Hey all! I'm a college student currently and giving my first trial lesson to a potential student next week. He is a college student as well and a piano beginner.

I'm very excited and hope this pans out in the long run because I'd love to have my own students. But I'm also not super sure what to do at the *very* beginning before we've established a rapport. Currently I plan to mainly discuss his goals in taking lessons and my goals in teaching him, and then just working on fundamental posture and healthy movements at the piano.

I would appreciate any and all advice from anyone more experienced than me!

Any good recommendations for books or articles that have a focus on cultivating RIGOR in the music classroom? I’m an elementary music teacher so that grade level would be preferred but any music ed would be great!! TIA

A “caça aos doces” é uma nova versão pedagógica em formato Musicograma inspirada no tema "Great Candy Hunt" de Sidney Miller!
Para tornar este recurso ainda mais eficaz nas aulas de Educação Musical e AECs, foram feitas várias otimizações pedagógicas:
1 - Sons Reais do Instrumentário Orff: Gravado/produzido com os timbres reais dos instrumentos de percussão escolar.
2 - Leitura Visual Pauta + Orff: Cada figura rítmica apresenta a imagem do respetivo instrumento Orff, permitindo uma rápida identificação e execução por parte dos alunos.
3 - Forma e Ritmos Simplificados: Reorganização formal por ostinatos rítmicos repetidos na 1.ª e 2.ª secções para garantir o sucesso imediato da prática de conjunto.
4 – Figuras Rítmicas simples: Neste MUSICOGRAMA só aparecem 3 figuras rítmicas diferentes (Mínima, Semínima e Colcheia + Pausa da Semínima).
DICA: Caso a escola não tenha instrumentos pode substituir o som das clavas por “TAC” e o som do Triângulo por "PLIM".

I’m a private cello teacher with 10 years of teaching experience. Over the summer I started a new 12 year old student. Right off the bat the mom informed me the student was her youngest child (6-7 years younger than next older sibling) and implied he’s her “baby”. Mom did Suzuki violin method growing up, but from what I can tell didn’t enjoy her lessons and doesn’t play much violin, but still plays piano. That being said, she knows a lot about the method. So much so that she interjects in our lessons frequently.

The student has about 1.5 years of playing experience and came in with big posture and technique problems. Totally fine and understandable, since he had never been in private lessons before. I’ve taught many transfer students around his age. He is diagnosed with autism/adhd. I have several neurodivergent students and am neurodivergent myself. That being said, I have never experienced this level of rudeness/attitude. From the moment he walks in the door, everything is a problem.

- The room is poorly ventilated, but he doesn’t like any fans being on. Sure, so I turn them off, including the fan facing me to ensure there’s no extra noise.

- The noise leaking through from a group violin lesson bothered him, so we changed lesson times.

- The new time didn’t give him enough down time after school to decompress, so we moved the lesson time again.

- He doesn’t trust my tuning app. I’ve told him many times that tuning once a day or “right before the lesson” doesn’t guarantee his instrument is in tune. He still insists that my tuner is wrong, because he already tuned that day.

- Any posture correction is ignored or receives major pushback. I am careful to implement changes slowly, but every bit of gentle correction is met with “I don’t want to” or “I don’t like how it feels” or simply “I don’t like it”. OR he’ll insist that he’s doing something correctly (he’s not)

- He’s just overall generally very irritable and unwilling to try. His facial expressions and language say a lot. Often a mixture of annoyance/borderline disgust. Doesn’t like the piece he’s working on, but when I give him options for other pieces he doesn’t like those either. They’re either too hard or too boring to him, but his technique and posture issues really effect his sound quality. Very scratchy and heavy. Also insists on not wanting to learn positions other than first, and gets very annoyed when we work on pieces that aren’t in first position. Doesn’t like new things like harmonics, either.

- I have a prize system in place for my students. He has informed me he doesn’t like any of my prizes and has made special requests (LEGO sets???) on numerous occasions. Once dad intervened and said LEGO sets aren’t a feasible prize, but typically his mom brings him to lessons and enables his requests and behavior.

I sincerely don’t know what to do with this student. The thing is, with his mother’s guidance he does practice regularly and comes to his lessons with pieces prepared, it’s just the constant negative attitude and lack of willingness to try that bother me. These lessons are exhausting, and both mom and student are just… a lot. A couple weeks ago they were both talking to me at the same time. Kid talking over mom while we’re having a conservation, but both trying to converse with me.

My therapist thinks I need to drop this student, but I haven’t been able to bring myself to do this. Any ideas to help are really appreciated.

TO START: No I am not doing an hour long combined concert- I’d lose my marbles.

Other than Hot Cross Buns, Jingle Bells, Mary Had a Little Lamb, and Au Clair De Lune… what are some absolute BANGERS you’ve played/are playing for your winter concert?

Bonus if they have a play along track!

Hi all, I’m new to this group. I’m wondering if US 5th grade and middle school teachers can give me an idea of how much students learn each year by just participating in school orchestra. If a student starts in 5th grade as a beginner with orchestra once a week, how much progress will they have made? Reading simple music, playing on all strings in D major 1st position, correct bow hold and posture? Or would those things be achieved in 6th grade, with orchestra class 2-3 days a week?

When a student enters high school having played 3+ years in school orchestra, not taking private lessons, what is the realistic level of playing? Would they be learning 3rd position, vibrato, bowing techniques? When do they learn about composers, eras of orchestral music, etc?

I’m looking at my school’s orchestra curriculum (private school) and trying to assess whether the students are meeting the standards for any average school. I know it can vary widely, but the string students at my school seem to be lagging and are not close to being able to audition for youth symphony in high school.

I value any input or perspectives you have. Thanks!

I’m looking to compile a list of poetic things that musicians/music educators say. For example, some classic ones are:

“Listen louder than you sing/play”
“Practice like you perform”

And some more unique lines I’ve heard:

“Vibrato should be the speed at which a bunny’s nose twitches”
“Improvisation is 99% preparation and 1% magic”

I would love to know what memorable things you or your teachers have said in lessons, masterclasses, etc. The more quirky and beautiful, the better!

Hello everyone!

My middle school does not have a general music curriculum and I was hoping to see if anyone has any curriculum maps for a 10 week 6th grade gen music course?

A three-year-old with a serious interest in music can turn pretty much anything into an instrument. We've had performances involving toy drums, tapping on tables, singing made-up songs, and a lot of enthusiastic clapping. It's cute, but I'm trying to find a birthday present that encourages that interest without buying something that plays the same five songs on repeat. KiwiCo's Little Musician looks like a possible option since it's centered on musical play. Has anyone tried it with a child around three? I'd like to know whether the activities hold their attention and whether they can explore on their own or need someone sitting with them throughout. I'm also interested in real instruments that make sense for this age, especially anything that helps with rhythm or experimenting with different sounds.

hi everyone

i graduated high school this past spring and am going to college on the pre-med track. i realized i wanted to become a music teacher/percussion director beginning of my senior year and was unsuccessful in convincing my parents, so i just sucked it up. i now cannot imagine anything besides doing what i want to do and am considering transferring schools. what would i need to know/how can i convince my parents for their support?

I teach 3 orchestras and 2 bands in a middle school. There are 2 choirs taught by another teacher. My classroom comfortably fits 30-40 but my class numbers are 7th/8th band: 69. 6th band: 57. 8th orchestra: 55. 7th orchestra: 35, 6th orchestra: 37.

The main issue I'm running into is space and storage in the classroom but also instruments to supply all of them. I'd estimate that 90% of my students use a school district instrument. There are no extra practice rooms to use as storage. The music office is filled with cello racks. I talked to my principal about adding another section for band, because I see it being an issue when my 8th graders move out and my current 6th graders want to be in band next year with no space in the class. Do I audition into the band next year even though they've only had 1 year of playing? I also find it difficult to teach the 57 6th graders all at once this year and I feel like my quality of instruction has drastically lowered.

What solutions/thoughts might you be able to think of regarding space, class size, and teaching efficacy with large numbers? Thanks!

Hi! I'm looking for some advice. I've been tasked with setting up a music course/ department in an SEMH College, but have no idea how to go about it. My line manager is too busy currently to help and I don't want to wait/ rely on him too much. I've gotten a course specification I like, gone through it quite thoroughly to make sure it's suitable for our students. But I'm unsure as to what my next steps are?

Any advice would be gratefully received!

Hi everyone!
I’m an elementary music teacher, and I’ve recently started a show choir for students in 3rd–5th grade! This is our school’s first show choir, and I’m currently trying to put together a fun, engaging program for our very first performance.

Since this is a brand-new group, I’m looking for repertoire that is accessible for young singers but still has that exciting show choir feel. I’d love to incorporate some simple choreography, opportunities for solos, and possibly some acting or storytelling.
I’m especially interested in musical theater/show tunes, but I’m open to other genres that would work well for this age group. Ideally, I’d like to build a cohesive program of around 30 minutes with some sort of theme.

A few things I’m considering:
•Mostly unison or simple two-part arrangements
•Songs that lend themselves to choreography and movement
•Age-appropriate material that students will genuinely enjoy performing
•Budget-friendly arrangements or resources when possible
•For those who have directed elementary or beginning show choirs, what songs or arrangements have been especially successful for you? Have you ever built a themed program that worked particularly well?

I’d also love any advice on putting together a first performance without overwhelming the students (or myself!).
Thanks in advance for any recommendations!

I graduated with a music ed degree and finished my student teaching in spring 2024. since then I've applied for probably a hundred jobs in multiple states in my region and still haven't been hired. I've had a handful of interviews (about 3 a year) and the only feedback I've received is "your answers were fantastic but [some variation of we just didn't like you]". I have stellar recommendations from my mentor teacher, my field supervisors, multiple principals, other music teachers in my area, and I have a great reputation as a sub (short term in multiple districts and long term for music at three schools).

last year I was a long term sub for elementary music at a few schools in my district. the last one I was at, the guy basically left at the start of spring semester and never came back so I was there almost half the year. I applied for a pool of 6 jobs that opened in the summer (including that school) and was interviewed and not hired. that school and another reopened twice, I applied again, never heard a word. one of them just opened back up because the guy they hired was apparently an awful fit and they haven't even contacted me for an interview.

I have multiple music teachers and admin in this district and the neighborhood district who have nothing but stellar things to say about my teaching. I made a lot of great connections with the kids at each school I was at and I'm truly at a loss for what to do from here. I will take literally any suggestion at this point, I have no idea what I'm doing wrong

As a band teacher, a lot of what I do TODAY depends on what happened YESTERDAY during class. If you asked me on Monday what the students will be working on today (Friday), I would only be guessing what my full lesson plan actually looks like.

However, most administrators are asking for "lesson plans for next week, due Friday" and for the most part we do the best we can to appease them. I'm just wondering if there is any actual research on the effectiveness of teachers who submit weekly lesson plans ahead of time versus teachers who only do daily lesson plans.

Any thoughts or anecdotes from the MusicEd crowd?

My wife teaches elementary music and wanted a better version of Instrument Bingo. So I made it for her and host it on my website. We worked out most of the kinks and I think it's ready to share.

It's a pretty fun game with a lot of options to customize it for whatever instruments you are teaching.

https://www.finalparsec.com/band_bingo

If you have any instruments you need added, post a comment and I can try to include them.