Drum Roll Please! Welcome Back to School with Rhythm and Speech
How to Teach Music with Jessica Grant
Want to get your students speaking, playing, and learning on day one? Here's the perfect piece to use with your older elementary students. Learn a new speech piece that allows students to review/learn class expectations and procedures while making music. Head to TpT to get the Welcome Back to School Resource ! Follow me on Instagram @howtoteachmusicwithjessica
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Annual Halfway Goals Review
How to Teach Music with Jessica Grant
We are just past the halfway point of 2024! It's a great time to review how you're goals are going. In today's episode, we'll look at three areas: Long term goals Short term goals Task oriented goals You'll hear how I'm doing on a few of mine and gain a few ideas for continuing to go after yours. Follow me on Instagram @howtoteachmusicwithjessica
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AMLE Institute Insights: Educating Middle School Students
How to Teach Music with Jessica Grant
I recently attended the AMLE Institute in San Diego, CA and am excited to share some insights from my experience as well introduce you to AMLE, if you've never heard of it before! Hear an overview of the Institute and takeaways from homebase and different sessions I attended. Head to Instagram and follow me @howtoteachmusicwithjessica! I'd love to connect with you! LINKS Association of Middle Level Educators
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Pirates of the Caribbean: Arrangements Inspired by Pop Music for the Classroom
How to Teach Music with Jessica Grant
We’re continuing the series for arrangements inspired by pop music for the classroom. The Pirates of the Caribbean Theme is a great piece in 12/8 that is so much fun to play and a great opportunity for students to explore intervals of thirds in the chorus! Get your free Google Slides and full arrangement of the piece ! You'll be prompted to make a copy. For other barred instrument arrangements, listen in to: E289-Paint It Black E290 - Look what you made me do E291 - Down Follow me on Instagram @howtoteachmusicwithjessica!
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Down: Arrangements Inspired by Pop Music for the Classroom
How to Teach Music with Jessica Grant
Learn a fun xylophone arrangement to use with your students that focuses on a verse/chorus form and movement activity with the song Down performed by Marian Hill. Get the free Google Slides presentation at and click on the shop. Instagram: @howtoteachmusicwithjessica Website:
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Look What You Made Me Do: Arrangements Inspired by Pop Music for the Classroom
How to Teach Music with Jessica Grant
The first single from Taylor Swift's Reputation album is a fantastic way to teach musical form and provide opportunities for students to compose original melodies. Particularly with aaab form! Listen in to hear how I have used this piece with my students to learn melodies on the xylophones and get your free resource at my shop at Website: Instagram:
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Paint It Black: Arrangements Inspired by Pop Music for the Classroom
How to Teach Music with Jessica Grant
The first arrangement of our series: Paint it Black by the Rolling Stones! I share the inspiration behind this arrangement, steps for teaching the piece to students, ideas for form, and how to expand on the original theme with rhythmic variations. The arrangement is written for xylophones. Get the free arrangement Follow me on Instagram .
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Five Tips for Finding and Creating Pop Song Arrangements to Use in Your Classroom
How to Teach Music with Jessica Grant
Using pop music in your music classroom can be so much fun! Students love learning something they know or have heard before, playing music that they listen to at home, and performing songs for an audience who also knows the music. For the next several episodes I’ll be sharing pop song arrangements that I’ve created and used with my students for xylophone ensembles, but before we get to the actual arrangements I thought I’d share some tips for how you can find and create pop song arrangements to use in your classroom. What to look for, how to determine if a song would be a good fit for an...
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Feeling the Sunday Scaries...Again
How to Teach Music with Jessica Grant
Now that we're a few weeks into the new year, you might be feeling the Sunday Scaries…again. Here is how I’ve worked through - and continue to work through - my Sunday Scaries. Follow me on Instagram @howtoteachmusicwithjessica Website:
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Five Classroom Procedures to Review in the New Year
How to Teach Music with Jessica Grant
January is a great time for a reset of classroom procedures. Here are five procedures to review that will help re-establish expectations and set a positive start for 2024 in your classroom. Pay close attention to number five - it's likely the most important one that will make a difference. Follow me on Instagram @howtoteachmusicwithjessica or head to my website at to access teacher materials and join my mailing list!
info_outlineIt's Back-to-School and I'm helping you get ideas for teacher planners, life planners, digital resources, and planner accessories with guest Danny McKay! Danny McKay is an elementary music teacher who has found joy and organizational tools that help him plan. He's here today to talk about why and how planners can impact our lives, why the process matters as much - if not more - than the planner we purchase, and why using multiple planners not only helps with organization, but also meet the different needs we have in our lives. This episode is light-hearted, thoughtful, and inspiring.
Episode Outline:
4:00 - What to look for in a planner
13:20 - Danny’s current favorite planners
17:50 - Jessica’s current favorite planners
26:30 - Danny’s digital resources
30:08 - Jessica’s love of spreadsheets
37:00 minutes: Planner accessories
43:00 minutes - Planner podcasts
About Danny: Danny McKay is a content creator who you can find on Instagram and TikTok @DannyPlansIt. Danny is a Queer-identifying and proud teacher as well, and his content focuses on a love for all things planners and stationary. He also shares stories of his experience as a Gay man in hopes of building better allies for a safer future for Queer people. Danny hopes that everyone who connects with him leaves feeling fierce, flawless, and fabulous!
Follow Danny on Instagram: @dannyplansit
Follow Jessica on Instagram: @howtoteachmusicwithjessica
Website: www.jessicagrant.org
New book release educators! Order your copy of Two Teacher Perspectives on Health and Wellness HERE!
Episode content can be found in the podcast area of my website!