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Spotlight on Hip-Hop with the Hip-Hop Roundtable
Scott Burnstein | August 20, 2023As the lights dimmed on the audience, the conclusion of the Hip-Hop Roundtable keynote at the Modern Band Summit ended as it began, with spontaneous music making. Dr. Jason Rawls spun some tracks while a few random audience members jumped on guitar, bass, and drums to take over the groove while the audience clapped along […] Read More... -
Beyond the Backbeat
Mary Claxton | April 2, 2023Are you or your student drummers ready to move past “boots and cats” but you’re not sure what comes next? Here you will find helpful tips to help drummers of any age improve their skills. Triple Meter While duple meter is the queen of contemporary pop music, we should also be prepared for great triple […] Read More... -
Group Songwriting Strategies Part II: Nurturing Your Culture
Dr. Sarah Gulish | February 19, 2023In the January SBO+ issue, I shared ideas for creating songs within a group setting. And while it is important to have strategies for crafting songs, it is also important to consider the spaces in which you share your work. For example, what is the culture of your music classroom? Are students given growth opportunities […] Read More... -
Teaching Great Guitar Classes – From Someone Who Has Been There!
Nick Line | January 15, 2023As a new band director, I quickly learned I was going to need to get comfortable with teaching instruments other than my primary instrument (trombone). I had my basic understanding of other instruments from my college methods courses, but there’s nothing quite like your first day standing up to teach a new-to-you instrument to a […] Read More... -
Group Songwriting Strategies Part I: Building Songs
Dr. Sarah Gulish | January 15, 2023Nothing is more incredible than watching students unlock their creativity and develop their musical voices in your classroom. Watching students write songs for the first time is a type of magic I look forward to every year as a high school teacher. But writing songs can also be incredibly vulnerable. It’s one thing to work […] Read More... -
Projects that Pop! Leveraging Student Creativity
Mary Claxton, Scott Burnstein, Spencer Hale, Tony Sauza | November 13, 2022Since the inception of the music classroom over 100 years ago, the primary goal of most ensembles has been the performance. However, in an ever-changing technology driven musical landscape, performance is only one way to showcase an artist’s creativity, skill, and expertise. A new generation of students have grown up with platforms for musical delivery […] Read More... -
Implementing Peer Mentoring in Modern Band Classrooms
Dr. Warren Gramm | October 13, 2022Peer mentoring seems like a simple concept but identifying ways it can be used practically in popular music education classrooms may prove to be a bit more challenging for teachers unfamiliar with the approach. This article aims to provide ideas for steps music educators can take to democratize their classrooms through peer mentoring and take […] Read More... -
Why Letting Students Use Their Favorite Songs Helps Them Learn Faster
Zach VanderGraaff | August 2, 2022Bringing in popular music your students love has been a hot-button topic for many music teachers. When I started teaching, I was told to avoid letting popular songs into my classroom. As I’ve gained experience and the students have changed, I started to challenge this assertion. Why shouldn’t we try to better reach our students […] Read More... -
Color-Coding for Confident Chording
Dorothy Pino | May 2, 2022In 2017, I switched from teaching high school guitar and band classes to teaching elementary general music. I remember feeling frustrated with how long it took students to find the chord shapes on fretted instruments compared to the teenagers I was accustomed to teaching. I would walk around the room, place each student’s tiny finger […] Read More... -
Relinquishing Control: A Student-Centered Approach to Modern Band
Stefanie Sagaro | April 20, 2022I am a product of the Miami-Dade County School System in Miami, Florida. I say that with pride, enthusiasm, and a strong sense of loyalty. I attended schools that specialized in arts education. The kind of schools that received straight superiors in music performance assessments and first place banners at competitions. I thrived. I discovered a […] Read More... -
Creative Limitations: Songwriting in the Music Classroom
Sean Moats | March 18, 2022When faced with the freedom to write about whatever you want, it can be difficult to find the focus needed to write about anything; the blank page staring back at you, waiting to be filled with just right words. Of course, as a songwriter this is only the beginning. After penning the perfect words, you’ll […] Read More... -
Strings and Modern Band
Catherine Plichta | February 23, 2022There is a growing movement in the world of string education to rebrand strings as a full-fledged card-carrying member of the modern band. I am proud to be one of these advocates. Often, when envisioning string ensembles people might conjure up images of large symphonies with instruments like violin, viola, cello, and upright bass. Maybe […] Read More...
