The Anacrusic Podcast Anne Mileski

"I know this could be better."
I know we've all had that thought. It's easy to go down that whole rigamarole of feeling like you're not living up to your potential in the music classroom, and to spiral down the different ways you could be doing things better.
First things first: you're a caring, thoughtful teacher. You wouldn't be here if you weren't, am I right? But when we get in these cycles of criticizing our practice, it's important to find a place to start. It's important to find that ONE thing.
Here's a few things that I talk about on today's episode:
Why it's important to focus on one thing at a time when it comes to changing or refining your teaching.A couple different ways I've seen too much happen when teaching a song by rote.Three things to consider when you want to improve your teaching and are ready to focus on one thing.Here are a few links mentioned in today's episode:
Teaching Music Tomorrow - TransitionsThe Anacrusic Podcast - 7 Ways to Teach a SongIf you loved today's episode, make sure to take a screenshot and tag @annemileski on instagram!
If you’re looking for more information on lesson planning, and exactly what to teach when, CLICK HERE for your FREE download.

Ostinato is not just a concept on your curriculum map to check off... in fact, it's much like all of the other things listed on that curriculum, it comes back again and again! But ostinati are special. They are not only a pathway to partwork, they are also opportunities for student choice, creativity, and independent musicianship.

Today I'm sharing 4 ways that I use ostinato in my classroom, including:


The easiest way to extract and create an ostinato with a game you're already doing in your classroom.How to highlight a rhythmic or melodic concept while also creating opportunities for student choice.How to use ostinati as a scaffold for improvisation

Click here to check out the new podcast, Teaching Music Tomorrow, with myself and my good friend Victoria Boler.

If you loved today's episode, make sure to take a screenshot and tag @annemileski on instagram!
If you’re looking for more information on lesson planning, and exactly what to teach when, CLICK HERE for your FREE download.

Something that I consistently hear from both practicing teachers and student teachers alike is "what is the best way to break down activities over multiple lessons?" It feels a little like you should be able to just sing the song and play the game. And yes, absolutely that is the goal for our students! But what if it's something a little more advanced, or we simply want to stretch the good stuff over multiple lessons?

Today I'm sharing how to find natural stopping points and build lesson segments from one big activity with many layers. Here are a few of the things we talk about on today's podcast:


What exactly is a lesson segment and why is it even a thing in lesson planning?How to find natural stopping points by identifying the different music making skills for your students within the activity.A complete example using Tideo so you can start implementing this right away!Find the notation to Tideo here via the Holy Names Song Collection.
Click here to check out the new podcast, Teaching Music Tomorrow, with myself and my good friend Victoria Boler.

If you loved today's episode, make sure to take a screenshot and tag @annemileski on instagram!


If you’re looking for more information on lesson planning, and exactly what to teach when, CLICK HERE for your FREE download.

I recently received a piece of feedback  that "scripting wasn't working for them." they felt like trying to create exactly what they would say in front of a group of students without actually being in front of that group felt really in authentic and not right.
My response was, "well of course not." You would never want to read a prescribed script to your students in your classroom. That would not allow for the opportunity to change things on the fly, take feedback from your students, and change things accordingly... But also, that's not really on the point of scripting. It's not about giving you your lines for Tuesday at 9:00. It's something a bit more nuanced.
Today on the podcast, I'm talking about what scripting is and isn't, and why you might want to give it a try. Here are some things we talk about on the podcast:
What is scripting, and why should you do it even if you've been teaching for MANY years?How scripting actually allows for more student successes, rather than being tied into a prescriptive sequence.What to script today to make your lesson more successful.If you loved today's episode, make sure to take a screenshot and tag @annemileski on instagram!
If you’re looking for more information on lesson planning, and exactly what to teach when, CLICK HERE for your FREE download.

Creativity is a BIG word. But getting started doesn't have to feel quite so hairy scary. Why? Because it really comes down to one thing: student choice.

Today I'm talking about how to implement a few strategies to begin offering your students choice and facilitate creativity in your elementary music classroom today.

Here are some of the things we talk about:
Convergent vs. Divergent thinking and why both have a place in the classroom.How to start giving students choice and using creativity without it feeling scary (to you OR them!)The first steps you need to get your students improvising.Links mentioned in today’s episode:
TAP 089: Why You Should Improvise Earlier than You ThinkTAP 090: Improvisation: The Path to Musical FluencyIf you loved today's episode, make sure to take a screenshot and tag @annemileski on instagram!
If you’re looking for more information on lesson planning, and exactly what to teach when, CLICK HERE for your FREE download.

Having an opening routine in your music class is a surefire way to get students primed and ready to go when they first walk into your classroom. It's no secret that I think having an intentional beginning sequence to your lessons is important--we've talked about it on a couple of podcasts so far (and are linked down below)
I've even gone so far as to share what I do with my younger students, think Kindergarten through 2nd grade, to have a fairly established routine that they come to expect, and stays the same week to week. But what about those older students? What about the upper elementary or even middle school students who might find a "hello" song or echo singing to be a bit too baby-ish? (even though it's not, but that's a topic for another day).
Today on the podcast, I'm going to give you 3 surefire ways to jumpstart your music class.

Here are some of the things we talk about:
The overall goals of an opening routine, whether it’s the same week to week or constantly evolving.Ways to engage your students as they are literally walking into your classroom.How to tap into students’ independent musicianship in the first 10 minutes of your music lesson.Links mentioned in today’s episode:
TAP 131: All About Opening RoutinesTAP 126: How to Create an Opening RoutineIf you loved today's episode, make sure to take a screenshot and tag @annemileski on instagram!
If you’re looking for more information on lesson planning, and exactly what to teach when, CLICK HERE for your FREE download.
For today's full episode notes, click here. 
To chat with other music teachers and share Ideas and strategies for all things #musicteacherlife, join the Anacrusic Insiders Community here: anacrusic.com/community