Auditioning is often uncomfortable but can lead to great rewards. Music educators can do much to help their students be at their best in front of a panel. In this article, four experts share their experiences as adjudicators and their advice on how best to prepare students for the process.

Being an effective and engaging leader of a band, orchestra, or choir involves both the application of appropriate, purposeful techniques and successful communication on a variety of levels. Tackling problems regarding tone, dynamics, and difficult passages requires a good "game plan" that one can convey clearly to the group, so that optimal…

According to Jason Paulk, director of choral activities at Eastern New Mexico University, progress is made during those in-between times and that progress magnifies with efficient time spent alone. Paulk is a firm believer in the importance of singers organizing their practice sessions, and he details some effective organization methods, including…

Before rehearsals begin, conductors need to thoroughly study the score. What elements go into a comprehensive score preparation? To learn music scores efficiently, having a detailed and systematic study method helps. The author has developed a score preparation guide that works for directors of bands, choruses, and orchestras, even when there's…

In the "Divertimento" section of "Teaching Music," teachers share stories, strategies, and quesitons with their colleagues. This "Divertimento" covers the following topics: (1) one teacher's surprise at a student's novel take on the tambourine; (2) a question about teaching bowing symbols to beginning students; and (3) a question about breaking…

Practical dexterity exercises are essential for the student violinist. Dimitri Hadjipetkov, the tricampus strings director at the Montclair Kimberley Academy in Montclair, New Jersey, identifies three main benefits resulting from dexterity drills and exercises: (1) strengthening the third and fourth finger in first position; (2) improving…

Music learning and music performance involve all aspects of the individual: cognitive, emotional, social, and psychomotor. John Feierabend shows that music requires a special kind of intellectual process that is unique to the discipline. Brain density reaches its peak in a child's first few years of life; hence, as with language, music learning…

One issue that all teachers at all proficiency levels deal with in teaching music--whether in individual or group settings--is how to effectively solve problems encountered during lessons or rehearsals. What differentiates novice teachers from master teachers is the skill and efficiency with which they solve these problems. The seemingly…

Of all the factors used to assess trumpet players, the one that distinguishes the established professional from the student is sound quality. While a good sound may be called "full," "rich," or "dark," poor sound is often described as "constricted," "tight," "thin," or "fuzzy." Although students' concept of good sound is important, many times…

First-time singers present excellent opportunities for choral directors to fine-tune their teaching by truly working with beginners. In this article, the author discusses how beginning singers learn to sing well. Despite the unique challenges and various musical backgrounds of these students, if choral directors can teach them the basics of…

In this article, the author argues that in many ways, developing instrumental practice techniques is an experiment with a sample of one. Musicians must learn which methods work best for them as individuals. This starts in the earliest stages of learning a musical instrument. Teachers offer suggestions: students discover how others are practicing,…

Proposes that music teachers should have their students practice during those spare moments during the school day by using a pencil instead of their actual instrument. Explains that students can practice chromatic fingerings, memorize short pieces of music, or review scales. Gives instructions on how to "pencil practice." (CMK)

Provides guidelines to assist band directors in teaching beginning drummers. Includes auditioning prospective drummers and using an instructional method that has mallet and snare drum techniques taught concurrently in one book. Observes that by devoting time and effort to percussionist players, directors can eliminate "drummer syndrome"…