Having enjoyed more than thirty years in choral classrooms, I’ve had lots of experience with what works, and what doesn’t.
Warm Ups Are My Secret Weapon
There’s a lot to get done in one orchestra rehearsal. Time management is always on my mind as I make lesson plans and determine the most effective ways to help my students learn and progress.
8 Back-to-School Orchestra Tips
If you’re anything like me, August brings excitement and anticipation for the new school year. The days before students arrive are a time filled with meetings, trainings, and hopefully some time to yourself to prepare for the coming year.
The Importance of Warm-up Time for Instrumental Teachers
We all know that doing warm ups is important as part of a daily routine for instrumental music teachers. Individual and group warm ups can serve multiple functions that include physical, mental, and technical preparation for rehearsal.
Using Chorales as Orchestra Warm Ups
We’ve all experienced those frustrating days when it takes half the rehearsal to really get going. Choosing a warm-up that requires additional brain cells can help students engage more quickly.
Teach Your Orchestra to Improvise
While there was a time when improvisation was seen as nonessential to string education, today most teachers agree that they would like to incorporate improvisation into their classrooms.
Embracing Similarities #2: What Orchestras Can Learn From Bands
Many commonalities exist between the band and orchestra, yet an unnecessary divide can develop between the two. In our previous post, we began to bridge this gap by looking at what bands can learn from orchestras.
Empowering the Fourth Finger in Beginning String Instruction
Do your students seem to find a thousand creative ways to thwart your attempts to get them to use their fourth finger?
A Short Guide to Successful String Instrument Rentals
[Editor’s Note: The following post is intended as a resource for parents of first year orchestra students. Feel free to link to this post in your communications with parents and students.]
Renting, rather than purchasing, a string instrument can be a wise decision.
Recruiting and Developing Violists in your School Orchestra
While teaching viola is slightly different than teaching the other string instruments, it’s not more difficult. Below are a few suggestions for helping the school orchestra teacher develop violists, including recruitment ideas, technical assistance, and ways to fully engage violists in rehearsals – and your program.