Karen Stafford, Author at Dr. Stafford's Musical Cures

Positive Mindset in the Music Classroom: Why and How

Our students are dealing with so much in their lives. The Annie Casey Foundation website states that more than one in five children experience multiple adverse

You’re Not Alone: Dealing with the Rough Times and Emotions of Teaching as a Music Teacher

I’m bringing this back , because I feel music teachers, actually all teachers, need extra emotional support as the COVID battle continues. Even though I’m

Updated: The Adventures of Mozart the Marvelous Mouth Magician: Singing in the Head Voice

First posted on August 10, recopied with a few updates: In Missouri, one of our music objectives is teaching first graders about singing in head

They Can All Sing-The Primary Years and Head Voice

One of the trickiest things to get kids to sing in the primary years is getting some of them in that head voice. Whether it’s

They Can All Sing….Part One: Intermediate-Ages 4-6

True confession time: as a former band director and one who really only sang in church choir and the bare minimum to get vocal certification,

Getting the Classroom Ready…………….

True confession time: I used to be an independent when it came to setting up my room. The one time I had to let

Mozart’s Magical Hat: More Head Voice Tricks

I recently blogged about Mozart the Marvelous Mouth Magician and his wonderful hat, the hat that helped him get into his head voice. The first

Getting Kids to Sing in Head Voice, Part One: The Adventures of Mozart the Mouth Magician

In Missouri, one of our music objectives is teaching first graders about singing in head voice. As we know, this is important for vocal health,

Puppets, Props, and Pretty Little Things, Part One: The Bee’s Knees: Hula Hoops, Hand Puppets, and Pencil Toppers

For first grade, one of the most common concepts to master is beat competency. Not only, of course, is it the crux for understanding rhythm,

Love My Room….Again!

Tonight was Open House. In preparations, the teacher candidate who is working with me decided we needed Starbucks, so while she was out getting our

What Is Your Music Superpower?

As we look forward to a new school year, there have been some hopefully exciting changes coming from the Federal level that can be good

The Perfect Penguin Project….

It’s been a LONG time since I’ve posted. But I wanted to share one class of my first graders and their Perfect Penguin Project (which