How To Help Your Child Set Goals For Practice
Musicians love to play, but when it comes to practice, it can sometimes feel a bit elusive.We know that practice is key to growth as a musician, but there are times when it can feel like we’re not making progress,…
How To Support Your Child Through Musical Setbacks and Frustration
Learning how to play an instrument is a process that takes time and effort, but is ultimately extremely rewarding and produces the joy of making music. As musicians, we will face challenges and setbacks. While these setbacks can be frustrating, they…
Balancing Music With Other Activities: Finding the Right Amount of Practice Time
It can be challenging as a parent to help your child navigate all of their interests and activities. We know that music is a valuable activity. There have been many studies done that show that music is beneficial in so many ways…
Supporting Your Child’s Tone: Simple Tips For Better Sound
Are you new to playing a string instrument?Perhaps your child has just begun learning a string instrument.As you listen to them practice you might find yourself wondering how you can best support the development of their sound. Some issues with a…
Tips for Developing Strong Posture When Playing a String Instrument
Playing a string instrument is a physical activity and requires us to be mindful of our bodies when playing. Developing good posture helps students play better, avoid discomfort, and prevent potential injuries. As a teacher, I know that it…
Understanding the Basics of the String Family
Perhaps your child has started showing an interest in playing a string instrument. Maybe their school has sent home information highlighting the different string instruments they can study, but you’re not sure what each instrument is about or which one might…
Music Ice-Breakers for the Beginning of the School Year
It is mid-August right now and the beginning of the school year is quickly approaching. We as music educators know how important it is to cultivate a positive community at the start of the year. This includes setting a positive and…
7 Pieces Students Love for Intermediate – Middle School Orchestra
It can be challenging choosing the right music for an ensemble. It’s a balancing act finding music that will suit a developing orchestra – music that will both develop their technique and musicianship as well as capture their interest and…
Celebrating and Fostering Orchestra Leadership Skills
As music educators we are all striving to help our students grow into confident learners. We are trying to sow into them a spirit of discipline, motivation, and build them up to be leaders in our ensembles and in their…
A Quick and Effective Method for Tuning Your Orchestra – Cross Tuning
Time is precious in our classrooms.A common lament among many music educators is that there is never enough time in a period to cover all that we want or need to cover during class.In order to maximize time in our…