Teaching Music Tomorrow - with Anne Mileski and Victoria Boler

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 (h...

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...

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 ve...

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 yo...

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...

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,...

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. Th...

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...

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...

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=4W...

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 loc...

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 collaborati...

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 ga...

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.” R...

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 s...

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...

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 l...

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 t...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...