There is always anticipation and excitement leading up to a concert, and then the high energy level of the concert itself. So many hours have gone into preparing a school concert, the performance is given and then there is the inevitable release when it is over. There may be a school assembly performance, but the … Continue reading We Just Gave Our Concert, Now What?
General Music
Where Do I Begin?
For most music teachers, organizing instruction into units makes a lot of sense. Typically, we see see students once or twice a week, or every day for a few weeks out of the school year. Teaching a series of lessons all grounded in a single topic helps reinforce important points from week to week, and … Continue reading Where Do I Begin?
The Nuts & Bolts of Running a Classroom
A school classroom is a complex environment. There are many students in a room together and within that group of students their are varying interests, abilities, attitudes, and life circumstances, all of which impact what and how students learn. Imposed on these classrooms of students are expectations that every student can succeed, and every student … Continue reading The Nuts & Bolts of Running a Classroom
“How Do You Know What The Notes Are”?
From time to time as I am writing a melody on the board that I want my students to play or sing, they will notice that I am not looking at music, and that I am singing quietly to myself (though apparently loud enough for them to notice) as I write. They are fascinated by … Continue reading “How Do You Know What The Notes Are”?
The Learning Sequence for a Unit Plan
Previously, I have written about writing objectives and assessments for students. Today I will discuss the learning sequence across a unit. A unit consists of a well-sequenced series of lessons that guides students along to a final goal. While the teacher uses a lesson plan for each lesson within the unit--a plan in which activities … Continue reading The Learning Sequence for a Unit Plan
“But I Am Listening”
The direction to listen to music can mean different things to different people. To a music educator, listening to music usually involves giving attention to recorded music being played or to music being performed live, and also involves listening with a stated purpose. For example, a class might be asked to listen for a singer's … Continue reading “But I Am Listening”
What’s In A Word? The Importance of Music Vocabulary
Only in recent years have I come to realize how important naming a thing is to teaching children. We all use a lot of words when we are teaching. Between introducing new content and concepts, redirecting students, reviewing, guiding, facilitating, asking leading questions and so forth, we use hundreds, maybe thousands of words every day … Continue reading What’s In A Word? The Importance of Music Vocabulary
Inside Music Appreciation, Part 2
One of the things we must understand about classical music is that it wasn't intended to be something people just listened to sitting silently in a concert hall. In an excellent article in the New York Times, the author wrote, "When Chopin played his Variations on “Là ci darem la mano” with orchestra, the audience … Continue reading Inside Music Appreciation, Part 2
Inside Music Appreciation
For some years now, I have been interested in music appreciation. I have come to consider it something of an oddity. At the center of any text or class on music appreciation is the premise that in order to appreciate music, one must understand how music works; how it is put together. The listener, or so the … Continue reading Inside Music Appreciation
Going Beyond Liking or Not Liking a Song
I often find that my students have a very limited view of the musical landscape. Many of them listen to one kind of music and see no reason to spend their time exploring new genres or styles. Knowing this, I have always felt that it was part of my responsibility as a music educator to … Continue reading Going Beyond Liking or Not Liking a Song
mister a music place 
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