In response to student demand, Highland High School in Illinois introduced an extracurricular show choir to its already multifaceted choral program that includes an a cappella group, madrigal singers, chamber singers, a traditional mixed choir and musical theater. The school switched out its jazz choir for the new ensemble in the spring 2018.

Do you know a young music educator who inspires students, colleagues and the community? Someone who oversees a program that is continually growing and improving?  

The junior high years can be an awkward period. That’s why promoting self-esteem and self-discovery have become major components of Lydia Cox’s goals as the chorus and digital music teacher at Crosby Middle School within the large district of Jefferson County Public Schools in Louisville, Kentucky.

“Band is family” rings true for many marching arts participants across the country. But making the cultural paradigm a reality rather than an empty platitude could take years of strategizing.

There is nothing quite like creating a role-playing game (RPG) for a multi-modal elementary violin classroom. I did it and saw dramatic improvements in student engagement and musical skills, and you can, too.

Unlike woodwinds and trumpets, French horns and other medium to low brass instruments are not popular with middle school and high school band members.

Performing everything from Tchaikovsky to Christina Perri, students at Orange Grove Elementary School in Anaheim, California, have a variety of opportunities to stretch their musical skills.

The Youth Chorus of Central Texas (YCCT) serves singers in grades 3 through 12 who do not have access to sequential musical instruction in their educational environment or who seek additional experiences not afforded them otherwise.

What’s on your wish list of school supplies? I’m talking beyond the basics like pencils and paper or more expensive items like a laminator or Cricut.

What if you could grant your music students special powers like laser-focused attention, impressive productivity and the ability to make smarter decisions?

In college, my focus was instrumental music education. For over four years, I prepared myself to become a band director.

I created Swick’s Classroom, my YouTube channel, as a solution for a non-musical substitute during my four-week paternity leave in 2018.

For several years, I have taken the curriculum planning and classroom management approach of backward planning and modified it to a pedagogical approach for percussion students in grades 6 through 12 within the Wakeland High School cluster in Frisco, Texas.

How many times have you said to yourself, “I wish I knew THAT before I started teaching”?

At Lake Worth Community High School in Florida, Dr. Tiffany Cox finds a way to provide access to music for young musicians, no matter the challenge.

One of the most effective actions we can take as music teachers is to seek an understanding of our entire school and community and not just our music program.

One of the challenges of being a band, orchestra, choir or general music teacher is how to manage everything in the classroom.

Within the mallet instrument family (marimba, orchestra bells, xylophone, vibraphone), the vibraphone or “vibes” is the newest member and the most unique.

Hello! My name is Aleah Fitzwater, and I am a licensed instrumental music educator. In this guest blog post, I want to share some tips on how to recruit, retain and captivate the students in your private lessons studio. Let’s go!

Music educators in rural settings face a unique set of challenges.