September 20, 2011
The key to starting the new school year on the right note lies in preparation, and it seems that every educator has his or her own unique methods for getting the most out of the first few days of school, while also setting the tone for year-long success. To probe a little deeper into the specifics of exactly what music educators around the country are doing to start the year off right, and what they’re excited or worried about for this coming school year, SBO sent out this reader survey in early August.
Hendorsonville High School is a music powerhouse in North Carolina. Despite having only 630 students in the school, more than 130 of them (around 25 percent of the student body) participate in the music department, including the current student body president, the starting quarterback of the football team (a clarinetist), eight members of the state champion-soccer team, cheerleaders, and a number of other athletes. In fact, over 80 percent of Hendersonville’s band members participate in at least one sport.
Here we are facing the start of the new year: new hopes, new dreams, new goals for you and your students. It means planning your programs, selecting your music, getting your lesson plans arranged, reviewing your student roster, instrumentation or vocal range and… planning your advocacy activities!
Whether building one’s first student workstation or thinking of updating or adding to existing modules, it’s a good idea to enlist the help of a solid music technology specialist. I recently talked with a few music tech experts who have offered great advice and suggestions for designing and building music workstations
Here are both standard and new selections that would be great for the next holiday concert. The difficulty range is mostly grade 3 and 4, and some of the works are available for either orchestra or band.
