Classroom Posters

Careful asking a human to "sit up strait." We don't have flag poles in our bodies, we have spines, and the spine does have a natural curve to it. I simply ask them to "Listen to your body" so they can make the micro adjustments. Their body will tell them what it needs if they practice listening to it. This mindfulness practice is great after stretching.

If you are giving your students a rhythmic vocabulary and tonal vocabulary, how do you talk to them about melody?

When I read melodies with my students we break them apart. "Look at the lines" and chant the rhythm! Or "Look at the dots and tell us what is our starting pitch?"

Inspired by the work of Andy Mullen

Tonality (modes) Chord Function Posters
Major, Minor, Dorian, Phyrgian,
Lydian, Mixolydian, Aeolian and Locrian

Inspired by the work of Dr. Heather Shouldice

Tonalities are like different flavors of ice cream.
The melody (ice and milk) are still present while you change the tonality
(flavor of ice cream) making a new kind of flavor. 

Key signatures can be tricky...
but we can also give our students some tricks.

This is a fun challenge for students that help them practice their micro beats in duple and triple meter. I put this on the outside of my music room door and students who choose to take the challenge and show me get a "polyrhythm five"

Inspired by the work of Andy Mullen

Duple meter (Aural / Oral)
Macro & Micro

Inspired by the work of Andy Mullen

Triple meter (Aural / Oral)
Macro & Micro

Inspired by the "Jump Right in" Recorder Books

Inspired by the "Jump Right in" Recorder Books