Keeping up with...

Keeping up on all of the new technology can be difficult.  I got a link to this from EdTechReview.  I found it helpful.  I really like infographics....


Find more education infographics on e-Learning Infographics

Thankful for Sharing...

I'm not sure how I found this, but I'm so glad I did!  Joy Morin has some really helpful teaching materials on her site.  If you teach piano, or general music, I encourage you to check it out.  There are many items for free, and the ones she has for sale in her shop are pretty awesome too!

Most of all, I'm thankful that she has chosen to share freely many of her materials so I don't have to "reinvent the wheel" as it were.  Click here to see her work. Many thanks Joy...

Found this on Facebook today.  Thought it might be informative to those who think the arts are unimportant. The link to the original infographic is just below.  Feel free to connect to the link to see it in its larger, much more readable form.

 http://www.cooldailyinfographics.com/post/why-music-the-many-benefits-of-musical-education

Why music....

It is such a good day when someone says for you what you know to already be true.  Watch this...

Again it is the organic nature of music as language (see earlier post with Victor Wooten), and why we need it in our schools but also in all of our lives.
 
The information below about Doug Goodkin was taken from the Tedx YouTube site.  Here's the link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zKZAfDcU6BQ

Published on Apr 4, 2013
Doug Goodkin is an internationally recognized teacher of Orff Schulwerk, a dynamic approach to music education. He is currently in his 38th year at The San Francisco School, teaching children between three years old and eighth grade. He also has trained teachers having in 39 countries worldwide. teaches regularly at The Orff Institut in Salzburg, directs The San Francisco Orff Certification Course and teaches his own course on Jazz and Orff Schulwerk throughout the world. He is the author of eight books and has an ongoing blog titled "Confessions of a Traveling Music Teacher." Doug is particularly known for connecting the principles of Orff Schulwerk to a wider world of practices and ideas—jazz, world music, poetry, school community-building, brain research, human health and culture, social justice and more. His work has been described as " a long, earnest and continuing struggle to present music of integrity in a way that affirms our collective humanity. http://www.douggoodkin.com/

What we can achieve working together...

I'm in a group called Tech in Edu.  They sent a link to this video.  I thought it was worth posting.  Enjoy.

Music as language by Victor Wooten

I subscribe to Ted.com and this came in my email today.  It was very inspiring and a new way to think about things, as a music teacher.  Please watch it, and I hope you come away the way I did, a little different in the way I think about teaching my students.

Singing is good for you...

Finally, evidence that choral singing is good for you, and good for learning!  Read the article from Time.com
I hope more studies about singing will continue, to bolster the already known value of vocal music.

This Web 2.0 tool was introduced to me by a "Full Sailor" EMDT graduate on Facebook.  I tried it out and liked it so much that I bought the upgrade package.  It's called PowToon (click on the highlighted word for the link).
I created my first PowToon as an introduction for each class, to be used as a reminder of classroom behavioral expectations, but in a fun way.  Here it is below.  Check it out and have some fun!

Thought I would just share this.  I forgot I had it.  Interesting how children sometimes see things.

Just found this website from www.westmusic.com called Adopt a Classroom.  Still investigating but it may be of interest to others.  Watch the video below and see if it might be helpful to you.
Also, here is a link to the website for Adopt a Classroom.

I think this video speaks for itself.  Assessment is one thing, to help bring instruction forward.  But as one of my college professors told me..."Don't let school get in the way of your education.