Tideo is a classic sixteenth note song in many elementary classrooms. But is there a fresh way to approach this rhythmic concept? In this episode, Anne shares a pathway with tikatika speech improvisation. Victoria shares an option for a whole-class rhythm arrangement. For an added bonus, try combining the two ideas together at your next music sharing! Thank you for listening! Visit our website (http://teachingmusictomorrow.com) to listen to or watch new episodes. Make sure to click subscribe and...
Jun 15, 2025•18 min
In our last episode we talked about a few of the many variants to Tideo. Today, we'll look at how the version we choose can impact the harmonic activities we do! Victoria shares a vocal bordun activity. Anne shares a tonic and dominant activity that starts with voice and transfers to barred instruments. Thank you for listening! Visit our website (http://teachingmusictomorrow.com) to listen to or watch new episodes. Make sure to click subscribe and leave a review from whichever platform you are l...
Jun 08, 2025•22 min
In this three-part series, Anne and Victoria explore ways to refresh Tideo, starting with the song and game. Tideo is a rich song, both from a pedagogical standpoint and a song research standpoint! There are so many ways to set this play party up for different grade levels. Anne shares a version of the play party for 2nd and 3rd grade. Victoria shares a slight variation on the 2nd and 3rd grade version, as well as an option for lower elementary. Thank you for listening! Visit our website (http:/...
Jun 04, 2025•26 min
For the final episode in the Apple Tree trilogy, we're talking all things melodic extensions. In this episode, Victoria & Anne talk about how to squeeze every ounce of melodic content out of this song, from so-mi to beyond. Whether it's through oral/aural echo imitation or composition and improvisation, get some ideas for how to use Apple Tree in your music classroom tomorrow. Thank you for listening! Visit our website (http://teachingmusictomorrow.com) to listen to or watch new episodes. Ma...
May 27, 2025•20 min
We’re back with Apple Tree—but this time, it’s all about the rhythm! In this episode, we explore how to extend this favorite song beyond the game and into purposeful rhythm learning. You’ll hear how to use Apple Tree to introduce and reinforce concepts like steady beat, rhythmic patterns, and even early iconic notation.From simple body percussion to creating student-composed rhythms based on the song, this lesson is a seamless way to keep the playful spirit alive while layering in deeper musical...
May 19, 2025•23 min
We’re kicking off a new season of Teaching Music Tomorrow with the first episode of a three part series all about a tried and true song Apple Tree. Anne and Victoria share different ways to introduce the song through game play, both with a “counting-out” elimination game, and a “London Bridge” style game. Whether you’re looking to build steady beat skills, set the foundation for melodic learning, or just looking for a fresh and new way to teach Apple Tree, this episode is packed with practical i...
May 14, 2025•24 min
Today on Teaching Music Tomorrow, Victoria & Anne discuss different ways for using partwork in the elementary music classroom. Victoria shares an entrance activity she uses with her youngest students and then carries into older grades to introduce partner songs through movements. Anne shares a way to introduce a song through body percussion ostinati and extends with small group composition. Thank you for listening! Visit our website (http://teachingmusictomorrow.com ) to listen to or watch n...
Nov 12, 2024•26 min
Today on Teaching Music Tomorrow, Anne & Victoria are talking about different opening routines that have worked well in their music rooms. Anne shares a tried and true sequence for having students enter the room and warm up their bodies and voices. Victoria shares a fresh and new idea for engaging students in active listening and student led movement. Thank you for listening! Visit our website to listen to or watch new episodes. Make sure to click subscribe and leave a review from whichever ...
Nov 06, 2024•28 min
Fall is here! Today on Teaching Music Tomorrow, Anne and Victoria share some tried-and-true Fall activities. Enjoy these activities on their own, or use them as a way to integrate seasonal celebrations into the existing music curriculum. Anne shares a grab-bag collection of activities with the song, “Pumpkin Pumpkin Round and Fat.” Victoria shares a counting-out song and barred instrument activity to go with the book, “Too Many Pumpkins.” Like this episode? Check out more from Anne and Victoria,...
Oct 27, 2024•27 min
Active Listening is embedded in the ways that we teach in the elementary music classroom. Today on Teaching Music Tomorrow, Anne & Victoria are discussing specific active listening lessons to keep your students engaged and making music. Victoria shares a listening activity perfect for a “one off” lesson, the end of class, or to introduce movement vocabulary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4WPCBieSESI Movement sequence: 0:00 - With feet planted in place, improvise movements to follow the mel...
Oct 20, 2024•20 min
We’re back for another season of Teaching Music Tomorrow! Today, Anne and Victoria are talking all about open space, and how to scaffold the opportunity to move independently in the elementary music classroom. Anne shares how she begins in self-space with the song Allie Galloo, and how she scaffolds allowing kindergarten students to move to a new “spot” to explore non locomotor movement in new locations and shared space. She also shares how she sequences Mouse Mousie for students to be successfu...
Oct 16, 2024•26 min
In this episode of Teaching Music Tomorrow, Anne & Victoria explore different strategies for teaching the recorder. Victoria shares an extension of “Al Citrón,” and Anne shares ideas for “I See the Moon.” Recorder can be effectively incorporated into our music curriculum in various ways, from using it as an accompaniment or as a mode of improvisation. In this episode, we’ll explore collaborative learning experiences and the concept of rhythmic building blocks and you’ll learn how to simplify...
May 12, 2024•18 min
If recorder is something you’re just getting started with, today’s episode of Teaching Music Tomorrow is for you! In this episode, Victoria and Anne share early experiences with recorder and ideas for helping make it an integrated part of your music classroom. Anne shares ideas for starting to play patterns with “Star Light Star Bright” and Victoria shares how to practice hand position with the game from “Al Citrón.” Don’t forget to visit our website to sign up for extra resources from this epis...
May 05, 2024•27 min
In today’s episode, Anne and Victoria are sharing first instrument experiences. If you’ve never gotten out unpitched percussion with your students, or you’re beginning with early elementary, this episode will give you tangible activities that you can use in your classroom today. Anne shares a rhythm stick exploration for “Willum He Had Seven Sons” and Victoria shares “Engine Engine Number Nine.” Reinforce rhythm and beat with these early experiences. Don’t forget to visit our website to sign up ...
Apr 28, 2024•16 min
In this episode of Teaching Music Tomorrow, Victoria and Anne discuss the use of unpitched percussion instruments in the classroom. We’ll highlight the challenges of incorporating instruments and the importance of clear instructions and transitions. Anne shares a rhyme called "Huckleberry Ice Cream,” and Victoria shares “Listen to the Sun.”Tune in to this episode to learn how to engage your students with unpitched percussion instruments and enhance their musical experience. Don’t forget to visit...
Apr 22, 2024•27 min
In this episode of Teaching Music Tomorrow, we’re kicking off our instrument series! In today’s conversation, Anne shares ways to incorporate unpitched percussion into an activity for “2 4 6 8” and Victoria shares how to facilitate instrument exploration with “On a Log, Mister Frog.” Tune in for new ways to make some of your favorite songs fresh with unpitched percussion. Don’t forget to visit our website to sign up for extra resources from this episode! For more from Anne & Victoria, click ...
Apr 11, 2024•25 min
Closing Activities are an important part of routine for both students and teachers in Kindergarten music. We want to leave students with a positive, music making experience as they leave the music room. Included in these closing activities are often opportunities for reviewing the learning objectives for the day, as well as the actual nuts and bolts of managing students through the transition of leaving the music room and rejoining their teacher. You as the teacher can decide whether the student...
Feb 12, 2024•21 min
Steady Beat, like the other concepts explored in this series, is a foundational concept for all music making. It is unique, as it is often what we think of first when we think of “Kindergarten music.” Remember that exploring steady beat should be experienced based, where students work with pulse as well as the overall flow of music. Consider ways to keep and show the steady beat in creative ways that also take into account musicality and musicianship, such as using spider fingers or other visual...
Feb 05, 2024•20 min
Echo Singing, in addition to vocal exploration, is one of the many ways that we get students ready to use their singing voices. Singing voice can be a challenging skill to master for many students because there can be a disconnect between what it means to hear singing voices, hear our own singing voice, as well as access the vocal mechanism that allows us to produce a singing voice. In addition to the actual act of singing, knowing when it’s “my turn” versus “your turn” to sing can be a challeng...
Jan 29, 2024•21 min
Movement in Kindergarten is essential! Not only is it used to get the jitters out, but is an opportunity to build musical vocabulary through movement exploration. Like any other element in the music room, it’s important to carefully sequence movement experiences so that students feel comfortable and confident (and excited!) to move in ways they may not have been asked to do so before. Movement can be an activity or learning objective in and of itself, but like many other Kindergarten concepts ca...
Jan 21, 2024•22 min
Vocal Exploration is one of the first musical experiences in Kindergarten. The goal of these activities are to allow students opportunities to use their voices in many different ways, many of which they may or may not have experienced before. Over time, this affords students the experiential vocabulary to draw upon when it comes time to differentiate between labeling different ways of using their voices, including but not limited to singing voice. These activities are used to help students explo...
Jan 15, 2024•21 min
Today on the podcast, Anne & Victoria discuss extractable patterns: what they are, why they are important, and how to use them meaningfully in individual lessons and your curriculum overall. Listen in for ways to think about digestible chunks for your students’ music learning and how to decide which song to use for which extractable pattern. Thank you for listening! Visit our website to listen to or watch new episodes. Make sure to click subscribe and leave a review from whichever platform y...
Nov 08, 2023•21 min•Season 3Ep. 8
Today on the podcast, Anne & Victoria continue the conversation on transitions by discussing how to move students from one space to another. As you’ll hear, there are many different ways to implement these types of transitions into your music classroom, but they do take practice just like any other musical skill. These transitions are still musical, but serve as transitions from space to space by giving students a job. Thank you for listening! Visit our website here to listen to or watch new...
Oct 30, 2023•23 min•Season 3Ep. 7
Today on the podcast, Anne & Victoria discuss how to successfully move from one activity to another using musical transitions. Musical transitions tend to focus predominantly on one rhythmic or melodic concept, whether or not it is “known” to students. Listen for some ideas for how to implement critical thinking skills for your students in the margins of your lessons, but with intention. Thank you for listening! Visit our website here to listen to or watch new episodes. Make sure to click su...
Oct 23, 2023•20 min•Season 3Ep. 6
Today on the podcast, Anne & Victoria continue the conversation on how to successful scaffold movement or a game-like activity in the elementary music classroom with movement. Following a discussion about what makes this episode different than the two previous in our movement sequence, we’re sharing a couple of our favorite movement & folk dance inspired activities. Victoria shares Sashay the Donut with implications for using creative movement and creating opportunities for student choic...
Oct 16, 2023•38 min•Season 3Ep. 5
Today on the podcast, Anne & Victoria continue the conversation on how to successful scaffold movement or a game-like activity in the elementary music classroom with “play parties.” Anne share “The Old Brass Wagon” and how she uses it for a movement vocabulary builder, adaptable to many different circumstances and grade levels. Victoria shares how to scaffold “Alabama Gal” in a way that allows for students to be successful right off the bat. Thank you for listening! Visit our website here to...
Oct 08, 2023•20 min•Season 3Ep. 4
Today on the podcast, Anne & Victoria break down how to teach a singing game or activity with your students. We discuss what things to think about when teaching a song for a game, how to scaffold gameplay so that students understand their jobs, and possible extensions for these games and activities for assessment, instruments, and beyond! Thank you for listening! Visit our website here to listen to or watch new episodes. Make sure to click subscribe and leave a review from whichever platform...
Oct 02, 2023•36 min•Season 3Ep. 3
Today on the podcast, Anne & Victoria are talking more about rote song singing. We’re tying up a couple of loose ends from last week’s episode, and sharing two new songs and how we’d teach them by rote to children for the first time. We discuss a “line-by-line” or “my turn, your turn” sequence for the simplest way to teach a song by rote, as well as discuss the element of form with both “ Let Us Chase the Squirrel ” with Victoria, and “ Just From the Kitchen ” with Anne. Thank you for listen...
Sep 18, 2023•30 min•Season 3Ep. 2
On this episode of Teaching Music Tomorrow, Anne & Victoria start at the very beginning: how do we teach a song by rote? If we are going to have a predominantly singing classroom, how do we effectively sequence singing a new song for our students? Listen in for tips, tricks, and a whole lot of discussion on how to teach a song. Thank you for listening! Visit our website here to listen to or watch new episodes. Make sure to click subscribe and leave a review from whichever platform you are li...
Sep 11, 2023•43 min•Season 3Ep. 1
In the conclusion of today’s three part melodic arranging discussion, Anne & Victoria round out the ideas we’ve explored throughout the past couple of episodes. We open the episode with a discussion about what it really means to arrange, vs. having a melodic arrangement and how student choice and action is a big part of both. Victoria shares a sequence for introducing partner songs to students in an AB structured passing game, "El Florón." She provides the partner song for the B section, but...
Jul 03, 2023•28 min
