Category: band

band, choir

Life Lessons from “The Boy, The Mole, The Fox, and the Horse” that We All Need to Hear

displacedpedagogy

"The Boy, The Mole, The Fox, and the Horse" was recently gifted to me by the mother of a close friend. She is the type of woman who radiates warmth and positivity and who makes you feel like you are being wrapped up in a soft, fuzzy blanket the entire time you are in her presence. She wrote a darling note in this book and I'll be honest, I almost cried when I read it. I held back the tears welling in my eyes because I was at said close friend's house kicking off the summer and I didn't want to be emotional. 

band, performance based classrooms, performing ensembles, Scales, teacher planning

How I’m Getting Band Kids to Practice Scales

displacedpedagogy

Every year you tell your students how important scales are and every year they still don't practice them. In my experience students don't practice their scales until its time for an important audition and then they cram their scales and the audition music in and learn them all in a panic. Once the students get up to high school it becomes obvious that they're on B-Flat Default mode because they always play the notes of the B-Flat concert scale (even in G Major, yikes!)

band, choir, educational activities, Fun and Games, Rhythm, rhythm activities, Uncategorized

Fun and Games with Rhythm Flash Cards

displacedpedagogy

So you have a set of rhythm flashcards. When you teach students how to read rhythms you might start with the flashcards and chanting so that students only have to focus on one thing at a time. You only use your flashcards for group sightreading. The students are getting tired of flashcards, you’re getting tired of flashcards. What do you do? 

band, choir, long term planning, orchestra, performance based classrooms, performing ensembles, planning, teacher planning

Long Term Planning for Performing Ensembles

displacedpedagogy

If you’re reading this then I bet that you’ve heard of long term planning and want to know more. That was me a few months ago and I came to the conclusion that no matter what I needed a long term plan for each of my classes for the next school year. I teach middle school band, choir, and music history at my school. I knew my first year of teaching performing ensembles at this school that my students would have a very minimal, if any knowledge of music.