Digital Musicking

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.

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.

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.

The purpose of iReal Pro is to provide a simple yet high-quality practice resource for musicians. The application creates a customizable and realistic sounding accompanying tracks especially useful for practicing improvisation or jazz standards. Chord charts are used to create backing tracks in a variety of musical styles which can be transposed at the push of a button. The application is inexpensive and can be used on all mobile devices and on Mac OS. Currently it is not available for Windows (but can be used on android devices).

The FAME website provides information on the pedagogical approach advocated by John Feierabend, lesson resources, FAQ's, as well as locations for trainings and additional publications. There are thorough explanations on the First Steps in Music and Conversational Solfege curricula developed by Dr. Feierabend for those who want to learn more or want to advocate for his methodology. A thorough explanation of the musical content and learning objectives (tuneful, beatful, artful) are also available. A podcast hosted by Dr. Feierabend himself is available to members. Some services, like teacher resources, are also only available to members but have incredibly valuable.

Music K8 is a publication company that provides resources (physical and digital) for elementary/general music teachers. Most of the musical content is organized and packaged around various themes, such as seasons or holidays. There is also a magazine (for teachers) that is published quarterly containing a variety of repertoire and high quality mp3 accompaniment tracks. Individual songs can also be previewed and purchased digitally.

This website is used to help me find new repertoire to work on with my students. Teaching concepts through pieces of music is important even at the younger level. This resource helps me find music for all ages in my school.

Music Graphics Galore contains a plethora of free musical visuals, in various formats. Some icons also have animations in GIF format. These resources allow, especially for elementary, music teachers to add exciting musical visuals (borders, notes, instruments etc.) to anything they need. Icons which accompany musical content are useful in performance and responding music activities.

Database of music graphics for use in posters, worksheets, and non commercial websites. Searchable by instrument and musical element.

Audacity is an audio editing tool used to alter recordings and export them into various formats. Used as an educational tool students are able to record, edit, and add digital effects to recordings to remix or compose creative musical products. Music educators may also find it valuable for editing recordings of performances or demonstrating the properties of sound. In order to export a song file to MP3 additional instillation steps are required, see the FAQ for more information.

The Singing Classroom is a paid subscription that provides video lesson plans and digital resources for elementary music teachers PK3-5th Grade. Each song displays the musical content and focus of the lesson. The website allows you to search with a variety of options ranging from grade level, musical content, and even theme. The video tutorials expertly guide teachers (or substitutes) on how to teach the lesson.

Music teacher website, can search to find repertoire that suits needs.

Teoria is a website that assists students with learning music theory. The website offers tutorials about note reading, chords, form, harmonic functions, and scales. Additionally, there are exercises to practice ear training, as well as written theory. Finally, the website has a reference section that has a glossary of music terms and accompanying definitions.

This website is much like musictheory.net, as it offers tutorials, references, and articles to supplement teaching. It also offers exercises, where students can practice what they learn and can be assessed using these tools.

Teoria is another extensive online resource that can be used by teachers of all levels and fields of music education. It provides detailed lessons that touch on basic music theory concepts and even extend into more advanced topics like fundamentals of composition. Educators can also make use of different ear training exercises that are available as well as various music related articles.

This is a great resource for any percussionist looking to improve or refine their rudiments. Vic Firth has put together a website that includes demonstration videos, play-along tracks at different tempi, and lessons for each rudiment. As a non-percussionist, this website helps my percussionists with rudiments more than I can.

This link is the Vic Firth page over the 40 Essential Rudiments for snare drum. Vic Firth is a fantastic resource for anything percussion, but their rudiment page is my favorite because it breaks down each rudiment for the students and they demonstrate each rudiment open-closed-open. This is a great resource to to send with students so they are sure to practice rudiments correctly on their own.

The JLCO has a series of videos available for students to learn virtually from members of the band. The media library includes numerous videos about warming up, comping, blues, and jazz history.

An incredible TED talk by Benjamin Zander discussing how music has the power to impact all listeners. He takes the audience on a journey of how music is more than just sound and how everyone has the capacity to appreciate classical music.

An online magazine that reviews music education related books, interviews composers, publishes articles about best practices, and offers technology resources.

This video is a glance into the world of hip-hop producers and how the genre was and is inspired by jazz. It can serve as a great starting point for an NTM class that is looking to start a composition task and provide inspiration to students.

Musical Online has a pedagogy page dedicated to resources and support for learning a new instrument, particularly as an adult. There are links to external sites for guitar, piano, voice, and drum lessons include Flowkey, Musical U, Free Drum Lessons, and Justin's Website (guitar resource).

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.

Band World Magazine online is a magazine that encompasses everything Band. It has articles that relate to every thing Band directors deal with and encounter every day. There are areas that you can only look at if you are a subscriber, but there are also free options as well.

This is the homepage for Drum Corp International. This can be used for all marching instructors during marching season. It can can also be used to promote what DCI. Students can utilize the website as well for audition information or performance attendance.

I use this for my marching band students so they can access local shows and for audition information.

This site serves as the primary hub of information for anything dealing with drum and bugle corps (competition schedules, show announcements, new developments within the organization, etc.). DCI serves as a model for many competitive marching programs around the world, especially those who participate in the Bands of America circuit. Educators can access short video clips to show students are access posts that can inform the development of their own programs.

This is a great website for all jazz piano players. This is for the beginning jazz pianist or the experienced. It takes the reader/ student through a series of lessons that are chronological in nature. There are links to blogs and products that can help any level of piano player. The videos explaining jazz concepts are well laid out and very educational.

This website offers jazz tutorial videos for jazz pianists. It offers a beginners course where it outlines the basics and slowly increases the difficulty level. Coaching videos are available on a variety of skills and topics

This website is a great resource for learning to play jazz piano. It offers coaching and beginner courses. The site also provides professional development and support for educators.