MAKE IT MUSIC: DALCROZE STRATEGIES FOR EVERY CLASSROOM MUSIC TEACHERS MUSCIANS CREATIVES

Transform your music classroom into a creative, vibrant, and playful space with Make It Music!

This package includes a book with over 200 cards with prompts to inspire thousands of short, unique movement activities that can be seamlessly incorporated into any lesson plan. The cards are divided into four decks.

Starter Cards

The blue Starter cards have prompts and ideas for beginning a new class or exercise. They give simple set-up instructions and will be most helpful for those new to Dalcroze-inspired exercises. They should prove fun and useful for all teachers regardless of your lesson planning routines. The Starter cards mostly focus on movement, gesture, or physical elements and are meant to be the beginnings of yet-to-be-written masterpieces.

Make It Music Cards

The yellow Make It Music (MiM) cards expand the opening activities on the Starter cards, adding musical elements and expressive qualities to turn a simple interaction into a musical experience. The MiM cards offer 50+ variations on an initial idea.

Challenge and Strategy Cards

The green Challenge cards are designed to stretch our creativity and encourage innovation to avoid getting too comfortable with familiar routines. The Challenge cards add extra-musical considerations to an established activity, calling upon the teacher to think more deeply about the possibilities presented by the evolving game.

Teaching Artist Cards

The purple Teaching Artist cards are for the teacher and can be played with or without students in the room. They are included as food for thought, a provocation to embrace yourself as a creative force in the classroom.

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Endorsed by leading music educators

Make It Music brilliantly bridges theory and practice in music education. Molinaro and Neely offer a transformative approach that honors both teacher expertise and student discovery, anchored by an innovative movement-based card system that builds from concrete to abstract understanding.

Their work seamlessly integrates Dalcroze principles into practical classroom strategies, making sophisticated musical concepts accessible and engaging. The methodologies translate beautifully to Orff Schulwerk settings, making this an invaluable resource for practitioners of both approaches.

This essential resource shows educators how to create that elusive classroom “magic” while maintaining deep musicianship standards. A must-read for any music teacher seeking to cultivate vibrant, creative, and rewarding learning experiences.

Tiffany EnglishExecutive Director, American Orff-Schulwerk Association

How do we teach music musically? What are the means to an ever-deepening musicianship for students that, while playful, are also foundational for their lifelong love of music? How can students fully embody the music they make so that it becomes thoroughly integrated into their systems, entering through the physical movement of their responses to music and flowing into cognitive, social, and emotional facets of who they are? What really does it mean to feel the music?

For definitive answers to these and other key questions relevant to ensuring that students receive the quality music education they deserve, teachers will do well to give their attention to Make It Music, an important work thoughtfully crafted to infuse hum-drum lessons with innovative, inventive, and inspiring activities for students of every age and experience. Co-authors Anthony Molinaro and Stephen Neely, coming from decades of professional work as active musicians and educators, remind us that a Dalcroze-grounded “feeling first” approach to music can propel our students down a pathway through multisensory musical adventures to the intrinsic rewards of a rock-solid holistic musical education. They call for a mindset that shifts from a single focus on performance to opportunities for students to engage in inner hearing, ear training, improvisation, and the activation of the body.

Through a companion set of four color-coded decks of cards, teachers can draw a series of creative classroom encounters that feature games and playful tasks to apply as brief musical episodes, in combinations that make for longer lessons, and across multiple lessons. There are, in fact, 125,000 possible permutations of activities, making for a long line of lessons to drive the development of student musicianship that will last a lifetime. At the philosophical core of the suggested strategies lie the principles of Dalcroze Eurhythmics, which makes this the unique and useful resource it is. Hands down, Make It Music is an indispensable guide to the successful maneuvering of experiences by teachers for the all-out musical understanding of their students.

Patricia Shehan CampbellProfessor Emeritus, University of Washington

I LOVE THIS BOOK!

This new resource is a vibrant and timely addition to the practice of Dalcroze in the United States. Anthony and Stephen beautifully capture the “spirit of play” at the heart of Dalcroze, offering educators practical strategies and fresh insights into creative, student-centered teaching.

I absolutely love the accompanying decks of cards—they give teachers endless opportunities to vary lessons and respond to students’ needs in dynamic and meaningful ways. This book is an invaluable tool for any educator looking to spark creativity, engagement, and transformative learning in their classrooms.

Alex MarthalerExecutive Director, Dalcroze Society of America

About the Authors

Anthony Molinaro and Stephen Neely are renowned music educators and leaders in the Dalcroze approach, bringing decades of combined experience to this resource. Anthony, a multi-instrumentalist, podcaster, and producer, has over 17 years of authentic Dalcroze teaching in the public school classroom and is a guest lecturer and Eurhythmics instructor at Carnegie Mellon University. His resources for Music ConstructED and QuaverEd as well as his podcast, The New Dalcrozian, have reached educators and students in more than 48 countries. Stephen, the Milton and Cynthia Friedman Associate Professor of Music at Carnegie Mellon, directs the Marta Sanchez Dalcroze Training Center and Graduate Studies at the School of Music, where he has taught Dalcroze Eurhythmics to every BFA music performance and composition major since 1999. A dynamic clinician, co-chair of the International Conference of Dalcroze Studies, and co-founder of the Virtual Dalcroze Meet-Up, he has led workshops and courses worldwide. Together, they combine innovation, leadership, and a passion for transforming music education for teachers and students alike through the Dalcroze approach.

Learn more about Anthony and Stephen…

Visit us at these events and conferences

January 29, 2025 — NAfME Free Webinar

February 6-8 2025 — OMEA

The Ohio Music Education Association Professional Development Conference

Huntington Convention Center of Cleveland (HCCC) 300 Lakeside Ave E, Cleveland, OH 44113

Featured Presenter

Movement IS Music: Dalcroze Strategies for Elementary Classrooms

What makes Dalcroze Eurhythmics different from other movement-oriented forms of teaching? How can the principles of Dalcroze be applied in an elementary setting to ignite joy and connect students to musical concepts? Be prepared to move in this workshop as Anthony Molinaro guides you through some typical and not-so-typical Dalcroze-inspired activities that you can bring into your classrooms.

February 14, 2025 — TMEA

TMEA: Texas Music Educators Association

Awaken the Teaching Artist: Dalcroze for Every Classroom
Primary Topic: Teaching methods
Clinicians: Anthony Molinaro and Stephen Neely, Carnegie Mellon University

https://www.tmea.org/convention/

February 15 & 16, 2025 — Carnegie Mellon University

Carnegie Mellon University Winter Dalcroze Workshop

Designed for teachers and music education students, this weekend will focus on Dalcroze Eurhythmics and Pedagogy. Seven guided classes introduce you to the fundamental concepts of Dalcroze Eurhythmics and how those concepts are implemented in the classroom. Classes will be held on the Carnegie Mellon University campus and include demonstration classes with elementary school students.

Workshop fee: $100 USD per person, $25 USD to full-time students. Register Here

March 5, 2025 — Minneapolis Workshop

Bring Music to Life: Teaching expression through Music w/ Anthony Molinaro

Saturday, April 5, 2025 · 1 – 4pm CDT. Doors at 12:45pm

5161 Bloomington Avenue Minneapolis, MN 55417

Link to Register:

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Make music come alive with student-centered strategies inspired by the Dalcroze method!

Engage Every Student

Practical strategies that make music lessons fun, interactive, and inclusive for all learners.

Boost Creativity

Inspires students to explore music through movement, rhythm, and improvisation.

Easy to Implement

Step-by-step instructions and ready-to-use activities, perfect for educators at any experience level.

Foster Lifelong Musicality

Encourages a deep connection to music that stays with students beyond the classroom.

Dalcroze Expertise Made Accessible

Brings the proven principles of the Dalcroze method into classrooms without the need for specialized training.

Proven Educational Impact

Helps improve student engagement, musical skills, and overall classroom participation.

Flexible for Any Classroom

Adaptable techniques that work in various settings—large groups, small groups, or one-on-one lessons.

Designed by a Music Educators

Created with teachers in mind by experts passionate about making music education effective and joyful.

Struggling to keep your music lessons engaging? Make It Music has you covered! Discover fun, proven strategies for all ages.

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