The Midwest Clinic takes place December 16-18, 2026 at McCormick Place West, and is one of the leading instrumental music education conferences in the world.
Curriculum Planning with MakeMusic
You already know the job description doesn’t capture half of it.
Yes, you’re a music educator, but you’re also a counselor, mediator, mentor, coach, cheerleader, schedule-juggler, and, on some days, a miracle worker.
Your Guide to The Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic
The Midwest Clinic takes place December 16-18, 2026, and even though it is already August, it’s never too early to start planning your Midwest trip!
Start the School Year Strong: How These MakeMusic Cloud Features Save Hours on Back-to-School Prep
Welcome back teachers and directors! The start of a new school year is filled with energy and excitement, but let’s be honest, it can also be filled with administrative hurdles.
From Zero to 100+ Instrumentalists: How Kim Rosenbaum Built a Thriving Music Program in the Center of Brooklyn
When Kimberly Rosenbaum walked into P.S. 197, The King’s Highway Academy, in central Brooklyn six years ago, she was met with an ambitious goal from her administration: build an instrumental music program from scratch.
Still Doing Manual Grading and Tracking? Here’s How to Optimize
You got into teaching music because you love music. You love the moment a section finally locks in on a chord, the look on a student’s face when a tough passage clicks, the energy of a great rehearsal.
Easy Challenges for Advanced Students (No Extra Lesson Plan Required)
You know this student. First chair, self-taught half the time, finished the assignment before you were done explaining it. Maybe a perfectionist about it too: never satisfied, hard on themselves over every missed note.
Surviving Marching Season: Classroom Systems for Directors
From late August to mid-November, a band director works two full-time jobs. There’s the field job: rehearsals after school, Friday nights in the stadium, Saturdays at district competitions or a Regional.
Bridging the Equity Gap: How Thornton Middle School Replicates Private Lessons and Overcomes IT Roadblocks in a Title I Setting
For under-resourced band programs, the playing field can often feel uneven. In a lower socioeconomic status (SES) environment, expensive private lessons are rarely the norm.
From the List to the Stage: Preparing MPA Repertoire with MakeMusic Cloud
The assignment is written into the rules: a march of your choice, plus two selections from the Official NCBA Concert Band MPA Music List, drawn from the same or adjacent grade levels.