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 […]
Art Assessment Materials (2.1.19 PD)
On February 1st, CPS Arts held a city-wide PD day at the Chicago Cultural Center, I was lucky enough to talk about how I use integrated assessment as parts of my lessons. I wanted to share the resources I used during the presentation with anyone who is interested. Assessment shouldn’t be a distraction from how […]
Transforming Public Spaces for Education #freethehallways
Flexible learning environments are becoming more and more popular in schools across the country. Teachers and students alike are agreeing that our physical space impacts the way we learn. However, in a school the classroom only represents a portion of the physical space that students spend their time in. Our hallways, stairwells, and lobbies take up […]
Snow Sounds: A Musical Story Unit
Is it story time? Music time? Why not both! During this fun and engaging seasonal unit, students will enjoy listening to and creating their own winter sounds. With fun activities such as: a Winter Bingo listening game, a read-aloud picture book, and a DIY create your sounds project! An interdisciplinary unit that allows students to […]
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 […]
Keepin’ it 100
In honor of having both my 100th follower and 100th review on Teacher’s Pay Teachers I’m making everything 20% off (the highest discount) for the entire weekend.
FREE Concerts from Chicago Symphony Orchestra!
CSO School Concerts feature the world-renowned music making of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, exploring orchestral masterpieces and illuminating connections to students’ daily lives. Join us for four exciting programs that explore where great orchestral music comes from, what it means to be a listener in the 21st century and how composers, musicians and audiences are […]
Presenting at the LEAP: InnovatED Summit today!
Learn how to incorporate music & the arts to create multi-layered immersive lessons that will both challenge and engage your learners. Using research-backed methods we will look at examples in multiple subjects, discuss practical application, and brainstorm ways to apply these in your own classroom.
Setting Norms: A Social Contract
Start your year with a Social Contract. Different from a set of classroom rules, a contract is an agreement created by the students for both how they want to be treated and how they should treat others. Establish a culture that is unique to your classroom, based on the values of those in it.
Donor’s Choose: Traveling Xylophone Sets
Collaborative performances allow us to build community through music. These portable xylophone sets will allow us to work on both rhythm & pitch – allowing us to create not just beats, but songs.