How to Write Songs with Your Students (for the non-musical classroom teacher!)
Preparing for some teacher training I would be conducting in Bayside Queens recently, I put some notes together on leveraging music in the classroom for the “non-musical” educator. We all know the...
View ArticlePositive Classroom Environment (I Loved This!)
Working in 60-70 schools each year as a teaching artist and performer, in an incredibly diverse mix of communities, I have the opportunity to see all kinds of teaching styles and practices in place....
View ArticleErmina Pincombe – Music in an Adirondack Family
It was during a spring 2007 visit to Adirondack fiddler Vic Kibler’s home in Vails Mills, New York, that I first heard about Ermina Pincombe (1930-2014). I was there as part of my research into the...
View ArticleThe Event Promotion Tip You May Be Overlooking
SPECIAL NOTE – If you’ve hired Bob Dylan, or Garrison Keillor, or anyone else with huge name recognition, this article does NOT apply to you. I do a fair amount of performing in towns where I’ve...
View ArticleHow to Play the Spoons
In less than ten minutes! Did you know that the spoons have been used as musical instruments for centuries? And because they appear so many different places in the North American story, I get the...
View ArticleGrant Funding For Performances and Lectures
This is a frequently-updated resource list and idea generator for those who’d love to be bringing more programming to their visitors/members/patrons/community. (Last updated August 2019) Grant Funding...
View ArticleImmigration Lesson Plans
Some ideas for the K-8 teacher I guess it was about twelve years ago when I first started working on my “Immigration Songs and Stories” program for elementary and middle school students. At the time,...
View ArticleSchool Assemblies: 13 Things Every Planner Should Know
It can be a little nerve-wracking, coordinating a school assembly performance. Will students be bored? Will teachers feel it’s a big waste of time? Will the custodian breath fire on you for disrupting...
View ArticleBlack History Month Activities: Play Some Hambone!
When it comes to fun activities for Black History Month, this one is hard to beat. In fact, I can tell you from firsthand experience that regardless of what month it is, kids of all ages love to learn...
View ArticleErie Canal Song – Lyrics, Music, History, Videos and more
NOTE – I’ve been singing this song with groups of kids and adults for 20 years now, researching its history as I travel across NYS. Enjoy! Following is as much information as we know about the iconic...
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