Archive for the 'Teacher Resources' Category

Percussion Preservation: Basic Care & Maintenance

Published May 8, 2023 Band , General , How To Articles , music education , orchestra , Teacher Resources Leave a Comment
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Music rooms sometimes contain tens of thousands of dollars’ worth of percussion equipment. Maintenance can feel overwhelming, but it’s worth it to protect your school’s investment!

The good news: basic care can be outsourced to students. At the end of each semester, your section leader and players can oversee most of these tasks. 

First, dust everything with microfiber cloths, but don’t use cleaning chemicals. Keep a supply of cotton swabs on hand for dusty nooks & crannies!  After everything is dust-free, go through this checklist.

Keyboard Instruments

  • Check cord between bars for worn or fraying spots
  • Play each bar to check for issues

Timpani

  • Check heads for damage, replace if needed
  • Check lowest pitch on each drum (32” D, 29” F, 26” Bb, 23” D, 20” F) and adjust if necessary
  • Store with pedal toe down

Snare Drums

  • Check top & bottom heads for damage, replace if needed
  • Check top & bottom heads for even tension, tune if needed
  • Dust snares with a soft brush (toothbrush or other)
  • Check cord on snares for wear & replace if needed
  • Check snare tension in on position & adjust if needed
  • Store with snares off

Cymbals

There’s some debate among percussionists about if cymbals should be kept as new or allowed to age with patina. If you choose to clean yours, here are some tips:

  • Wipe down your cymbals regularly with microfiber to keep dust and oils from building up
  • Fill a shallow tub large enough to fit your cymbal with 50% white vinegar, 50% water. 
  • Allow the cymbal to soak 30-60 minutes
  • Clean the cymbal with a brush, scrubbing in the direction of the grooves
  • Rinse and dry with a clean cloth
  • Store covered (or in a cymbal bag for long-term)

When your equipment has been cleaned and checked, cover everything. Manufacturer covers are great if you have them, but if you don’t, use sheets/lightweight blankets. Cover your drum set too! Covering after daily use makes a big difference in the fight against dust AND covered instruments are much less tempting for visitors to touch.

Don’t forget to check your storage for mallets and auxiliary instruments in need of repair or replacement, and vacuum dirt out of your storage drawers! 

Store all percussion instruments away from HVAC vents or radiators. If you have instruments with calfskin or other natural heads, make sure you consult the manufacturer’s care instructions.

If you have questions, consult a nearby percussionist band director, or a percussion faculty member at a local university – they’re usually happy to help, and you can get expert help with specific issues.

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Showcase Your Strings: 13 great pieces for recruitment and demonstration concerts

Published March 23, 2023 Contemporary Composers , General , music education , orchestra , Teacher Resources Leave a Comment
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Curated by Kathryn Griesinger-Parrish, Orchestral Editor at Carl Fischer Music

Guests & Soloists

Include a beloved teacher or principal when hosting a recruiting event.

Concerto for Triangle

by Mike Hannickel

This easy piece cleverly features a triangle ‘soloist’…who keeps missing their cue. Until the very end, that is! Guaranteed to elicit giggles from young students.

Guest Soloist

by Richard Meyer

This time, a ‘volunteer’ is given a violin with just 2 strings (or substitute any instrument), and the ‘soloist’ is cued in by taps on the shoulder by the conductor. A great opportunity for audience participation.

One Bow Concerto

by Richard Meyer

See what happens when a violinist, violist, and cellist are soloing with a pizzicato orchestral accompaniment…but there is only one bow for all to share! Bonus points for getting to hear most orchestral instruments solo.

Section features

Put every instrument in the spotlight.

Eclipse

by Caryn Wiegand Neidhold

This grade 2 piece includes optional drumset and the opportunity for every instrument section to play a solo (or section soli) by playing either the notated solo, or improving their own as the rest of the orchestra vamps in the background.

Instant Recruiting Concert

arr. Bob Phillips

This made-for-recruitment medley begins with familiar classical melodies, then offers instrument solo opportunities using fun tunes like The Pink Panther and The Flintstones. To finish, the orchestra combines for a grand finale of themes from movies like Star Wars and Harry Potter. Optional narration is provided to guide the audience through the various instrument sections.

Three Buccaneers

by Kathryn Griesinger

To hear every instrument, this piece gives every section of the orchestra its own theme: Violins, Violas, and Cellos/Basses. Each section can be demonstrated by playing a few measures of “their theme” before performing the entire piece.

Everyone’s Guide to the String Orchestra

by Camille Saint-Saens/arr. Douglas E. Wagner

If your recruitment theme is an instrument “petting zoo” then this arrangement of melodies from “The Carnival of the Animals” is a perfect fit. Cellos are featured in “The Swan,” violas in “Lion’s Royal March,” basses play the “The Elephant,” and violins bring the piece to a joyous conclusion with “Finale.”

Pop & Movie Hits

Get their attention with music they already know and love.

John Williams Trilogy

arr. Calvin Custer

Get several of the most recognizable movie themes in one medley! Tunes include Star Wars Main Title and End Credits, Theme from “Jurassic Park,” and Raiders March. This medium-level arrangement will require a little more rehearsal preparation and the piano and percussion parts add terrific energy, if you have the players.

Pirates of Caribbean (Easy Level)

arr. Paul Lavender

Pirates never go out of style and this easy-to-put-together arrangement captures all the swashbuckling fun of being in orchestra.

Great Themes from TV and Movies

arr. Bob Cerulli

Everyone loves cartoons and this arrangement combines the Batman Theme, Scooby-Doo, Where Are You?, and (Meet) The Flintstones.

Power Rock

arr. Michael Sweeney

For those last-minute performances, rock the house with this super-easy mash-up of Another One Bites the Dust and We Will Rock You.

Sunflower (from “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse”)

arr. Michael Story (Alfred)

This easy to play pop hit will be familiar to all ages.

Viva la Vida

Coldplay, arr. Larry Moore

Lighten the mood with an upbeat and familiar melody that brings all the good vibes.

Last-Minute Favorites

Tried-and-true pieces are fun and easy for most ensembles to perform with minimal rehearsal time, and may likely already be in your library.

Rock Riffs/Soon Hee Newbold
Ninja/Richard Meyer
Metallurgy/Doug Spata
Dragonhunter/Richard Meyer
Beyond the Thunder/Deborah Baker Monday
Double Trouble/Lauren Bernofsky

Kathryn (Griesinger) Parrish received her B.A. (cello) and M.M. (music education) degrees from the University of Akron, where she later taught string pedagogy courses as adjunct faculty. She taught orchestra in Ohio and Florida private and public schools for 15 years, while freelancing as an arranger and cellist for various ensembles. She also writes commissioned works and sight-reading music for regional music festivals. Kathryn currently works for Carl Fischer Music as an orchestra editor.

Easy Advocacy: Proactive Steps to Promote Your School Music Program

Published March 3, 2023 Band , choral , General , How To Articles , marketing tips , music education , orchestra , Teacher Resources Leave a Comment
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Advocacy can feel like one more thing on an overfilled plate, but communicating with our administrators and communities is key to healthy school music programs. 

These easy tips create little or no extra work for you – they capitalize on what you’re already doing.

Delegate tasks that don’t require your expertise

Utilize your parent and student leaders! You do not need to be in charge of taking concert photos, writing social media posts, and updating websites.  

Cast a net for parents and older students who are into social media or marketing.  Tell them what you’d like to see, make sure they’re aware of media permissions with student photos, then turn them loose. 

Find someone who likes to write. Ask them to do a monthly or even quarterly email newsletter or press release for your local paper. It can include things you’re already keeping records on, like festival results, honors ensemble participation, and upcoming events. Use a template for consistency!

Invite everybody to take a look under the hood

Invite your instructional coaches, curriculum directors, and superintendents to your classroom – especially those who don’t have a musical background. These people make district-level decisions, and they all need to know what happens in your class. 

For best results, meet with them for 10 minutes before they join your rehearsal to talk about your goals for the day, the standards or learning targets you’ll aim to hit, and the techniques you’ll use to achieve results. Speak their language, and they’ll be amazed at all you accomplish in 40 minutes.


If you’re doing something big (working with a composer on a commission, performing at a state convention) invite your administrators and your elected officials. The mayor, school board members, state-level legislators. They love being seen in the community, and they can feature your ensemble’s accomplishments on their social channels.

Plant your kids in the community

Your program’s visibility in the community is a crucial asset, but it doesn’t have to be all the kids, all the time. A lunchtime picnic concert downtown is great, but it’s a lot of moving parts. Think higher quantity, but smaller scale. 

That crew of 4 friends who love to play together? Have them put together some carols and head to assisted living communities in December. Student council members in class? Ask them if there are some volunteer opportunities where music kids can represent the group. 

A few students who attend church together? Ask them to prepare something to play at services. A parent with free time and a van? Ask if they’d spearhead a concert food drive to represent the music program. 

Any local project that needs volunteers – send a few band kids.  

Then (and don’t forget this part) hand that off to your social media person and make sure it’s blasted all over. Make sure they tag whatever business or organization they’re working with, and watch the ripples grow.

Start now

Take one step today, even if it’s a small one. Don’t wait until there’s a job or entire program on the line to start advocating. 

With these measures in place, your community and your leaders will already see the positive impact your program has on the kids and the community. They’ll value it not just for what students learn, but for the people they’re becoming. They’ll be ready to fight for it. 

Rockschool: A Complete Beginners Guide

Published June 24, 2021 General , Learn to Play , Methods , music education , New Releases , Teacher Resources Leave a Comment
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RSL Awards Academic Director Tim Bennett-Hart takes us through everything Rockschool

Rockschool is part of RSL Awards, an international awarding body based in London, UK. For the last 30 years we have been producing material to help people learn musical instruments and assess their progress.

What’s more it really works! Artists such as Ed Sheeran, Jess Glyn, and Wolf Alice have all taken RSL Awards qualifications and gone on to have incredible careers.

It’s not just for super stars. RSL Awards assess over 80,000 people each year across 50 countries – this is a world-wide community of creative people.






What’s in a Book

A typical book like Electric Guitar Level 3 contains – 6 full transcriptions of hit songs, 6 original songs, backing tracks and example audio to download, scales and technical exercises for the level.

Nirvana – Smells Like Teen Spirit
Ike & Tina Turner – Proud Mary
Taylor Swift – I Knew You Were Trouble
Ed Sheeran – Thinking Out Loud
Bryan Adams – Summer of ’69
Otis Redding – (Sittin’ On) The Dock Of The Bay


Continue reading ‘Rockschool: A Complete Beginners Guide’

Edition Peters: Piano, Pedagogy, Studies and the Influence of Carl Czerny

Published February 26, 2021 classical , Methods , piano , Repertoire , Teacher Resources Leave a Comment
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Guest post by Christian A. Pohl, Professor of Piano and Piano Methodology, Head of Piano Department, University of Music and Theatre ‘Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy’ Leipzig 

The start of the nineteenth century saw a seismic shift in the world of domestic keyboard playing as the piano rapidly displaced the harpsichord and clavichord as the instrument of choice in homes across Europe. Seizing on this new opportunity, a series of piano instruction methods were swiftly published, followed by methods and studies over subsequent generations that covered the rudiments of piano playing, technique and performance practice. A huge number of these studies are represented in the Edition Peters Piano Catalogue.

Major names in the field of piano pedagogy were quickly established – including Beyer, Burgmüller, Hanon and Clementi – but it was one who followed behind them that arguably defined the shape of piano pedagogy for generations to come. Indeed, even today – nearly 200 years after this educational “meteorite” first struck the German-speaking piano world – the waves of his impact are still being felt. There is no getting around Carl Czerny when it comes to pianistic exercises or didactic approaches to building a virtuoso pianist.

Carl Czerny
Continue reading ‘Edition Peters: Piano, Pedagogy, Studies and the Influence of Carl Czerny’

Save The Music Foundation: Helping Students, Schools and Communities Reach Their Full Potential through the Power of Making Music

Published November 10, 2020 General , music education , Music in Community , nonprofits , Teacher Resources Leave a Comment
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In 1997, John Sykes, one of the original MTV/VH1 executives, spent a day as principal at a school in Brooklyn. He was shocked to see that the school’s instruments were being held together with gaffer tape and that the entire music program was at risk. In response, he helped mobilize a pro-social initiative at VH1, which quickly gained steam as it became apparent that many more music programs across the country were being deprioritized with severe budget cuts or even eliminated.

Soon thereafter, Save The Music became its own independent 501c3 public charity. Since then, Save The Music has donated more than $60 million worth of new musical instruments, equipment and technology to 2201 schools in 277 school districts across 42 states, Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia, improving the lives of millions of children throughout the United States.

Here’s how Save The Music partners with local communities and school districts to build sustainable music programs:

  • Investing in schools: Save The Music donates instruments, music technology and other equipment to jumpstart public school music programs.
  • Supporting teachers: Save The Music supports music teachers with professional development, ongoing program support and other resources.
  • Advocating for music education: Save The Music advocates at the local, state and national levels to ensure music is part of a well-rounded education.
Continue reading ‘Save The Music Foundation: Helping Students, Schools and Communities Reach Their Full Potential through the Power of Making Music’

The Sphinx Organization: Transforming Lives through the Power of Diversity in the Arts

Published November 6, 2020 General , music education , Music in Community , nonprofits , Teacher Resources 1 Comment
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The Sphinx Organization is the social justice organization dedicated to transforming lives through the power of diversity in the arts. Sphinx’s four program areas – Education & Access, Artist Development, Performing Artists, and Arts Leadership – form a pipeline that develops and supports diversity and inclusion in classical music at every level:

  • Music education
  • Artists performing on stage
  • Repertoire and programming
  • Communities represented in audiences
  • Artistic and administrative leadership

Sphinx was founded in 1997 by violinist Aaron P. Dworkin with the goal of addressing the underrepresentation of people of color in classical music. The name Sphinx, inspired by the mythical creature and legendary statue, reflects the power, wisdom and persistence that characterize Sphinx’s participants, as well as the enigmatic and interpretive nature of music and art.

Now led by President and Artistic Director Afa S. Dworkin, Sphinx programs reach more than 100,000 students and artists as well as live and broadcast audiences of more than 2 million annually.

Here’s a brief overview of all the work the Sphinx Organization does. Click on each link to navigate through the article and learn more!

And watch two of its finest professional ensembles in a moving performance from Sphinx’s virtual gala in October here:

Continue reading ‘The Sphinx Organization: Transforming Lives through the Power of Diversity in the Arts’

Pathway to Success: How to Give Every Student an Opportunity for Leadership & Create a Culture of Excellence

Published October 30, 2020 Band , General , Methods , orchestra , Teacher Resources Leave a Comment
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Understanding that teaching band is as much about teaching students to work together as it is about teaching them to learn musical skills individually, the team behind the much-loved Habits series, which includes such titles as Habits of a Successful Band Director, takes on the broader subject of leadership in Pathway to Success, which helps develop leadership skills in every student in a class and includes a focus on emotional health that has been especially helpful for teachers during COVID.

Authors Scott Rush and Tim Lautzenheiser also host a free Zoom community on Sunday evenings to support teachers implementing the Pathway to Success method in their classrooms. Read more and register below!

“To borrow a phrase: All children have talents, however, not all children have opportunity and encouragement. Pathway to Success by Tim Lautzenheiser and Scott Rush describes in detail the ‘how’ and provides that encouragement young people need to overcome any reservations and reluctance they may have to step forward and become a leader! History is full of examples of shy and timid youngsters who responded to a challenge and rose to greatness as a leader. This book is invaluable for any age! Leadership by example. Pathway to Success. I wish it was available when I was a student. Tim and Scott nailed it!”

– Richard Crain, President of The Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic
Continue reading ‘Pathway to Success: How to Give Every Student an Opportunity for Leadership & Create a Culture of Excellence’

Tchaikovsky Body Tag: A (Remote) Music Class Activity for Children

Published October 23, 2020 Distance Learning , General , Music 101 , music education , Social Distancing , Teacher Resources Leave a Comment
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This spring, Mark Burrows (a.k.a. “Mister Mark”) put together a few distance-learning resources called Classics Come Alive to support music instruction while many school buildings were closed. This is one of our favorites!

We know how hard you’re working to stay connected with your students. And we have all discovered some of the benefits and limitations of technology and “virtual classrooms.” Heritage Music Press wanted to help. Classics Come Alive features some of the great stories from classical music. But they’re not “sit still ‘n’ listen” stories. Each short story invites students to be not just attentive listeners, but active participants. Even better, there are no materials needed, no props, no set-up, no prep-time. All that’s needed is you and your students!

Today’s story is Tchaikovsky Body Tag.

Heritage Music Press has provided the script and a video of Mark sharing the story. Use it as a model to make your own video, or if that seems like too much right now, let Mister Mark bring the story to life with your kiddos.

Continue reading ‘Tchaikovsky Body Tag: A (Remote) Music Class Activity for Children’

Frank Sikora’s Jazz Harmony: The Best-Selling Practical Approach to Jazz Now Available in English

Published September 25, 2020 General , Learn to Play , Methods , Practice & Performance , Repertoire , Teacher Resources Leave a Comment
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“There is no truth in theory – only in music!”

Frank Sikora

That’s Frank Sikora‘s creed.

Frank Sikora is also in charge of the theory department and the Master’s program in Jazz Composition & Arrangement at the University of the Arts Bern and is the author of a best-selling and widely acclaimed jazz theory book, Neue Jazz-Harmonielehre, that is now available in English: Jazz Harmony: Think – Listen – Play – A Practical Approach.

While this coincidence might seem puzzling or even contradictory at first, it is exactly what lends Sikora’s approach the nuance and balance to successfully bridge the gap between theory and practice. In Jazz Harmony: Think – Listen – Play – A Practical Approach, Sikora sets out to mold musicians who can adapt to anything, regardless of how novel and unexpected it may be. To achieve this, he establishes a close relationship between theory, the ear and our instrument, forging a dialogue between theory and spontaneity that helps musicians connect with music both intuitively and analytically.

Continue reading ‘Frank Sikora’s Jazz Harmony: The Best-Selling Practical Approach to Jazz Now Available in English’

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