Friday, February 13, 2026
Thursday, December 4, 2025
Thursday, October 16, 2025
Candy Building Bricks
Rhythmic Building Bricks or Blocks are often used as compositional tools in elementary music classrooms.
Developed by Carl Orff's fellow teacher, Gunild Keetman, these simple 2-beat patterns use quarter notes, quarter rests, and paired eighth notes (and sometimes a half note). These are elemental rhythms most commonly found in children's rhymes, fingerplays, and simple songs and can be combined to create more complex rhythmic patterns.
Rhythmic building bricks break down composition into small, manageable units, enabling students to create their own pieces from simple patterns. This approach reduces the intimidation of composing and encourages creativity through structure. By experimenting with different combinations of rhythmic bricks, students explore concepts like repetition and arrangement, fostering creative ownership of their musical output. The use of repeated patterns helps students internalize how repetition contributes to musicality and familiarity. Additionally, rhythmic bricks allow for differentiation, as teachers can adapt pattern length, rhythmic complexity, and instrumentation to meet diverse learning needs.
Specific Learning Goals
- Rhythm: Building bricks should follow natural speech (the way a word is spoken).
- Repetition: Musical themes often repeat.
- Form Exploration: Try various elemental forms of aabb, abab, abba, aaab, and abac.
I Get It, Now What?
Rhythmic Building Bricks/Blocks are often thematic and should always use natural speech (which is why names don't work well as there are too many accents and pickups that don't fit the elemental quarter notes and eighth notes).
Small groups of students are given 4 building bricks (this will create an 8-beat rhythm). The rhythms should be ones already learned. They practice arranging them, speaking them, adding body percussion and perhaps transferring these to non-pitched percussion. They may be used as a contrasting section to a short speech piece or song.
These candy building bricks/blocks are perfect for fall and winter holidays and include some variations including sixteenth notes! Please note this will force a copy.
Thursday, September 11, 2025
Kindergarten Music
Recently I polled teachers on social media asking what teachers needed the most. It seems a lot of people struggle with those sweet, other-worldly Kindergarteners! Others wanted singing games and canons, so for the next two weeks (at least) I will posting twice a day on my socials - insta/tiktok -@aimee_ofortunaorff.
Today, we will chat about Kindergarten. Oh, how I love these little special people. If I had to pick three words to describe Kinders it would be: 1. Adorable 2. Chaotic 3. Curious.
The songs, rhymes, movement experiences, and instrument play in Kindergarten form the foundation for all other musical experiences that will happen in later years. Musical concepts of rhythm, melody, form, expression, and harmony originate and are explored through the active musical experiences in Kindergarten. Students also learn crucial skills about interacting with others, following rules and procedures, and making music in a collaborative ensemble.
Structure
Structure and routine is oh-so necessary for our Kindergarten wee ones, and so is leaving room for exploration and play. Clear and consistent routines, expectations, and an organized learning environment help our little musicians develop self-control, manage emotions, reduce anxiety, and focus on learning. See more here. So, what does that look like in our music classrooms? Maybe something like this:
Greeting/Walking In/Sitting Down
Each of these has musical opportunities- even the music you may have playing as students walk in and sit down - maybe it is a song they have sung before, or maybe it is something you will use in the lesson or in a lesson to come. Maybe there is a rhythmic element you want the students to refer back to - there are so many playful and musical possibilities.
Beat & Melodic Exploration
*The links below are videos - I would love to have embedded them here but unfortunately, blogger did not like it when I did that!
Knees a Knees a Pizza Pie is a steady beat activity we use to start each music lesson.
Movement and Name Song
Where is ____ Show Us Your Moves This is one I use after Knees a Knees a.
Reaction Training Games
Walk, Run, and Stop Dalcroze Game This is an activity that becomes a game and we do this at the beginning of each music class after Knees a Knees a.
Simple Songs, Fingerplays, Games, Dances & Instrument Play
Imitation, and Exploration
Here is one example. There are so many available resources for Kindergarten!
I hope all of this is helpful!
Monday, July 28, 2025
Decor Drama
We've all seen it right? Especially at this time of year. The posts on social media or THAT classroom in the building with walls completely cluttered with word walls, diagrams, explanations, definitions, and visuals. Why do we do this? And is what we are doing best for students? 
Purpose, Prioritize, and Adjust
Happy Curating!
Our classroom spaces speak volumes. They fill our bodies, brains, senses, and emotions with loads of sensory information, called the environmental load, which is how the amount, the complexity, the flow, and the intensity of environmental stimuli affect our behavior and feelings.
While some may love the plethora of colors and shapes bombarding their sensory input, however, for many others, particularly children who are neurodivergent and children with ADHD and ADD, visually stimulating classrooms may contribute to sensory overload and adds to their daily struggle to be organized, concentrate, and keep their bodies calm and focused. An overtly stimulating space may create unwanted behaviors that take away from learning.
The intention behind decorating a classroom is important - to create a welcoming and engaging learning environment. However, if the environment is causing harm to some, ask yourself what you need now and leave space for later. Is it relevant to ongoing instruction? In other words, curate, don't decorate.
In a recent study, 24 kindergarten students were placed in laboratory classrooms for six lessons on topics they were unfamiliar with. Three lessons were taught in a heavily decorated classroom, and three lessons were given in a sparse classroom. The results showed learned more when the room was not heavily decorated.
The optimal amount is 20-40% of the wall space be covered.
The optimal amount is 20-40% of the wall space be covered.
So, what to do?
- Decor should have a clear purpose that relates directly to ongoing learning and/or creates a positive, functional classroom environment.
- Clarity over clutter - well organized visual environments reduce distractions and allow students to focus. Leave space for the eye to rest.
- Involve students in the process of selecting and creating classroom displays and think of the classroom as a continually evolving work in progress.
- Adjust as necessary.
Ultimately, the goal is to create a stimulating and nurturing environment in which all students feel they belong, can focus, and engage in our music lessons.
Happy Curating!
Sunday, July 27, 2025
Tuesday, May 6, 2025
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