Folk Song Feature: Mouse Mousie
Singing games are favorites for a reason. They are engaging, students WILL sing to play them, and students don't realize how much learning is really going on. Mouse Mousie is one of my favorite songs to bring back. It's an easy theme (cat and mouse) to expand lessons on, and one of the first REALLY…...
Five Time Fillers For Music Class that Teach a Concept
Time fillers are necessary and important. Sometimes a lesson takes less time than we think. Other times, it's necessary to have a time filler if students are struggling with behavior on a game. Sometimes the classroom teacher is late even when they dropped their students off early. Either way, sometimes, we need time fillers. Here…...
Finding Music to Listen to in Music Class
Listening activities are underrated. I said what I said. They are a wonderful way to engage students, highlight a variety of cultures, and introduce the wide world of instruments. Heritage months tend to bring out our desire to share different cultures (which we should ALL year long!) but figuring out WHAT to listen to can…...
31 Children’s Books for Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month 2026 Edition
May is Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month. If you have been following me for a while, you know that I have been doing a book a day for AAPI Heritage Month for a few years. Here all of the books now here so you can reference them easily throughout the year instead of having…...
Musical Books: Birth of the Cool
Music biographies are one of the best books to add to your musical collection. They are perfect to highlight musicians, let early finishers browse, and are a wonderful way to showcase the wide world of music. Miles Davis is an icon of jazz and bebop (and all its variations) and this book is a great…...
Musical Books: Sing Don’t Cry
I love books that use song lyrics to create the story. This particular book, Sing Don't Cry, is a great pair with a well known Mexican song as well as a story to remind students to look for joy even when things are hard. Full disclosure: Some affiliate links. Won't change your price and I…...

I’m a busy music teacher located near Metro Detroit, MI. I help busy music teachers who want highly engaging materials for student led learning so they can take time for themselves.





