(Meredith Music Resource). A "How-To" guide that no elementary band director should be without, this book covers all aspects of the elementary band program from recruitment through the final concert. Beginning teachers, as well as those with years of experience, will find a wealth of useful information in this handbook. Thirteen chapters include information on the recruitment process, band method books, scheduling and grouping of classes, everyday instrument repairs, grading, selection of elementary band music and solo and ensemble music, ideas for maintaining student interest and becoming an integral part of the school, performance suggestions and area band. An appendix containing sample informational letters, sample concert programs, sample practice cards and more is included. This is a great resource to have on hand when teaching elementary band!

Starting Out Right: Beginning Band Pedagogy is the only complete resource for organizing, planning, and teaching beginning woodwind, brass, and percussion students. The book covers every aspect of teaching beginning band students from the first sounds on the instruments through the first full-band performances. It is the only comprehensive reference that offers step-by-step guidelines for teaching each beginning band instrument, as well as organizing and running a successful beginning band program. Based on the public school teaching experience of the author, the book is designed for use in undergraduate methods and pedagogy classes as well as for clinics and workshops at the undergraduate and graduate levels. This book is also designed to be a reference for the many novice teachers who lead beginning bands or those teachers whose expertise is not in the band realm. While the focus of the book is on teaching beginning band, much of the book can be of use to band instructors at any grade level. The book is divided into several parts, which cover the sound-to-sign-to-theory approach to teaching musical literacy; child development as it relates to teaching music; recruiting and retaining students; developing fundamental sounds and skills on each woodwind, brass, and percussion instrument; teaching students to read tonal and rhythmic music notation; and selecting and rehearsing beginning band solo, ensemble, and full-band music. The book also addresses curriculum design, scheduling, and staffing of band programs. Ideas about managing student records, inventory, and equipment are also given special attention. Written in a casual narrative style, the book features real-world examples of how the principles in the book might be applied to actual teaching situations. Another special feature of the book is a set of early field-experience application exercises. Starting Out Right guides readers as they explore a comprehensive individual and ensemble approach to teaching each woodwind, brass, and percussion instrument.

The magazine for school band and orchestra directors.

(Meredith Music Resource). 12 of the most prominent elementary, middle school, and junior high school band directors in the United States share innovative ideas on program structure, recruitment, and rehearsal strategies for beginning musicians. Through perseverance and creativity, these consummate leaders have continually refined their craft, providing an exceptional experience for their students and redefining the potential of young musicians.

Instrumental Music Education: Teaching with the Theoretical and Practical in Harmony, Fourth Edition, is intended for college instrumental music education majors studying to be band and orchestra directors at the elementary, middle school, and high school levels. Its fundamental goal is to prepare music teachers for the real world, looking at the topics vital to running a successful instrumental music program, while balancing musical, theoretical, and practical approaches. A central theme is the compelling parallel between language and music, including "sound-to-symbol" pedagogies. Understanding this connection improves the teaching of melody, rhythm, composition, and improvisation. Unique to this book is its research-based approach; its overview of a variety of educational sites is more extensive than any similar resource. Its accompanying Instructor and Student Resources include over 120 videos filmed with high school, college, and community concert, pedagogy videos for all wind and string instruments, presented by professional players and teachers. New to this edition: A section on social emotional learning (SEL) An introduction to culturally responsive teaching Additional discussion of teaching composition, improvisation, and creativity Expanded discussion of the advantages, challenges, and philosophies surrounding teaching ensembles other than band and orchestra Many updates and additions throughout the text Offering best practices rooted in experience and clear, balanced coverage of pedagogical, philosophical, and administrative issues, this textbook effectively prepares future band and orchestra instructors to teach at all levels.

From longtime New York Times columnist Bob Herbert comes a wrenching portrayal of ordinary Americans struggling for survival in a nation that has lost its way In his eighteen years as an opinion columnist for The New York Times, Herbert championed the working poor and the middle class. After filing his last column in 2011, he set off on a journey across the country to report on Americans who were being left behind in an economy that has never fully recovered from the Great Recession. The portraits of those he encountered fuel his new book, Losing Our Way. Herbert’s combination of heartrending reporting and keen political analysis is the purest expression since the Occupy movement of the plight of the 99 percent. The individuals and families who are paying the price of America’s bad choices in recent decades form the book’s emotional center: an exhausted high school student in Brooklyn who works the overnight shift in a factory at minimum wage to help pay her family’s rent; a twenty-four-year-old soldier from Peachtree City, Georgia, who loses both legs in a misguided, mismanaged, seemingly endless war; a young woman, only recently engaged, who suffers devastating injuries in a tragic bridge collapse in Minneapolis; and a group of parents in Pittsburgh who courageously fight back against the politicians who decimated funding for their children’s schools. Herbert reminds us of a time in America when unemployment was low, wages and profits were high, and the nation’s wealth, by current standards, was distributed much more equitably. Today, the gap between the wealthy and everyone else has widened dramatically, the nation’s physical plant is crumbling, and the inability to find decent work is a plague on a generation. Herbert traces where we went wrong and spotlights the drastic and dangerous shift of political power from ordinary Americans to the corporate and financial elite. Hope for America, he argues, lies in a concerted push to redress that political imbalance. Searing and unforgettable, Losing Our Way ultimately inspires with its faith in ordinary citizens to take back their true political power and reclaim the American dream.

(Meredith Music Resource). A stimulating collection of unique concepts on teaching and conducting by 57 of today's most outstanding music educators. Contains to-the-point, thought-provoking ideas proven successful by master teacher-conductors. Problem solving tips, philosophical concepts and ensemble-building skills all in one easy-to-read collection. An ideal source of exciting strategies for all levels of performance ensembles. Proceeds from the sale of this book go to The American Music Conference.

Arts Education: A Global Affair highlights the adaptations that arts educators and researchers have undertaken to successfully adjust to the changes in arts education practices as a consequence of the global pandemic and its ongoing variants. Moreover, teaching and research in arts education have changed significantly as a consequence of the world-wide pandemic, COVID-19. Emerging variants have exacerbated the situation and show no signs of subsiding. In response to these challenges, arts educators and researchers have developed new modes of instructional delivery and data collection. These include asynchronous, synchronous, hybrid and bi-modal online learning, and online questionnaires, surveys, focus groups, and video interviews. This volume highlights the adaptations that arts educators and researchers have undertaken to successfully adjust to this new reality in education.