September 1, 2019
Helping to solidify a student’s grasp of music theory and notation is no easy task. The specific rules and boundaries used to govern music that typically feel like second nature to educators often feel alien and intimidating to a classroom of students. A powerful tool in every music educator’s teaching arsenal is solfege. If you’ve […]
August 1, 2019
Something that doesn’t get talked about nearly enough in music education is the challenge of relating to a constantly evolving cast of students. Even educators still young enough to be in their 20’s and 30’s are often decades removed from their students. This, of course, is just a part of teaching, but zoom in closer […]
June 16, 2019
Scott Johnson is the director of percussion for the Concord Blue Devils Drum and Bugle Corps. He first joined the Blue Devils in 1976 and became the organization’s Director of Percussion and Percussion Arranger in 1994. As part of the Promark “Built to Compete” campaign and for the 2019-2020 master educator catalog, Director of Marketing […]
June 1, 2019
Depending on how long you’ve been a music educator, it’s probably been years or maybe even decades since you first learned how to read rhythm notation. Something like clapping a measure of 8th notes probably feels as natural as breathing does to you at this point, but to a child learning music for the first […]
April 1, 2019
Music has remained one of humanity’s most important and impactful artforms for thousands of years because of its ability to evolve and adapt to the cultures that surround it. But sadly, many traditional music educators hold firm to the belief that music tech like MIDI-generated sounds and composition software distracts their students and provides no […]
March 24, 2019
Do you have a rhythm band in your classroom? Rhythm bands have been a part of the music classroom experience for over 80 years. The rhythm band was created to prepare children for later instrumental work and for the enjoyment of music in all its forms. American composer and music teacher J. Lilian Vandevere said […]
The mouthpiece and reed combination in clarinets and saxophones is critical to the success or failure of your students. Having the right ones means barely tolerating or not liking to play to absolutely loving playing and joining band. I see it happen all the time and it’s a beautiful thing. After all, mouthpiece and the reed […]
I am a classically-trained pianist who had “traditional piano lessons” growing up. I majored in piano, received a Master’s Degree in Piano Pedagogy, and then began teaching my own students. Like many teachers I meet, I started teaching the way I had been taught: the same basic lesson format, similar repertoire, and “classical goals” for […]
During practice as well as lessons, children must balance a number of complex processes. These include tracking and maintaining correct form while juggling tuning issues, muscle memory, and the translation of symbols on a page into separate muscle moves for each hand. All of this while trying to retain new rhythmic information! It’s no wonder […]
March 14, 2019
“I would teach children music,physics and philosophy;but most importantly music,for the patterns in music and all the arts are the keys to learning” -Plato Why Music Education is Under Attack It is a universally held belief that everyone has the right to his or her own views and beliefs. People have been debating and arguing […]
