Advocacy/Leadership

For band directors, meeting the requirements of the second National Standard- performing on instruments, alone and with others, a varied repertoire of music- seems to be a given. However, a closer look at the breakdown of required…
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The first standard states that students should be capable of "singing, alone and with others, a varied repertoire of music". This includes singing accurately and with good breath control throughout the vocal range, singing a varied…
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In many of the school-band rehearsals I attend, I see a real disconnect between the percussion players and the rest of the band. It is true that there are bands in which the members of the percussion section are focused and really feel a…
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There are many ways we give others insights into how we view ourselves. For example, many e-mail programs allow users to create a personalized signature that appears after the text. Some use the signature to provide information such as…
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In beginning to examine the completeness of who we are and WHO WE WOULD LIKE TO BE, it will be helpful to identify the various parts of our lives that we believe are most important.
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Band Directors have the wonderful, yet, difficult task of harnessing the energy, inspiring the talent and disciplining the skills of their students. The wide-range of desire, ability, and experience that come together in their ensembles…
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So here you are a first-year teacher. You have completed your formal education and are about to be thrust into the real world. Just to make sure you are ready, I have prepared a final exam.
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When building a multicultural school music program, the challenge is to provide an academically sound environment for music education with appropriate attention to traditional study and performance standards, while not losing the cultural…
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Survey the directors in surrounding and/or similar school districts to obtain information that will help as you work to build your program's resources. A copyable form is provided so that you will have a record of each district's response.
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Music teachers teach classes, share their love of music with students, prepare lesson plans, develop curriculum, assess and evaluate students' progress, and share this information with parents, fellow teachers, and school administrators.
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We are fortunate to live in Nashville, a community with a wealth of music professionals who also care deeply about the education of our young people", said Nola Jones Coordinator of Music for Metro Nashville Public Schools during her visit…
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I have been studying the characteristics of effective leaders as far back as I can remember. When I became the drum major of my high school marching band, I also became interested in how the great classical "dictator-directors" such as…
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Music advocacy is a hot topic-of-discussion for administrators, parents, teachers, and everyone keenly interested in creating the most potent curriculum possible for today's students. Breakthrough research continues to point to the study of…
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Burnout is not an all-or-nothing proposition. Like fire, motivation gets stronger and burns hotter, or diminishes and burns out. There is no constant state. On any particular day, enthusiasm for work is increasing or decreasing, but it does…
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Musicians/artists/performers, those who live in the world of creative outreach, often live at-the-mercy of the critic's review. Concerts are evaluated by the response-of-the-audience; the outcome of the festival adjudication determines the…
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