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...
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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...
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