Each year, clinicians are invited to work with music ensembles at schools throughout the country, often in preparation for a contest or festival. Traditional clinics in which guest conductors refine and inspire students in the music-making process are wonderful events but arguably produce only short-term results, due in part to the limited amount…

An effective assessment process can improve student performance, guide instructional decisions, and advocate for a music program. Strategies include designing and administering reliable and valid measures of student learning and using assessments to enhance feedback, longitudinal documentation of assessment results for accountability, and a…

Hundreds of educators contributed to writing and reviewing the new National Core Music Standards over two years of development. Thousands more will find their professional lives shaped by these standards over decades to come. Three individuals involved in standards development explain.

Ensemble directors have a special interest in helping students learn to practice effectively. Practice is also an essential component of musical development. Music educators need to both teach effective practice strategies and guide students toward meaningful, thoughtful practice. Metacognition strategies are one way to accomplish this. Current…

Professional musicians and college students commonly study orchestral excerpts, but a similar practice has yet to be implemented in the band field. Due to their widespread use in orchestral auditions, excerpts have been incorporated as a tool for musical development. Many college professors regularly assign excerpt study as part of their…

The Connecting Parents with Learning Project (CPLP) is an attempt to involve parents in learning standards-based content along with their children. The CPLP can be especially effective in connecting with parents of different cultures because the children teach the parents. Furthermore, it removes the mystery of what the students are studying by…