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This week’s episode is all about choir at the elementary level. You are not going to want to miss this fantastic interview with Emma Bassett.

Emma Bassett was born and raised in Wisconsin, but got to Texas as fast as she could! After graduating from the University of Wisconsin Stevens Point with degrees in Music and Psychology, she moved to Texas, where she fell in love with the great state, and its dedication to Fine Arts Education and decided to stay.

While growing up in Milwaukee she found her love of music through Piano lessons. She is also a proud 10 year alum of the Milwaukee Children's Choir.

Since beginning her career, Mrs. Bassett has taught all levels and genres of Music in grades K-8 including Choir, Band, Orchestra, and General Music. She is absolutely thrilled to be the Music Specialist at Pomona Elementary where she also directs the award winning Pomona Pirate Choir, who are honored to be an invited performing group for the 2022 Texas Music Educators Association Convention.

You’ll often find her wearing her tutu and sparkly shoes, while singing and dancing down the halls of Pomona.

When she is not at school, she enjoys spending time with her husband, and their two young children.

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There is so much that we don't learn about student teaching until we are in the thick of it.

Now that I'm a few years out of student teaching, I've been doing a lot of thinking about what I wish I would've known about student teaching.

This week's episode of That Music Podcast is all about just that: the things I wish I would've known about student teaching before I was in the middle of that wild balancing act we call student teaching.

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Three Secrets for Success in the Elementary Music Classroom (FREE Workshop)

So many of us have an increasing population of English Learners in our classrooms.

Especially for those of us, me included, who are not bilingual, this can be an incredibly difficult population of students to serve.

In this week’s episode of That Music Podcast I bring in a wonderful expert, Betha Maust, and ask her to share her knowledge of English Learners, and what that means for us as music educators.

Betha Maust is an English Language teacher located near Columbus, Ohio. She graduated from Goshen College in Indiana with a degree in elementary education, and ended up teaching adult ESL classes in Sioux Falls, South Dakota for two years.

After returning home, she got her TESOL endorsement from Capital University. She has taught k-12 EL for 8 Years, and currently teaches k-4.  In her free time, she enjoys hiking, baking,  and traveling as much as possible.

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Colorín Colorado

I often get questions about how a Kodály-influenced classroom can also be one that asks questions to allow us to be anti-racist and anti-biased.

Today’s episode of That Music Podcast is all about refocusing the Kodály classroom to ensure that the repertoire we choose to perpetuate is one worth teaching, while also making sure all of our students feel seen and included in our classrooms.

Audrey Rice currently teaches 4th and 5th grade general music at Winchester Trail Elementary School in Canal Winchester, OH.  She also co-directs the Winchester Trail 5th grade choir with her co-worker and fellow music teacher, Bobby Phillips.

Audrey also co-facilitates a research-based girls empowerment program called ROX at Winchester Trail and is the Secretary of the Canal Winchester Education Association.

Audrey holds a BME from The Ohio State University.  She has previously taught grades 1-5 general music and grades 6-8 choir, as well as private flute, voice, piano, and ukulele.  She has also previously taught with the Kodaly-based early childhood music program "We Joy Sing".

She is currently pursuing a Master of Music in Music Education with a Kodaly emphasis from Capital University and is an active member of the Tri-City Kodaly Educators (TRIKE).

Links and Resources:


Grab your FREE copy of my guide on better serving the students with disabilities in your classroom!
Decolonizing the Music Room
Songs with a Questionable Past

In this week’s episode of That Music Podcast, I get a little bit personal. I share my thoughts and reflections on this past year.

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Grab your FREE copy of the Elementary Music Newbie Guide

Assessment doesn’t need to be scary. Data and assessment are truly invaluable in the elementary music classroom.

In this week’s episode of That Music Podcast, I share my thoughts on assessment, and how we can use nearly constant informal assessment to truly guide and drive our instruction.

Links and Resources:


Grab your FREE copy of the Elementary Music Newbie Guide