Music Teacher Coffee Talk

Music Teacher Coffee Talk · MTCT #201   Upcoming Events: April 18, 2026: Carrie will be presenting "Keep Them Singing, Keep Them Playing" for the Wyoming AOSA chapter at Alta Vista Elementary in Cheyenne from 8:30-4:30. More info and register here. July 11-24, 2026: Tanya and Carrie will be teaching at the Colorado Kodály Institute in Fort Collins. Learn more and register here. Main Theme: Kodály Myth Busting In this episode, Carrie and Tanya address some common myths and misconceptions about Kodály-inspired teaching.  Things we mention in this episode: World Music Initiative series with GIA : song collections and resources from many cultures throughout the world Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Brain by Zaretta Hammond Organization of American Kodály Educators  - find a chapter or training program near you Know Better, Do Better Carrie recommends reading this article:  Black Music Aesthetics in General Music by Loneka Wilkinson Battiste . Know Better, Do B...

Music Teacher Coffee Talk · MTCT #187: Carrie's Contemplations from Orff Schulwerk Level II Announcements: Carrie and Tanya will both be presenting at the  OAKE Western Division Mini-Conference  on November 7th and 8th in Denver. Tanya will be presenting a session on Friday, Carrie will be presenting on Saturday, and we'll be doing a live podcast recording on Saturday. If you plan on attending the conference, we'd love to see you at our sessions! Want to cheer us on with some Music Teacher Coffee Talk merch? We are doing a pre-order of T-shirts, coffee mugs, and tote bags that can be picked up at the conference.  Complete this form to order your swag!  (Orders for WDOAKE conference attendees only- items will be delivered at the Western Division OAKE Conference in Nov. 2025) We will also both be presenting in January at the Colorado Music Educators Association state conference in Colorado Springs. Be sure to say hello if you go! Main Theme: Carrie's Contemplat...

Music Teacher Coffee Talk · MTCT #184: Desert Island Music Room Essentials   Main Theme: Desert Island Music Room Essentials It's back to school time! In this episode, Tanya and Carrie share some of their essential materials in the music room, both tried and true stuff and things that are new to us that we are planning to incorporate this year. Materials and Manipulatives: Popsicle sticks and beat charts Puppets, preferably with moveable mouths or a "pop-out" feature Recorder stands: both soprano stand and consort stand Whiteboards, staff boards, and noteheads (mini erasers, bingo chips, etc) Parachute and stretchy band Related resource: Parachutes and Ribbons and Scarves, Oh My! Storybooks and picture books Curriculum Materials: Susan Brumfield's First We Sing series , including pedagogy books and songbooks Our own folk song collection and curriculum materials as developed in Kodály certification courses, workshops, and conferences World music song collections: Fi...

Music Teacher Coffee Talk · MTCT #176: Managing Spring Fever Behavior Support us at Buy Me a Coffee! We are excited to offer our listeners support and resources through our new Membership site on Buy Me a Coffee. We have two membership options: Solo Single Shot ($5/month) and Duet Double Shot ($15). Check out our  Buy Me a Coffee membership site  for all the details including the perks you get with each level of membership. We appreciate you supporting our work! Main Theme: Managing Spring Fever Behavior in the Music Room In this episode, Tanya and Carrie talk about strategies and lesson ideas that help when managing Spring Fever behavior challenges in the music room. Things we mention in this episode: " Spring Fever Classroom Management Ideas" by Jennifer Finley . Not a music education specific article, but still a helpful read to get you thinking. Bloom app - great for a calming moment at the end of class and can be a great incentive. Incredibox - another fun incentive ...

Music Teacher Coffee Talk · MTCT #174: Post Performance Ponderings   Announcement! We are starting up a new Membership site on Buy Me a Coffee. We have two membership options: Solo Single Shot ($5/month) and Duet Double Shot ($15). Check out our  Buy Me a Coffee membership site  for all the details including the perks you get with each level of membership. We appreciate you supporting our work! Main Theme: Post Performance Ponderings In this episode, Carrie and Tanya talk about recent performances they've led at their schools. We talk about the general outline of our performances, what went well, what we would change if we did this performance again, and tips that we learned along the way. Tanya did a performance with 2nd grades all about weather. She used songs and poems that relate to the 4 seasons. Each class got to perform 2 songs related to one of the seasons. Students got to play instruments and read poetry. Carrie did a performance with 5th grade inspired by the ...

Music Teacher Coffee Talk · MTCT #163: Creativity in the Orff Classroom with David Row Main Theme: Creativity in the Orff Classroom We were thrilled to welcome David Row to the podcast to talk about improvisation ideas for the elementary music room.  David Row is a Nebraska native and Midwesterner at heart currently living and teaching in the Kansas City Metro area. He holds a Master’s Degree from the University of Missouri – Kansas City Conservatory, is an Orff Schulwerk Level I teacher educator, and has extensive experience with critical thinking in the arts. He is an AOSA-approved Orff Schulwerk teacher educator and teaches Level I Pedagogy each summer in Orlando and St. Louis. On his blog, MakeMomentsMatter.org , and through his podcast David shares ideas about classroom content, management, lesson plans, critical thinking, and more. Catch up with David every week on his “Musical Mondays” LIVE videos on Facebook and Instagram. David shares so many wonderful ideas and strategie...

Music Teacher Coffee Talk · MTCT #156: End of the Year Plans Main Theme: End of the Year Plans Tanya and Carrie discuss their end of the year plans including what content we are still going to teach and some of the extra fun things we do this time of year to keep kids engaged. Past Music Teacher Coffee Talk episodes for the end of the year: #111: Wrap it Up! #112: 3-2-1, The Final Countdown! #90: Your Future Self Will Thank You #39: End of the Year Gems #13: Outside Songs and Games Other things we mention in this episode: Example of Carrie's review planning document (this is 2nd grade) Teaching Music Tomorrow podcast with Anne Mileski and Victoria Boler Musication Day-O (Banana Boat Song) Blob Opera Incredibox BeepBox Groove Pizza Gimkit Blooket Know Better, Do Better Carrie talked about the importance of gender neutral concert dress codes. Here is a great article with ideas and things to consider. Work Smarter, Not Harder Tanya recommends creating a document now that goes into s...

Music Teacher Coffee Talk · MTCT #155: Realizing Diversity Check-In In this epsiode, Carrie and Tanya check in on how they have implemented things they learned during the 2023 Summer Book Club while reading Realizing Diversity: An Equity Framework for Music Education  by Karen Howard. Main Theme: Realizing Diversity Check-In After reading Realizing Diversity , we were inspired to create a "Music Culture Project," similar to the project outlined in Appendix D in the book. With the help of a few other teachers in our district, we created a 5-lesson unit that traces the "Son Clave" rhythm from Ghana to the Americas and how it appears in music of many cultures, genres, and time periods. Here are some resources we mention as we discuss the unit we created and taught to our 5th graders: 2023 Summer Book Club Episodes: Episode #135:  Part 1 Episode #136:  Part 2 Episode #137:  Part 3 Episode #138:  Part 4 Let Your Voice Be Heard: Songs from Ghana and Zimbabwe by...

Music Teacher Coffee Talk · MTCT #143: Primary Lesson Segments: Recipes for Sucess Pt. 1 Main Theme: Primary Lesson Segments (Recipes for Success, Part I) We are starting up a new series all about lesson planning called Recipes for Success and today's episode is all about lesson segments for primary grades.  Think of daily lesson plans as a layer cake and the lesson segments are like the foundational layers of the cake. What are lesson segments? Lesson segments are the foundation of your lesson and include the songs, games, and activities you do in your room. Lesson segments can be tied to a specific conceptual focus, or can just be for joy and musicking. In a Kodály-inspired classroom, the songs and conceptual focus of lesson segments are chosen from song lists and concept plans and are laid out time-wise from your yearly plans and/or district pacing guide.  How many lesson segments should there be? How long should they be? In a Kodály-inspired classroom, a typical 45-minut...

Music Teacher Coffee Talk · MTCT #141: Classroom Instruments   Upcoming Events: September 23, 2023: Carrie will be presenting "Keep Them Singing, Keep Them Playing" for the Arizona Kodály Teachers Society in Phoenix. Find more details and register here! Main Theme: Classroom Instruments In this episode Tanya and Carrie talk about classroom instruments, both pitched barred instruments and non-pitched percussion. We talk about our philosophy of using instruments within a Kodály-inspired classroom, our sequence for introducing instruments, our tips for storage and organization, and our favorite resources for using classroom instruments in the elementary general music room. Favorite resources for using classroom instruments: Orff Source books by Denise Gagne All Around the Buttercup by Ruth Boshkoff Strike It Rich by Kriske and DeLelles As American As Apple Pie by Kriske and DeLelles David Row Make Moments Matter blog, videos, and podcast Know Better, Do Better Tanya invites us...

Music Teacher Coffee Talk · MTCT #132: 3 Stars and a Wish   Upcoming Events: Tanya will be presenting a workshop titled "How Can I Keep Them Singing: Singing Games and Activities for Older Students" on Saturday, April 22 for the Plains States Kodály Organization (PSKOR) in Kearney, Nebraska.  Get more information here! Main Theme: 3 Stars and a Wish Carrie and Tanya share some thoughts about their first year at their new schools. We each share 3 things that have gone well, and one goal or wish for next year. Tanya's 3 Stars and a Wish ⭐: Tanya has focused on singing just for the joy of singing and not necessarily tying every song into a specific concept or skill ⭐: Tanya has been thoughtful about organized dancing and movement and how to introduce specific skills at each grade ⭐: Tanya has been including more genres of music other than traditional American folk music (popular music and "world" music) for listening 🧚‍♀️: Tanya's wish for next year is to ha...