Students’ first attempts at part-singing can be a frustrating experience! Based on Dr. John Feierabend’s First Steps in Music and Conversational Solfege Curricula, David will guide participants through a sequential framework to teach students the skills needed for part singing using a range of baseline melodies, partner songs, and canons, as well as an introduction to vocal and instrumental improvisation - ALL BY EAR.Both beginner and seasoned educators in this session will experience the fun and ease of guiding students from simple to complex part-singing using a research-based and developmental approach. Beginning with building strong musical foundations and unison singing, participants will be introduced to essential repertoire, create, sing, and play baseline melodies as accompaniment, learn strategies to teach 3- and 4-part canons, and be introduced to simple improvisation using tonic, dominant, and sub-dominant functions.Intended for General Music and Vocal/Choral teachers, this session this session equips educators with differentiated instructional strategies, engaging and research-based activities, ideas on how to create a more fun, positive and inclusive classroom environment, assessment techniques, and methods for engaging students with physical, developmental, and social/emotional exceptionalities. All the activities explored are easily replicated in the classroom.“Often a single experience will open the young soul to music for a whole lifetime. This experience cannot be left to chance. It is the duty of the school to provide it.” —Zoltán Kodály: Children’s Choruses, 1929