In the elementary music classroom, one of the keys to success is “keeping it moving”: embedding movement, play, student suggestions, and engagement strategies in every moment of the music class. In this session, the clinician will discuss how to “hook” students into learning songs from around the world, incorporating stories, student experiences, and movement into the music-making experience. Participants will leave with many techniques to engage younger learners, including a wide repertoire of movement-for-form dances, echo songs, song games, musical transitions, and opportunities for leadership with young singers. In this low-tech, high-engagement session, participants will learn a variety of tips and tricks to engage their students immediately upon returning to their classrooms. Additionally, the clinician will provide a year-long curriculum aligned with songs from many cultures throughout the calendar year. After attending this session, you and your students will love “keeping it moving” the whole year long!
Target Audience
Elementary General Music teachers, with a focus on TK/K/1/2 grade levels
Additional Notes
Clinician Info
Danielle Koplinka-Loehr
Culver City Unified School District
Ms. Danielle Koplinka-Loehr is a TK-2nd grade general music teacher and 3rd/4th/5th grade choir teacher in the Culver City Unified School District. This is her 14th year teaching music in Culver City Unified. She has taught music at every grade level, including eight years of teaching middle school choir. She received her Bachelor of Music Education and a Bachelor of Arts in Comparative Literature from Oberlin College and Conservatory of Music in Oberlin, OH, and received her Masters Degree in Music Education from Ithaca College in Ithaca, NY. She is the proud mother of two children, and she and her husband and their family live in Los Angeles. In her free time, she enjoys running, biking, traveling, gardening, going to the beach, and being outdoors.