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…

This article presents an interview with Willie L. Hill Jr., founder and director of the Society for Jazz Education. Currently a professor of music education at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst and the director of the UMass Fine Arts Center, Hill has served as director of education for the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz. He is a past…

In this article, the author discusses a rehearsal technique that would teach the content outlined in the National Standards for Arts Education and improve performance at the same time. A major component of this rehearsal technique needs to be increasing students' listening and analytical skills, and one way to do that is to ask questions…

Music educators understand the importance of the arts in schools. Other members of the school community--teachers, administrators, and parents--may share this view, yet be unaware of all that transpires in the music classroom once the door is shut. Music educators should consider how they can open their doors to help the community understand how…