The Anacrusic Podcast

Truth be told, even in the midst of pandemic teaching, I am not the most tech savvy person on the block. As a matter of fact, I have really resisted implementing it in my classroom, because I was under the false assumption that if I was using tech in my classroom, I was forgoing active music making opportunities that my students need to really live and breathe music fluency and literacy. You know, that whole when you choose to include something, you choose to exclude something else?

Well... I was wrong. Yes, I'm admitting it, right here and right now. Because as I'm learning as I talk to members of the community, and specifically today's guest, technology can be a really useful tool in our classrooms, particularly when it comes to student engagement, differentiation, and assessment... all within the learning sequence framework.

Today on the podcast,  I'm talking with community member Jennifer Timidaiski all about technology for student engagement.

Here's what Jennifer and I talk about on this week's episode:

• How NearPod can be used as a tool for differentiation and assessment
• How using this tool in her classroom has helped Jennifer increase student engagement--both in person and virtually.
• How she's been using this technology to enhance the Learning Sequence Framework

Today's episode of The Anacrusic Podcast is sponsored by my FREE workshop, The Ultimate Music Lesson Planning Roadmap. Snag your seat here: anacrusic.com/workshop

For today's full episode notes, click here. 

To chat with other music teachers and share Ideas and strategies for all things #musicteacherlife, join the Anacrusic Insiders Community here: anacrusic.com/community 

It's a word that strikes fear into the heart of teachers everywhere. Okay, maybe just me.... assessment.

Yes, assessment. This is a word that used to totally send me running for the hills. I thought it was a trap for music teachers. Like, how on earth are we supposed to collect data and give tests for a thing that is so un-test-able?

Well, that's what I used to think. I used to think that assessment was a gotcha, or this impossible task that required all sorts of prepping and planning and extra stuff... but it's not. It's an integral, informative, and pretty simple part of our entire teaching process.

Today on the podcast, we're talking about REAL assessment in the music room.

Here's what I’m sharing on this week’s podcast:

• Why you aren’t “behind” this year
• The #1 thing you need for assessment
• How to write your lesson objectives for student success
• The keys to making it a part of your active music making classroom

Today's episode of The Anacrusic Podcast is sponsored by my FREE workshop, The Ultimate Music Lesson Planning Roadmap. Snag your seat here: anacrusic.com/workshop

For today's full episode notes, click here. 

To chat with other music teachers and share Ideas and strategies for all things #musicteacherlife, join the Anacrusic Insiders Community here: anacrusic.com/community 

I know I talked last episode about how resolutions aren't my jam... but I'm  fan of the idea of resolutions. It's like, taking out a clean sheet of paper to rewrite your list because the first one wasn't clean enough... and if there was ever a year to start fresh, this is it.

But notice, I said "re-write" or maybe a better word is "re-frame". I'll bet that you made some resolutions or goals for 2020, and then 2020 happened. But I'm also willing to bet that those were sound goals. Things that meant a lot to you and many you were still able to carry out, just maybe in a re-written form that you weren't expecting and definitely didn't ask for.

So that's what we're going to talk about today. Creating YOUR goals for 2021.

Here's what I'm sharing on today's podcast:

• Why you need to take consistent action
• The importance of environment
• The impact of life-long learning

Today's episode of The Anacrusic Podcast is sponsored by my FREE workshop, The Ultimate Music Lesson Planning Roadmap. Snag your seat here: anacrusic.com/workshop

For today's full episode notes, click here. 

To chat with other music teachers and share Ideas and strategies for all things #musicteacherlife, join the Anacrusic Insiders Community here: anacrusic.com/community 

It felt tricky to figure out exactly what to say for this episode. It's one that I've done each year in some shape or form since I've started this podcast.

I've thought about different titles like, "reflecting on the past year" or "my goals for the new year" and none of that really seems to fit. I've seen the memes on the interwebs. Everything from "nobody claim this 2021 as your year" to "don't breathe, don't touch anything."

It's no doubt that we're all happy to see 2020 close its door. It's no doubt that it has been A YEAR. And it's no doubt that things seem to finally be taking a turn toward progress, and a light at the end of the tunnel. But nothing magical is going to happen on January 1st. Because it's not about next year, it's about right now. Whatever and whenever that might be.

Here's what I'm sharing on today's podcast:

• Where to shift your focus for 2021
• What made my most favorite team work so well together
• How to simplify your music teacher life

Today's episode of The Anacrusic Podcast is sponsored by my FREE workshop, The Ultimate Music Lesson Planning Roadmap. Snag your seat here: anacrusic.com/workshop

For today's full episode notes, click here. 

To chat with other music teachers and share Ideas and strategies for all things #musicteacherlife, join the Anacrusic Insiders Community here: anacrusic.com/community 

On the last episode of The Anacrusic Podcast, I talked all about the importance of seeing yourself as a teacher musician instead of just a music teacher. This is such an important distinction, because it puts the emphasis of the label we use for ourselves on our intention.

It's my musicianship that makes me an amazing teacher for my students. It's my musicianship that brought me to my teaching practice, and it's my musicianship identity that I put before everything (you know, other than wife and mother) about how I define myself in my professional life.

So today, on another Anacrusic in Action episode, I’m sharing some actionable ideas for how to truly unleash your own teacher musicianship.

Here's what I'm sharing on today's podcast:

• How to sink into truly caring, even when you just aren’t feeling it
• What we GET to do each and every day
• Why it’s so important to keep creating as a teacher musician

Today's episode of The Anacrusic Podcast is sponsored by my FREE guide, The Planning Playbook. Snag your copy here: anacrusic.com/planningplaybook

For today's full episode notes, click here. 

To chat with other music teachers and share Ideas and strategies for all things #musicteacherlife, join the Anacrusic Insiders Community here: anacrusic.com/community 

When I first made the transition from being a music "performer" to a music educator, it was... interesting.

I had a lot of weird feelings about the fact that I was giving up what I had spent my entire life working toward, winning an audition for a full time performing ensemble. After hours of orchestra rehearsals, brass quintet recording sessions, banging my head against a wall in the practice room, and a handful of recitals I worked my behind off for, was I really just going to stop?

Well... no. Because, as one of my mentors told me, it all applies. And as my daddy likes to say, things have a way of working out exactly the way they are supposed to. Today on TAP, I’m talking about what being a Teacher Musician really means.

Here's what I'm sharing on today's podcast:

• How I found peace leaving the performance world
• The “three Cs” of Teacher Musicianship
• Why you are more than “just” a music teacher

Today's episode of The Anacrusic Podcast is sponsored by my FREE guide, The Planning Playbook. Snag your copy here: anacrusic.com/planningplaybook

For today's full episode notes, click here. 

To chat with other music teachers and share Ideas and strategies for all things #musicteacherlife, join the Anacrusic Insiders Community here: anacrusic.com/community 

Guess what...? It's another Anacrusic in Action Episode, where I give you specific, actionable steps you can use in your classroom to apply the things we talk about here on the Anacrusic Podcast.

And this week, we are continuing on from Tuesday's episode, where we talked all about how to increase engagement in your lessons. So today, on The Anacrusic Podcast, we are going to take a peek at truly engaging your students in the music classroom... in action.

When it comes to increasing student engagement, this is a tricky thing to discuss because all of our lessons, now more than ever, are incredibly time bound, situational, and especially in 2020, always changing. So for the sake of trying to find ways to help everyone (or as many teacher-musicians as possible) apply these strategies, I'm going to talk through both an in person learning example, as well as a virtual learning example.

Here's what I'm sharing on today's podcast:

• A quick recap of the three strategies to increase student engagement
• The important focus you need when you are creating virtual lessons that apply this strategy
• How simple steps can make a big impact when allowing for student choice.

Today's episode of The Anacrusic Podcast is sponsored by my FREE guide, The Planning Playbook. Snag your copy here: anacrusic.com/planningplaybook

For today's full episode notes, click here. 

To chat with other music teachers and share Ideas and strategies for all things #musicteacherlife, join the Anacrusic Insiders Community here: anacrusic.com/community 

There's no doubt that music teaching right now is just plain hard. Whether you are in person with masks and socially distanced, teaching virtually, or doing a mix of all the things, there are new challenges and things to figure out way beyond what we are already used to as educators.

And perhaps, one of the biggest, is to find new ways to engage with our students in meaningful ways that allows them to continue to be the center of our music classroom universe. Today on the podcast, I'm sharing 3 strategies for increasing student engagement.

Here's what I'm sharing on today's podcast:

• The difference between participation and engagement
• Why your students need more opportunities to practice making choices
• The importance of pacing for promoting student engagement

Today's episode of The Anacrusic Podcast is sponsored by my FREE guide, The Planning Playbook. Snag your copy here: anacrusic.com/planningplaybook

For today's full episode notes, click here. 

To chat with other music teachers and share Ideas and strategies for all things #musicteacherlife, join the Anacrusic Insiders Community here: anacrusic.com/community 

Something that I’ve been thinking a lot about is how I can make what I share with y’all on the Anacrusic Podcast into something much more actionable. Like a thing or two that you could literally drag and drop and use in your classroom right now. Something that highlights a process, gives a concrete example, and illustrates exactly the type of processing I use in my music classroom. Well today, I'm sharing the first "Anacrusic in Action" episode, and I this is the beginning of what I think could be the solution. 

Here's what you'll hear on this week's episode:

• A quick review of the 5 steps or tips for working with older beginners in the music room.
• Exactly how I would use those with a new class of third graders who have never had me as a music teacher.
• How layers are really the key to making magic happen with your older beginners.

Today's episode of The Anacrusic Podcast is sponsored by my FREE guide, The Planning Playbook. Snag your copy here: anacrusic.com/planningplaybook

For today's full episode notes, click here. 

To chat with other music teachers and share Ideas and strategies for all things #musicteacherlife, join the Anacrusic Insiders Community here: anacrusic.com/community 

If I had to rank questions I get from the Anacrusic community... well there's always a few that come back again and again. And one of them is always from eager new teachers or teachers new to sequencing who are like, "this is amazing!!... but how do I do it with the older kids?" And y'all,  get it. When you first start to implement a meaningful scope and sequence, it's easy to get your feet off the ground with the itty bitties, because you quite literally start at the very beginning (because it is a very good place to start, thank you Maria Von Trap). 

But perhaps one of the trickiest questions, you know along side "how do you solve a problem like Maria?" is how do you do this with the big kids? Today, on The Anacrusic Podcast we're talking all about sequencing for older beginners.

Here's a little bit of what you'll hear on this episode:

• Why you shouldn't use the same songs for the same concept across grade levels.
• How to "level up" basic or foundational concepts in the older grades.
• The 3 reasons active music making is especially important for those older beginners.

Today's episode of The Anacrusic Podcast is sponsored by my FREE guide, The Planning Playbook. Snag your copy here: anacrusic.com/planningplaybook

For today's full episode notes, click here. 

To chat with other music teachers and share Ideas and strategies for all things #musicteacherlife, join the Anacrusic Insiders Community here: anacrusic.com/community