By Ray Benton, Technology and Media Specialist, Nottelmann Music Co. Ray, who serves as editor for The Nottelmann Blog at Music Educators Corner, has 32 years of experience teaching band in the St. Louis area. These picks were performed while directing his successful band program at Rockwood South Middle School. What music educator doesn’t like to share? I certainly do! …
MORECurated from MAfME – by Lori Schwartz Reichl – “The secret of your future is hidden in your daily routine.” ~ Mike Murdock The first fourteen years of my teaching career occurred during the time of my life when I was not a mother. However, during these childless years, I treated the students in my care as though they were my…
MORECurated from Halftime Magazine – by Savy Leiser Innovative products and technology as well as practical space-saving ideas can help band directors turn even the smallest space into an efficient rehearsal room. In 2012, Fayetteville (Arkansas) High School became a completely new school, and director of bands Barry Harper received the band room of his dreams. After a four-year renovation project, the…
MORE2019 was our first full year for the Nottelmann Blog. In that year, we added 140 posts to our current line-up of top articles, videos, and podcasts just for the music educator. Here’s our TOP 10, in no particular order. CLICK to check out any that you may have missed. #1 – How To Use the Yamaha Harmony Director In…
MORECurated from BandWorld – by Benjamin Davis – “Traps” in the Daily Life of a Middle School Band Director You may be familiar with the adage, “He couldn’t see the forest for the trees.” If we were to reverse the wording of that expression, we have an accurate description of what happens to many middle school band directors. Middle school…
MORECurated from BandWorld, by Phyllis Louke – There are several simple things band directors can teach to flute sections that will quickly produce measurable improvement in tone quality, technique and intonation. These tips can be used with beginning flutists, as well as flute sections in middle school and high school. How many times have you lamented that your flute section…
MORECurated from BandWorld, by Phyllis Louke – 6. TEACHING CORRECT FINGERINGS In my work with private students and band students over the years, there are several fingerings that are frequently fingered incorrectly. Most common is second octave D and Eb—the left first finger should be up. It helps to think of the left first finger as an octave key, according…
MOREA Podcast Interview with Steve Litwiller, MMEA Mentoring Chair – by Ray Benton – An Exclusive podcast from Nottelmann Music – Did you know that forty-four percent of new teachers leave teaching within five years? Learn how MMEA Mentoring Chair Steve Litwiller and educators in this program are making a real difference! If you’re a Missouri Music Educator and new…
MORE“Going beyond simply footing the bill can make the difference between the student just getting by and being amazing.” So your child is playing a musical instrument. You’ve invested hard-earned dollars into the project, so is your job over? As a band director with over 32 years of experience, I can say many of our parents first believed that, once…
MORECurated from ChoralNet.Org – by Lynn Swanson – For your own voice or your students, here’s some important tips! Taking care of the voice or Vocal Hygiene can be thought of as the care and feeding of the voice. These are things we do to keep the voice healthy. To take care of the voice, we must also take care of the body. Here…
MORECurated from TME, The Music Educator Podcast – by Bill Stevens – What questions should you consider when preparing to teach? This short podcast presents Bill’s 15. The Music Educator Podcast is about analyzing, nurturing and discussing what takes place in the music classroom as it relates to 21st-century education. This podcast compliments the educational vision of The Music Educator…
MORECurated from the JW Pepper blog – By Mary Rogelstad – It’s said the first thing Fred Rogers did when he returned home from emergency surgery for stomach cancer was go straight to his piano. His wife Joanne has shared with friends how much her husband loved playing that piano. His grandmother bought the nine-foot Steinway concert grand for Fred…
MORECurated from the Bulletproof Musician – by Erik Ralske – Erik Ralske has played Principal Horn in the Met Opera orchestra since 2010, following 17 years in the NY Philharmonic. He is also on the faculty of The Juilliard School and Aspen Music Festival. In this 40-min episode, we’ll explore: How learning a passage at performance tempo from Day 1,…
MORECurated from Smartmusic’s The Music Educator Blog – by Chip Crotts – When I work with jazz ensembles on style and phrasing, I strongly emphasize that everyone needs to know what instruments they are listening to – and why. These skills, when applied correctly, can have a large impact on the development of the complete musician. Let’s discuss how we…
MORECurated from KHS America’s AcademicAlliance.com – by Donna Schwartz – Here’s some ideas that I have used or have heard other well-known teachers implement. Some of these ideas will take time, but are worth it in the long run… Get to know each of your students. This is a tall order, but showing interest in your students’ lives builds trust. …
MORECurated from KHS America’s AcademicAlliance.com – by Donna Schwartz – Before we get into the 3 main areas, we need to think about what would go into our practice session. (A future article will talk about setting goals.) What you include in your practice session depends upon a few factors: what playing level you are currently at (Beginner, Intermediate –…
MORECurated from KHS America’s AcademicAlliance.com – by Donna Schwartz – The Rule of 10’s is simply this: You focus on one area for a solid 10 minutes, then move on to the next area. For example, your 10 minute session could be working out a jazz lick in all 12 keys, or working on technical exercises from a method book,…
MOREUse these when you perform. Share these with your students as they prepare to perform solo or audition – curated from Bulletproof Musician, by Noa Kageyama, Ph.D. – For most, waking up on the day of a big audition, competition, or performance feels very different from every other morning. Things are just a little more unsettled. And it’s harder to…
MOREIt’s the PERFECT time for that young musician to step up to a quality intermediate or pro-level brass or woodwind instrument from Yamaha! Now through Dec. 31, get that great Nottelmann Price and THEN get $50-$100 off – It’s STEP UP TO YAMAHA! Just call our South County location- 314-631-1486 Why step up to an intermediate or professional-level brass or…
MORECurated from Midnight Music, by Katie Wardrobe – Our theme for this month is free music tech resources and in this episode I share 9 different places you can find free sound effects for music tech projects your students might be working on. http://traffic.libsyn.com/musictechteacher/MTT85_music_effects.mp3 I’ll also cover: Tips on how to expand a limited sound effects library without downloading any…
MORETips For Ensuring A Seamless Music Education Experience, Curated from the Music Achievement Council and the NAMM Foundation – What can be done to ensure students continuing to participate in our music education programs? Here’s an in-depth answer to what can: (1) Directors Do? (2) Parents Do? (3) Students Do? (4) Music Supervisors Do? (5) Administrators Do? Part 1 –…
MORECurated from Midnight Music, by Sarah Joncas – Here are some iPad tips from the site of our good friend “from down under” Katie Wardrobe. Just for music teachers. iPads are a powerful tool for music learning, and they can be a very accessible tool for the music classroom with the right apps and settings. I wrote about iPad apps…
MORECurated from Conn-Selmer – by Frank Troyka, Educational Consultant – Something all of us hope to instill in our students is the ability for them to take responsibility for their own learning. As musicians, independence and interdependence are inherent in virtually everything we do. As a young teacher, I found myself trying to bear the burden for student achievement somewhat…
MORECurated from Conn-Selmer – by Dr. Charles T. Menghini – In every case, it boils down to the little things. Simple acts. Things that we can incorporate into our way of living. They become a part of who we are and help to define our success (or failure). In the end, the little things in life are the big things….
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