My favourite charitable organization working to bring music education to mostly Indigenous youth in remote Canadian communities. http://www.artscancircle.ca
B is for beatboxing and bucket drumming!
Grade 5's excited about their upcoming performance
C is for cowbell - if you teach bucket drumming you gotta have more cowbell!
D is for doumbek
Wish I had a class set of these Arabic drums. What a great way to welcome Syrian refugee students being integrated into Canadian schools.
My new doumbek on the rocky shore of Georgian Bay
E is for ear learning.
All musicians need to learn music by ear - notation is way over-rated.
F is for fearlessness.
Pushing yourself to try new things and letting go of the fear of looking or sounding stupid in front of students is a liberating experience.
G is for grades
...wishing every year at report card writing time that I didn't have to give, especially 5 and 6 year olds, an evaluative grade for music class.
H is for harmonica.
Thank you Mike Stevens for your inspiration.
I is for Indigenous.
If you teach in Canada you need to educate yourself about Indigenous culture. Follow @WabKinew, read the Truth & Reconciliation Commission Report, go to a workshop by @EddyRobinson - doing nothing is not a neutral act.
Thank you Victor Wooten for the best TedTalk on music ever. L is also for legacy - what do we stand for and what kind of musical legacy do we want to leave?
M is for Musical Futures
Dr. Lucy Green, informal music learning, Find Your Voice and the wonderful teachers that I have met - some exclusively online - in this global MF community have transformed my teaching for the better.
N is for the nae nae and any other dance craze that comes along.
O is for open mic sessions
Every so often I set up a mic and amp and go around the circle to give students a chance to do their own thing - Kindergarteners love this! You never know what kids can do until you just let them do it.
P is for performance
Give students opportunities to develop confidence and pride in what they do.
Golden Beats perform their original hybrid beatbox/dance at School Board Meeting
I have returned to school late in my career to study a Masters in Music Education (2 courses away from completion!). More work needs to be done to translate good quality Canadian research into practice in schools.
S is for space
Every Canadian school should have a designated space for music! I didn't realize how important that was until I lost my music room this year. We study sound and we need a place to make it.
My friend Victoria Simpson's music room in Calgary, Alberta
T is for technology
I agree with Jackie Schneider about the iPad - the absolute best tool for teaching music and every school should have a class set.
U is for the amazingly wonderful ukulele!
James Hill is right (sorry Denise Gagne) - ukes have a strong advantage over the recorder because you can sing while you play. You can listen to their debate here: Should music teachers ditch recorders for ukuleles?
Gr 7 & 8's at rehearsal for Remembrance Day Assembly
V is for variation
My husband also reminds me that V is for vacation!
W is for winter in Canada
Cold weather means a full music room at recess breaks - kids playing instruments, jamming, writing songs, or just listening to their favourite music.
X is for xylophones
Every child should have the opportunity to play an instrument.
Y is for saying "yes" to students' choice in their music learning
Z is for remembering to keep it zippy!
My internal metronome has slowed a bit in recent years, so daily reminders that my students are buzzing at around 130 - 140 mm helps me to keep in sync with them.
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