Music Teacher Coffee Talk

Music Teacher Coffee Talk · MTCT #130: 2023 OAKE Conference Recap   Main Theme: 2023 OAKE Conference Recap In this episode, Tanya and Carrie share some thoughts and takeaways from the 2023 OAKE Conference in Jacksonville, FL. Things we mention in this episode: Organization of American Kodály Educators Nicole Robinson: Culture Connections by Design Nyssa Brown: Music Education Forward 2024 OAKE National Conference: March 14-17 in Chicago 2023 International Kodály Symposium: July 31-August 4 in Los Angeles Know Better, Do Better Tanya brought up the idea of nostalgia that surrounds our thoughts about music and song literature, and how it's ok to recognize those feelings, especially when we are choosing to take a problematic song, book, or story out of your classroom repertoire. Work Smarter, Not Harder When using a doc camera, remember the freeze button. Carrie made use of this function while doing melodic dictation on the staff, by freezing the image on a blank staff, and then unf...

Music Teacher Coffee Talk · MTCT #129: "Real" Music and "School Music": Bridging the Gap   Upcoming Event: We will be presenting at the  Organization of American Kodály Educators National Conference  on Saturday, March 18 at 10:15 am. Our session is titled "Bright Ideas for New Performance Traditions." We'd love to see you there! Main Theme In this episode, Tanya and Carrie discuss the challenges of bridging the gap between "school" music (the music we teach in our classroom), and "real" music (the music students listen to and are familiar with from home and/or music from different cultures that is simply important to listen to).  When emphasizing "Real" music in the classroom for study and listening, we consider the following: How can we place emphasis on more diverse and meaningful listening and less on the traditional focus of music literacy (ie: doing research and spending more time planning intentional moments of lis...

Music Teacher Coffee Talk · MTCT #128: Sunday Scaries and How to Tackle Them   Upcoming Event: We will be presenting at the Organization of American Kodály Educators National Conference on Saturday, March 18 at 10:15 am. Our session is titled "Bright Ideas for New Performance Traditions." We'd love to see you there! Main Theme: The Sunday Scaries and How to Avoid Them Things we mention in this episode: Atlantic Article: "Why People Get the 'Sunday Scaries'" by Joe Pinsker Cube timer Meal planning magnetic board Headspace mediation Know Better, Do Better When thinking about having hard conversations with others, it's helpful to remember the "20-60-20" rule from Dr. Dolly Chugh from her book  The Person You Mean to Be . Dr. Chugh claims that 60% of people are "maliable" in their thinking and could be influenced by the 20% who are open and vocal about change. Work Smarter, Not Harder As discussed in Episode #125: Reseting the Yea...

Music Teacher Coffee Talk · MTCT #127: All About Sub Plans Main Theme: All About Sub Plans In this episode, Carrie and Tanya talk about ideas for sub plans that are successful but not too much work to put together. Essentials: Things to have ready in your sub plans Schedule Seating charts ( iDoceo is a great app for this ) Emergency/evacuation plans Classroom management plan Emergency, generic sub plans OR pre-planned, day-specific sub plans Content: What to plan Create sub plans that any teacher can do, even if you think you are getting a music sub. It's helpful to create plans with the same plans for multiple grades.  Create seasonal or holiday-themed plans. Play-along videos are great with subs ( like these from the Elementary Groove Tracks channel ) Use Google slides to put your entire sub plan agenda, embedded videos, and online materials in one place ( see an example from Carrie here ). Remember to have your sharing settings correct! Utilize past sub plans as well as the re...

Music Teacher Coffee Talk · MTCT #126: Cultivating a Positive Singing Culture   Upcoming Presentation: Tanya and Carrie will be presenting "Bright Ideas for New Performance Traditions" at the Organization of American Kodály Educators national conference in Jacksonville. The conference is March 16-19 and you can register here . Main Theme In this episode, Carrie and Tanya talk about how to cultivate a positive singing culture in your music room. Here are some suggestions and tips that might be helpful if you are looking to promote more singing in your classroom: Sing everyday Include singing in every lesson, even when focusing on other units such as recorder, instruments of the orchestra, folk dance, etc. Use singing in your warm-up routine (roll call solos, arioso, vocal exploration, choral warm-ups). Intentionally develop the singing voice Sing for the kids, not with them. Carefully choose keys, tone sets, and starting pitches to encourage students to sing in their head vo...

Music Teacher Coffee Talk · MTCT #125: Resetting the Year with Realistic Expectations Main Theme In this episode, Carrie and Tanya have a conversation with friend and fellow Kodály-inspired music educator Becca Dellinger. Becca has been teaching for 15 years and currently teachers elementary music in Frederick County, Virginia. We discuss ideas for planning, both short-term and long-term, and resource organization ideas as we reset and manage our expectations for the second half of this school year. Thanks to Becca for an open and honest conversation! Know Better, Do Better Carrie mentions the importance of how spirituals are programmed into a choral concert and the importance of not falling into the routine of putting spirituals at the end of the concert. If you would like more inspiration on programming and just the importance of culturally responsive and relevant teaching, be sure to follow Jasmine Fripp, aka The Passionate Black Educator. Here are some great resources from her: J...

Music Teacher Coffee Talk · Episode #124: Check-In: Culturally Responsive Teaching and The Brain Main Theme In this episode, Carrie and Tanya revisit some thoughts regarding our 2022 Summer Book Club selection Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Brain  by Zaretta Hammond. Things we mention in this episode: YouTube videos: " Culturally Responsive Teaching" lecture by Zaretta Hammond " Culturally Responsive Teaching 101" interview with Zaretta Hammond Note Knacks Know Better, Do Better Tanya recommends following the work of Ashley Cuthbertson . Ashley is a wealth of knowledge when it comes to culturally responsive music education. She offers workshops, online PD, a blog, and has an active social media presence with lots of live videos. Work Smarter, Not Harder Carrie recommends investing in a mailbox system (like a choir folder organizer) where students can store Chromebooks or iPads when they are not in use. Coda Tanya is enjoying the audio book Inside Voice: My...