Posts by Zach VanderGraaff

As one of my go-to songs, it doesn’t get much better than the Scottish/English folk song, Ickle Ockle Blue Bottle.  It’s a simple song and perfect for teaching several key beginner...

Finding songs in 3/4 is tricky, and ones in 3/4 with an isolated Do is even tougher.  And if you want it to be engaging to the older students, it's even tougher.  Coffee Grows On...

Bow Wow Wow is one of those iconic folk songs everyone seems to know, teach, and enjoy.  With a simple, fun set of activities and a few key musical concepts to teach, this is one of...

There are a ton of songs out there, but there aren’t many that work just as well with Kindergarten as they do with Second grade.  Wake Up You Lazy Bones is one of these songs.  With...

I’m always looking for songs to teach specific concepts, and some of the hardest ones to find feature the major triad or do-mi-sol.  Of course, you want the song to also be a ton of fun for...

Transposing instruments are one of the hardest things for people to grasp.  Why does an instrument read different music than what it actually sounds?  It may seem silly, but there are...