Listen on: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, and Google Podcasts Are you feeling overwhelmed with the amount of tasks that need to be done before the school year starts? As a music teacher, the back-to-school preparation can be daunting. But don’t worry! We’ve got you covered! We’re sharing how we effectively and efficiently prepare for and …
Episode 25. Setting up for Success: The First Weeks of School Read More »
Listen on: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, and Google Podcasts How can you successfully teach strings when your background is in band? We both learned the hard way that you can’t just wing it when you are teaching strings and there are actually many little aspects of teaching strings that you really have to get down …
Listen on: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, and Google Podcasts Are you and your students getting the most out of your daily warm-ups? When we first began teaching band, we definitely were not using warm-ups in the most effective way possible. We’d spend a few minutes playing scales and then go right into playing sheet music. …
Episode 23: Connecting Sheet Music to Daily Warm-Ups and Drills Read More »
Listen on: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, and Google Podcasts Removing students from band is a controversial topic and not something we take lightly. Obviously, we want our students to enjoy band class, learn and be successful on their instruments, and find a love and respect for music. But what happens when students are not meeting …
Episode 22. Taking What Didn’t Work This Year and Making it Work Next Year Read More »
Listen on: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, and Google Podcasts We’re all looking for ways to make teaching beginning band easier and more effective. Having a solid beginning band curriculum that takes research, student interest, and real life classroom experiences into account can be a game-changer. After trying several different method books with our beginning bands, …
Episode 21: A Deep Dive Into Beginning Band with the Quarter Note Companion Read More »
Listen on: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, and Google Podcasts Teaching beginning band is a big challenge! The loud, harsh noises at the beginning, teaching how to assemble all the instruments, and managing many multiple instruments in the same class can be overwhelming and uncomfortable to some. However, for us, teaching beginning band is our favorite! …
Listen on: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, and Google Podcasts There is so much that goes into teaching beginning strings. From posture to bowing to safety, ensuring that your students understand your expectations and what is expected from them is so important. We know how valuable getting insight and tips from an experienced violinist and music …
Episode 19: Teaching Beginning Strings with Efficiency Read More »
Listen on: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, and Google Podcasts The school year is quickly coming to a close! With all the excitement that the end of the year brings, it is so important to stay on top of and plan out all the tasks that need to be completed before the year ends. We are …
Listen on: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, and Google Podcasts Music education varies greatly from state to state. Texas specifically is known for having incredible music education. For music teachers outside of Texas, there is a sort of mystery and allure to Texas music education and what makes their programs and bands so great. We wanted …
Episode 16: Music Education in Different States with Andy LaRusch Read More »
Listen on: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, and Google Podcasts Concerts are the most important thing we do as musicians and having solid concert prep sets your students up for success. In this episode, we are diving into everything we do when preparing for a successful band concert. We are sharing the timeline we use in …
Episode 3: Preparing for a Successful Band Concert Read More »