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Check out this cool online rhythm dictation site! I have this on my school website for kids to practice at home if they want to. Click HERE for the website! - Steph

I know. How exciting. Sorry, I don't have a cool game, or an easy DIY, or some amazing video to share. I have found these charts very helpful over the last few years though! Assessing hundreds and hundreds of kids in Music can be a daunting task, especially when so much of what we do is hands on and we are right in there with the children getting our hands dirty and making beautiful (or sometimes not so beautiful...) music. During my first year of teaching, I had my great teaching partner Amanda, who had assessment charts for each term. We created some together as well. ONE PIECE OF PAPER with everything on it! I loved it. I have been using them ever since. If you're bored already, go to FUN VIDEOS FOR MUSIC  hahaha, seriously.  Manitoba's Music Curriculum is broken down into four essential learning outcomes (our four wings of the butterfly): Music Language and Performance Skills, Creative Expression in Music, Understanding Music in Context , and Valuing Musical Experience....

I love doing my train themed unit with my grade 1-3 classes!  I collect my songs from various sources. I love the Game Plan series by Kriske and Delelles! Two songs that I include in my unit for grade 1 are "Engine, Engine" and "Little Red Caboose". Click  HERE  for more information about the book. If you haven't already started collecting these books and manipulatives... you need to! The song that we spend several lessons on however is "Train Song" from "An Orff Mosaic from Canada", edited by Lois Birkenshaw-Fleming. My American friends- you need to get this! Canadian friends- most of you already have it! It's a staple for sure! Click  HERE   to check out this collection of songs! Here is what my grade 1 classes do with "Train Song" To extend our piece, my grade 1 students each composed a non-pitched percussion B section to play with our Train Song. First the class decided on instruments that they thought could simulate sounds ...

My grade 4 students are preparing to go to the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra concert at the end of the month. The orchestra will be playing the Ode to Joy movement from Beethoven's 9th. Today The kids listened to the piece and we talked about what instruments we heard, if we recognized the melody, where have we heard it, etc. Then we learned the melody on the boomwhackers! It was so fun and the kids really enjoyed playing a recognizable piece on the boomwhackers.  I found this great Smartboard resource from the Smart Exchange. Click HERE  to grab the free download! Thanks to amcastle for submitted this great resource. Look at their other resources on the Smartexchange! I also love showing fun video covers of the orchestral pieces we have listening to and learned about. Here is a fun one that uses Ode to Joy! Do you have any gems for helping to teach any Beethoven pieces? - Steph

I am happy and proud to be a Canadian Music Teacher Blogger!  I am looking for even more of us! Where are yooooooou? I am extra proud to be a Manitoba Music Specialist and Blogger! Music education is thriving in our province and I am fortunate to be a part of it! Head over to  Teaching Is A Gift   to grab your province button and link up!  Music Monday in Canada is put on every year by the Coalition for Music Education. Every year there is a theme and a song is chosen as our "Music Monday Song". The idea is that students from all over Canada sing the Music Monday song on the first Monday in May, at the same time!  This year our theme is "Filling the Skies with Music" and the song is incredible! Canadian astronaut Chris Hatfield and Canadian band The Barenaked Ladies teamed up and wrote "I.S.S. (Is Somebody Singing)". The song was recorded while Chris Hatfield was aboard the International Space Station! The video is so neat and the pairing of musicians is s...