Using the ed-tech platform SeeSaw, I’ve been able to create self-directed independent learning playlists (menus). These are amazing for asynchronous learning, independent learning, self-directed learning, or even learning centers. The menus are easy to navigate but provide students with the choice and voice that is so essential when trying to foster participation and buy-in. This […]
21st Century Music
Roll-a-Song: An Introduction into Digital Composition
A quick, fun, and engaging activity to help your students enter the world of digital music. This 1 hour lesson is tech-centric but relies on entirely free to use programs. It covers key vocab like melody, harmony, and rhythm then transitions into a dice rolling random composition tool that has your students effortlessly making multi-voiced […]
Pop Music Production: An Overview
One of the biggest areas I get questions about from other arts teachers is digital music. It is simultaneously one of the most desired areas and one of the most intimidating. However, with a little practice anyone can produce great original work using these tools. These lessons and materials can be used as individual activities […]
GoFundMe – Sountrap Edu Accounts
This year I’d like to elevate my 21st Century Music elective by purchasing a Soundtrap Educational plan. It’s only $249 and will benefit over 140 middle school students with dozens of tools and hundreds of thousands of musical samples. Please visit my GoFundMe to make a donation!
Ingenuity’s Arts Education Conference Resources – 4/5/19
I will be speaking at Ingenuity’s Arts Education Conference on April 5th on the topic of “Personalization in the Arts Classroom.” The session will rely heavily on tech and using apps from the Google Suite (like Google Classroom). I wanted to post a brief overview of the presentation as well as the handouts, links, and […]
Student Podcasts are LIVE! (and how I published them)
Our podcasts are now LIVE on Spotify! Listen now to these amazing student crated projects. The topics you ask? Anything from Unusual Foods to the Secret Lives of Pets. If you ever wanted to know more about the first ever male Cover Girl ambassador James Charles we got you cover! Worried about Surviving a Zombie […]
8-bit Music: Original Compositions
We take a look at the history of video game music and how it was made. There is a surprisingly robust history around this topic, spanning from it’s origins to its influence on popular music today. The limitations of the early hardware meant it had to be composed in 3 or 4 tracks making it […]
Podcasting: Content & Themes
As part of middle school electives I am currently running a course on podcasting. Beyond the technical proficiency required, the most important part of podcasting would be content. Generating topic, ideas, and themes is essential. We spent the last few periods running through the gamut of brainstorming activities to think of what is important to not just the audience, but […]
Why Arts Standards Matter
The National Core Art Standards were released in 2014, yet there are still some art educators are either resistant or not utilizing them to their fullest potential. I want to talk about how those 11 anchor standards and 4 core processes can be a great tool for art educators. Using them as platform for Advocacy, a […]
K-pop Listening Lesson
K-pop (abbreviation of Korean popular music or Korean pop; (케이팝) is a music genre originating in South Korea, characterized by a wide variety of audio-visual elements. Although it includes all genres of “popular music” within South Korea, the term is often used in a narrower sense to describe a modern form of South Korean pop music drawing inspiration from a range of styles and […]