Tag: middle school students
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Wynton Marsalis Teaching Teachers
If I ever need reminding about the struggle of being a band director and why it’s important to do what I do, Wynton Marsalis sums it up in this talk. All of it applicable to those who learn and those who teach.
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Waiting Rooms Ramblings and Trumpet Routine
Having a few opportunities to sit and think while waiting for my kids appointment to end, I have become accustom to letting my mind wonder about all sorts of thing. There is always something that needs to be done, like grading papers, lesson plans, practice mouthpiece buzzing, stick in a practice mute and pray it’s…
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BuzzFeed and Pop Music
It’s not often I get to use BuzzFeed as a reference for my students. But while learning about international pop musicians, I ran across this post from BuzzFeed. I was blown away by a band call Tricot from Japan and G-Dragon from Korea. Some others were super interesting and have now been added to the rotation…
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I Was Feeling This Way Also
Recently I listened to an NPR classical music podcast call Conducting Business. The subject of that talk was related to my blog post Faces At Concerts. During the podcast the host Naomi Lewin facilitated a group discussion about the diversity of both audiences and members of major symphony orchestras in the United States. I’m glad…
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Fun With Tiny Desks
The NPR series Tiny Desk Concerts has been a great source of discovery for me and my students. One of my favorite episodes is from April of 2013. The Omar Sosa & Paolo Fresu duo add a level of freshness to what two musicians can do with a traditional chamber music ensemble. I love this…
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Teaching Modern Music
There are times when I think I’m biting off more than I can chew. However, unlike most things I dread doing this could potentially one of the coolest topics I teach this year. I’ve decided to take on introducing three ideas of modern music composition to middle school students. It give me a chance to…
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Shoe Lace Cinquain
In honor of National Poetry Month, I will provide a poem I composed while on a field trip with my middle school students. Shoelaces Long and slimy Walking, stepping, tying Stuck under my soul Shoelaces Here are some of my favorite poets: Robert Frost, Stephen Dobyns and Langston Hughes
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