Featured Content

What if We Did More Than Engage Our Music Students?

CMEA Magazine, Winter Issue, page 28

For many years, engagement in the music room was the goal. We wanted students who were doing music! Singing, playing instruments, and composing. While that is still valid, it’s no longer enough. Too often students disconnect from this type of learning, as it holds little meaning once they’ve left the classroom. What we need instead is for students to be empowered. Continue Reading

Using Technology to Boost Student Engagement During Rehearsal

The Women Conductor, February 2021 Issue, page 19

Technology integration is something that many band directors are aware of but are still unsure how to achieve. Especially since the goal in band rehearsals is to make music! However, as we are experiencing rehearsals that appear very different this year, technology is a great place to look to boost student engagement and enhance learning. Luckily, there are several technology tools and strategies you can use during rehearsals to strengthen the music-making and ensure all students feel connected to the ensemble and have their voices heard. Continue Reading

Educator Spotlight: Meet Theresa Hoover

The Flipgrid Blog, May 12, 2020

The bustle of a band room is a comforting, obvious noise.  You might hear the screech of a music stand, the knock of a cymbal, the tap tap of the baton or the click click of a case as the trumpet is unveiled. There’s the tuning horns, the practicing winds, the humming voices and the percussionist finding his beat. It’s music all on its own, for sure, but this is a collective sound, something made together by a group of 60 or more. Continue Reading

Podcast Interviews

Guest Posts on Other Blogs

Recruiting With a Twist: 5 Student-Centered Marketing Strategies to Grow Your Program

NAfME Music in a Minuet: January 27, 2022

Whether you are worried about having enough numbers to maintain a balanced ensemble or your administrator has expressed concern about dwindling enrollment, recruiting is an essential and often underrated aspect of teaching school music. While recruiting is a vital part of a music educator’s job, there are many ways we can involve students in this process. Continue Reading

Lessons From the Podium

Dave Burgess Consulting, November 28, 2020

We are taught many things as musicians – proper posture, breathing techniques, counting –  and similar concepts relevant only to other musicians. However, many of these valuable lessons we learned from making music also apply to our teaching. In fact, they are lessons that all teachers, regardless of subject area, could benefit from remembering in their own classrooms! Continue Reading

Band Directors Will Flip Over Flipgrid!

Band Directors Talk Shop, September, 2020

Flipgrid is a video response platform, dedicated to amplifying a student’s voice. Students create short videos that can be viewed by just the teacher or the entire class. Flipgrid gives students the opportunity to not only share their music-making but also reflect, respond, and connect to other musicians! Continue Reading

How I Increased Voice and Choice in My Music Classes, and Why I’ll Never Look Back

NAfME Music in a Minuet, March 21, 2018

“Voice and Choice” is a term frequently used when discussing today’s classroom. To a music teacher, it might seem like a silly phrase; we hear student voices all the time! Why do we need to increase that? But when used in the general education setting, the term takes on a different meaning. Continue Reading

STEAM Lessons With the OK Go Sandbox

Ed Tech Team Blog, March 15, 2019

Using music in the classroom is a great way to engage students in a variety of subjects. Naturally, I was very excited to hear that Google has sponsored a collaborative project with the alternative rock band, OK Go, and the Playful Learning Lab. Continue Reading