Spring break has come and gone, and while the respite from the day-to-day happenings of middle school is much appreciated, it is tough to quiet the band director’s brain and not look to the final weeks of school ahead.
April 2025 Repertoire Update
We’re back with another round of exciting updates to the MakeMusic Cloud library! Whether you’re planning your next performance or just looking for something new to practice, there’s plenty to discover in this month’s additions.
Majors, Minors, & Modes, Oh My!
Scales are a musician’s vocabulary. Scales allow instrumentalists to connect with their instruments, just like learning to read connects the child to the world around them.
March 2025 Repertoire Update
We’re excited to share a new wave of musical selections to elevate your performances and practice sessions.
The ULTIMATE Concert Checklist for Music Teachers
Planning and organizing concert events is part of every music educator’s job description, whether you are a gifted event planner or not.
Music for the Holidays
As the season approaches, now is the perfect time to prepare for your December concerts! Browse holiday music for concert band, orchestra, jazz ensemble, and choir that is available in MakeMusic Cloud with these playlists full of holiday cheer.
Power Up! Beginning Percussionists Success on Keyboard Instruments
Before even tackling how to approach and play the instrument, students need to know their notes on the staff (both treble and bass clefs!) and where they fall on the keyboard.
Power Up! French Horn Tone
Horn is such a versatile instrument, thus the concept of characteristic tone is actually quite situationally dependent. But for our purposes as teachers, horn sound should be really round, warm, open and resonant.
Power Up! Creating a Resonant Sound: Starting Your Clarinet Students Off Right!
Who doesn’t love a dark, rich, and vibrant clarinet sound? It’s a beautiful instrument, and when our clarinet section sounds amazing, our band does too!
Power Up! Percussion Accessories Fundamentals
In the middle and high school setting so much time is devoted to the teaching of snare drum, timpani and the keyboard instruments that the proper techniques needed to play some of the smaller percussion instruments are often neglected or overlooked.