If you haven’t had an opportunity to attend one of Cheryl Baker’s live presentations, you could check them out here on this page. These presentations will allow you to enhance your teaching and use modeled lessons that you could take back to use in your own music classroom.

 

Cheryl loves to integrate drama into her lessons, and through puppets she helps the students bring children’s literature to life through music.  Shy students forget themselves when they have a puppet to talk to them.  Students with a knack for the dramatic shine when given the chance to improvise lines and short melodies.  Students are involved with creating their own music when asked to create music for traveling somewhere, or perhaps music for an argument or fight scene.  Some of her favorite books to dramatize are:  Where the Wild Things Are, The Napping House, The Three Little Javelinas, Rap a Tap Tap, Think of That and many more.

 

Another thing Cheryl loves to do is to integrate technology into her lessons.  Her demonstrations of programs such as Finale notepad, Music Ace 1 and 2 or Music Maestro keep students engaged and inspired to take their music skills to the next level.  She works with apps for iPads that are fun for even the primary grades.

 

Folk dancing is also a passion for Cheryl.  Teaching the dances from the Chimes of Dunkirk, many of the dances from Phyllis Weikart’s Rhythmically Moving books are such a pleasure to share with others.  Cheryl enjoys leading students to make up their own folk dances to help present songs such as Follow the Drinking Gourd.

 

Teaching improvisation techniques is sometimes a challenge in the classroom, and Cheryl has developed a technique to give students the courage to try.  Her kid-tested strategies always leave the students proud of their accomplishments!

 

Cheryl and her sister, Pamela Wilson have created a newly designed recorder program with 4 levels.  Using folk songs as well as classical songs, your students will exceed your wildest imagination playing songs that they will come to love and enjoy for years to come.

 

Cheryl has presented her session called, “Everyone in Tune” to several AOSA Orff Chapters.

Cheryl can tailor any presentation to your needs.  If you have a request for a specific focus for primary or intermediate grades in movement, literacy, playing techniques for instruments and movement, just send her your requests and she will accommodate you.