Every year I execute this Guitar Unit with my kids at school. It is designed to get them reading a little bit and learning some chords too. This year, I focused more on chord progressions and playing songs with the entire class than I did individual skills. We did not touch the books near as … Continue reading How to Teach Classroom Guitar in an Authentic Way
As I reflect on the previous teaching year, I notice that I am much more excited to begin the year than I was this time last year. The second part of this post is a blog post that I made almost exactly a year ago on my old platform, and I can't believe the different … Continue reading Start Off the Year on a Positive Note!
Teaching rock bands in schools is a passion of mine. The kids really gravitate to it and can really impress me. They blow me away at every concert. The following is an excerpt from my soon-to-be published book called "Rock Coach" where I take you through how to set up and successfully teach a rock … Continue reading 5 Reasons Why You Should Start a Rock Band at Your School (Part 1)
I was asked to do this a while ago but I just can't hold it in any longer!! At the end of October I will be travelling to St. John's, Newfoundland to deliver not one, not two, not even three, but four workshops at RESONATE 2017! Not only am I presenting a workshop on Rock Bands … Continue reading Presenting at RESONATE 2017 in Newfoundland
I know you all want to learn to play the didgeridoo, and I know your kids do too. In this week's post, is an updated version of the instructional guide from the World Music Unit on the site. It is used as a culminating activity for the entire unit where we make our own didgeridoos out of empty paper towel rolls and masking tape. After we paint them, we learn how to play them. You can make a pretty good one out of PVC pipe that will last much longer. Your most difficult task will be the circular breathing but some kids will get it pretty quick. Here is how I teach kids to play the didgeridoo.
