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Professional Development

TEACHING TIPS

SELF CARE

MASTER EDUCATOR COLLECTIVE

CONFERENCES

Marches Aren’t Boring — They’re Just Honest

When you pull out a march, be ready to deal with the groan heard ’round the band room, but you’ll be able to discern rhythm, tuning and articulation issues immediately.

My Professional Development Wish List

Most mandatory in-service sessions that I’ve attended would be great if I taught math or English, but as a music teacher, I’m left wanting. Don’t despair, find your tribe — a group of music educators — to share hacks, tips and war stories.

When Kids Quit Band

What do you do when you receive the dreaded “we’re-not-coming-back” email? As hard as it may be, you just have to let them go.

School band practicing outside.

FOOTBALL AND BAND: A MATCH MADE IN HEAVEN?

Build teamwork and collaboration within your music program and throughout your campus community by working with athletic coaches and spirit team directors.

Young female cellist playing.

REDUCING PERFORMANCE ANXIETY

How can we help our students deal with nerves and anxiety before a concert, competition or performance?

Teaching Tips

Looking for new – or new to you – ideas? Check out these teaching tips.

CHECK OUT TIPS

Metacognition in the Music Classroom

Help students become more aware of their thinking process as they assess their performance to become independent musicians.

Rehearsal Shouldn’t Be a Punishment

You don’t have to run your classroom like a drill sergeant to get positive results.

Use Fusion to Engage Students

Combine two or more genres of music to bridge the gap between music your students know and the realms of classical, jazz and world music.

Apple sitting on stack of books with nearby stack of ABCs spelled in blocks.

The ABCs of Classroom Management

These 26 tips will help you connect with your students and make your music class run smoother.

Computer mouse on top of sheet music.

Try this Creative Composition Activity

Ignite creativity with this lesson, which teaches composing and arranging as well as sight reading.

Teacher showing student how to play trombone.

Practice Effectively: Go Slow to Go Fast

Help students play music at a high level with slow practice and gradual increases in music difficulty.

Self-Care

Sharing your expertise and encouraging the next generation of musicians takes a toll. Some ideas for self-care here.

BROWSE SELF-CARE

When Kids Quit Band

What do you do when you receive the dreaded “we’re-not-coming-back” email? As hard as it may be, you just have to let them go.

6 Mistakes New Teachers Make

Give yourself time to settle into your job as a music educator and stop fixing things that aren’t broken.

You Don’t Owe Social Media Anything

Visibility online is not the same as value in your classroom, so focus on music-making not creating content.

Why Patience Wins Over Panic

It’s easy to think that kids don’t care, but with patience, repetition, praise and steady leadership, you’ll notice positive change.

Master Educator Collective

Experience. Commitment. Expertise. Meet these educators and learn more about what makes them masters of their craft.

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Meet Yamaha Master Educator Dana Sedatole

From serving as a head band director teaching beginning 6th grade instrumentalists to addressing the needs of over 20,000 music educators as president of the Texas Music Educators Association, Dana Pradervand-Sedatole has done it all! Her methodology of keeping fundamentals at the core of her teaching has led her students to become more responsible for […]

Meet Yamaha Master Educator Dr. Sarah McKoin

Dr. Sarah McKoin is a passionate educator dedicated to discovering art at any level of performance. She serves as the Director of Bands and Division Chair of Conducting and Ensembles at Texas Tech where she oversees all facets of the University band program, including four concert bands and two athletic bands as well as mentoring […]

Meet Yamaha Master Educator Dr. Dennis Llinas

Vitality! Fervor! Passion! Understanding! Dr. Dennis Llinás doesn’t hide his emotional investment in anything that he does. As an educator, conductor, and composer, Dennis deems music to enrich the lives of everyone involved in the music-making experience … not only the music-makers but the audience members through inventive and engaging programming. He approaches his life’s […]

Conferences

ASTA, MEAs, MTNA and PASIC – find out about these and other conferences for music educators here.

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