Music and Motivate

New Genre Unit Alert!

Three months in the making, and it’s finally here—Pop Music for Upper Elementary! 🎤✨

Your students already love these artists, so why not use that to teach real musical concepts? This unit is packed with hands-on, engaging lessons featuring Taylor Swift, Harry Styles, Imagine Dragons, and Rihanna!

🥁 Bucket drumming
🥚 Egg shaker play-along
🌧️ Rainstorm soundscape
💛 Kindness activities & more!

My husband (also a music teacher) just tested the Imagine Dragons bucket drumming lesson, and it was a total hit!

Ready to bring some pop to your music room? 🎧🎶 Check it out! Use the link here: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Genres-of-Music-Pop-Unit-13301770?utm_source=Instagram%20April%202025&utm_campaign=Pop%20Unit

I’m so excited to present at the Music Room Meet-Up, all about Units that Work! I’m sharing my favorite units and how to structure them within a year plan with your older kiddos. Get all the details for my workshop and the 17 other sessions (which are all free) using the link below!

https://aileensmusicroom.com/the-music-room-meet-up-jp-2

I’m so excited to share “Tchaikovsky vs. Ellington: The Battle of the Nutcracker Suites!” 🎷🩰

This musical showdown puts the OG Nutcracker and its jazzy reimagining head-to-head in a fun, interactive activity. Over 5 rounds, students will listen, compare, and vote for their favorite version while exploring moods, instruments, and more!

Use the link in bio to check it out!

The ultimate Thanksgiving Meal Activity Pack is here! Keep your kids busy this November decoding and composing with their favorite holiday foods! Check it out by using the link in my bio.

Happy Diwali 🪔 In my latest blog post I share lesson ideas, complete with books, songs, dances, and a craft that blends art and music. 🎶 I hope this helps anyone looking for a last minute lesson to celebrate this fun holiday 🎉 You can use the link in my bio to check it out on my website!

Owen wasn’t sure about the leaves 🍁 🤣

Hey everybody 👋🏻 it’s been a while! I have been a bit m.I.a because of two reasons! One much more adorable than the other!

My son arrived back in August and it has been the most amazing time of my life! I have been soaking it all up with this little one while out on maternity leave! He even got to go visit family in Ohio. Hence the leaves photo shoot that lasted all about one minute before he had enough 😋

The other reason is what I feel a lot of people on the internet experience - burnout!

I started Music and Motivate in 2019, and it’s been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. I’ve had the privilege of connecting with many wonderful teachers through this platform and creating content and resources.

I promised myself that I would return to creating and sharing with all of you when the time was right. It brings me immense happiness, but I had to step back for the sake of my mental health.

So, what can you expect from me now? I’m back, but in a healthier way. I’ll continue to create content and resources, but at a more manageable pace, so I won’t disappear again and have time to pour into this cutie!

You’ll mostly find me on my website, where I’ll focus on blogging for the time being, along with occasional social media updates.

Lastly, I want to express my gratitude for sticking with me on this journey. I can’t wait to dive back into creating and sharing with you all. Your music teacher bestie is back and thrilled to reconnect!

I will be hosting a free workshop all about short-term planning in the music room!

If you have ever had any difficulty translating your long term goals into your everyday lesson plans this is the training for you.

I will be walking you through how I take a goal off of my scope and sequence and implement into a unit plan. This way, I know my students are making progress towards their goals, while still leaving room in each lesson to do other activities and have enriching experiences in the music room!

Top - Takeaways from this Workshop:
🎵 Translate your long-term goals into short-term.
🎵 Sequence your lessons to achieve this goal while allowing for time to do other things.
🎵 Learn that you don't have to be planned out months in advance to be prepared.
🎵 Plan more in the moment without the last-minute Google search for lesson ideas.

I hope you can join me! Use the link below to register. I will send this training video straight to your email on Monday, July 18th.

https://view.flodesk.com/pages/62c8c4e3d53d17693563a910

I love a good metaphor 💐 🤓

Feeling so grateful for an amazing break! Oahu was a blast 🌺

Music Madness has come a little early to the music room this year! We are having so much fun reviewing rhythms and shooting baskets 🏀 This game has been a life saver leading up to spring break. We first play it whole group to introduce it and then, they play it in small groups with dollar tree white wire trashcans and little basketballs I got off of amazon! Its been so nice to let them go and still have them stay engaged all while giving my sanity a break 🤣 Click the link in bio if you need a game like this too!