Send us a text

What can we do to combat teacher burnout?That's what I chatted with James Robinson, II about on this week's episode of That Music Podcast.Unfortunately, burnout is a very real problem within the teaching profession as a whole. Add on the fact that music teachers are often isolated on our own 'islands' and you have an even more exacerbated problem.James Robinson, II received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Music Education from Limestone University in Gaffney, South Carolina, where he currently serves as the Assistant Director of Athletic Bands and Instrumental Music, the faculty advisor for the LU Collegiate NAfME chapter, and teaches the non-major percussion studio.Previously, he taught 2nd through 5th-grade general music, including an all-age honor choir, handbell ensemble, and the world-percussion club, in Gaston County, North Carolina.Robinson has presented professional development sessions for various state and local education associations with topics including relevant repertoire for elementary students, music tech in the elementary classroom, music teacher burnout causes and prevention, and the impact arts programs have on student mental health.Links and Resources: Grab your FREE copy of the Elementary Music Newbie Guide Follow James on Instagram Follow James on Twitter

Have questions or want to share feedback? Reach out to us at [email protected] - we’d love to hear from you!

Send us a text

Transitions can make or break a lesson. By thinking through the ways in which our students (and us as the teachers) move from one activity to the next, we are able to help make our lessons more streamlined and seamless.

This year I’m challenging myself to lesson plan in a way that focuses more on the transitions in my lessons. It’s definitely a bit more work on the front-end, but I’ve already seen some amazing results from this experiment.

In this episode of the podcast, I share some of my favorite ways to pivot between songs and activities in the elementary music classroom.

Links and Resources:

• Grab your FREE copy of the Elementary Music Newbie Guide!
• Download the lesson plan template I’m using this year!

Have questions or want to share feedback? Reach out to us at [email protected] - we’d love to hear from you!

Send us a text

There are SOOOO many things I wish I knew before I walked into my music classroom. In this week’s episode I share a few of the things I truly think would have been a game-changer had I known before I started teaching music.

Links and Resources:

• Grab your FREE copy of the Elementary Music Newbie Guide

Have questions or want to share feedback? Reach out to us at [email protected] - we’d love to hear from you!

Send us a text

This week I’m stepping back and thanking YOU for all of the hard work you have done this past school year.

Links and Resources:

• Grab your FREE copy of the Elementary Music Newbie Guide
  

Have questions or want to share feedback? Reach out to us at [email protected] - we’d love to hear from you!

Send us a text

Today I share a few steps that you should take once you accept a teaching position.

Whether it is your first position, or you’re moving onto something new, there are so many things that you need to do to help set yourself up for success.

Links and Resources:

• Grab your FREE copy of the Elementary Music Newbie Guide
  

Have questions or want to share feedback? Reach out to us at [email protected] - we’d love to hear from you!

Send us a text

A lot has happened in the past few days in my professional and personal life that has made me think about what it means to be inclusive in my classroom.

I’m not going to lie and say that the past few days have been easy. But I’ve been reminded why it is important for me to be an agent of change.

I’ve been reminded why it is important for us as educators to stand up against the system sometime and advocate for our students.

All students deserve to feel safe, seen, and valid in the music classroom. Hard stop.

Links and Resources:

• Grab your FREE copy of the Elementary Music Newbie Guide
  

Have questions or want to share feedback? Reach out to us at [email protected] - we’d love to hear from you!

Send us a text

This week we talk about some ways to keep students (and ourselves) engaged at the end of the year!

Links and Resources:

• Grab your FREE copy of the Elementary Music Newbie Guide
  

Have questions or want to share feedback? Reach out to us at [email protected] - we’d love to hear from you!

Send us a text

In this episode I share a conversation I had with Katie Holbrook about how we as elementary music teachers can build meaningful relationships with our students.

Katie Holbrook is a Georgia-based third year music teacher and creator of 130 Music. She firmly stands on the belief that music is vital to a well-rounded education and seeks to integrate music with other subjects.

Her heart is in serving others, as she works to empower other music teachers and, in turn, their own students. She has presented at state conferences, and works with other teachers and teacherpreneurs to support both groups in their journey.

Music is healing, and Katie seeks out opportunities to use music in our social toolbox.

Links and Resources:

• Grab your FREE guide on better serving students with exceptional needs!
• Follow Katie on Instagram
• The 130 Music Blog
  

Have questions or want to share feedback? Reach out to us at [email protected] - we’d love to hear from you!

Send us a text

In this episode I share a conversation I had with Lesley Schultz about the fate of our teenagers after they leave our classrooms.

Lesley shares her experience with teaching general music at the secondary level and how we as elementary music teachers can work together to help better serve our students.

Lesley Schultz currently teaches Secondary General Music and Orchestra at Princeton City Schools (Cincinnati, OH).   She earned her Bachelors of Music Education from West Virginia University and her Masters of Music Education from Ohio University. Lesley is a Level 2 Google Certified Educator.  Lesley keeps an active performing schedule around the state of Ohio, performing with several regional symphonies on viola.

She is a member of TI:ME (Technology In Music Education) and serves as the Ohio Chapter President and on the National Conference Committee.  Lesley is a columnist for SBO Magazine.  In her copious amounts of spare time she enjoys knitting, watching West Virginia Mountaineer sports and spending time with her family and making TikToks about her cats.

Links and Resources:

• Grab your FREE Elementary Music Newbie Guide
• Lesley's Blog
• Music for Teens Podcast
  

Have questions or want to share feedback? Reach out to us at [email protected] - we’d love to hear from you!

Send us a text

In this episode I share some ways that you can make your classroom more LGBT-friendly.

Links and Resources:

• Grab your FREE guide on better serving students with exceptional needs!

Have questions or want to share feedback? Reach out to us at [email protected] - we’d love to hear from you!