Jenny Ferris
Hey Presto!
I recently attended a workshop on the PRESTO (Practices & Resources for Equipping Schools to Teach music Online) initiative developed by...
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Jenny Ferris
- May 24
- 4 min
Teaching Form through Folk Dance
There is an increasing amount of research that suggests an important link between movement and cognitive growth ie. kinaesthetic...
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Jenny Ferris
- May 24
- 4 min
Stravinsky's Firebird: a listening lesson reborn
I might be biased, speaking as a horn player, but I think the finale to Stravinsky's The Firebird is absolutely sublime. It has to be...
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Jenny Ferris
- May 24
- 3 min
Let's Dance
I love using folk dances to teach musical aspects such as form, metre, steady beat and melodic contour. Some great dances you would have...
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Jenny Ferris
- Oct 23, 2022
- 7 min
Even more rhythm practice ideas!
So you've just presented a new rhythm, your students now know that the funky 4-sounds-on-one-beat thing is called tika-tika and they've...
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Jenny Ferris
- Oct 19, 2022
- 2 min
Story Time
Here are two picture story books that I have been enjoying using in my teaching lately. Mortimer "Mortimer" by Robert Munsch tells the...
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Jenny Ferris
- Oct 8, 2022
- 3 min
Vocalisation ideas
As anyone following a Kodaly-inspired program knows, the voice should be the first instrument students learn music through and should...
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Jenny Ferris
- Oct 2, 2022
- 2 min
Moses Supposes
Let's take a look at a fun little tongue-twister that I love using when first introducing my students to compound rhythms! Moses supposes...
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Jenny Ferris
- Sep 25, 2022
- 3 min
The Kodaly Institute, Kecskemet
This year I have the absolute pleasure of attending the Kodály Institute in Kecskemét, Hungary to complete a Diploma of Kodály Studies....
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Jenny Ferris
- Sep 17, 2022
- 4 min
...and the caterpillar turned into a beautiful butterfly!
I have written before about a puppet I absolutely adore, which is this gorgeous caterpillar creation by Folkmanis He's such a tactile,...
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Jenny Ferris
- Sep 10, 2022
- 2 min
The characteristics of a good musician....
One of my favourite quotes from Zoltan Kodaly is as follows: This was delivered to a group of conservatory students whose abilities...
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Jenny Ferris
- Aug 28, 2021
- 1 min
Blob Opera
One of the highlights of remote learning for me has been discovering (sometimes by necessity) all of the amazing music technology...
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Jenny Ferris
- Aug 28, 2021
- 2 min
Brain Breaks
If you are lucky enough to be back in the classroom after a prolonged absence (ie. covid lockdowns) then you may be noticing a decrease...
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Jenny Ferris
- Aug 28, 2021
- 2 min
Simple vs. Compound Time
Following on from my recent posts about metre, today I'd like to talk about simple and compound time and how to teach the difference...
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Jenny Ferris
- Jun 1, 2021
- 2 min
A Mix of Metres
Last week, I wrote about preparing, presenting and practising the concept of 2 metre Today, I'd like to share with you some of my...
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Jenny Ferris
- Jun 1, 2021
- 4 min
2 Metre
Let's talk about metre. Metre is the feeling of strong & weak beats that groups our music into sections called bars. It can sometimes...
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Jenny Ferris
- Apr 18, 2021
- 3 min
What Shall We Do With A Drunken Sailor?
A few of my classes are currently practising ti-tika and so I thought - what with the wave of popularity that Sea Shanties are currently...
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Jenny Ferris
- Mar 12, 2021
- 2 min
Move It!
The wonderful John Feierabend has a series of DVDs called Move It! which - if you haven't already heard of them - you should definitely...
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Jenny Ferris
- Mar 5, 2021
- 2 min
Ministry of Silly Walks
One of my favourite clips from the wonderful Monty Python is the "Ministry of Silly Walks". It is just delightfully absurd and even after...
186 views0 comments
Jenny Ferris
- Sep 8, 2020
- 3 min
I Can't Sing.... Now What?
Under the current COVID-19 global pandemic, many music teachers have found themselves facing situations unlike anything they've ever...
504 views0 comments
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