Reclaim Your Happy!
3 Reasons You Should Teach Storybook Lessons
Storybook lessons are one of the best ways to engage your students and keep them excited about coming to music class! I’m about to share my secret sauce, and it won’t take more than a few minutes to learn the details.
Children’s Books for the Music Classroom That Make Concert Etiquette Stick
Incorporating children’s books for the music classroom isn't just a fun storytime moment—it’s one of the absolute best ways to teach routines, introduce instruments, and front-load expectations without constantly lecturing your students! Every fall, classroom teachers...
I Let My Students Vote to Quit the Ukulele Unit: What to Do When Your Elementary Music Lesson Plan Fails
Your class hasn't even sat down yet, and already you can feel it. This one’s gonna be a battle! They’re either completely wired from recess or exhausted from a long math test. You try pushing forward with your carefully crafted lesson, but it feels like driving a car...
Real Music Teacher Resilience
Tuning Out School Toxicity and Protecting Your Peace with Dana Goodier Have you ever found yourself sitting in your car after a long school day, staring at the steering wheel, and wondering how on earth you’re going to do it all over again tomorrow? That’s why I...
Ditch the Tech Fear: Simplifying Technology in the Elementary Music Classroom
Have you ever looked at a new software update and wanted to hide under your desk? That's why I recently spoke with Katie Argyle about using technology in the elementary music room. First of all, I know exactly what it's like when your schedule is packed, and you feel...
Save Your Sanity: The Ultimate Tweak for Organizing Your Music Clasroom
Have you ever stood at your door, watched a class come in hot, and felt your heart sink into your shoes? First of all, I know exactly what it is like when you are running on empty and you feel completely isolated on your own music teacher island. It is so easy to let...
Is Pitch Making You Crazy? The Secret Sauce for Teaching Up and Down and High and Low
Have you ever stood in front of your classroom, played a beautiful, clear note on the piano, and watched your students stare back at you with total confusion? First of all, I know exactly what it is like when a class comes in hot and you are trying your absolute best...
Starting a TPT Store for Music Teachers: How to Turn Your Daily Expertise into Sustainable Passive Income
Have you ever spent your Sunday night hunched over your laptop, creating a specific graphic organizer or a rhythm game because the resources you have just didn't meet your students' needs? If you’re a music teacher, I can almost guarantee the answer is "yes." As the...
The Portable Power of Hand Clapping: A Music Teacher Survival Guide
We’ve all been there. Maybe it’s a day when the instruments need to stay in the cabinet, or perhaps you’re teaching from a cart in a hallway. Maybe you’re just facing a day where your "loving, giving heart" is running on an empty battery and you need a lesson that...
Saying No with Courage: How to Find Peace in the Music Room
I pushed through the exhaustion for years before it caught up with me. If that sentence hits home for you, friend, you are not alone. I know what it’s like to feel like a passenger in your own career, watching the "Sunday Scaries" turn into a full-blown "Monday...
Turning Snickers Into Songs: Building a Kind Music Room
We’ve all been there. You’re in the middle of a beautiful Orff arrangement or a fun folk dance, and then you hear it—that sharp, quiet snicker from the back row. Or maybe you catch "the look" being passed between two students while a brave soul is trying to sing their...