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Wynn Literature is a site I found a few years ago as I was looking for music for my high school Intermediate Band to play for the Georgia Music Educators Association's Large Group Performance Evaluation (concert festival). The band I had one year was unprepared to play most Grade 4 Literature and I needed help choosing Grade 2 or 3 pieces. Wynn created this list of compositions that are on the GMEA LGPE required list. It is important to double check the most current LGPE list as the list is updated yearly. The compositions are written by composers whose works have been deemed to be "Contemporary Concert Band Standards" as they have the best mix of challenging the students as well as entertaining. Some of the composers include James Swearingen, Quincy Hilliard Robert W. Smith, David R. Holsinger, and James Curnow just to name a few. The site has changed a lot since I originally found it. You were able to click on the individual compositions to get more information about the piece such as key signature, meter, performance ranges for most of the instruments, technical issues that may occur (difficult rhythms or harmonies), background on the composer and historical perspective of the composition. Since the site's links do not work anymore, WynnLiterature is a great starting point to search for literature to play at the middle school level as well as the lower/developmental bands in high school.

Wynn Literature is a site I found a few years ago as I was looking for music for my high school Intermediate Band to play for the Georgia Music Educators Association's Large Group Performance Evaluation (concert festival). The band I had one year was unprepared to play most Grade 4 Literature and I needed help choosing Grade 2 or 3 pieces. Wynn created this list of compositions that are on the GMEA LGPE required list. It is important to double check the most current LGPE list as the list is updated yearly. The compositions are written by composers whose works have been deemed to be "Contemporary Concert Band Standards" as they have the best mix of challenging the students as well as entertaining. Some of the composers include James Swearingen, Quincy Hilliard Robert W. Smith, David R. Holsinger, and James Curnow just to name a few. The site has changed a lot since I originally found it. You were able to click on the individual compositions to get more information about the piece such as key signature, meter, performance ranges for most of the instruments, technical issues that may occur (difficult rhythms or harmonies), background on the composer and historical perspective of the composition. Since the site's links do not work anymore, WynnLiterature is a great starting point to search for literature to play at the middle school level as well as the lower/developmental bands in high school.

Wynn Literature is a site I found a few years ago as I was looking for music for my high school Intermediate Band to play for the Georgia Music Educators Association's Large Group Performance Evaluation (concert festival). The band I had one year was unprepared to play most Grade 4 Literature and I needed help choosing Grade 2 or 3 pieces. Wynn created this list of compositions that are on the GMEA LGPE required list. It is important to double check the most current LGPE list as the list is updated yearly. The compositions are written by composers whose works have been deemed to be "Contemporary Concert Band Standards" as they have the best mix of challenging the students as well as entertaining. Some of the composers include James Swearingen, Quincy Hilliard Robert W. Smith, David R. Holsinger, and James Curnow just to name a few. The site has changed a lot since I originally found it. You were able to click on the individual compositions to get more information about the piece such as key signature, meter, performance ranges for most of the instruments, technical issues that may occur (difficult rhythms or harmonies), background on the composer and historical perspective of the composition. Since the site's links do not work anymore, WynnLiterature is a great starting point to search for literature to play at the middle school level as well as the lower/developmental bands in high school.

This free downloadable version of Finale NotePad is great for basic composition projects. The software boasts its "Human Playback" feature which is designed to demonstrate expressive musical nuances, giving it a more realistic sound rather than being merely computer generated. NotePad has excellent sound quality and includes over 128 built-in instrument voices. 

This free downloadable version of Finale NotePad is great for basic composition projects. The software boasts its "Human Playback" feature which is designed to demonstrate expressive musical nuances, giving it a more realistic sound rather than being merely computer generated. NotePad has excellent sound quality and includes over 128 built-in instrument voices. 

A free download for basic music notation. You have the ability to make simple scores and compose exercises or any music really for several different instruments. A great introduction into the full Finale product and an easy tool for students to use on simple composition projects.  

Tonal Energy provides individualized instruction and videos for band and orchestra students. Each instrument is listed and linked to a fingering chart, exercises, scales, instrument care, and videos of professional artists. The website also has a place for discussion between other musicians, teachers, and students. One of the best items about Tonal Energy is the tuner App. The TE Tuner provides a visual representation beyond the original needle and shows the students proper intonation through a smiley face and colored circles.

NY Philharmonic Kids is an interactive website. There are a variety of games, and interactive tabs on music, instruments of the orchestra, and composers.

This is a great website that has a ton of information. It includes interactive games, sections about each orchestral instrument, a composer's workshop and many other fun activities.

This website is clearly geared toward younger students. A website like this is probably most useful in a general music setting. The website provides activities to learn about many music concepts that are relevant to younger students.

This is a website devoted to providing tips and information on all band instruments. There are useful links to articles about each instrument. It is full of useful information that would be of benefit to both students and teachers.

Dallas Symphony Orchestra for Kids website features games, listening activities, family programs and teacher lesson plan resources. It is a place where young children can be introduced to the instruments and inner workings of an orchestra. There is an activity called Flat Beethoven, which is like Flat Stanley, where the children send Beethoven in the mail to different places and he has "adventures' with the people where ever he goes. Hosts of Flat Beethoven write the children back and send him to another place. FUN!

The Dallas Symphony Orchestra has a website for kids with great resources for educators. Students can learn in a fun way about the orchestra, instrument families, timbres, and other aspects of the orchestra.

The Dallas Symphony Orchestra has a website for kids with great resources for educators. Students can learn in a fun way about the orchestra, instrument families, timbres, and other aspects of the orchestra.

World Music Composer provides listening samples of instruments from around the world. With those sounds, students can create a personal music composition. Works well when introducing instruments of the world & music from other cultures.

Radio website that allows several customization options for the style of jazz you are interested in.  These styles are even organized by instrument which is great for students to pick our repertoire that is standard for their instrument.

A youtube channel that focuses on providing short lessons on jazz history/tradition, instrumental technique, and the jazz language.

This YouTube channel is a great resources for jazz educators in both a private and ensemble setting. The videos cover the whole jazz orchestra, providing videos of technique as well as ways to develop students' improvisational skills.

Jazz Academy is a YouTube library with free lessons on jazz for educators and students. Lessons range from the instrument specific techniques, jazz history, master classes with professional musicians, and lessons on different styles of music. From these videos, students receive important information from professional jazz musicians. As a jazz educator, there are also videos that improve my understanding of specific techniques and styles.

This website introduces students to instruments of the orchestra, and allows students to create in the music lab. This would work well with elementary students.

This video is very informative. I have played portions of this video for my students and it has helped with explaining the instruments even more than I do.

This is the website for the popular Tonal Energy tuner and metronome application for Android and Apple devices. The tuner has a variety of features and settings for different instruments and ensembles. It is particularly useful for tracking sustained pitch accuracy using a variety of graphing options and its distinctive growing smiley face. The website also has a section of educational resources for brass, woodwind, and orchestral instruments.

Quia has over 200 music games and activities to help students review a variety of topics, including musical instruments, instrument families, note naming, and popular music trivia.

String Bass Online is a website designed specifically for bass players. There is a section with information about bass technique: how to hold the bass, bow holds, how to care for the bass, etc. There is also a section with free sheet music for students to download and play along with. There is another section with scales and etudes for the bass as well as a section of Christmas music for bass players to download and play.

String Bass Online is a website designed specifically for bass players. There is a section with information about bass technique: how to hold the bass, bow holds, how to care for the bass, etc. There is also a section with free sheet music for students to download and play along with. There is another section with scales and etudes for the bass as well as a section of Christmas music for bass players to download and play.

String Bass Online is a website devoted to the string bass. It includes information about string bass basics, such as how to set up the bass and start playing the bass, bass fingering charts, bass care, bass practice tips, how to read music, and much more. It also has free sheet music for the bass and exercises specifically for the bass. Finally, it offers a string class that discusses string music throughout history. These websites are great because they keep everything instrument specific rather than covering all the instruments together.

Cello Online is a website with specific help for cello students. The website contains sheet music for students to download and play. The sheet music also has accompaniment for students to play along with. The website also contains fingering charts for cellists, technique information, information on how to care for the cello, information on the history of the cello and a page for Christmas music.

Cello Online is a website with specific help for cello students. The website contains sheet music for students to download and play. The sheet music also has accompaniment for students to play along with. The website also contains fingering charts for cellists, technique information, information on how to care for the cello, information on the history of the cello and a page for Christmas music.

Cello Online is a website devoted to the cello. It includes information about cello basics, such as how to set up the cello and start playing the cello, cello fingering charts, cello care, cello practice tips, how to read music, and much more. It also has free sheet music for the cello and exercises specifically for the cello. Finally, it offers a string class that discusses string music throughout history. It is a similar structure to Viola Online, with slight variations in what is offered for the instrument. There is also a link to a store for all these websites for purchases for the instruments.

DonorsChoose is a great place to start looking for additional aid for your classroom. You can pose a project that you need funding for, if its more instruments, books, materials, and/or other resources that you may need, but can't get your district to obtain. It is very easy to use and you create a project where people can find or search and donate their own money to fund. You can have several people donate and you can share your proposal on various forms of social media to help spread the word. The choral teacher and I did a few projects and we were able to get Orff Instruments, Drums, and even Ipods for the kids. You have to follow up with DonorsChoose and send photos and thank you letters from the students to show how you are using the materials in the classroom. It is a perfect way to receive that additional funding for your program.

DonorsChoose is a miracle for programs with little to no budget. You can create an account as an educator and create projects that go towards your classroom. You can ask for anything from Chromebooks to instruments and sheet music. Donors from all over the world can donate and support your classroom. This is the resource that helped me build my band program.

This website offers resources for band directors. This includes concert band, marching band, travel and festival tips, articles and videos, and the website has a discussion board for band directors to ask questions. This is a great resource for all band directors to improve their ability as a music educator.

BandDirector.com is an exhaustive site of information for band directors. The site includes information on concert, marching, and jazz bands, along with individual band instruments. The site also features videos and a webcast.

This website includes an incredible amount of information for music educators. There are interviews with top educators and conductors, live concert webcasts, and many videos and articles about the various instruments.

As a bassoon player I often have people approach me about how I can play such an impossible instrument and how do I recruit? This article is short but has many good thoughts on how to recruit and have success in starting a double reed student. The main sections is how to garner interest to get students to play the instrument, the personality of a double reed player, and how to help students be successful once they've started playing a double reed. There are very helpful links to reed care also.

Not only does the Smart Music Blog offer tips for using Smart Music and its related repertoire, but it also includes practical teaching advice from music educators. These tips include information for new teachers, advice about communicating with parents, instrument technique, curriculum guidance, and more. Information is available for teachers of all grade levels.

The Music Educator Blog is sponsored by Smartmusic and is a place where music teachers can share real-world teaching tips and tricks and receive training. There is also a section spotlighting educators and repertoire. The articles, information and training available on this blog would greatly benefit music teachers as well as their students.

Blog with ideas and resources for you instrumental music classes. Of course has ideas on how to utilize SmartMusic, but also has many ideas on how to switch up rehearsals and keep students engaged.

Steve Weiss is my go-to when buying percussion equipment. This page in particular is a guide to help music directors purchase high-quality percussion instruments if you don't know much or anything about percussion. The list also is split between elementary, middle school, and high school to ensure that you get appropriate instruments for the playing level and budget.