The Nottelmann Blog
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The Nottelmann Blog

Don't see what you're looking for?  TELL US WHAT IT IS!  You found The Nottelmann Blog, exclusively for music educators!  Our blog library now stands at 402 postings! Since you're ALWAYS LEARNING, we're ALWAYS ADDING MORE! NOTE: our posts do not necessarily appear in chronological order, as some are ordered according to the season.

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TITLE: What’s the Difference Between an Acoustic Saxophone and the Yds-150 Digital Saxophone?

SOURCE: Curated

FORMAT:

DATE: May 26, 2023

Curated from YAMAHA – by Austin Snowden – THERE ARE LOTS OF SIMILARITIES, BUT THEY ARE FAR FROM THE SAME. Early versions of the saxophone first appeared in 1840, followed by a number of variations. However, it wasn’t until the 1930s that the world saw what is now considered the modern saxophone. Advances in digital technology have allowed Yamaha to…

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TITLE: It’s A Hard Life – Boonshaft’s Blog #220

SOURCE: Curated

FORMAT:

DATE: April 19, 2023

Curated from KHS Academic Alliance – by Peter Boonshaft – Many years ago, the legendary W. Francis McBeth wrote an article entitled, “It’s A Hard Life” that sticks (pun intended, as you’ll see!) with me every time I rehearse an ensemble. The essence of this article was his opinion that all too often percussionists are told by their conductors to…

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TITLE: Organizing a School District’s Music Program and the Care and Feeding of the Young Percussionist

SOURCE: Curated

FORMAT:

DATE: April 5, 2023

The Bandmaster’s Podcast, Episode 37: Bill Jastrow, Retired, Indian Prairie School District 204, IL.  Bill Jastrow discusses comprehensive musicianship, organizing a school district’s music program, and the caring and “feeding” of the young percussionist. FULL BIO Spanning 41 years, William Jastrow’s teaching experience ranges from a community high school with an enrollment of 450 students, to Neuqua Valley H.S. with an…

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TITLE: 5 WAYS TO CONQUER PROCRASTINATION – WAIT! DON’T PUT OFF READING THIS ARTICLE!

SOURCE: Curated

FORMAT:

DATE: April 4, 2023

Curated from YAMAHA – by Katheryn Drury Wagner –  Writers are famously good at procrastinating. Just how good? While working on this article, I found myself shopping for a dog bandanna … and I don’t have a dog. Many creative and artistic personality types, including music educators, struggle with procrastination, which affects up to 20% of adults. Interestingly, some parts…

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TITLE: CELEBRATE FAILURE: TEACH THROUGH MUSIC

SOURCE: Curated

FORMAT:

DATE: March 16, 2023

Curated from YAMAHA – by Jayme K. Hayes – ACCEPTING FAILURE IS CRUCIAL TO HELPING STUDENTS BECOME LIFELONG LEARNERS WHO ARE SELF-MOTIVATED TO SUCCEED. We all fear the horrible F word — failure. Who wants to fail at something? How often do people purposefully put effort into failing? It is something we avoid at all costs, are ashamed of, or…

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TITLE: Watch: Welcome to Band

SOURCE: Curated

FORMAT:

DATE: March 15, 2023

A Short Band Recruitment Video – Curated from Yamaha

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TITLE: TWO-HUNDRED MILLISECONDS!

SOURCE: Curated

FORMAT:

DATE: March 15, 2023

Curated from “The Boonshaft Blog” – by Peter Boonshaft – In my previous blog, I mentioned how our intense concentration, or worrying about a problem, in rehearsals often causes us to forget about using what can be our most powerful means of communicating, our face. One need only watch the famed video of the legendary Leonard Bernstein conducting Haydn’s Symphony…

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TITLE: ADVICE FOR FIRST-YEAR MUSIC EDUCATORS – from 122 Yamaha Staff

SOURCE: Curated

FORMAT:

DATE: March 7, 2023

Curated from YAMAHA – by YAMAHA Staff – “40 UNDER 40” EDUCATORS OFFER USEFUL TIPS TO NEW MUSIC TEACHERS TO HELP THEM THROUGH THEIR STRESSFUL FIRST YEAR. Starting your career as a music educator is an exciting time! Who better to offer some words of wisdom than the Yamaha “40 Under 40” music educators for 2023? Below are 122 tips…

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TITLE: BASIE, BEBOP, BALLADS & BLUES – Selecting Literature for the Middle School and High School Jazz Ensemble

SOURCE: Nottelmann Music

FORMAT:

DATE: February 17, 2023

Mike Parkinson is a Nottelmann Music Jazz Clinician, KHS America Education Artist, and XO Professional Brass Artist – For the school band director, an annual challenge and opportunity is selecting worthy jazz ensemble literature for students to perform.  As an educator I have gained from the recommendations of others, the research I completed, and most importantly from listening to great bands in…

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TITLE: Preparation for Adjudication: A Checklist for Success

SOURCE: Curated

FORMAT:

DATE: February 5, 2023

Curated from In Tune Magazine – by Lori Schwartz Reichl – “The best preparation for good work tomorrow, is to do good work today.” ~ Elbert Hubbard The months of February through May can be the most stressful for music educators and specifically for those who lead ensembles. Ensembles are preparing to be assessed at the county, state, and regional…

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TITLE: Our Featured Twin Webinars – Preparing for Large Ensemble – Prepare for Your Best Season Yet!

SOURCE: Nottelmann Music

FORMAT:

DATE: February 4, 2023

IT’S WORTH IT! Take the time now to prepare for festival – view these two FANTASTIC NPD WEBINARS! Webinar #1 – National clinician Dr. Nola Jones discussed everything regarding preparing your students for adjudication – tips, philosophy, and a deep dive into the adjudication sheets. Watch this PREVIEW VIDEO- Webinar #2 – How to TraIn Your Students in SIGHT-READING –…

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TITLE: Preparing The Music Department Budget; Being Creative

SOURCE: Nottelmann Music

FORMAT:

DATE: February 3, 2023

Presented by Joe Pappas, Nottelmann Music Clinician –  One of the most difficult aspects of being a music director at any level is anticipating the needs, growth and budget of the school music program.  Many times we are faced with needs that exceed the annual budget and are forced to find other means to support our programs.  By using the…

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Nottelmann Music Blog

TITLE: Canva video tools: a quick-start guide for teachers

SOURCE: Curated

FORMAT:

DATE: February 3, 2023

Curated from Midnight Music – by Katherine Miller – There are always tremendous posts at Katie Wardrobe’s Midnight Music.  Here’s one from one of her subscribers on how to take this wonderful tool for creating images and videos and use it for the classroom. This is a guest post by one of our teacher-authors, Katherine Miller. Canva isn’t just for…

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Nottelmann Music Blog

TITLE: The Answers You’ve Been Looking For – by Peter Boonshaft

SOURCE: Curated

FORMAT:

DATE: February 1, 2023

Curated from KHS Academic Alliance – By Peter Boonshaft- I’m sure we have all wondered what our students see when they are watching us. Certainly, our viewing video recordings of our rehearsals can help provide insights into what they see, but I would like to suggest an additional step that will help us actually see what they see, as well…

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TITLE: Top 10 Things All Young Percussionists Should Know

SOURCE: Curated

FORMAT:

DATE: February 1, 2023

Curated from YAMAHA – by Dave Gerhart – WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW BEFORE YOU PLAY IN AN ENSEMBLE THE FIRST TIME. Young percussion students who are studying with a private instructor usually study solo on marimba, snare drum, drum set or timpani. Ensemble playing techniques are usually something that are acquired later in high school – and unfortunately, the…

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TITLE: 5 Useful Apps To Help You Practice and Transcribe Music

SOURCE: Curated

FORMAT:

DATE: December 28, 2022

This podcast is curated from Midnight Music – by Katie Wardrobe In this episode, Katie is sharing some of the most helpful apps you can use as a musician. She’ll discuss apps that help you practice music or transcribe music and hopes you find them helpful!     GO TO ORIGINAL POST

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TITLE: The Entrepreneurial Mindset for Musicians: Personal and Professional Development

SOURCE: Nottelmann Music

FORMAT:

DATE: December 7, 2022

By Nottelmann Music and Clinician and Professional XO Brass Artist Mike Parkinson – As someone who was drawn to pursue a life in music while in high school and managed to have a long and successful career, I know firsthand the challenges facing individuals who are seriously considering music for their vocation. Most students are not aware of the multiplicity…

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Nottelmann Music Blog

TITLE: 7 Secrets for a Healthy and Happy Holiday Season

SOURCE: Curated

FORMAT:

DATE: December 6, 2022

Curated from Smartmusic’s Music Educator Blog –  by Elisa Janson Jones – This time of year it is crucial that we prioritize taking care of our mental and physical wellness. Most of us got into music education as a career because we are givers. We are servants of the little people. Sure we do it for ourselves, but we also can…

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TITLE: From the Everything Band Podcast: Episode 87 – Gail Buckman

SOURCE: Curated

FORMAT:

DATE: December 4, 2022

Curated from Mark J. Connor’s The Everything Band Blog –  Here’s a great national podcast posting of an interview with St. Louis’s own Sister Gail Buckman, who as this was recorded, is in her 50th year of teaching. Sister Gail Buckman has been teaching in the St. Louis are since 1968, and I recently had a chance to visit Sister…

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TITLE: Why Buy a Step-Up Flute? With KHS Clinician Deanna Little

SOURCE: Nottelmann Music

FORMAT:

DATE: December 1, 2022

Watch our exclusive video below for the answers to these question: Why step-up flutes? Who are step-up instruments for? What are the benefits of a step-up flute? Why are Azumi or Altus flutes are a good choice? Why should you buy your step-up flute from a local dealer? For more information, call 314-631-1486.

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Nottelmann Music Blog

TITLE: Audition Advice

SOURCE: Curated

FORMAT:

DATE: December 1, 2022

Curated from YAMAHA – by Dave Gerhart – HERE’S WHAT YOU NEED TO DO TO PASS YOUR NEXT AUDITION. Musicians are always auditioning. Here are a dozen tips that will improve your chances of being successful at your next audition …plus a few bonus ones if you happen to be a percussionist. GENERAL ADVICE 1. Play through your entire repertoire…

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Nottelmann Music Blog

TITLE: Don’t Start Saxophones in Your Beginning Band – A Successful Alternative

SOURCE: Ray Benton

FORMAT:

DATE: November 24, 2022

By Ray Benton, Nottelmann Music Co.  – Well, this one will certainly cause some controversy!  But band directors, I ask that you be open minded and hear me out.  In my eleven years at Rockwood South Middle School, we found tremendous success with a different approach to teaching saxophone.  Here are THE BENEFITS, THE PROCESS, and THE RESULTS. THE BENEFITS…

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TITLE: Balance – #203, Boonshaft Blog

SOURCE: Curated

FORMAT:

DATE: November 16, 2022

Curated from KHS America’s Boonshaft Blog – by Peter Boonshaft In my previous blog, I wrote about my concern that when ensemble students are told to correct their blend, they almost always just get softer so as to guard against the possibility that it is their sound that is causing the problem. Instead of first checking to make certain the…

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Nottelmann Music Blog

TITLE: International Drum Rudiments

SOURCE: Curated

FORMAT:

DATE: November 13, 2022

An important,  free resource curated from PAS.org – complete with individual audio recordings of the 40 Percussive Arts Society International Drum Rudiments.  Download the free PDF copy or read the notated rudiments below.  The list consists of the traditional 26 rudiments along with a number of drum corps, orchestral, European, and contemporary drum rudiments. This listing was an outgrowth of…

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