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Links & Things
Check out the webpage for my colleague and former co-director at Creekside Middle School!
SmartMusic Blog
I'm a SmartMusic user! Check out their blog for ideas on how to use SmartMusic in your school.
Click here to read about our road to The Midwest Clinic and how SmartMusic helped us get there!
Click here to see a video of our band students discussing SmartMusic.
Links I Love
Music Theory Lessons and Exercises www.musictheory.net
Fingering and Note Name Practice www.musicracer.com
"The Talent Code" Blog www.thetalentcode.com
Music Games for Kids www.musictechteacher.com
Charms Office www.charmsoffice.com
The Midwest Clinic http://www.midwestclinic.org
Kahoot (Interactive Quiz Game) www.getkahoot.com
Videos for Beginning Band www.beginningbandbootcamp.com
Great Articles for Parents www.musicparentsguide.com
Apps I Love
Tonal Energy This is a fantastic tuner, capable of switching back and forth between equal and just tuning, playing reference pitches and chords, analyzing pitch and more. But my students' favorite feature? The green SMILEY FACE that lights up if they are in tune!
Bandmate Chromatic Tuner Not only is this tuner app free, but when students play, it shows them the written pitch on the staff transposed and in the correct octave for them. So helpful for young musicians!
Tempo Need a programmable metronome capable of subdivision and multiple meters? Check this one out!
Note Names This app lets your students practice their note reading skills in a timed fashion, much like they will need when reading and performing music. There's even a school mode that keeps data on how your students are doing.
InTune My students have fun playing this game that helps them improve their intonation!
Books I Love
On Teaching Band: Notes from Eddie Green- Mary Ellen Cavitt
If you only read one book, this is the one! So many great
ideas here. This book transformed my teaching!
Tuning for Wind Instruments: A Roadmap to Successful Intonation - Shelley Jagow
This is the ultimate resourse on intonation! The charts for
each instrument are amazing.
The Talent Code - Daniel Coyle
Great information on how talent is "grown." While not
specific to musical talent, its content is highly applicable to the
classroom. Also check out Daniel's companion book,
The Little Book of Talent.
Teaching Music through Performance in Middle School Band - ed. Richard Miles
Chapters by leading middle school band directors about all the
issues we deal with that are unique to middle school band as
well as reviews of great band literature grades 1-3.5 (I'm
honored to have been interviewed for Chip DeStefano's
chapter on Recruitment!)
Pathways (A Guide For Energizing And Enriching Band, Orchestra And Choral Programs) - Joseph Alsobrook
Lots of practical ideas here!
National Association of Music Parents
If you or your parents are members, you can find my webinar (with Chris Grifa) titled Practice Myths and Practice Truths in the archive from September 2013.
Who am I?
Learn a little about me and my band program in this Director Spotlight interview done by Paige's Music in January 2017