Archives: Teaching Tips
Auditioning Tip
My sixth graders auditioned for select choir this year using their ipads. Over the course of a week the students were able to find a quiet corner in the room…
Take Time to Plan Your Day
To be more efficient, try this tip from Jere Humphreys: “During my second year as a school music teacher, I tried the business organizational trick of writing down all my activities…
Activities for the Last Days of School
What can you do to finish the year with restless students when you’re approaching burnout? Here are some ideas from the NAfME general music forum: Review favorite songs, games, and dances.…
AWOL on Concert Night
What do you do about students who choose not to come to the concert? Those without a good reason or who just don’t care and don’t want to go. Here…
Composition Activities
Composition activities can boost learning. There are many benefits in conquering the challenges: Composing is time consuming. Creating a melody of even four or eight measures, requires time to improvise, develop,…
Motivating Urban Students
Students’ basic needs must be met before they can be motivated to learn. Urban students often come to school with unfulfilled needs for physical and emotional safety, self-esteem, and a…
Strategies for Students with Special Needs
All those kids, all those different learning styles, all those special needs—how do you reach and teach them all? Many strategies that work for one student may be applied to…
Notating Tips for Student Compositions
Should students notate their pieces? If so, which is best—by hand or by computer? “Notating too early in the composition process often stifles the creative musical flow,” Deutsch says. He…
Concert Etiquette Project
The Process Ask students to research concert etiquette online. Create a music website bibliography, beginning with NAfME’s Concert Etiquette Resources. Place an icon for your Web bibliography on the desktops of…
