Orchestra teacher

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Top tips for school orchestra directors!

I just survived the first 9 days of school. Wow...it's been busy! After a long summer break, it's always a shock to my system to start getting up early and working again. I love the first few weeks of school. Students are motivated and excited and I love seeing them delight in learning and developing their talents. It is so important to give students a great start. I am passionate about setting up beginners with the best possible position. When students develop poor position it can be very…

It's the last 2 weeks of school for me! I like to make sure students are engaged and busy through the end of the year. Otherwise teaching can start to feel too much like babysitting teenagers. Here are my plans for the rest of the year! Some have asked how to play Apples to Apples orchestra edition. Here's a tutorial:

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I incorporate a lot of games into my rehearsals for many reasons. Gamification has been shown to have many benefits in education: According to https://elearningindustry.com/science-benefits-gamification-elearning, gamification (while this website is addressing e-learning, gamification can also be implemented with the same benefits without using tech): Increases learner engagement Makes learning fun and interactive Improves knowledge absorption and retention Gives learners the opportunity to…

These help my students get better, FAST!

After seeing a fingering poster online that another orchestra teacher had created, I knew I wanted to make a set for myself. I cut strips of black paper at various widths to show the strings from thickest to thinnest (1/4", 1/2", 3/4", 1"), laminated the poster, then used Velcro to mark where each note would go. Each letter name bubble was cut out, laminated, and Velcro-ed. I also taped a plastic baggie to the back of the poster to store the unused notes. At one school, I have a strip of…

Struggling with classroom management? Whether you’re new to teaching or have several years of experience, these practical strategies will help you create an engaging and well-disciplined band or orchestra class. From room setup to leadership techniques, start improving your rehearsals today!

Sometimes you need an activity outside of the norm. Something students won't expect...something that maintains interest and intrigue. I saw this game called Goat Yoga and thought it would be fun to incorporate the idea into my classroom. https://www.amazon.com/Kikkerland-Goat-Yoga-Party-Game/dp/B07X3XMLSR/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=goat+yoga&qid=1580778791&sr=8-1 I had been wanted to revisit correct position to help students fix minor issues and help them learn to play without squeezing their…

Ideas, games, worksheets, posters, and more for teaching strings

My concert is just a week away! I feel my students are ready and will have a successful, rewarding experience. To make sure they are ready, we've been playing rehearsal games. These games are fun, but also very telling. They help me and students know which passages need extra practice. We then target our rehearsals to meet the needs of students. Here are the games we've played lately: 1. DRAW A FACE This is a very simple game with no prep work or set up time required. I drew 3-4 circles (or…

My beginners are learning to play in the key of G major and it can be a real struggle to get a good C natural with a high F sharp. We are learning 'Fiddles on Fire' where there are a lot of C naturals and they have been out of tune! I found some tiny fine-mist spray bottles at Hobby Lobby and quickly made labels to create 100% Genuine C# Repellent. I also bought some silly string and didn't have time to make labels, but I told students the silly string was the 'heavy duty' version of…

I decided to make binders to keep on every music stand in my classroom. I got this idea from some awesome teachers in Georgia - shout out to Amy Clement and Sarah Ball! Every minute counts in an orchestra rehearsal. By placing materials in binders, every student will have what they need. No more hunting down music for that kid who was absent, or making a new copy of our warm-ups because somebody left theirs at home. I'm still going to give each student a folder and music they can take home…

A few days ago a received a letter from a reader: I teach 4th and 5th grade beginning strings and orchestra. I absolutely love you...

I show my classes a 'video of the week' every Monday with some sort of message that I want students to internalize during the week. Someti...

I like to call Friday rehearsals 'Friday Fun Day!' I want Fridays to be a celebration of all we learned during the week, but also serve as a meaningful review and reinforcement of material. Last week one of my students said, 'It's funny you call Fridays 'Friday fun day' because every day is fun!' Learning an instrument is fun...that means the pressure is off! No need to spend hours and hours planning intricate games. I've found my favorite Friday Fun Day is a review day using Ninja Belts as…

I really try to be organized and have looked for the perfect teacher planner to help me keep track of everything. I've never been able to find anything that works perfectly for a middle school orchestra teacher, so I created some printable templates to make my own teacher planner binder. This is way less expensive than buying a pre-made planner full of un-needed or non-applicable pages. Check it out and for a limited time you may download for free HERE! 8 pages total - includes a lesson plan…

Oh happy day! This week I taught my beginners how to tune and I wish I would have done it months ago. They were excited to learn how ...