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hear the silence – every song starts from silence. Remind your choir. Ask them to stand in silence and focus on the sounds they can hear from outside the rehearsal room (wind, cars, children playing, dogs), then ask them to re-focus on the sounds from inside the rehearsal space (breathing, creaking floor, shuffling, throat clearing, doors banging).

sing the same note and disappear – choose a note that everyone can sing comfortably in the same octave for quite some time. Get everyone to stand very close together facing different directions. Mix the usual parts up. Everyone starts to sing on an ‘aw’ as a sustained drone. Tell the singers that after they’ve taken a breath they need to gently ease back into the overall sound. Ask them to match the quality and volume of all those around them. Tell them that you want them to disappear into the sound so it’s not possible to tell who is singing what.

stop conducting – one problem with a choir can be that the singers become so used to someone standing in front of them conducting that they stop taking responsibility for themselves and start to believe they can’t do it without that person guiding them. Without telling the choir, start a song off, gradually stop conducting, then walk off and listen. There will be an initial blip probably, but then they’ll manage fine and begin to listen more to each other. Repeat the exercise, but just give the starting notes and tell them they all have to begin together but without you bringing them in.

Top 10 Educational Technology Resources

create on-screen flashcards

app available for the iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch.

Music Theory is an awesome website that provides music lessons, excises, and tools. Just head over to its homepage and select the section you want.

This is a platform where music teachers and educators get to share resources and teaching ideas.

NEA Jazz in the Schools is a web-based curriculum and DVD toolkit that explores jazz as an indigenous American art from ad as a means to understand American history.

Educational DocumentsThis page contains scale & arpeggio sheets and flash cards to help students learn the fundamentals of music on their string instrument.Scale & Arpeggio Music (these match the Scale & Arpeggio Recordings) Violin * Viola * Cello *Bass *Major ScalesMajor ScalesMajor ScalesMajor Scales Melodic Minor ScalesMelodic Minor ScalesMelodic Minor ScalesMelodic Minor ScalesHarmonic Minor ScalesHarmonic Minor ScalesHarmonic Minor ScalesHarmonic Minor ScalesMajor ArpeggiosMajor ArpeggiosMajor ArpeggiosMajor ArpeggiosMinor ArpeggiosMinor ArpeggiosMinor ArpeggiosMinor Arpeggios*All files are 2 octaves, and are in PDF FormatScale & Arpeggio RecordingsThe Scale & Arpeggio Recordings correspond to the Scale & Arpeggio Music (see above) that have helped many of my students play better in tune. Over the years, I have sold these recordings all around the world, including North & South America, Europe, and Asia. Just recently, I have also made these files available for download for Violin and Cello, and other instruments will follow soon.  There are two ways to purchase: Scale CD Order Page for All StringsDownload Violin Recording from CD Baby & Download Cello Recording from CD BabyNote Reading Flash Cards These files are in pdf (Adobe Acrobat) format.** I suggest printing these on card stock for durability. On the back are fingerings as well as note names for the instrument. However, I also use these flashcards for teaching clefs to other instruments such as treble clef reading for viola, cello and bass. Front of Flashcards (Notes on staff lines) Back of Flashcards (Note names & fingerings) Clef Violin A & D strings Violin A & D strings Treble Violin G & E strings Violin G & E strings Treble Viola A & D strings Viola A & D strings Alto Viola G & C strings Viola G & C s