Elemental Conversations with Victoria Boler

It’s a common phrase we’ve heard before, and it takes a few different forms…. She always goes first He only picks his friends I wanted the blue scarf…What’s our goal in a singing game where we take turns? What happens when we’re not “it” or we don’t have the shiny special role? Let’s think about…. What our goal is What skill is missing When we can pr

Show notes here: https://www.victoriaboler.com/podcast/aimee-pfitzner-singing-games ——I’m thrilled to be sharing this conversation with Aimee Pfitzner, all about singing games in elementary general music. If you’re already familiar with Aimee you’ll know she has so much knowledge and she brings so much experience to the world of children’s games and children’s play. I

What are some ways to think about a situation where students don’t sing?This is a big topic, because there are lots of different reasons that students might not sing, and non-participation can take a lot of different forms! Let’s think about some ways to frame the problem, and some questions to ask as we move toward a solution. ———-In This Episode…00:00 - My students wo

We’ve all been there! We teach a song, only to find that students haven’t learned it exactly right. Let’s brainstorm a few possible approaches to the inevitable situation of students singing a song inaccurately. ——In This Episode…00:00 - When Students Sing a Song Inaccurately 01:28 - Elemental Questions02:52 - What is the point of the song? 07:31 - How do we build an au

Full Show notes: https://victoriaboler.com/elemental-conversations In this Conversation…. 00:00 - Intro01:27 - About Aileen04:05 - Benefits of centers08:33 - Should we do one concept or more than one concept in our centers? 12:38 - Aileen’s “formula” for center categories20:11 - Setting up for success26:45 - Choices, classroom management, and assessment : What to think abou

01:44 - Nesting Concepts in Elementary General Music10:10 - Areas of Balance through Tension 12:16 - Emphasizing Music 12:18 - Emphasizing the Child Over the Curriculum Document 15:07 - Emphasizing a Functional Classroom 17:51 - Possible Applications 18:59 - Transferrable Understanding 1: Ensemble 27:05 - Transferrable Understanding 2: Complement 34:07 - Where to Read More

Full Show notes: https://victoriaboler.com/elemental-conversations In this Conversation…. 00:00 - Intro01:27 - About Aileen04:05 - Benefits of centers08:33 - Should we do one concept or more than one concept in our centers? 12:38 - Aileen’s “formula” for center categories20:11 - Setting up for success26:45 - Choices, classroom management, and assessment : What to think abou

Find the full show notes: victoriaboler.com/podcast/starting-from-scratch-in-2nd-and-3rd-grade-musicToday we’re thinking through what it can look like to start at the beginning of the music sequence with our 2nd and 3rd grade musicians. It can sometimes feel like these students are overlooked with teaching materials intended for both Kindergarten / 1st grade, and older beginners.

If your year is just starting and your voice is already feeling tired, I know you'll appreciate all the wisdom Dr. Caitlin Moore has to share about vocal health for music teachers! Over the summer Dr. Moore took time out of her day at Interlochen Summer Arts Camp to talk about vocal care, vocal fatigue, vocal mechanisms, and much more. Read about Dr. Moore and get in touch with her

Metric counting…. notation-based…. beat based…. What is the deal with these counting systems? Where did they come from?And why takadimi? As we look into some elemental questions around takadimi, we see that most of us are starting from the same set of core values. The differences in our choices come down to how we answer a few elemental questions: 1. What is the role of the s