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Five Tips to Master Your New Music Director Role
Adrian Gordon | November 1, 2023You got the music director gig—congratulations! You are about to step into a great new working environment that promises to be a step up from what you were doing before. But now what? Here are some helpful tips for gaining mastery over your new music director role. Communicate Your Vision Communicating your vision to your […] Read More... -
Oberlin College and Conservatory—Where Creativity Flourishes
SBO Staff | November 1, 2023Founded in 1865 and situated amid the intellectual vitality of Oberlin College, Oberlin’s Conservatory of Music is one of the world’s foremost professional training institutions, and the only major music school that focuses on educating undergraduates. This is a place of intensive study and immersive performance experiences, and is your launching pad to the world’s […] Read More... -
Keeping Your Saxophone in Top Shape
Duke Smith-Holley | November 1, 2023The saxophone is a fantastic instrument and certainly has its place in music history and on many stages and classrooms. It is no wonder people love the saxophone, the way it sounds and where it fits into almost every genre of music. Whether you’re a beginner exploring the first notes or a seasoned musician, maintaining […] Read More... -
Groovin’ Up ‘n Down in D
George Edwin Smith | November 1, 2023SBO+: We issued a call for teachers who have written pieces for their students and have received several that are working through the review process now. Check out this piece by George Edwin Smith. Your students will enjoy “Groovin’ Up ‘n Down in D”, a study in the key of D major for first-year string […] Read More... -
Specialist William Esterling: Maestro on a Mission
SBO Staff | November 1, 2023In the world of music, there are individuals whose talents extend far beyond the stage into the realms of service and devotion to their country. Army Specialist (SPC) William F. Esterling III stands as a shining example of such figures. His journey, stretching from Delaware’s Cab Calloway School of the Arts to the Delaware National […] Read More... -
Shine!
Dr. Matthew Arau | November 1, 2023Change is in the air. This time of year, we experience the change of seasons from fall to winter and many of our music programs are in transition from marching band to concert band season or knee-deep in preparations for a holiday or winter concert. Although it can be easy to just move from one […] Read More... -
See What JEN Has Planned for Us!
SBO Staff | November 1, 2023SBO+: I recently looked at the schedule for the Jazz Education Network (JEN) convention, to be held in New Orleans at the beginning of the New Year. I was absolutely blown away with the quality and quantity of the offerings. There are jazz instrumental groups from middle schools, high schools, universities, and the highest level […] Read More... -
Rosin: What’s Really in that Cake?
Lesley Schultz | November 1, 2023One essential accessory every string player needs is a cake of rosin. Given the many different types, how does one choose the type best for them or their ensemble? Standard rosin is made of pine resins where the moisture has been evaporated and it is formed into a cake, either surrounded by wood or plastic, […] Read More... -
Where Do You Get Your Joy?
Thomas Palmatier | November 1, 2023I recently bought a new car. I realize for most people, that’s not an unusual occurrence but I belong to the “drive it until the wheels fall off” club and my previous car was only two years old. We’re often told the best way to improve your life is to get rid of things that don’t […] Read More... -
The Complexity of Singing
Gabriela Hristova | October 15, 2023Teaching and making music with a choir is a complex process. I would compare it with the playing of an instrument, except that the instrument in our case is a group of people with various personalities and emotional sensitivities, different life experiences, and individual understanding of music as an art. We then add factors such […] Read More... -
The Real Rudiments A Springboard to the World of Percussion
MSG Jeff Prosperie | October 15, 2023Imagine if you will, in a field hundreds of years ago, a drum major trying to teach a young drummer boy basic drumming patterns for the purpose of military signaling and to regulate the duty day. Now, imagine a music instructor in modern times teaching the same patterns for the purpose of musical expression. These […] Read More... -
The Sin of Ignoring the Role of Silence
Richard Floyd | October 15, 2023What is the big deal about silence? Our hands go up, our hands come down, and the music starts. Then one of our goals, among many, is to make sure no one plays in a rest, and we all achieve unified silence at the end of the final measure. As the music unfolds, we navigate […] Read More...
