"Teaching Music" Article

Back in September, I received an e-mail from a junior editor at "Teaching Music" magazine who had stumbled upon a lesson I created back in 2010 and posted here on my blog.  He said he was fascinated by the fact that I used literature to teach rhythmic patterns to young children and wanted to interview me.  He stated that if his senior editor liked the piece, it would appear in the January, 2016 edition of the magazine.

Well...lo and behold...the magazine arrived in the mail last week and the interview appears on page 55 of the magazine.  This is a publication of the National Association for Music Education (NAfME) and is published quarterly and distributed to all members of the organization.  This is a big deal for a music educator who is a very small fish in a really large pond.  Had it not been for my blog, this would never have come to pass.  [Thank you, Melanie Holtsman!!]

I am grateful to Paul Sigrist for contacting me and allowing me to elaborate on a lesson I created for use in my classroom 5 years ago.  I am no longer teaching elementary music, but my legacy lives on and it is truly humbling to know that I have made a difference - not only in the lives of children, but also with my colleagues from across this great nation who will read the article and, hopefully, implement this lesson into their own elementary music classrooms.  Happy Rhythmic Reading!!

Until next time...

Holiday Fest at Airport 2015

I was so disappointed that it was raining when I headed to school this morning.  I don't like it when it "rains on my parade."  Fortunately, I have resilient kids and they took it all in stride.

We traveled to Jacksonville International Airport today to perform at Holiday Fest.  The airport does this twice a year - once during the December travel rush and again in May when thousands of travelers head to Ponte Vedra Beach for The Players Championship (PGA Tour golf).

It's always fun to watch people as they exit the plane and proceed to baggage claim.  Folks slow down; some stop altogether to listen.  There are rocking chairs for weary travelers to sit back,  relax and enjoy the music-making and a Starbucks nearby, just in case.  It is a great experience for my students and we look forward to it every year.

Ready, Set, Go!

Our music folders are shared between four different choirs and get pretty beaten up between August and December. I decided that this was the week they needed to be replaced.

We performed three holiday shows this week.  Yesterday, we had a 3-hour wait between the time school let out and our bus showed up for our final performance.  One of my students didn't have any way back to school if she left campus, so I recommended she remain at school and volunteer in the chorus room.  She spent the entire 3 hours emptying music folders and sorting holiday music for me!! What a gift!!

I've ordered some of the music for our Spring concert, but not all of it.  At least I know that when it's time to stuff the folders, we'll be ready!

Thanks, Katelynne, for your dedication and for your due diligence yesterday.  I appreciate you!!


Until next time...

Savor the Season 2015

The Singing Senators traveled to Regency Square Mall last night to spread holiday cheer to the shoppers and restaurant personnel in the food court.  We were joined by a dance troupe from FaithBridge Church and an acoustical guitarist from Riverside Presbyterian Church.  We sang several pieces from our holiday show, took a photo with Santa and dined at Wendy's on the way home.  Our final gift of music this week was a flash mob of "Carol of the Bells" as a thank-you to the folks at Wendy's for handling such a large crowd of teens with such grace!

We travel to Jacksonville International Airport on Tuesday, December 15th to perform at their Holiday Fest! See you there!!

Until next time...