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.
Reaching the Quiet Music Student Who Never Raises a Hand
You know this student, though “know” is a funny word for it, because they’ve made a quiet art out of not being noticed.
How to Support Music Students with Differentiated Needs
You know this student, too. Maybe there’s an IEP in the file, or a learning difference that never got a formal name, or a home situation that makes “practice 20 minutes a night” a nonstarter through no fault of their own.
Building a Community, One Voice at a Time
Teacher Pain Point: “I don’t have the budget, the venue, or a massive feeder program to build a thriving music department.”
When Chelsey Sweatman walked into Bridgetown Middle School 12 years ago, the choir program was practically non-existent.
Why the Student Practice Experience Matters and How MakeMusic Helps
You spend your days in the room with your students modeling tone, correcting posture, building ensemble skills, and doing the hundred other things that make you a great director.
Level Up Your Sight-Singing: Introducing Sing at First Sight Templates
Sight-singing is one of the most important skills for any singer to develop, and often one of the most intimidating.
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.
5 MakeMusic Cloud Features Teachers Say Saved Their Year: Straight From The Survey
There’s a reason music educators are a breed set apart. The before-school sectionals, the late-night concert prep, the sheer love of the craft that keeps you coming back every school year.
How to Win Over Your Least Motivated Music Students
You know this student, too. They’re not a bad kid; they’re just unconvinced. The instrument goes in the case in October and doesn’t come back out unless you’re standing right there.
Why Students Still Aren’t Practicing (and What the Research Says Actually Works)
You already know the feeling. You plan an incredible rehearsal, you give clear assignments, you send students home with everything they need, and then Monday rolls around and it’s like the music evaporated over the weekend.