Drum It Up, Strum It Up, and Mix It Up:  Creative Music Activities for Elementary Music with Sandy and Gretchen episode artwork

EPISODE · Apr 1, 2026 · 29 MIN

Drum It Up, Strum It Up, and Mix It Up: Creative Music Activities for Elementary Music with Sandy and Gretchen

from The Happy Music Teacher

What happens when two legendary music educators join forces for nearly four decades? You get a wealth of knowledge, a library of must-have resource books, and a unique perspective on co-teaching that is rarely seen in our field.In this episode, Jeanette sits down with Sandy Lantz and Gretchen Wahlberg to discuss their incredible journey from Florida classrooms to national Orff stages. They dive into their famous "Bits" series and share how they’ve spent 30 years training the next generation of music teachers.In this episode, we cover:The Power of Longevity: How Sandy and Gretchen have sustained a 38-year career in elementary music.Collaboration in Action: Lessons learned from 30 years of co-teaching Orff Level 1 courses and national workshops.The "Bits" Series: The inspiration behind Creative Bits with Children’s Lit, Drum It Up, Strum It Up, and more.Leading the Way: Their experience conducting inaugural All-State and Regional Orff Ensembles across the country.Practical Creativity: Tips for using literature and instruments to engage every student in the room.Connect with Sandy & Gretchen:Books: Drum It Up, Creative Bits with Children's Lit, Strum It Up, S'more Bits with Children's Lit, and Mixin' It Up (Available through various music retailers).______________________________________________💠 Website: 👉 https://thehappymusicteacher.com/ 💠 TikTok: 👉 / thehappymusicteacher💠 Instagram: 👉 / thehappymusicteacher💠 The Music Teacher Group 👉 / themusicteachergroup💠 FREE Music Curriculum Guide: 👉 https://thehappymusicteacher.kit.com/... 💠 Free Storybook Lesson Plans: 👉 https://thehappymusicteacher.kit.com/...

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Drum It Up, Strum It Up, and Mix It Up: Creative Music Activities for Elementary Music with Sandy and Gretchen

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This episode is 29 minutes long.

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This episode was published on April 1, 2026.

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What happens when two legendary music educators join forces for nearly four decades? You get a wealth of knowledge, a library of must-have resource books, and a unique perspective on co-teaching that is rarely seen in our field.In this episode,...

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