The Elementary Music Teacher Podcast: Music Education

This episode with Kelly Surette is about adaptive music education and how to help your special needs learners in the music room.  We also talk about technology adaptations for deaf and hard of hearing students. Working with students who have special needs can be intimidating and overwhelming.  It's hard not knowing how to best help them and how to help them become active music makers. In this episode, we explore so many ways that you as the music teacher can help your special needs students thrive in the music room.  Kelly Surette has been an adaptive music educator for almost a decade now, working specifically with students who have special needs as well as Deaf and Hard of Hearing individuals with disabilities. Kelly is a speaker, blogger, and author of Creative Miracles: A Practitioner's Guide to Adaptive Music Instruction to be released in fall 2019. You can find Kelly's blog, book release info, and contact Kelly on her website at www.kellysurette.com If you're wanting to connect with Kelly on social media, you can find her on Instagram 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.

This episode with Elizabeth Caldwell is all about restorative behavior management and equity in music education.   I love this conversation and think it is one that is so important to have.   We talk about what it's like working with kids who have gone through trauma, how you can be a great teacher no matter what your school environment looks like, and even ways to bring hip-hop music into the elementary music classroom.  Elizabeth has been teaching elementary general music and choir for 12 years. She has lead trainings on general music curriculum design and has published her own K-6 curriculum.  She has also lead trainings on restorative practices, school climate, and behavior management for elementary teachers (not just music).  Elizabeth grew up moving around a lot, but spent her most significant growing up years in Japanese public schools.  She currently teaches general music and choir in a K-6 school with an under-resourced, high-trauma student population of primarily Black and Latina students. You can connect with Elizabeth on her website at caldwellorganizedchaos.com and on Instagram and 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.

I'm so excited about today's episode where Anne Mileski talks about how you can be a more purposeful, sequential, and joyful music teacher.  Anne Mileski is an elementary music specialist in Eastern Washington. She has taught elementary general music in both public and private school settings, and piloted an early childhood program for the Spokane Area Youth Choruses. She is certified in Orff-Schulwerk, Kodály Pedagogy, Smithsonian Folkways World Music Pedagogy, Music Learning Theory Elementary General Level I, and has completed coursework in Dalcroze Eurythmics. She is a regular clinician at local chapter workshops, state music conferences, and has presented at both the American Orff-Schulwerk Association and Organization of American Kodály Educators national conferences. In the summers, she serves as a pedagogy instructor for Kodály teacher education programs. Anne holds a Bachelor of Music degree in Trumpet Performance from the University of Michigan where she studied with Bill Campbell and a Master of Music degree in Trumpet Performance from Southern Methodist University where she studied with Tom Booth of the Dallas Symphony. She has performed on trumpet with prestigious groups such as the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and the Dallas Wind Symphony. In addition to her applied music studies, Anne holds a Master of Music degree in Music Education from Southern Methodist University. Prior to relocating to the pacific northwest, she completed coursework toward a doctorate in music education at Indiana University, Jacobs School of Music. She served as an associate instructor for the music education department, both as a supervisor for student teachers and as a teaching assistant for choral and elementary music methods courses. Also while at IU, she conducted second and third grade singers in the IU Children's Choir. Currently, Anne serves as the director of the early childhood program for the Spokane Area Youth Choruses. She is the founder of The Anacrusic Podcast and Anacrusic.com, where she works to inspire other music teachers to be more intentional with their teaching through purposeful, sequential, and joyful resources. She created her signature program, The Sequencing Solution, to help other teachers discover the plug + play formula for intentional music teaching. You can follow and connect with Anne here: Instagram: instagram.com/annemileski Facebook: facebook.com/anacrusic FREE Podcast Community: facebook.com/groups/TAPinsiders/ Subscribe to the FREE Anacrusic Newsletter: anacrusic.com/newsletter Join the waitlist for The Sequencing Solution: anacrusic.com/tss 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, I'll talk about 4 ways you can celebrate Halloween in the music room with your students.  1.  Have a Halloween week  2. Sing songs 3.  Poetry and stories  4. Movement  The blog posts mentioned in this episode include:  The Ultimate List of Halloween Songs for Kids  3 of My Favorite Halloween Activities  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 with Aimee Pfitzner is about how to use the Orff approach when it comes to doing singing games and body percussion in your music classroom.  Aimee Curtis Pfitzner has been the Lower School Music Director at Cannon School in Concord for 22 years. She holds a Masters of Music degree from UNC-Greensboro and completed Level I Orff-Schulwerk Training at Bridgewater State University in Massachusetts, Levels II and III at UNLV, and Master's Level at the University of Memphis. Aimee is a frequent presenter at AOSA chapter workshops around the country and National AOSA conferences.  Her books, "Hands to Hands, Clapping Songs and Games from Around the World",  "Hands to Hands, Too", "Painted Music", and "Sing a Song, Play a Game" are available from Beatin' Path Publications.  She is passionate about music making, gardening, adoption, and anything and everything creative; painting, zendoodling, digital scrapbooking, making jewelry, writing music, crafting, and sewing. When not teaching or writing music, singing, or creating, she can be found musically musing on her blog, www.ofortunaorff.com.  You can also find Amy on social media here:  Instagram  Facebook  Resources mentioned in this episode include:  singsmileplay.com  westmusic.com  musiciselementary.com  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, we'll explore how getting to year 3 and moving past that 1st and even 2nd year of teaching is so great!   Year 3 is the year of: finding your stride learning how to find the right mixture of lesson plans knowing your students better and your kids knowing the way you do things your relationship with your colleagues happening You can read a 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, Jessica Dutton and I have a discussion about how it's ok to shift from teaching classroom music to something else like private lessons, owning your own studio, or even starting your own business online or in person.   Once you get your music education degree, this doesn't mean you're required to teach elementary music (or secondary) for the rest of your life.  If you do, than great!  High quality music teachers are DEFINITELY needed in the schools.  That's the exact reason I started this podcast... to help give you tips and strategies to teach music. But, I also like to talk in the podcast about how as a musician and teacher, you'll have multiple passions, and how it's ok to follow those and shift a little bit sometimes.  Jessica Dutton is a former public school music teacher turned private teacher and music studio owner/manager. She's also a writer, speaker, business coach, and serial entrepreneur. She juggles these pursuits with her Spanish teacher hubby while raising three kids under five. She specializes in equipping music teachers with the encouragement, direction, and practical tools they need to build a successful business that fits their life and goals.  You can find her on Instagram or Facebook at Music Business Mom or in her Facebook group, Music Teacher Business Launchpad. 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. 

Juggling being a parent and a teacher is not easy.  In college, there's not a course that tells you "one day you'll be a parent and do this".  Wouldn't that be nice?   The main takeaway I want you to get from this episode is to know that you're doing a better job than you think you are.  Just like when you became a teacher and it's all about just getting in there and doing it, and figuring it out as you go, the same goes for being a parent.  You'll have days where you feel guilt, or like you're not doing a good job, but these emotions and feelings are normal and you're allowed to feel them. These blog posts will help give you even more insights into being a parent and a teacher: Juggling Teaching and Motherhood- As a Music Teacher Teacher Work-Home Life Balance- for Elementary Music Teachers 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, I'm sharing 10 things that music teachers really think during staff meetings.  You might be able to relate to one of all of the points, but if anything, I'm hoping you get a good laugh out of today's episode.   You can 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. 

Megan Kuhar is a Marketing Technology Coach with many titles: entrepreneur, videographer, podcast producer, audio engineer, educator, and musician. She is the first-ever Assistant Professor of Music Technology at Baldwin Wallace University Conservatory of Music, where she teaches music majors and educators about branding, marketing, and technology for artists.  Through the Fan Finder Podcast as well as coaching sessions, Megan teaches professional musicians how to turn their social media audience into loyal fans, so they can get booked and make more money online. Her unique background in music, technology, marketing, and education allow her to coach her clients into creating beautiful, purposeful content that is authentic and built upon a foundation of a strong brand. This episode is a little different than other ones, because it's all about marketing and technology. Whether you're just wanting to connect with other music teachers online, are wanting to start a side hustle, need advice about making your website work for your classroom, or are wanting to implement more technology with your older students, this episode is for you.  Links mentioned in the episode: Article on "Innovate. Music. Lead.", Eastman School of Music publication: Technology in Arts Entrepreneurship Curriculum Music Technology Coaching Session, for educators who want to learn more about how to teach technology projects in their arts courses Megan's social media links:  Instagram  Facebook group The Fan Finder podcast 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.