring up good citizens who will grow into good adults one day too.  It's hard to do this in the music room.  You're limited for time, and only have a few minutes each week to teach music to your students.  So, how in the world are you also supposed to talk to your students about character too?   Well listen in, because we'll explore strategies and ideas for helping you to do just that! Read the blog post that goes right along with this episode here.  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, Paige and I discuss 5 practical ways to implement social and emotional learning strategies in the music classroom.   This is something music teachers ask a lot about, because with only seeing your students for a limited amount of time, it's difficult to know how to connect with them and help them connect with others in a deeper way.  Research has shown that students will learn more from teachers they know care about them and care about their life.   Social-emotional learning can serve as a great classroom management tool.  Classroom management isn't just about being strict and enforcing the rules, but also about connecting with your students too.  The 5 practical ways to implement social-emotional learning in the music classroom (that are discussed in detail in this episode) include: 1. Implement a feelings check in or greeting 2. Incorporate a zen zone in your classroom 3. Do breathing exercises and meditation 4. Practice social-emotional learning for yourself too 5. Dialogue effectively with your students  Paige's mission with the “Simple Music Teaching” blog, and TPT store, is to share simple, effective, lesson ideas and resources. As a self-proclaimed “minimalist music teacher,” she enjoys inspiring teachers to say “no” more often so that they can say “yes” to the things that really matter and live a more balanced life with less burnout. She's been teaching music at a large Title I elementary school in Dallas, TX for 6 years and specialize in ukulele, guitar, social emotional learning, technology and classroom management. Paige loves morning routines, running and Thai food. She's a non-fiction book nerd (specifically personal growth & psychology books), coffee-shop dweller, traveler, introvert, songwriter and entrepreneur. She's been married to her favorite human for 6 years and has an energetic 2 ½ year old blue heeler dog. You can connect with Paige on her blog and on social media on:  Instagram here Facebook here Her TPT store here YouTube here For the resources that Paige recommends in this interview, head to this link.  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.

Today's podcast interview is with the amazing Annie Rasmussen.  I'm so excited to bring her on the show to talk about teaching ukulele and curriculum design for elementary music.   She breaks down teaching ukulele so that even the most beginner of teacher can walk away feeling confident in teaching this incredible instrument. She's also super passionate about creating curriculum and if this is something you've been interested in, I pick her brain about transitioning from teaching elementary music to what she does now on a day to day basis.  Annie Rasmussen is the creative brain behind MusicPoppins.com. She's a full-time music curriculum developer and the author of the ukulele launch curriculum Let's Say Aloha!, she runs curriculum test classes in her home-based lab studio in Houston, Texas. She is obsessed with puppets, folk instruments, and all things 'ukulele. Her dream is to put music making back into the recreation time of kids and their families. She graduated from Utah State University in Music Education in 2007. She has taught middle school band and general music, private flute lessons, group and individual piano and theory lessons, church choirs, and of course, LOTS of ukulele classes! She has two sons and is married to a brilliant scientist. You can find Annie at musicpoppins.com and on social media as Music Poppins on Instagram and Facebook. On her blog at musicpoppins.com/blog, you can find posts about curriculum design in elementary music and ukulele as well. 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.

Today's podcast episode with Jessica Grant is about two topics that she is both knowledgeable and passionate about... combining the Orff and Kodaly approaches and teaching music to upper elementary and middle school students.  Jessica Grant is the middle school music specialist at Good Shepherd Episcopal School in Dallas, Texas.  She taught fourteen years as an elementary public school music specialist prior to teaching middle school students for the past four years.  She has taken Dalcroze classes, is certified in Orff Schulwerk, and completed Kodaly Level III this past summer.   Jessica earned her Bachelor of Music in Music Education from Lee University in Cleveland, TN, and her Masters of Music in Music Education from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, TX.  She is a member of AOSA, OAKE, ARS, and TMEA.  Jessica is the host and creator of the Afternoon Ti Podcast on iTunes and Stitcher. You can find Jessica here: Instagram:  @highafternoonti Facebook:  Jessica Morrison Grant Afternoon Ti Blog Afternoon Ti Podcast Links shared in this episode include: Waltz No 2 by Shostakovich Percussion for Waltz in 2 (Group Example) Playlist 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.