Tuneful Teaching

08/07/2025

Look at this great opportunity for a sensory friendly concert at an outdoor venue — experience a live symphony at a baseball diamond for free! INFO copy/pasted below:

What: Open Rehearsal for Fox Valley Symphony
Where: Fox Cities Stadium
When: Saturday, July 26, Gates open at 2:30pm, rehearsal starts at 3:00pm
If you want to enjoy the music, but the crowds and fireworks are not for you, we have you covered! Everyone is welcome to attend this sensory-inclusive rehearsal. When the gates open, you are able to walk around the concourse, sit wherever you like, and we will even have one of the concessions stands open.
Rehearsal ends at 5:30, or maybe slightly before, and parking will start to get difficult at that time. You may want to leave the park a bit early to avoid the rush!
No need to check in upon arrival. Come in and Enjoy!
Jamie LaFreniere
Fox Valley Symphony Orchestra

08/03/2025

I'll be hanging out with some fabulous service providers in Oshkosh this coming Thursday. Come check out all of the resources and meet some fun and inspirational people!

⏳ 1 Week Away! Service Fair – March 13th!

The countdown is on! We’re just ONE WEEK AWAY from the Service Fair—a must-attend event for families of individuals with diverse abilities!

📅 Mark your calendars: March 13th from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at Hyde Family Community Center!

Come explore a variety of services and supports, including, but not limited to:

✅ Focus on Freedom & Empower Freedom – Expert guidance and caregiver support
✅ Love the Mess Parent Support Network – A welcoming community for parents
✅ Winnebago County CLTS – Funding and service options for your loved one
✅ Guided Discovery LLC – ABA therapy and behavior support
✅ Northwestern Mutual: Financial Planning for Families
✅ Music Therapy – A creative approach to communication and emotional regulation

💡 You don’t want to miss this opportunity to connect with experts, ask questions, and find the support that fits your family’s needs!

See you in just one week! 🎉

07/02/2025

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/18Di8362cH/

https://foxcitiespac.com/event/music-in-motion-a-sensory-inclusive-performance/

20/08/2024

Registration is now open for the fall session of Tuneful Tots music classes.

Classes are geared for birth-6 but older children are welcome if it is developmentally appropriate. Funding is available is your child is eligible for CLTS through through county.

Any questions? Comment below or message me directly!

https://tunefulteaching.com/early-childhood-music-therapy-oshkosh-wisconsin-music-classes/

21/07/2024

It’s EAA Airventure week in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. So much fun, lots of family time and even a little R&R with a good book!

14/05/2024

Registration is still open for summer music classes in Oshkosh, WI. We start June 4.

Classes are geared toward birth through 6 but all ages and abilities are welcome! Flexible scheduling with a 5-week and 8-week option. More details online:

https://tunefulteaching.com/early-childhood-music-therapy-oshkosh-wisconsin-music-classes/

02/04/2024

✨FREE DOWNLOAD!✨

Print and laminate these word cards to expand the learning opportunities presented in the popular book, "Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes", written by Eric Litwin and illustrated by James Dean. 📚

By replacing one word at a time, we change the meaning of the sentence. This is a great way to help kids tune into the idea that sentences can be separated into smaller chunks called words.

Eventually, they will learn that words can be broken into smaller parts called phonemes. 🔤 For children who are working towards chaining words together and increasing the length of their sentences, it works well to use a "gradual release of responsibility."

👇This looks like:👇

✔️ Modeling the sentence while pointing to the words.
✔️ Pointing to the words one at a time while the child repeats each word.
✔️ Prompting the child to say the entire sentence.

To get the free download, click the link below! 🎉

🔗 https://tuneful-teaching.ck.page/4f7e0586c8 🔗

29/03/2024

🌈 Part 2: F R E E PRINTABLE 🌈

“Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes”, is an even more engaging book by using the simple visual I created where kids can physically remove the color word and replace it with a new word to change the meaning of the sentence.

👉 This is an early skill on the Phonological Awareness Developmental Continuum and helps develop skills for sound manipulation.

When kids are struggling with learning to communicate verbally, the printed words offer a helpful structure for imitation of words and phrases using call and response and a gradual release of responsibility.

My favorite way to structure this activity is to:

✏️ Laminate the word cards
✏️ Attach magnets to the back of the cards
✏️ Then physically move them on a magnetic dry erase board

For kids who are just starting to communicate verbally, I like to start by modeling the entire sentence while pointing to the words. 🔤

The next step is pointing to one word at a time while my client repeats the word. The tactile and rhythmic prompt of touching the laminated words provides an additional prompt for eliciting speech. 🗣️

✨If you’re interested in the free printable, click the link in my below! 🔗 https://tuneful-teaching.ck.page/4f7e0586c8

21/03/2024

✨Top 5 Color Themed Books & Resources!✨

Books like these help kids learn their colors, of course, but it's fun thinking about all of the other skills we can target—especially once kids know all of the names of the colors.

🌈 "𝐈 𝐂𝐚𝐧 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐬" & "𝐈 𝐂𝐚𝐧 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐌𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐬" 𝐛𝐲 𝐍𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐞 𝐄𝐝𝐠𝐞
I love these color themed "big books" previously available by Nellie Edge. They were among the first singable books I purchased over 20 years ago and are still loved by kids.

🌈 "𝐌𝐲 𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐫 𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤" 𝐛𝐲 𝐊𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐲 𝐒𝐜𝐡𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐫
I wrote this book to help children who were learning to label colors. The association of having a familiar object (e.g. frog, pumpkin) helps with learning the color names.

🌈 "𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐖𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫" 𝐛𝐲 𝐍𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐲 𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐭
This is a beautiful book for the winter season! I chose to make my own version of the printable book so that the third verse gives an opportunity for left to right tracking using colored circles.

🌈 "𝐑𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐛𝐨𝐰 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐬" 𝐛𝐲 𝐊𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐲 𝐒𝐜𝐡𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐫
Well, this one isn't a book yet, but it is probably one of my favorite songs I have ever written. I have hopes of turning it into a children's book in the future!

🌈 "𝐏𝐞𝐭𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐚𝐭: 𝐈 𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐌𝐲 𝐖𝐡𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐒𝐡𝐨𝐞𝐬" 𝐛𝐲 𝐉𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐃𝐞𝐚𝐧 & 𝐄𝐫𝐢𝐜 𝐋𝐢𝐭𝐰𝐢𝐧
This book is even more engaging by using the simple visual I created where kids can physically remove the color word and replace it with a new word to change the meaning of the sentence, an early skill on the Phonological Awareness Developmental Continuum!

🌟 𝐁𝐎𝐍𝐔𝐒: 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐜𝐡𝐲 𝐁𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐌𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐒𝐨𝐧𝐠! 🌟
This song is from Rachel Rambach over at Listen & Learn Music. The adaptation I like to use with kids uses the first half of Rachel's structure but adds a call and response B section where kids practice answering a question using a simple minor 3rd melody.

For more information on the benefits of these books and resources, click the link to check out the blog post: https://tunefulteaching.com/top-5-color-themed-books-and-resources/

You will even find some free printables. 👀

19/03/2024

✨Top 10 Singable Books✨

Last year for and , I shared my top 10 singable books. All of the books listed below are music-based, fun, and educational. They will keep kids and adults engaged with bright and colorful pages, creative text, and thought-provoking themes.

1. What a Wonderful World by Tim Hopgood

2. Roly Poly Numbers by Child's Play

3. See Ya Later, Alligator by Kathy Schumacher

4. I Love You: A Rebus Poem by Jean Marzollo

5. Wheels on the Bus (pop-up book) by Paul O. Zelinsky

6. My Color Book by Kathy Schumacher

7. The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle

8. Mrs. Wishy Washy by Joy Cowley

9. Rhyming Dust Bunnies by Jan Thomas

10. Wendell the Narwhal by Emily Dove

Books are one of my favorite teaching tools and the books listed below will help you teach your children things such as rhyming, sign language, color recognition, counting, and much more! 📚

For more details on these books plus links and resources for each one, click the link below to check out the blog post. ❤

🔗 https://tunefulteaching.com/top-10-singable-books-national-reading-month-music-based-books/

05/03/2024

To continue with the celebration of and , I have compiled a list of my top 5 favorite color-themed books and resources.

✨ 𝗜 𝗖𝗮𝗻 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗖𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗿𝘀 & 𝗜 𝗖𝗮𝗻 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗠𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗿𝘀 𝗯𝘆 𝗡𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗲 𝗘𝗱𝗴𝗲
It is safe to say that kids love these mini books because they are "mini" AND they get to take them home after a session or music class! Parents are often amazed at how quickly a child can memorize and how proudly they read and sing the entire book! It is an important phase that most children go through as they construct their knowledge of how print works.

✨ 𝗠𝘆 𝗖𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗿 𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗯𝘆 𝗞𝗮𝘁𝗵𝘆 𝗦𝗵𝘂𝗺𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗿
I wrote this book to help children who were learning to label colors. The association of having a familiar object (e.g. frog, pumpkin) helps with learning the color names.

✨ 𝗖𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗿𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗪𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗯𝘆 𝗡𝗮𝗻𝗰𝘆 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝘄𝗮𝗿𝘁
This is a beautiful book for the winter season. It also works well for performances and school programs. I chose to make my own version of the printable book so that the third verse gives an opportunity for left-to-right tracking using colored circles.

✨𝗥𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗯𝗼𝘄 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗼𝘁𝘀 𝗯𝘆 𝗞𝗮𝘁𝗵𝘆 𝗦𝗰𝗵𝘂𝗺𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗿
Well, this one isn't a book yet, but "Rainbow Carrots" is probably one of my favorite songs I have ever written. I have hopes of turning it into a children's book in the future. This song debuted in my Tuneful Tots music classes last summer and was a HUGE hit.

✨𝗣𝗲𝘁𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗮𝘁: 𝗜 𝗟𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝗠𝘆 𝗪𝗵𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗦𝗵𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝗯𝘆 𝗝𝗮𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝗗𝗲𝗮𝗻 & 𝗘𝗿𝗶𝗰 𝗟𝗶𝘁𝘄𝗶𝗻
Pete the Cat is a big deal in children's lives where I live. Several of them even have Pete the Cat shoes! Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes was the first in the series, published way back in 2010. It's also the best one, in my opinion (although Four Groovy Buttons is a close second).

Stay tuned for the blog post coming later this month for even more details on these books and resources. Plus, a bonus movement song and some freebies! 🥳

02/03/2024

Happy ! 📚 Today also marks the start of .

If you’ve been following along for a while you know that I LOVE books! I usually have a pile of books waiting to be read in almost every room. And more often than not that will include children’s books!

The one pictured above, Rhyming Dust Bunnies by Jan Thomas , is one of my all-time favorites. 😍

Over the next week and month I’ll be sharing some more books and literacy based resources for you to use with your children or students. 📖

✨ Let me know what some of your favorite books are in the comments! 👇