Good music teaching is not about music.
It's about creating joy, humor, and love in the classroom. Music is simply the way to get there.
Mission Statement
When you think of the most fun you’ve had making music, it was probably because you created something beautiful with excellence and artistry. But when you think about the most fun you’ve had teaching music, was it really about the music? Or was it about what else happened while you were teaching the music?
Someone laughed, or a child helped another child, or you successfully navigated a tricky emotional situation for a kid. For most of us, what we love about teaching music is the connection, love, and joy we experience. The Singing Classroom’s mission is to help you teach in a way that creates as many opportunities as possible for moments of joy.
How we help
We believe that the best way to help you create joy for yourself and your students is to provide great material and show you how to teach it in a way that you and your students love.
We don’t give you a set curriculum; we give you options.
Works with how you teach
The material is grounded in Kodály methodology, but these songs–both traditional and composed–work with nearly any teaching approach.
About
Deborah
I’m Deborah Skydell. I have a Master’s in choral music from the University of Illinois, full Kodály certification, two levels of Orff, and one level of Dalcroze. I’ve taught music to kids in grades PreK to eighth in public schools, private schools, and after-school settings. In my mid 40’s, when my daughter was born, I stopped teaching full time and launched The Singing Classroom. The Singing Classroom was a dream of mine for years. I had noticed that every new generation of teachers kept reinventing teaching strategies even though other teachers had already figured out countless ways to solve problems. Learning from each other through books, conferences, and workshops was slow and expensive. I wanted a way for teachers to access material and ideas instantly and inexpensively, and by 2013, a website was the perfect solution. I even learned how to draw and animate bunnies to show how to play the games! Even though times change, children are inherently the same across generations and cultures. I think you’ll find that the material and approaches on this site are timeless. I really do hope you love it!
Try it free for seven days.
Using a purchase order? Schools and districts are welcome. Contact us.
“We are so excited to have your program in our district. Our teachers love the resource, and are especially fond of the bunnies!”