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5 Days of Mozart: Day 2, Alla Turca & Mozart Fun Facts
Today, we are going to look at some fun facts about Mozart. And, to make it more interesting, I have put these facts into a timeline of Mozart. Remember that Mozart was a child prodigy. He wrote a lot of his most famous music when he was only a kid! As such, our timeline will […]
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5 Days of Mozart: Day 1, Eine Kleine Nachtmusik & a Mozart Story
This week, I would like to introduce you to famous composer who was quite a childhood prodigy. Most know him as Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart or simply “Mozart”. You may have also heard him called “Amadeus”. And, I would like to begin with a story about his name. See, Mozart himself couldn’t always decide what others […]
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9 Simple and Effective Tips to Get Your Child Practicing
Practicing music at home is something that every teacher encourages religiously. After all, it’s extremely important! Students just don’t make the same kind of progress when practice doesn’t happen and their motivation levels fade quickly. That said, students who otherwise might be excited to practice can easily come across many obstacles when they are at […]
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The Value of Being All-In
Thirty-some years ago when I was in elementary school, I was what you might call overbooked. Let’s see, there was gymnastics, swim class, math club, cub scouts, church functions, school band, school orchestra, piano lessons, trumpet lessons, homework, and the list goes on. On one hand, I am surprised I had time to be a […]
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Live Looping Fun with Percussion and a Single Ukulele
For the first week of music class this year, I chose two great videos to share with the classes as motivation for the coming year. Both videos involved a concept called “live looping”, which involves the use of a electronic pedal or a computer to produce a loop or repetition of a sound. Live looping […]
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Honoka & Azita: An Incredible Ukulele Duo
Starting the week of September 12th, I will be announcing our third and final topic of the year, “Playing Music”. Students will be introduced to the instruments they will be playing with their cluster. Red & Silver clusters will be playing beginner level mallet percussion instruments (xylophones, glockenspiels, and metallophones). Indigo & Orange clusters will […]
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Introduction Ukuleles, Recorders, & Mallet Percussion
Starting the week of September 12th, I will be announcing our third and final topic of the year, “Playing Music”. Students will be introduced to the instruments they will be playing with their cluster. Red & Silver clusters will be playing beginner level mallet percussion instruments (xylophones, glockenspiels, and metallophones). Indigo & Orange clusters will […]
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From A Capella to a Marble Machine, Thinking Outside the “Music” Box
This week, my students are being introduced to the second of three themes we will cover this year: “Music is Connected“. The specific lesson topic is “Thinking Outside the ‘Music’ Box”. Students will be encouraged to think differently about music. Our lesson will connect music to science. And, we discover the idea of inventing new […]
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First “Great Musician” of the Year: Arturo Sandoval
The first week of school, students were introduced to the first theme of the year “Great Musicians“. We discussed traits that make a music great. We played a game to help us learn the rules for the music class. We learned that this year students will have an opportunity to earn musicianship awards (more on […]
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Arturo Sandoval Playlist
This week in my music classes at Open School, I will be teaching the students about the great musician Arturo Sandoval. He has had quite a life and his music is absolutely incredible. In particular, we will be discussing diversity in music. We will hear music from Arturo spanning across many genres. And, we will […]
