May 12, 2021
The Yamaha HD-300 Harmony Director is a powerful tool. Designed specifically to help music educators more effectively instruct ensembles. The HD-300 helps educators teach intonation and rhythmic training using a variety of features and training tools including recording/playback, a hold button for hands-free resonant drones, and an improved user-friendly interface for an easier and more […]
September 28, 2020
Technology was swiftly becoming an important tool for music education, even before the pandemic. As the crisis continues to upend music classrooms across the country, technology is now, and for the foreseeable future, a lifeline for educators and students. The SAMR education model is a guide for leveraging technologies like devices, platforms, applications, and software […]
July 28, 2020
When it comes to delivering an amazing music education experience for your students, the most valuable assets you have at your disposal are your personality, energy, and passion for music. But no matter what kind of a music teacher you are, at some point you’ll need tools to do your job well that your own […]
December 10, 2019
The holidays tend to bring out a mixed bag of emotions in music educators. It’s a time of year when hard work and dedication transforms into a (hopefully) amazing concert, but preparing for a big performance also brings a myriad of stresses and things to do in a season that already stretches the bandwidth of […]
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 […]
Today’s high-tech hardware devices are filled with beneficial technologies for music and media education. Designed with purpose-built controls and functions, they enable educators and students to get things done in a direct way, easily and without frustration. The very best devices are rugged and reliable, and can seamlessly extend their functionality through integration with smartphones […]
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 […]
November 9, 2017
Most music teachers use what are known as method books. Method books are like textbooks for learning to play an instrument, master a particular technique, or just to provide a useful structure to a student’s practice with an instrument. There are many different method books available to students for every instrument they might want to […]
