Afternoon Ti

(Blogpost only - no podcast episode) I'm always looking for ways to use song material in fresh, new ways.  One of the songs I enjoy using around Thanksgiving time is "Over the River and Through the Wood."  Not only is the meter in 6/8, which is a nice change from typical duple meters, it offers an opportunity to create new sections based off of small building blocks of rhythms within that meter.  Additionally, the song only uses 4 chords so it can be used easily with bass xylophone accompaniment or ukulele! Over the River and Through the Wood A brief history of the song: The song originated as a poem called "A Boy's Thanksgiving Day" by Lydia Maria Child and was first published in 1844 in the book Flowers for Children, Vol. 2 .  There were originally twelve verses in total.  We often sing it at Christmastime, but the original versions of the first two verses are: Over the river and through the wood To Grandfather's house we go The ho...

We are inching steadily closer to Halloween and at our school, it's a big deal!  We have the annual Halloween Parade with the entire school around the track outside followed by the entire school dancing the Monster Mash.  Our science department plans a creative Halloween Spectacular for all of middle school and students rotate into the lab to watch amazing scientific feats - one year a pumpkin exploded!  They LOVE it! Since I have students for a trimester, our first trimester Music Sharing is two days after Halloween this year.  Students are only two weeks away from this event and we are in the midst of solidifying everything for the sharing while balancing the continuation of learning new musical concepts. To make it engaging, here are a few ideas I am trying out with students over the next two weeks.   SINGING BOOK TEXTS  I originally looked for the book recommended by Lindsay Jervis here:  The Halloween House .  Instead I found t...

For a few years now I've enjoyed listening to podcasts.  There are several that are my regular favorites that I've subscribed to and I often listen to them as I'm walking my dog or going for a run in the neighborhood.  The topics in these podcasts are wide ranging based on my favorite hobbies and interests.   At the moment there are only a few music education podcasts currently on iTunes and I'm incredibly excited that the Afternoon Ti Podcast is currently in the works to be up and running this January, 2019! I'd love to hear what topics and guests you would love to hear on the podcast.  Email me at highafternoonti@gmail.com and share your thoughts!  Or you can follow me on Instagram: @highafternoonti.  Looking forward to sharing Season 1 of Afternoon Ti with you!

Welcome to Afternoon Ti!  Each week I will discuss the ins and outs of music teacher life. Everything from what we do as music educators in the classroom to how we spend our time outside of the classroom.  Whether you choose to listen while enjoying a cup of tea, coffee or whatever suits your fancy, I hope you'll find this a great resource as you go through your year as a music educator. For questions, comments or ideas:  email me at:  highafternoonti@gmail.com Find me on Instagram at:  @highafternoonti