Group items tagged

MusicTheory.net is a great website to teach theory to students. It has lessons on a variety of topics, interactive exercises to support the theory topics, and tools that could be used in conjunction with other activities in the classroom. There are also apps available for devices. The best part is that the exercises can be customized (scroll down to the bottom of the exercise or tools pages) with a permanent link so that students can take quizzes or have additional practice for specifics without having to change the settings for themselves. For example, note identification can be customized to the clef and range of a specific instrument and sent to those students for practice or quizzes.

Informative page for Band Directors.

Don't have Audacity or your favorite DAW handy to convert an audio file to another file type? What about converting a .pdf file to Word .doc or related file formats? This is a fantastic site that converts practically any file format to other related formats for that file type ONLINE with no need to download software! For example, an audio file to another audio file format; one document format to another document format, etc.

This website has hundreds of great resources for elementary education and often includes great lesson ideas. Faeries and Giants is one of my favorites to do with 4k when learning highs and lows

This website has access to many professional musicians showcasing their talents through the New World Symphony. They have videos with specific instrumental instruction. If I wanted to show a private bassoon student a website where they can listen to many players, they can access this site and simply search bassoon and listen to famous solos such as The Rite of Spring. This is a great resource to demonstrate what professional musicians sound like in order for them to practice and mimic these sounds.

This site is for professional development in learning technical aspects of technology programs.

Rhythm Syllable Systems - What to use and why! is a blog in which David Row takes a look at the various rhythm syllable counting systems in use today. He gives a thorough explanation of each one as well as providing links for further information about a particular system. He also discusses that none of these systems give instruction or guidance about what to do with rests. Overall, he states that the choice is yours for which system to use with your students.

This is a helpful website for students interested in jazz. Students can read more about the history of jazz, learn about specific artists, and get tips for improving their own playing.

This is a great resource that I plan to use with my Jazz Band students.

Great source that contains a good jazz history database as well as a lot of performance practice tips.

This site contains a collection of lesson plans for theory and history that could be utilized or referenced for the classroom.

Classroom noise level meter. Not only great for elementary classrooms but allows junior high ensembles to visualize the differences in their dynamics.

A Sim City-style online game (also available in a downloadable app) that is great for composition activities in the classroom. Warning: it's addictive for all ages!

A great way for students to practice ear training, including identification of intervals. Excellent for large classroom settings as well as private lessons.

A flash-style card game that helps students solidify their identification of notes within the grand staff. There are several different levels available, so it's useful for all ages and ability levels.

This website has online piano lessons and suggestions for jazz listening.

This website includes teaching materials, blogs, and more to support band directors. Some of the materials include seating chart, 'rehearsal detective' forms, and more practical forms for band directors.

This website is a collection of various resources by Wendy Higdon to assist band directors in their classrooms. Her website offers a podcast about band related topics such as recruitment and inventory. Her blog includes articles on building fundamentals and stocking the right reeds for your woodwinds. Finally she has many resources available to download such as seating chart generators, recruiting materials, and self-assessments.

This blog is written by Wendy Hart Higdon, a middle school band director who has wrote tons of articles on directing middle school bands, and has an awesome recruitment checklist on here!

Fun website that allows you to play the drums using the keys on your keyboard- this would be a great way to introduce students to creating rhythms and patterns.

This website provides a detailed teaching and playing sequence for increasing fluency for all members of the recorder family. These resources include note sequences, fingering charts, technical advice/tips, etc.

Lots of technical information on recorder method. Areas of the website that I explored have a lot of information that can seem overwhelming, but is also incredibly helpful. Would be a great resource for someone who wants to learn how to play/teach the recorder by studying/reading.

I love this page!  Any time I need a last minute plan or have a friend who needs a class activity, I come here!  It is nice to help other teachers out too!

The Kidzone by the New York Philharmonic is an interactive website for children to use to learn primarily about instruments, composers, and famous musicians. It includes games, videos, audio recordings, and text. Students can interact with games that allow them to match rhythms, sort instruments into families, build an instrument, create a graphic-based composition, and match instruments and composers. There is also information about children's concerts.

This is an awesome resource that's student-friendly and focuses on instruments of the orchestra, as well as composers. It creates a strong connection between concept and real-world scenarios. The website is designed around the New York Philharmonic Orchestra. There are engaging and interactive games and lessons for students to learn about the orchestra and test their knowledge.

Very engaging and visually appealing website from the New York Philharmonic. Unfortunately many of the links would not work; however, one really cool feature is that there are recordings of symphony performances that can be viewed in a classroom. Much better quality of video than many available videos on YouTube.

IPA Source is an excellent resource for any choral director, especially if you include foreign language pieces in your repertoire. Not only does this site offer IPA translations and guides for your knowledge, but you can even use it as a resource to teach your students the International Phonetic Alphabet. This resource is not entirely free, but the subscriptions are relatively affordable for educational institutions.