Home | About Lisa's Music Box

"My students have eagerly embraced THE MUSIC BOXES that we purchased two years ago! "It's the pizza boxes...all right!!!" is the reaction I get when I announce that we are working with them. I have had great success using the counting system that Lisa introduces! Instead of the traditional "one-and-two-and..." my students easily caught on to her counting method. It made it much easier to teach dotted rhythms like we encountered when we play "Ode to Joy" on our recorders. The hands-on manipulatives were a real plus with my students who learn best by kinesthetics. My principal was all for purchasing THE BOXES when he saw that it would appeal to all learners...visual, aural, and kinesthetic. Once we have learned treble clef note names, my youngest students (3rd graders) have used the oval note heads in THE BOXES to create three and four letter words on the staff."

-- Debbie Barker, Tri-County Intermediate, Wolcotte, IN

"THE MUSIC BOX has tremendous value. Instructors at the Foundation for Music and Healing, Inc. based in South Bend, Indiana, use it to assist a wide range of students with special needs. It helps us to create individualized strategies to sharpen students' ability to identify notes and to develop consistent rhythm."

-- Dr. Chris Robinson, President, Foundation for Music and Healing, Inc., South Bend, IN

"It's amazing what simple cardboard boxes (can) transform into, coupled with a child's imagination! From a television set, to a house, to a treasure chest, to a fort, the possibilities are endless. The same principle applies to ... THE MUSIC BOX.

I discovered these ingenious...BOXES during my student teaching while preparing a lesson on note values in a measure. The students labeled them "pizza boxes" and immediately caught on to the concept of four beats to a measure (or four slices to a pizza). The "toppings" or different note values, gave an engaging twist to the usual method of paper and pencil.... Students could easily work in teams of two or on their own, cooperatively challenging each other to be the first team to set up the ultimate 3D flashcards!

I encountered numerous other venues for the infamous "pizza" boxes. From naming notes and composing simple melodies, to solidifying solfege syllables, every elementary grade benefitted from THE MUSIC BOX. I highly recommend this tool for any teacher who wants to inspire his or her students with the innovative "technology" of a cardboard box."

-- Sarah Beth Erdel, 2004 graduate of Bethel College, Mishawaka, IN in Music Education

"My first and second year students love THE BOX and so do I. It works like a charm for note identification, building intervals and understanding and experiencing rhythm patterns."

-- Annette Conklin, Independent piano teacher, former President of Indiana Music Teachers Association, Chair of the Board of Music Teachers National Assoc. Foundation