Blog

Have you ever heard of Melba Liston?  Chances are the answer is "no". She is not a figure who is often studied in the world of music - but she is an inspiring and interesting woman for young people of all ages to learn about.Melba Liston was a “true unsung hero of Jazz” and a trailblazer for women instrumentalists. She was one of the first femal...

   Just a little bit of listening each day can yield BIG results.  Here at Super Quiet UnInterrupted Listening Time, I encourage children (and adults!) of all ages to simply LISTEN to music each day. Sometimes, however, parents wonder WHAT to offer for listening selections.  Our monthly listening calendar is a great way to receive a piece of mus...

Learning about (and learning to truly appreciate) great music exposes our children to the cultures and histories of people around the world. Recently, in one of our SQUILT LIVE! lessons, a student said to me, "You didn't tell us this was going to be a geography lesson!".  A-ha! No, I didn't - but I am SO glad they noticed!  (I hope they also rea...

We all know that learning about musicals is beneficial (and fun!) for children. By exposing our children to different musicals we can help increase: Cultural awareness Self-expression Empathy and emotional intelligence Lifelong appreciation of music Sometimes, however, it can be hard to know if a musical will be appropriate for our entire...

Each time I teach a music appreciation lesson I am reminded that children are capable of so much more than we give them credit for! Our last lesson of the summer in SQUILT LIVE! was magical. Many times the students amaze me with their sensitivity, understanding, and creativity. The American female composer Amy Beach is unknown to most pe...

Summer is almost here, which means another fun theme for SQUILT LIVE!. In the past we've traveled around the world (we have lessons for 6/7 continents available to our PLUS members), explored all kinds of folk songs, and taken a deep dive into patriotic music.This summer we will combine music appreciation and READING! During a normal month of S...