Spring or End-of-Year Music Program Tips For Preschool and Kindergarten
Stephanie Leavell Stephanie Leavell

Spring or End-of-Year Music Program Tips For Preschool and Kindergarten

Do you and your students put together a Spring program or an end-of-the-year presentation? I’m definitely not an expert in putting together Spring or end-of-the-year program, so what I’m going to share with you here are just a compilation of some ideas and lessons I learned along the way.

Read More
Music At Home with Amanda Maestro-Scherer
Stephanie Leavell Stephanie Leavell

Music At Home with Amanda Maestro-Scherer

What if instead of asking “brush your teeth!”, “clean your room”, or “go to bed”, we could use music to engage children and use it as a cue for the things we are asking them to do?

Music can be part of our routines and transitions like when washing our hands or before going to sleep. Not only that, but music can also help us connect with children, share a piece of joy together, and preserve our relationship with them.

Read More
Improvisation
Stephanie Leavell Stephanie Leavell

Improvisation

I want to share with you about my background because is really important to me. I'm an improvisational music therapist and is really a big part of my identity. In case you are not a music therapist, let me tell you a little bit about what improvisational music therapists do.

Read More
Music & Literacy
Stephanie Leavell Stephanie Leavell

Music & Literacy

Phonological awareness is the ability to play with the sound of language without thinking about the meaning. It typically develops without direct instruction and the majority of children learn these skills through osmosis simply by being read to, by talking with adults or by participating in play. Research shows that roughly one third of students do not learn these skills through participation in childhood experiences.

Read More
3 Types of Movement Songs
Stephanie Leavell Stephanie Leavell

3 Types of Movement Songs

Movement songs are one of my favorite ways to engage kids. The right movement song can give children an opportunity to regulate their sensory systems so they’re better prepared for learning, listening, engaging with their peers, and working on their goals.

Read More
I AM MAD
Stephanie Leavell Stephanie Leavell

I AM MAD

Whether you are a music therapist or a music educator, more likely than not, you have come across or worked with a child that was labeled as “challenging” or that perhaps had “failed” out of other classes or therapies.

Read More
Miss Katie Sings
Stephanie Leavell Stephanie Leavell

Miss Katie Sings

Celebrating diversity, celebrating all kids and making sure that kids are represented in music are some of the things that Katie Norregard, better know as Miss Katie, cares about. She is a children’s musician, an early childhood music educator and content creator based in Chicago. Her songs and resources are focused on anti-bias & anti-racist education and social-emotional learning for young kids.

Read More
Songwriting for Ages 0-6
Stephanie Leavell Stephanie Leavell

Songwriting for Ages 0-6

When it comes to songwriting, some of us love it, and others find it intimidating. If you feel like songwriting might not be for you, keep reading because I’m sharing three different tools that I use specifically when I write music for kids under the age of six.

Read More

Hello! I’m Stephanie Leavell, the creator of Music for Kiddos, a mom to a spunky young daughter, a seasoned performer, an experienced music educator, and a board certified music therapist who is passionate about using music to help kids succeed.

I share high-quality music and music resources for music therapists, music educators, and parents on this blog and inside of the Music For Kiddos Community. So glad you’re here!


Search the blog!




TOP 5 Preschool + Kindergarten Music Lesson Plans
$54.00

Our favorite lesson plans!! This bundle features our top 5 lesson plans, each featuring original music by Stephanie Leavell. Includes a 98-page PDF with chords, lyrics, and visuals, notated leadsheets AND implementation videos for each lesson plan (for even more tips and tricks).

*this lesson plan bundle does not include MP3s of the songs.

Themes: Bears, Rainforest, Robots, Space & Transportation