Kindness in Action: Music, Movement, and Joyful Justice

WEBINAR RECORDING

Get ready to jump into a joyful, music-filled adventure where kindness and justice take center stage! In this lively webinar, Lisa Sempsey, David Thaxton, and LeslieAnne Bird share creative, hands-on activities that help your students build community, spark empathy, and make meaningful music together. You’ll sing, move, improvise, and even dabble in a little hip hop as you explore playful, student-friendly ways to bring big ideas to life. From welcoming songs to jazzy blues, from Orff-based storytelling to rhyming kindness raps—you’ll leave with practical, ready-to-go lessons that will light up your classroom and your heart. Come ready to clap, groove, and scheme up some kindness of your own!

Highlights

Learn approachable music and movement activities that promote kindness and justice.
Explore student-centered improvisation using body percussion, barred instruments, recorders, and voice.
Discover a hip hop-inspired kindness activity that engages upper elementary students with creative wordplay.
Experience community-building songs like “We Welcome You” and “Start With Kindness” with accessible arrangements.
Dive into improvisation frameworks using the beloved book All Are Welcome.
Explore a jazz-inspired blues piece based on the heartfelt story Drippy the Sad Raincloud.
Take away adaptable lessons for diverse age groups, including options for both conservative and progressive school environments.
Gain practical ideas to connect music-making with social-emotional learning.

After registering, you will be able to access the webinar recording and downloadable materials from your online library.

Upon completion, you may request a certificate of completion for 1.5 hours of professional development by emailing our team at [email protected]

PURCHASE WEBINAR RECORDING

Lisa Sempsey holds a Bachelor of Science in Music Education and a Master’s of Education in Leadership for Teaching and Learning, as well as completed Kodály and Orff-Schulwerk levels and one level of World Music Drumming. She is a clinician and workshop presenter who has experience teaching K-6th grade general music, children’s choirs, elementary and middle school strings, ukulele clubs, barred percussion ensembles, and as an Art & Music curriculum coordinator. She has a passion for sharing how to design student-centered curricula specific to individual/school/system needs. Currently, Lisa teaches K-6th grade general music, chorus, and strings at Farmdale Elementary School and is the K-12 Music Department Coordinator in Hempfield School District. She is also an adjunct undergraduate and graduate music education professor at Elizabethtown College.

LeslieAnne Bird is a music and movement educator at University Schools in Shaker, Ohio. She teaches general music and choir to fifth through eighth grade young men and is an adjunct Professor at the University of Akron. She has previously taught in North Olmsted & Cleveland Ohio as well as in Prince George’s County, Maryland. LeslieAnne is a national presenter. She has served as vice president and membership chair for the Greater Cleveland Orff Chapter and is currently serving as the content curator for the Teaching With Orff community. In addition, she is the owner and CEO of Three Little Birds Music Education Services LLC where she offers teacher training, coaching and musical experiences for children and adults. She earned Orff Certification from Baldwin Wallace University in 2014, and has completed Music Learning Theory General Music Level One, Level One World Music Drumming training, Level One Google Certification and has earned the Ohio Master Teacher designation.

David Thaxton is from Sparks, Nevada where he is currently in his 29th year teaching Elementary music to pre-K through 6th grade, and holds a B.M.E. Degree from the University of Northern Colorado, and an M.M. from Eastern Washington University. He is an AOSA certified teacher trainer for Orff Level I, II, and III pedagogy and Level I and II recorder, and currently serves as the treasurer for ACEMM. His book “Making Tracks: Recorder Explorations, Creations and Improvisations” published through Sweet Pipes is used in elementary music classrooms across the country as an improvisatory approach to recorder instruction.