I have a secret. I love reading music ed blogs – especially the elementary blogs. Love them. Love.
Why? Because the bloggers are just like me. Real people in real classrooms battling the things I am challenged with every day. I love reading what works, what crashes and burns, and everything in between. And when I’m feeling tired, overwhelmed, or frustrated, I find inspiration.
I’ve listed some of my favorite blogs below. I’ve organized them by approach, but the reality is that I visit each blog because of their unique perspective or way of doing things – from technology, to music games, to dealing with race and diversity in the classroom, each one of these bloggers offers unique perspectives to being a music educator in the 21st century.
Kodaly Blogs
Aileen Miracle has so many wonderful resources available to music educators on her blog. I love reading her assessment posts and how she uses technology in her classroom.
Amy Abbott is my go to girl for ideas, games, and activities for upper elementary. She is masterful at making learning fun for the students in grades 3-5!
Mrs. Stouffer’s Music Room has great posts about teaching from a Kodaly perspective, but also about teaching K-8 music, teaching in a private school, teaching both band and choir AND she does it all in great humor or style!
Orff Blogs
The Teaching With Orff blog is a curated list of blog posts from music educators and music ed bloggers. Although primarily Orff, I love that they have posts from all areas of music education. Good teaching is good teaching and there is always fantastic, inspirational reading here!
David always has amazing ideas about teaching elementary music. I love how he breaks down his curriculum into small chunks that make teaching so easy! He’s also got a fantastic podcast you should check out!
Aimee has fantastic content about all things Orff and multicultural music. I know I can always find a great activity on her blog!
Music Learning Theory Blogs
Um, self-promotion much? I love to write about all things MLT as well as working with lower elementary, classroom management, and overall teacher life!
Growing Up with Music (GUM) is a blog by Natasha Sigmund. She is a masterful teacher – especially working with upper elementary students! Her ideas about teaching harmony, improvisation, and music reading are amazing!
The Improving Musician is a blog by Andy Mullen. He’s got wonderful ideas about using MLT in progressive, non-traditional ways!
Blogs that Defy Labels
Anne Mileski’s blog is a must-read for every music educator. She has a broad understanding of multiple approaches and really seeks to help music educators be the best they can be. She also has an amazing podcast!
Elizabeth Caldwell’s blog is one of my go-to blogs for everything teaching. She has fantastic posts about race, multicultural teaching, world music, and more! She also blogs about being a mom and organization – which are also close to my heart!
Jennifer Hibbard is a fantastic blog for general music teachers – both elementary and middle school. Whenever I need a fresh approach to an old classic, I go to her blog! She has so many wonderful posts about classroom activities for songs!
Shelley is the queen of all things ukulele! She’s got a fabulous ukulele brand comparison on her blog, as well as guidance to find funding for ukes, how to stiffen picks, and more! I’m always referring people to her blog for ukulele info!
Jennifer Foxx is a pianist/instructor in the southwest. Although much of her blog is dedicated to teaching piano, she does have a fantastic section about iOS apps on her blog which I reference often!
Tracy is the QUEEN of everything bulletin boards. She also has amazing ideas about workstations/centers for the music room. She also has a wicked sense of humor and routinely makes me laugh about music teacher life!
The Sing, Play, Create blog has great posts about Orff, instrumental arrangements, and movement. She’s a wealth of knowledge about teaching!
Music with Miss W has fabulous content for those teaching general music classes to MS/HS students. She also has an infectious positive tone to all she does and is inspiring to read!
The Kodaly Inspired Classroom is another fabulous blog for Kodaly teachers. Lindsey has lots of great activities and ideas for music games and workstations.
MusicEd Blogs is a fabulous site of over 30 music ed bloggers. Whether you teach elementary music or high school band, there is something for everyone on this site! They also have a Facebook page!
Beth’s Notes is my “go to” site whenever I need a song using a specific pattern sequence or duration. Need a song to teach sixteenth notes? Go to Beth’s site. Need something with low sol? Go to Beth’s site. It is a lifesaver!
Is there a music ed blog you love? Not on my list? Leave me a comment below!
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