I’ve made no secret of the fact that it was music classes that motivated me to get up in the morning and go to school. My own music education experience was in a fairly middle class school system. Participation in band meant your parents had to buy or rent an instrument for you. I saw a lot of lower income kids either not sign up for band or struggle with learning to play and later drop out because they were given substandard rental instruments that made learning more difficult.
Celebrity Trumpet Player Freddie Jones Announces Donation of Digital Keyboards to Trumpets4Kids.
Read More...RESTON, VA (February 20, 2015) – The National Association for Music Education (NAfME) has launched a new Associate membership program that offers private teachers, professional musicians, parents, community leaders, and others an opportunity to partner with classroom-based music educators all across the country.
Read More...I spend a good deal of time each year attending state “MEA” shows — including Ohio, Texas, Florida, Tennessee, and others around the country — along with the NAfME conference. I’m always intrigued by the sessions presented and the creative topic names the presenters use to entice a music educator to attend their session.
Yamaha has announced the appointment of Dave Gerhart as product manager for the company’s Percussion Department, Band & Orchestral Division. He will report to Troy Wollwage, marketing manager, Percussion Instruments.
Read More...The Board of Directors of Manhasset Specialty Company has announced the hiring of Dan Roberts as president and general manager to replace Barry Heid, who is retiring from that position after a very successful career of 16 years working with the company.
A total of 10 music teachers from 10 cities across nine states have been announced as finalists for the second annual Music Educator Award presented by The Recording Academy and the Grammy Foundation. In total, more than 7,000 initial nominations were submitted from all 50 states.
Read More...TRAVEL DESTINATION: Chicago
SIZE OF ENSEMBLE: 22
DIRECTOR: Corinne Muller
SCHOOL: Gackle-Streeter School
SCHOOL LOCATION: Gackle, North Dakota
Read More...Carmel Bach Festival, an immersive festival of music and ideas celebrating the works, inspiration, and ongoing influence of J.S. Bach, and the Monterey Museum of Art (MMA) will honor Bach’s 330th birthday March 21 at MMA’s La Mirada location. “Bach’s Birthday Bash” celebrates the composer’s ongoing influence in the arts with an evening of musical performances, food and drink, a raffle, door prizes and more.
Read More...Robert W. Smith has a career in the world of school music programs that most can only dream of having. He began working as a band director before finishing college, while still studying at Troy University in Troy, Alabama (then known as Troy State University). Eventually, he was discovered by the publishing arm of Columbia Pictures, where he embarked on a storied career as a composer with over 700 published works, with the majority of his work being published by Warner Bros. Publications. These days, he is the president/CEO of RWS Music Company, a new catalog of works for concert band and orchestra distributed by the C. L. Barnhouse Company. Thousands of professional, university, and school ensembles throughout the world have programmed Smith's compositions and arrangements for band and orchestra, and his music has played on network television and in multiple motion pictures. His composition, "Into The Storm," was featured on the 2009 CBS Emmy Awards telecast for HBO's mini-series documenting the life of Winston Churchill. YouTube is full of videos of bands around the world performing his pieces, and it's not unusual to find a video with more than 200,000 views.
Read More...A recent music education journal article blasted teachers who attempt to reach the other 80% of students by using non-traditional, technology-centric music education programs, students the writer must feel will never be part of traditional band and orchestra programs.
Read More...To better inform the community about the purpose, structure, and achievements of the school’s music program, provide an annual written report to the appropriate supervisor and, with permission, to parents and the community.