Much has been made, and continues to be made, of the benefits of music education beyond developing musical expertise. I have touched on some of these benefits in past posts. While I am as eager as the next music educator to trumpet the virtues of musical training, I have also tried to be objectively cautious … Continue reading A Realistic Look at the Mozart Effect
Robert Adams
Conduct More, Talk Less
In my July 16, 2014 post, I described a music conductor. That description was drawn from the great maestros of the twentieth century; men like Reiner, Koussevitzky and Bernstein. There is always value in studying how the greats in any field go about their business, and trying to emulate them. Everything I mentioned is relevant … Continue reading Conduct More, Talk Less
What Is A Dramaturg and What Does It Have To Do with Music?
I recently became acquainted with the word, “dramaturgy.” The context in which I found the word was an article discussing the teaching of dramatization to music voice students on a path to learning opera singing. The writer argued that by comprehensively studying a whole opera, including musical, historical, compositional, and biographical aspects, and not just … Continue reading What Is A Dramaturg and What Does It Have To Do with Music?
How Can The Future Be The Present? A Strategy for the Music Classroom
Probably everyone knows that the present is not the same as the future. The present can be seen, and is occurring now. The future has not yet occurred, but will occur. You are reading this word now, but will be reading my next sentence in the future. You don’t know what my next sentence will … Continue reading How Can The Future Be The Present? A Strategy for the Music Classroom
What Can L.A. and Math Teachers Learn from Music Teachers About Practice?
It is always good to read that researchers have found ways in which music benefits brain development, spatial reasoning, language acquisition, and other areas of learning. Such studies have often been sited by music education advocates in defense of maintaining or even expanding music programs in schools. Work has also been done on integrating common … Continue reading What Can L.A. and Math Teachers Learn from Music Teachers About Practice?
How Are Balance Problems in Music Remedied?
Whether you’re a band, orchestra or choir director, or a musician in one of these ensembles, you have probably had to deal with the problem of having too few basses in your ensemble. There never seems to be enough players for tubas and double basses, nor do their ever seem to be enough boys to … Continue reading How Are Balance Problems in Music Remedied?
What Is A Music Conductor?
Today I would like to explore conductors. Not the kind that drives a train, or the kind that carries electricity, though both have similarities to my topic. No, the conductor I want to explore is the kind that stands in front of a symphony orchestra, or wind ensemble, or choir. At first glance, it appears … Continue reading What Is A Music Conductor?
What Does an Embouchure Do?
Today I will discuss embouchure. Virtually every wind instrument music teacher uses the word, and teaches students how to form and use one. Yet embouchure can easily become one in a list of things the student must do to produce a pleasing sound on a musical instrument. When difficulties arise, or when obstacles (such as … Continue reading What Does an Embouchure Do?
Connecting–The Contextualization of Music Education
We all have musical interests, knowledge and skills. Some of each we gain from exposure to music, through a process of enculturation in which we learn from experience the structures and expressions of our own culture’s music, and to a lesser extent, of others’ cultures with which we are brought into contact. All of the … Continue reading Connecting–The Contextualization of Music Education
What Does A Classroom Where Everyone Is Teaching and Learning Look Like? (Creating Music Part 2)
Today's post is a continuation of yesterday's article, where I began to describe using the core arts standards for creating to design a classroom environment where ideas and knowledge are shared freely as a key part of a rich educational culture. Once musical ideas have been created and selected, they are evaluated. The student is … Continue reading What Does A Classroom Where Everyone Is Teaching and Learning Look Like? (Creating Music Part 2)
mister a music place 
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