Being a first-year teacher is, as I'm sure we all know, daunting and overwhelming, especially for those of us who seek to be the best that we can be for our students. Nonetheless, educator Jim Matthews provides his audience with a concise list of eight habits exhibited by several highly effective band directors, which includes but is not limited to having ensembles play long tones, engage in breathing exercises, and participate in warm-up routines that are both effective and efficient. By adopting each of these eight habits, Matthews is certain that every year of teaching will be nothing short of productive and rewarding.

What better way to involve students--regardless of musical talent and ability--in the music-making experience than to integrate technology into our everyday classroom instruction? Blogger Ethan Hein provides his audience with seven sample lessons that use music technology as the means through which to teach music-specific content; among the examples he provides are assignments for making music with loops, MIDI, and found sound. By adapting any of these lessons for use in our own classrooms, Hein is convinced that we can engage and involve all students in the music-making experience.

Getting students to improvise is sometimes a very tricky task--lending itself as one of the most difficult challenges we face as teachers; however, author Steve Treseler provides a concise list of 10 steps, or strategies, for approaching the aforementioned topic with students, which includes but is not limited to building community through improvised games, choosing a piece that remains in one key center, and teaching all students the melody. By following these 10 easy steps, Treseler is convinced that students will receive the support they need to perform with confidence.

This page lends itself as yet another valuable resource, especially for those whose weakness is teaching students to play by ear. In it, you will find six games that not only seek to refine our students' aural abilities but also serve to make a seemingly tedious task both motivating and fun; among this list are activities like rhythm chain, scale stops, and interval recognition--all of which can and should be implemented in K-12 music classrooms.

How to make accommodations for music students with special needs has always been a topic of conversation; however, as author Mary Rogelstad suggests, we have nothing to fear; among her list of recommended strategies for effective differentiation are items like teaching lessons that appeal to multiple senses and varying the speed of the content, or repertoire, to be learned and performed. As you can see, Rogelstad provides a sort of manual that helps us help our students to reach their maximum potential.

Educator Ken Thompson describes several views or perspectives on balancing an ensemble. By asserting his opinion as well as that of Francis McBeth, he weighs the pros and cons of some of the most common models, including the "Christmas tree pyramid." In short, Thompson uses SBO Magazine as a means through which to discuss the need for teachers to make balance an integral component of their day-to-day instruction.

Educator David Pope aims to provide his audience with effective strategies for selecting repertoire that compliments their ensembles. His list includes but is not limited to setting realistic expectations, knowing the demographics of your ensemble, determining the curricular goals or outcomes to be achieved through the repertoire, and connecting with each student; additional information pertaining to each of these four strategies, especially their impact on the repertoire selection process, has been summarized in the article as well.

This page lends itself as a particularly valuable resource, especially for those whose weakness is intonation. In it, you will find philosophies, phrases, analogies, activities, and what the author terms "common threads" for approaching the aforementioned topic with your students. Among the most popular suggestions are singing, practicing characteristic tone quality, and listening down, or back, to the tuba section--all of which can and should be practiced in the early stages of a student's musical development.

Authors Nicole Springer and Ella Wilcox summarize strategies for effective classroom management in the ensemble classroom. By citing the experiences of former high school orchestra director Gretta Sandburg as well as her tried-and-true teaching methods, they provide their audience with four substantial tools that enable directors to make the most of their students' rehearsals; reading suggestions pertaining to this same topic are also provided at the end of the article and are accompanied by downloadable handouts. 

Educator Seth Gamba provides his audience with a plethora of strategies for teaching rhythm in the ensemble setting. These include but are not limited to repeating exercises and excerpts as well as counting out loud. Most notably, each of the strategies he suggests can be adapted for use in just about any music classroom, including band, orchestra, chorus, and even general music. Therefore, music teachers are sure to find this resource to be particularly valuable, especially in instances where students are beginning to learn about rhythm.