Have You Heard of MAEIA?
Have You Heard of MAEIA? I was recently introduced to the Michigan Arts Education Instruction and Assessment Project and was blown away by this somewhat unknown resource. Read to find out more!
Create Sing-Along Videos… the EASY Way!
Have you ever wondered how to create karaoke style lyric videos? Or rhythm clap-along videos? Maybe you’ve wondered about the hours of video editing, expensive software, or the technology skills required to make such a video? Today I’m going to tell you about the EASY way to make sing-along videos using the FREE technology that you already have!
Music Escape Rooms: Learning Can Be Fun?
Gamification is a technique used by educators to apply game design elements to learn or reinforce educational concepts. I’ve been playing around with this idea, particularly in the form of ESCAPE ROOMS! Let’s take a look at both printable and digital Escape Room possibilities.
Sing, Coach, Conduct Podcast Guest!
Megan Farison’s podcast, “Sing, Coach, Conduct” is an incredible resource for singers, conductors, and singing teachers. I had the privilege of being a guest on the podcast this week! Join us as we talk about life after teaching, giving back to the musical community, and what’s next for Sarah Stockton Resources!
Part 3: Youtube Playlist Sub Plans
Years ago, I started using Youtube Playlists for my sub plans. I understand that this may not work well in all situations and with all students, but I have found it to be very successful in the right environments. Youtube Playlist Sub Plans are a great way to keep students singing and moving during your absence and are perfect for a non-music substitute in the music classroom.
Part 2: Emergency Sub Tub
Emergency “Sub Tubs” are commonplace in the elementary classroom, but can be a foreign concept to middle and high school teachers. I implemented an Emergency Sub Tub about 5 years ago and never looked back! Here’s how to set yours up:
Part 1: Ready-to-Use Sub Plans
Over the next three blog posts, we’re going to talk about Sub Plans: Ready-to-Use Sub Plans, Emergency Sub Tubs for secondary, and Youtube Playlist Sub Plans. Spring is full of state testing, field trips, performances, and alternate schedules. Which means the need for Sub Plans! For nine of my years in the classroom, I taught in two different buildings, which sometimes meant writing sub plans for one building so that I could teach at the other. Talk about frustrating! Here are some of the Sub Plans that I’ve already created for you and are ready to go!
Switch It Up: “Sing From Your Diaphragm”
There are certain choral phrases that have stood the test of time: “Sing from your diaphragm” (or “Breath from your diaphragm”) is one of them. This one is a big pet peeve of mine! Have you ever used this phrase? I promise that I will forgive you if you have!
5 Choral Pieces I’m Loving Right Now
There are so many quality pieces of choral repertoire out there and sometimes it can be overwhelming to choose the right music for our ensemble. From time to time, I’d like to present some of my tried and true choral pieces, as well as new pieces I’m discovering. Sometimes they may be presented by voicing, subject matter, or even type of festival or concert. For this first repertoire blog post, I would like to share 5 of the pieces that I’m Loving Right Now.
It’s Festival Season! -The Value of Adjudication
We are still in the full-swing of choir festival season here in Michigan. We usually wrap up our state-level adjudicated festivals around early to mid-May. I have had the distinct pleasure and honor of adjudicating both district and state-level Solo and Ensemble festivals and Choral Festivals this year. If you’ve never taken your choirs to an adjudicated festival, you might be wondering “what’s the point?”
The Keys to Sightreading Success
Sightreading and the ability to read music is one of the foundations for a successful choir, however it can sometimes be a painful process. Students may struggle to see the value and don’t always enjoy the experience. Here are some practical ways to incorporate sightreading into your choir class and some tips and tricks to making it FUN!
Part 3: Rest is Productive
In the last two blog posts, we’ve talked about how to boost productivity through Time Management Strategies for Teachers that Work, and 15 Practical Life Hacks to Save You Time. In this post, we’ll explore how Rest is Productive too!
We hear the term “Self-Care” thrown about rather carelessly, especially in the past few years. Is there anything worse than having the very institution, the very people who are causing you stress…. telling you to take care of yourself? Scheduling an extra meeting to give you self-care tips? I know that I’ve been in that situation and really would have preferred the extra time to get some stuff done. Or, I don’t know…. REST!
Part 2: 15 Practical Life Hacks to Save You Time
This article is the second part of a three-part series on “Time Management Strategies for Teachers that Work”. If you haven’t read Part 1 yet, go ahead and read it here. Since we’re all about making the most of our time, this Part 2 in the series will be a quick list of “15 Practical Life Hacks to Save You Time”.
10 “Rules” for Choosing Diverse Choral Repertoire
There are many aspects to consider when being intentional about selecting diverse choral repertoire. While there are always other suggestions and considerations, I hope to offer 10 general “Rules” for selecting diverse choral repertoire.
Top 5 Tech Tips for Music Teachers
Today I’m going to share my Top 5 Tech Tips for Teachers that I’m loving this week. It was so hard to narrow it down so I plan to revisit this topic again in the future!
Why I Loved Teaching… But it Didn’t Love Me.
I’m not sure if you would call it teacher burnout, after-effects from pandemic teaching, or simply shifting priorities, but I realized that I needed to step away from teaching. I still loved the idea of teaching, but I realized it wasn’t loving me. I didn’t love the way teaching made ME feel. And I couldn’t evaluate those feelings from within my classroom. I needed to step away to gain clarity.