Elementary Teacher Travels to Minnesota for National Convention

Mr. Harry spreads a message of music-filled classrooms

Myers+kindergarten+teacher+Pete+Harry+prepares+for+a+presentation+at+a+recent+kindergarten+convention.

Pete Harry/Facebook

Myers kindergarten teacher Pete Harry prepares for a presentation at a recent kindergarten convention.

Edyn Convery, Social Media Editor/Staff Writer

On Friday, April 17 and Saturday, April 18, Kindergarten teacher Mr. Pete Harry attended the Minnesota Kindergarten Association 2015 Spring Conference.

This year’s conference was held in Moorhead, MN.

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Pete Harry discusses the benefit of music in an early childhood curriculum.

The MKA is an organization that encourages kindergarten programs and the education of kindergarten students and teachers.

Mr. Harry became a member of this organization by being a professional in early childhood education and kindergarten.

“I am typically asked to present at teacher conferences because professional development organizations are aware of my educational music websites online,” said Pete.

Pete is well known on YouTube under his “HarryKindergarten” channel, where he has received more than 80 million views.

He is also the sole creator of a grassroots educational media provider called “Harry Kindergarten Music.”

“It’s an honor and privilege to present at national conferences, but I must do so with a sense of humility,” said Mr. Harry.

Music creates a sense of community.

— Myers teacher Pete Harry

On Saturday, Pete presented Managing Your Classroom with Excellence, where Mr. Harry gave teachers multiple ways to keep their children involved and focused during instruction, chants, transition routines, and self-praise tools for students.

He also presented Inspiration for Your Morning Meeting, where he showed teachers how to create PowerPoints that can be used as a “morning Scrolling presentation” for students that shows kids doing routines in the classroom and doing activities, with a song and calendar time.

The seminars had over 200 teachers attending each of Mr. Harry’s sessions.

Mr. Harry showed teachers at the conference how to integrate music and technology into the morning routine by using an iPod/laptop.

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One of Mr. Harry’s presentations dealt with the importance of establishing morning routines.

 

Being his 9th year of teaching, Mr. Harry says there is no better was to connect with students in the classroom than through music and movement.

Out of it all, Mr. Pete Harry says that he hopes teachers recognize the benefits of music, movement, and technology in early childhood curriculum.

“Music creates a sense of community, establishes a trigger for knowledge recall, and relieves stress in the classroom,” he said.