If you’ve had the opportunity to take a Summer Levels Course, you are truly fortunate to have learned from some of the most amazing educators. You come away with a wealth of ideas and experiences. You want to capture everything you’ve learned, take it to your students in the fall and immediately implement all of the incredible pieces, strategies, lessons, and joy into your classroom. You’re likely changed as an educator. Your thinking was challenged. Your musicianship was pushed and grew in many...
Jul 18, 2023•16 min•Season 14Ep. 264
Want to set goals and go after them? Check out the Get Your Goals Course on my website at www.jessicagrant.org. For $15, you get video tutorials and access to both Google Sheets templates and printable workbooks. You’ll learn how to brainstorm, select goals, make action plans, and go after the things that matter most to you! Go Get Your Goals! In today's episode I'm sharing some goals I've been working on this year, some goals I've let go, and some goals I have yet to begin, but am hoping to wor...
Jul 11, 2023•14 min•Season 14Ep. 263
This is the third and final podcast episode in the Summer Blueprint series about lesson planning. While you could do these ideas any time of the year, summer is a great time to put together curriculum ideas shared in episode 260, long range plans shared in episode 261, and short range plans in today’s episode. I'll share five ideas for how you can focus on short term lesson plans by: Beginning with long range plans Make a list of song material from this past year by grade level and find new song...
Jul 04, 2023•22 min•Season 14Ep. 262
Last week I shared ideas for working on parts of your curriculum in the summer. Today I’ll be sharing how you can focus your attention on a specific grade level of your choosing and plan a blueprint for long range lesson plans. I’ll provide five ideas for both year-long plans and monthly plans including: 1. Identifying the concepts and skills you want to teach 2. Creating a sequence for teaching those concepts and skills 2. Planning engaging activities 4. Assessing along the way 5. Reflecting an...
Jun 27, 2023•13 min•Season 14Ep. 261
It's summer and you're soaking up the sun while thinking about putting together an outline for mapping out your curriculum for the coming year. Here are seven ideas for getting started: Scheduling work and play Lists of concepts by grade Lists of song material by concept Create manipulatives Select choir materials Select a musical Purchase something created by another music teacher Head to F-Flat Books to get my newest book release co-written with Danielle Larrick called Two Teacher Perspectives...
Jun 20, 2023•13 min•Season 14Ep. 260
Danielle Larrick and I just released our book “Two Teacher Perspectives on Health and Wellness” with F-Flat Books. You can head over to F-Flat Books to purchase your copy! Share it with a friend. Use it for a book study with teacher friends and colleagues. It’s the perfect summer book to focus on your needs as an educator. We're giving you an exclusive sneak peek into the book! You'll hear us read Chapter 4: I need more balance. F-Flat Books: https://fflat-books.com/ Danielle's Instagram: @music...
Jun 13, 2023•11 min•Season 14Ep. 259
Danielle Larrick and I have teamed together to write the perfect summer book for teachers all about teacher health and wellness. Get the inside scoop about what you can expect within the book including: Ten chapters related to health and wellness topics such as imposter syndrome, identity, anxiety, joy (when things are going great!), sleep, energy, and more Key takeaways for each chapter Book study questions Get your copy from F-Flat Books starting on June 8, 2023! Danielle's Instagram: @musical...
Jun 06, 2023•16 min•Season 14Ep. 258
When the school year comes to an abrupt end, it takes some time for our minds and bodies to catch up to the fact that we can now rest. Or at least breathe a little bit for sure. Here are five things we can do to wind down for summer. Take a day of rest Get closure Summer meal plan Be okay with a mess Think about what you want your summer to be Grab the Summer Meal Plan Freebie HERE ! Instagram: @howtoteachmusicwithjessica Website: www.jessicagrant.org...
Jun 02, 2023•11 min•Season 13Ep. 257
You may have seen the meme/gif going around with this word on it. What a perfect way to describe how many of us feel at the end of the school year! I'm sharing three ideas for what you can do when you feel exhausted, overwhelmed, and overstimulated. Instagram: @howtoteachmusicwithjessica Website: www.jessicagrant.org
May 30, 2023•10 min•Season 13Ep. 256
How do we finish the year well when we're so tired? What should we choose to push forward on and what do we ease up on? Here are six things I'm doing at the end of the year to keep learning continuing in the classroom and reviewing material already learned. Ideas include: Podcasting Lessons Teaching New Instruments (sounds crazy, but I'll explain) Short Unit Plans Reviewing material learned throughout the year Taking musical learning outside Online learning with Blookets, Kahoots and Gimkits Fol...
May 16, 2023•15 min•Season 13Ep. 255
I’ve often found it challenging to find books that I love to use with my older students so I created this fairy tale project to use possibly familiar stories in a way that allows students to work together to create short speech pieces/raps and put together an entire classroom performance, if you desire. Today I'm sharing the process I use with my students for this project over four class periods. Use it as a guide with your students or follow it as shared! You can use this project with the fairy...
May 09, 2023•13 min•Season 13Ep. 254
Calligrams are a word or part of a text where the design and layout of the letters or words create a visual image that relates to the word themselves. They can be created using one phrase, individual words, song lyrics, poems, or specific text. In today's episode, you'll hear four ideas for using calligrams in the classroom and learn how I used a calligram project with my students based on song lyrics. Want to purchase the project? Head to www.jessicagrant.org and click on shop to purchase! Webs...
May 02, 2023•11 min•Season 13Ep. 253
This past week I spent time backpacking in the Smoky Mountains with my seventh grade students. Here are five lessons I learned in the woods that apply to teaching at the end of the year (or anytime really!) Website: www.jessicagrant.org Instagram: @howtoteachmusicwithjessica
May 01, 2023•10 min•Season 13Ep. 252
Allison Russo is a consultant, writer and educator who has written a fantastic book called “Planning Purpose.” I’ve enjoyed working through the process within the book to find ways to implement my values and the values of my students into the content I’m teaching. I’m excited for you to learn from Allison and encourage you to follow her on Instagram @thecriticalgood. Allison’s Bio: Consultant, writer, and educator Allison Russo has dedicated her career to creating more ethical and effective arts...
Apr 18, 2023•29 min•Season 13Ep. 251
Sharing ten things that are making a difference in my life right now. Life lessons. Specific content and apps. Things in general. Instagram: @howtoteachmusicwithjessica Website: www.jessicagrant.org
Apr 17, 2023•14 min•Season 13Ep. 250
This project is a huge hit with my students! Listen in to hear how you can use Minecraft, Flip, and Student Peer Reviews to help students learn about Musical Artists. Purchase materials for the project HERE ! You'll hear: *Ideas for using the project with your students *Four levels of implementation (peaceful, easy, normal, hard) *Student peer reviews *Rubrics and more How to record your screen with Flip Jessica Grant Website: www.jessicagrant.org Instagram: @howtoteachmusicwithjessica...
Apr 04, 2023•11 min•Season 13Ep. 249
I loved this chat with Ashley Brown Woodside. Ashley is an incredible musician, dancer and educator who loves to inspire her students through the use of movement and music. More specifically in using elemental concepts in movement to guide their learning and musical experiences. We talk about several movement ideas including: Defining elemental movement Making movement accessible and challenging Differentiating experiences to reach all learners Gaining confidence as teachers in our own movement ...
Mar 28, 2023•31 min•Season 13Ep. 248
There is an art to designing a lesson plan. Learning your personal pacing and the pacing of your students' work takes time and experience. Here are a few ideas to help you figure out how to pace your lessons from start to finish! Follow me on Instagram @howtoteachmusicwithjessica! Website: www.jessicagrant.org
Mar 21, 2023•12 min•Season 13Ep. 247
Have you ever had this happen: Your lesson moves at a faster pace than expected and you have extra time emaining. Or your class time has ended, your students are lined up, but their teacher isn’t there yet and you might be there for a few minutes longer. What do you do? Five minutes may not seem like it’s that big of a deal, but in the teaching world it can feel like an eternity. Here are five ideas for what to do if you’re waiting in the hallway and five ideas for what to do if you have five mi...
Mar 20, 2023•11 min•Season 13Ep. 246
This conversation with Bryson Tarbet about differentiation is extremely relevant and insightful. It will get you thinking about how you already differentiate learning in the classroom and things you might want to try. Most of all I hope you come away from our talk being encouraged by what you’re already doing, thinking about how to give your students what they need where they are and allowing your students to share ideas and thoughts for trying things in new ways you may not have thought of. Bry...
Mar 07, 2023•29 min•Season 13Ep. 245
In Episode 242 I talked about how to prepare a musical and shared four areas to get you started: selecting a musical, gathering content ideas, holding auditions and getting started with the first rehearsal. Last week in episode 243 I talked about how to structure and organize your rehearsals so that you can maximize the time you have to teach scenes and songs. Today it’s all about the performance: creating a printed or online program, using checklists, pre-show warm-ups, exercises and chats, and...
Feb 28, 2023•19 min•Season 13Ep. 244
Get your Musical Theatre Prep Guide HERE ! The guide is a fully editable Google Doc with over 10 pages of content that can help you plan everything from auditions to casting to student groups, rehearsal schedules and more! Today's episode is all about how to structure and organize rehearals for musical theatre productions using rehearsal groups, student leaders and planning content. Check out last week's podcast Episode 242 to hear about how to prepare to teach a musical: selecting the musical, ...
Feb 21, 2023•16 min•Season 13Ep. 243
Doing a spring musical? Today’s focus is about how to prepare for the musical. Some of the things you might want to think about before auditions begin and before rehearsals start. All the things to consider as you select your musical, prepare documents for casting and costumes, the audition process and planning out your first rehearsal. Follow me on Instagram at @howtoteachmusicwithjessica Website: www.jessicagrant.org TpT: How to Teach Music with Jessica Grant...
Feb 15, 2023•26 min•Season 13Ep. 242
Do you present at music teacher workshops and conferences? Or is this something you're hoping to do? I'm here to help! I'm sharing four things you should consider when presenting music educator workshops: 1 - Session Titles 2 - Session Content 3 - Pacing 4 - Visuals with Googles Slides, Powerpoint, etc. You'll hear ideas for how to get started, plan a session and implement what you already do in the classroom to share with other music teachers. Follow me on Instagram for more ideas: @howtoteachm...
Feb 07, 2023•15 min•Season 13Ep. 241
The Afternoon Ti Podcast is shifting to a new name: How to Teach Music with Jessica Grant. There are several reasons for this rebranding, which I share in today's episode. You'll hear what's staying the same (music ed content) and what's changing (titles of content). Another new change: I have a new instagram handle. @highafternoonti is now... @howtoteachmusicwithJessica If you listen to my podcast regularly, I'd love for you to rate the show and write a review. It'd mean so much to have you sha...
Feb 06, 2023•5 min
I'm always looking for new ideas to use for creative movement in the classroom. There was a video that came across my social media feed of a large group performing choreographed hand movements that were sharp and precise. The performers wore all black clothing and sat in a riser formation. They used their arms and hands to create motions that moved in straight lines, parallel lines, and in canon. This is called tutting. In today's episode I share the process I have been using to teach my student...
Jan 31, 2023•14 min•Season 13Ep. 240
Today I'm sharing how to create an Orff arrangement of a pop song using barred instruments, ukuleles or recorders. You'll hear: - How to select a song - How to arrange and transpose the piece to work with instruments - Ideas for teaching the piece - Options for adding harmony and percussion parts Head over to my website www.jessicagrant.org for teacher content - blog posts, shop resources, courses and more. While you’re there, join my free mailing list for monthly newsletters containing free les...
Jan 24, 2023•12 min•Season 13Ep. 239
Today I’ll be sharing how to process an Orff barred instrument piece. Everything from how to read the score to leading students through the learning process. Head over to my website www.jessicagrant.org for teacher content - blog posts, shop resources, and more. Join my free mailing list for monthly newsletter containing free lesson ideas, thoughts on music education, teacher health and wellness and goal setting. Follow me on Instagram at @highafternoonti where I share family life and teaching c...
Jan 17, 2023•15 min•Season 13Ep. 238
Do you have a default way of introducing a song to your students? For many years my default was to teach by rote. I'd sing the song for students and then ask them to echo the phrases back and forth until they’ve learned the piece. It’s functional, practical and gets the job done! But learning every single piece in the same way at the beginning can become mundane for both you and the students. Here are ten ideas for introducing a song in the classroom. Website: www.jessicagrant.org Instagram: @hi...
Jan 10, 2023•10 min•Season 13Ep. 237
You’ve found a musical piece that you want to teach to your students. You might know exactly what you want to do with the piece, a slight idea or no idea at all. It may be a piece you heard recently at a workshop and want to find a way to incorporate. Or a song you came across in a resource, but need some time to figure out what you want to do with it. Here are seven ways to process a piece that you want to teach! Website: www.jessicagrant.org Instagram: @highafternoonti Intro/Outro Song: Jump f...
Jan 03, 2023•17 min•Season 13Ep. 236
