Transform your music classroom into a creative, vibrant, and playful space with Make It Music, an innovative resource rooted in the movement-based tradition of Dalcroze Eurhythmics.

This package includes more than 200 cards with prompts to inspire thousands of short, unique movement activities that can be seamlessly incorporated into any lesson plan. The cards are divided into four decks:

1. Starter cards begin a new class or exercise.
2. Make It Music cards inspire musical variations on an initial idea.
3. Challenge cards push teachers and students to take risks and rethink boundaries.
4. Teaching Artist cards help teachers evaluate and reflect on their own instruction.

The included guidebook also offers an introduction to Dalcroze teaching strategies as well as clear instructions on how to use the cards to create meaningful musical experiences for elementary, secondary, and even college students.

Designed for teachers with any degree of familiarity with Dalcroze (even none), this resource offers creative strategies, classroom hacks, and practical routines for cultivating a music classroom where play, discovery, and artistry come to life.

Anthony Molinaro is a music educator and multi-instrumentalist who specializes in Dalcroze Eurhythmics. He has created a Dalcroze-based classroom in Grove City, Pennsylvania, and serves as the Eurhythmics Instructor at Carnegie Mellon University Preparatory Academy. A sought-after clinician, Anthony has presented at national and international conferences, and he regularly shares insights about Dalcroze through his podcast and newsletter.

Stephen Neely, Ph.D., is Associate Professor of Music, Director of Graduate Studies, and Director of the Carnegie Mellon Marta Sanchez Dalcroze Training Center at Carnegie Mellon School of Music. He is a teacher, conductor, theorist, writer, and clinician who lectures and presents workshops in the fields of design, music, architecture, and pedagogy. He holds the Dalcroze License and is a past president of the Dalcroze Society of America.

This essential resource shows educators how to create that elusive classroom ‘magic’ while maintaining deep musicianship standards. A must-read for any music teacher seeking to cultivate vibrant, creative, and rewarding learning experiences

—Tiffany English
    Executive Director, American Orff-Schulwerk Association

I LOVE THIS BOOK! This new resource is a vibrant and timely addition to the practice of Dalcroze in the United States. Anthony and Stephen beautifully capture the ‘spirit of play’ at the heart of Dalcroze, offering educators practical strategies and fresh insights into creative, student-centered teaching. I absolutely love the accompanying decks of cards—they give teachers endless opportunities to vary lessons and respond to students’ needs in dynamic and meaningful ways. This book is an invaluable tool for any educator looking to spark creativity, engagement, and transformative learning in their classrooms.

—Alex Marthaler
    Executive Director, Dalcroze Society of America

How do we teach music musically? How can students fully embody music so it integrates into their physical, cognitive, social, and emotional being? Make It Music offers innovative, inspiring activities rooted in Dalcroze Eurhythmics to transform lessons into multisensory musical adventures. With tools like color-coded card decks enabling endless creative possibilities, co-authors Anthony Molinaro and Stephen Neely emphasize a ‘feeling first’ approach, fostering lifelong musicianship through ear training, improvisation, and body activation.

—Patricia Shehan Campbell
    Professor Emeritus, University of Washington

Every general music teacher needs this resource! Movement is a vital pathway to musical understandings, and Molinaro and Neely have created a means to bring a broad movement experience to students. The four-card solution to planning enables teachers to provide a rich spectrum of effective and efficient movement experiences for their students—and to have a fabulous time doing it.

—John M. Feierabend