Virtual Teaching and Learning Resources for Music Educators

Members of NAfME Societies and Councils have provided these resources from their own original teaching experiences, music educators in their school districts, universities, communities, peers, or other trusted sources. We thank them for their assistance and commitment to NAfME members as we all pull together to keep educating and making music. We will be updating these resources frequently.

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FEATURES AND NEWS

Experiencing and Coping with Adolescent Anxiety and Depression in the Music Classroom

Are You Okay? Experiencing and Coping with Adolescent Anxiety and Depression in the Music Classroom By NAfME Member Rachel L. Dirks, Ph.D. Rachel Dirks presented on “Are You Okay? Experiencing and Coping with Adolescent Anxiety” during the NAfME 2021 PreK–12 Learning Collaborative in February 2021. My journey as a teacher of adolescents began nearly 30 years ago and has included 25 years in the middle and high school orchestra classroom. Recently I found myself navigating a very serious conversation about depression and suicide with one of my college students. It reminded…

man standing outside with his eyes closed enjoying a moment of peace

Dr. Miguel Cardona: “We Are Underestimating the Power of Music and the Arts”

Dr. Miguel Cardona: “We Are Underestimating the Power of Music and the Arts” With just a few months on the job, the U.S. Secretary of Education is already putting music and the arts at the forefront of his vision for American schools. By Carla Kalogeridis Music educators have a new friend in Washington, DC. Dr. Miguel A. Cardona, sworn in as the 12th Secretary of Education on March 2, 2021, is an impassioned supporter of music and the arts. Cardona grew up in a musical family, and his children are…

Cuban Music: Connections with the United States

Cuban Music Connections with the United States By NAfME Member Jeff Torchon Jeff Torchon presented on “Cuban Music and Connections with the United States” during the NAfME 2021 PreK–12 Learning Collaborative in February 2021. In 2006, I first watched the documentary “Buena Vista Social Club.” This film chronicles how musicians/producers Juan de Marcos González and Ry Cooder brought together older and forgotten Cuban musicians to revitalize traditional music on the world stage during the mid-1990s. I found the mixture of West African, European, Spanish, and Indigenous cultures to be magical.…