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    Middle School Bands and Secondary Instruments

    Jr. | June 9, 2024Fun! Challenging! Exciting! Rewarding! Advantageous! Do your middle and high school band members double on different instruments?  I have found through the years that with my band program, having kids who play multiple instruments can really benefit your bands while keeping things fresh and exciting for your students.  I teach in De Soto, Kansas which […] Read More...

  • “I think I have the parts covered, but my group still doesn’t sound good!”

    Joseph Benjamin Earp | September 10, 2023Selecting appropriate repertoire for smaller bands and orchestras will always be a challenge for ensemble directors. How do you challenge students who are advanced musicians while fostering growth for those who are developing? How do you ensure the ensemble sounds full when you can barely cover the parts? How do you build quality without appropriate […] Read More...

  • What Is Leadership?

    Thomas Palmatier | August 20, 2023As I solicited articles from music education leaders for this issue focusing on leadership in our profession, it occurred to me that the U.S. taxpayers had invested a lot of money in teaching me about leadership. In my over 37 years of Army service, I spent nearly 22 years in command of soldiers around the […] Read More...

  • The Sin of Absence of Line

    Richard Floyd | August 20, 2023Ask yourself. Can you imagine a compelling oratory void of pacing, inflection and nuance all purposed to deepen the meaning and importance of the message? And, what about actors? Do they simply speak words, or do they deliver their lines with passion and conviction? In either case, the words have little meaning beyond regurgitated grammar […] Read More...

  • Ten Ways to Improve Communication with Your School Administration

    Jayson Gerth | August 20, 2023Since I began teaching in 1995, I have had the fortune to work for some tremendous administrators. Usually, what they simply wanted was communication. While there are many ways to go about it, here are ten ideas to consider for better communication with your administrators. Implementing any will help, and putting as many as you […] Read More...

  • Maybe a True Story

    Thomas Palmatier | August 20, 2023SBO+: I get asked to present quite a few conducting workshops, especially for busy music educators who may not have the time or money to attend the many summer symposia that are out there. From time to time, I will share some of the things I often include in those workshops. Maybe a True Story […] Read More...

  • An All-American Delegation to Normandy

    SBO Staff | August 20, 2023For many, June 6, 1944, may be recognized as one of the most significant dates in history when thousands of young Americans stormed the beaches of Normandy to liberate Europe from Hitler’s grasp. Nearly 80 years later, many Americans remain at rest in France, memorialized in seemingly endless rows of white crosses and stars of […] Read More...

  • Mix-n-Match & Show-n-Tell: An Idea for Teaching Basic Music Terminology

    Rob Shaver | July 16, 2023To keep our listeners’ attention, we must fill up our performances with expressive details like dynamics, tempo markings, and articulations.  Before we can do that, the students need to understand what these words mean.  They need to learn the vocabulary of music, or as I like to say, they need to learn to speak music. […] Read More...

  • What Just Happened?

    Dr. Matthew Arau | June 12, 2023Do you ever feel like you have been racing the clock, running on a hamster wheel, and working so hard to get caught up that you never have the time to even think about what you just did an hour ago or even the day before? As the school year ends, you may feel this […] Read More...

  • Meeting a Music Icon

    Harvey Rachlin | June 12, 2023If you could meet your favorite composers from all of history who would they be? I have no doubt some of you would whip up an eclectic and amazing list of music luminaries that span many centuries.  My list would be heavy with classical and popular music composers and at the top would be Mozart, […] Read More...

  • Hit the Road, Jack: Ideas for Field Trips for Guitar and Modern Band Students

    Mike Lawson | May 11, 2023I love field trips. My students love field trips. My students’ parents and caregivers love field trips. It’s a win-win-win (except for the paperwork and the forms, of course, but we know it’s all worth it in the end). There really is no feeling quite like getting all your students on a bus and setting off […] Read More...

  • The Game Plan: How a Texas Teacher is Motivating Students to Learn Theory

    Charlotte Riley | May 11, 2023When Julie Goodwin, Piano Lab Instructor, informed her 115 students at Austin Academy for Excellence that they would be taking on the world in a music theory contest she was hoping to ignite a little friendly competition amongst her middle-school students. Little did she know that her kids would end up winning not one but […] Read More...
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