Curated from the Yamaha Educator Suite – by David Collier – As you prepare for the next musical journey with your students, here are some ideas to help your young timpanists. Timpani students need guidance as they are soloists who have a tremendous impact on both the pulse and intonation of your ensemble. Timpanists are both the “drum set player”…
MORECurated from The Alfred Blog – by Scott Watson – Every single moment with our students is precious! Whether it’s a lesson, sectional, ensemble rehearsal, there’s always so much to accomplish and no time to waste. Nonetheless, it’s worth taking the time to establish the habit of warming up at the start of all our meetings with students. Primarily, warming…
MORECurated from The Yamaha Educator Suite -by Aleah Fitzwater – How to Recruit Students While recruiting band students can be challenging, finding piano and guitar students is even more difficult. Local band programs offer a direct line to their marching band and sectional students. Recruiting for instruments like piano or guitar is clearly trickier. But I recommend getting in touch with…
MORELooking for quality Grade 2 or Grade 3 concert band pieces? Don’t overlook these “Top 10” quality pieces selected by Ray Benton, our Technology and Media Specialist, with 32 years of teaching experience. We’ve combined these two posts into one. All of the entrees feature demonstration recordings. . .
MORECurated from the Yamaha Educator Suite – by Christine Ngeo Katzman – “Band is family” rings true for many marching arts participants across the country. But making the cultural paradigm a reality rather than an empty platitude could take years of strategizing. When Jenn Bock joined the Highland High School band program in Gilbert, Arizona, as an assistant band director in 2017, she observed…
MORECurated from the Yamaha Educator Suite – by Christine Ngeo Katzman – The junior high years can be an awkward period. That’s why promoting self-esteem and self-discovery have become major components of Lydia Cox’s goals as the chorus and digital music teacher at Crosby Middle School within the large district of Jefferson County Public Schools in Louisville, Kentucky. “I’ve really enjoyed my experience in…
MORECurated from the Yamaha Educator Suite – by Jeff Conner – For over 30 years, I have had the tremendous privilege of playing trumpet for audiences around the world. Without the support, guidance and influence from my middle school (Mr. Kazanjian) and high school (Mr. Ezer) band directors, I would not have had the opportunity to pursue this musical passion that…
MORETips from the Repair Shop is a series of EXCLUSIVE presentations from Nottelmann Music. Click to show these valuable, easy to follow videos Share in class Share the links for students to view at home The Clarinet The Bass Clarinet The Saxophone Brass – The Trumpet, French Horn, Trombone, Euphonium, and Tuba Flute – Shared from Conn-Selmer
MORECurated from SmartMusic’s The Music Educator Blog – by Dave Isaacs – Every teacher knows how much we learn from our students. The act of teaching itself makes you view the music differently as you learn to communicate it more directly. Different students’ experiences teach us problem-solving on both a technical and interpersonal level. Teaching very gifted students is a…
MORECurated from the YAMAHA Educator Suite – by Marcia Neel – One of the hallmarks of successful music educators is their desire to continually seek out ways to “build a better mousetrap.” For example, they look for new rehearsal and conducting techniques, innovative ideas to reach others through advocacy and more effective strategies to enhance recruitment and retention for their…
MORECurated from the YAMAHA Educator Suite – by Heather Mansell – Educators, looking for additional funding for your program? Start here! School during the pandemic has taken many paths that no one could have foreseen. The last year has been a learn-as-you-go experiment as teachers and students embraced online and remote learning. As administrators grapple with how and when to resume…
MORECurated from the YAMAHA Educator Suite – by Jennifer Antonetti – After two years of teaching elementary general music, I was ready for a change, so I applied to a music education master’s program and for more band jobs. Luckily, I was hired to teach band at Meadows Elementary and Robinson Middle School in my current district, the Topeka Public Schools. Eager to start my new position,…
MORECurated from Band Directors Talk Shop – Tips for Building Community & Growing Relationships with Band Parents – Readers’ Collaborative Post In our recent survey, we asked Band Directors Talk Shop readers, “How do you build community with your band parents? How do you keep open lines of communication and grow strong relationships with parents?” With hundreds of responses to the survey, we came…
MORECurated from BandWorld – by Ashton Bowles – Click on the photo or link below to download a horn book for your intermediate players switching over to the horn. In addition to the horn book, students and teachers can access helpful videos via QR codes. This model project was created by 3rd year American Band College candidate, Ashton Bowles. Full…
MORECurated from AMP, the Association of Music Parents – by Kathleen Heuer – My name is Penny Ray, and I’m a music parent. My husband and I have three teenagers: a sophomore who plays mellophone in her public high school marching band and French horn in the Wind Ensemble at school; an 8th grader who plays trumpet in the local homeschool…
MOREDirectors – share this video with your parents. Parents – not sure about whether you should put your child in marching band? In this 6-minute video you’ll hear from parents just like you who explain the ways that marching band has had a positive impact on their kids. Marching band will not only help your child become a better musician,…
MORECurated from Smartmusic’s The Music Educator Blog – by Elisa Janson Jones – Today we’re pulling another pre-pandemic recording out from the archives for you to enjoy. With in-person classes imminent, I want to share with you this discussion I had with my dear friend, Lori Schwartz Reichl. You can find Lori’s outstanding resources on managing your music program on…
MOREAbout this Webinar – How cool is this? TWENTY successful, veteran music teachers share what they had wish they had known BEFORE becoming a music teacher! Here’s wisdom you simply cannot buy. If you’re a music teacher, especially if you’re a young teacher or plan to teach music in the future, every word in this webinar is GOLD! Watch it,…
MORECurated from The Yamaha Educator Suite – by Shawn Goodman-Royer – The clarinet is the coolest and perhaps most versatile instrument in the band. It has an amazing 3.5-octave range, the greatest dynamic capabilities of any band instrument, and is used in many different genres of music from jazz to klezmer to classical. But perhaps the most impressive and noteworthy…
MORECurated from the Yamaha Educator Suite – by James Campbell – I recently reached out to a small group of my University of Kentucky alumni, who teach band and orchestra in public schools. I wanted advice from educators who are in the trenches every day, so I asked them: “What are common problems that beginner and intermediate student musicians encounter regarding…
MORECurated from the Yamaha Educator Suite – by Elizabeth Geli – With so many superhero movies hitting the theaters, it’s ironic to hear ensemble directors tell their students, “Don’t be a hero,” when someone is sticking out in the overall sound. Because of the brass instruments’ powerful directional abilities, blending the sound and dynamics of an ensemble can sometimes seem…
MORECurated from the Yamaha Educator Suite – In less than three weeks, the Ralls County R-II School District in Center, Missouri, more than doubled its beginning band program. Before Director of Bands Douglas Schaffer, a 2021 Yamaha 40 Under 40 music educator, joined the district in 2019, only 24% of 6th graders signed up for band at Ralls County Elementary. Though they were required to participate…
MORECurated from the Yamaha Educator Suite – by Cody Newman – Our students are only limited by the constraints we place on them, so let’s all choose opportunity and choose to excel! Here’s my story – On a muggy Texas evening in May 2020 during the height of the pandemic, I sat in the Diffee family’s driveway out in the…
MOREWe’re passing along this great opportunity from Yamaha, a how-to on starting your a music business program in your high school. Whether you’re looking to increase recruitment, retain (or re-engage) the students you have, or help your students connect with the modern music industry, introducing a music business program at the high school level sets your program up to succeed….
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