In college my professors told me that the best teachers are the people who never stop learning. Great educators look for new ideas, work hard to adapt concepts for their classroom, and are continually talking with other teachers about what they can do to improve their practice.
I started my blog many years ago with the intent to share resources, begin conversations, and make connections within the music education community. It’s so rare that music teachers get to spend time with other music teachers to talk shop and borrow ideas. We need more chances to build connections and create relationships with our peers.
I hope that the courses you find here encourage you, give you new ideas and techniques to use with students, and help you become an even better music educator.
"I really learned a lot, I am a beginner ukulele player and have been struggling on where to start. This helped me tremendously! I’m excited about learning to play and hoping to accompany my students when we do head back to the classroom! Thank you"
- Tonya from TX
Process & Pedagogy
I always do my best to share the "what" and "why" behind my teaching process. I want you to walk away with songs and games to use in your classroom but more importantly I want you to feel equipped to use these ideas with any lesson of your own.
Lesson Ideas
In these videos you’ll see the actual lessons that I’m using in class with my students. I’ll give a recap about how I teach the content and will be honest about what has and hasn't worked. You'll see the books, instruments, songs, and process that I use and I'll do my best to answer your questions!
Teaching Tips
Sometimes the most impactful things you learn at a workshop are the little tips and tricks along the way that make teaching easier. I'll share all my favorite tidbits at every step in the process.
Hi, I’m David
I love teaching music to kids! This school year marks my 12th full year as an educator in public schools. I make music with 500 brilliant, elementary school students on a daily basis at Prairie Ridge Elementary School in the DeSoto School District just outside of Kansas City.
I’m a Nebraska native and Midwesterner at heart. I graduated from Greenville College (IL) in 2008 with a Bachelor’s Degree and then went to the University of Missouri – Kansas City Conservatory where I earned my Master’s Degree studying Choral Conducting and Music Education (2011).
I completed my Orff Schulwerk certification at Baker University in KS and I can’t say enough about how happy I am to have taken all three Orff levels and a master class! I recently completed an apprenticeship and am now an AOSA-approved Teacher Educator for Orff Schulwerk Pedagogy.
Available Courses
Click below to see the online courses that I currently have available. I hope to make more courses available soon.
