Discovering the Shapes of Keys on the Fingerboard
by Clark Chaffee Each key signature has a unique shape on the fingerboard that can be ‘discovered’, discussed, and used to accelerate sight reading accuracy and technique development. Since most…
Category: Orchestral Education
Teaching Rhythm and Rhythmic Literacy in Orchestra: Strategies for Developing Independent and Rhythmically Literate String Students
By Christopher Selby The goal of teaching rhythm is to develop independent string musicians who can decipher, recall and perform written rhythms without the help of a teacher. How many…
Wind Players Teaching Strings
By Dr. Wesley K. DeSpain I grew up playing the clarinet. I was fortunate to have the opportunity to perform in a full orchestra for three years during high school…
Elementary Recruiting – A Year Long Activity
By Mary Wagner, NAfME Orchestra Council Chair Welcome to the new school year! If you are like me, you are thinking about recruiting demos for young students or making plans for…
Differentiation in the Middle School Orchestra Rehearsal
by Denese Odegaard, Fargo Public Schools Performing Arts Specialist “Great teachers consistently raise the ceiling of performance for each learner. At the same time, they raise the support system…
I Heard That! Listening to Classical Music—a Video Resource
Peer teaching is an effective strategy for the music classroom. The Virginia Chamber Orchestra (VCO) has made a video, “I Heard That! Listening to Classical Music,” that uses students to…
Websites for the Classroom – Opus #2 – Class Dojo
Behavior Management. A term that can strike terror in the General Music Classroom teacher’s heart. But, fear not! ClassDojo to the rescue! I recently discovered this incredible positive behavior management tool. You can…
What Makes Good Violin Strings?
Says Laurie Niles, who edits www.violinist.com, “For centuries, [most] musical strings were made of pure sheep gut–not cat gut, as is popularly believed.* In the 16th century, the lower strings (which were the…
You Can Begin Again
The secret to success in any field may be getting up one more time than you’re knocked down. Mary Ellen Cohn, executive director of the Maryland Music Educators Association, was…
Back to School Strings Tips, Part 1
As young players are dusting off their instruments or planning to rent following summer break, these maintenance tips will help keep stringed instruments in the best playing condition. PROTECTION Always…
