Dr J's Emporium of Musical Education

I went along to the annual Qatar Music Teacher's Guild PD Day expecting much of the same as previous years, with various teachers presenting on teaching practices that they have found useful or pedagogical learning on areas such as Orff and Kodaly Methods.  This year was slightly different as the whole day was given over to Joan Litman, a retired American teacher with a deep knowledge and love of using folk music and the music of the Middle East in the classroom.  Wow! We not only learnt how to approach teaching songs in languages that we might not know, but also how to perform them in concert, as part of a class performance or as a game.   My only problem was that with so much to take in, I am liable to forget it all!  If you get a chance, it is definitely worth going to see this lady in action. Below are my notes on the day: QMTG Joan Litman PD Session Qatar Music Academy, Katara, Thursday 26th January 2017 9:00am - 4:00pm (5 1/2 hours) This workshop was

Okay, so I have returned to blogging after a little bit of an absence.  I have done this for several reasons, but mainly to sound off about what I feel is important, especially as now it seems that teachers have to demonstrate that they are learning as much as the kids.  If you read anything you feel strongly enough about to comment on, drop me a line!