Presents ideas on how to begin a chamber music ensemble. Discusses how to find time to accomplish chamber music playing in and around the school day. Presents short descriptions of chamber music that can be used with ensembles. Includes chamber music resources and additional chamber works. (CMK)

Considers embedded assessment within choral rehearsals, describing five assessment tools for use within the regular activities of choral ensembles. Discusses the benefits of embedded assessment. Provides ten tips for helping teachers successfully embed assessments. Includes sidebars for the five assessments and a bibliography. (CMK)

Explores how choir directors choose the music repertoire for a concert. Offers six criteria (text, singability, form, part-writing, accompaniment, and instructional implications) when evaluating a piece for use with children. Discusses the process of developing the concert. Includes sources for listings of children's choir octavos and sample…

Contends that marching bands should explore the classical repertoire of the symphony orchestra. Discusses three reasons why the audience and students enjoy this type of music. Includes a list of classical music that has worked for bands. (CMK)

Describes different types of assessment and addresses both short- and long-term learning targets in music education. Provides suggestions for measurement and evaluating students' musical performances. Considers the purpose of assessment in music education. Includes a glossary of assessment terms, guidelines, and resources. (CMK)

Discusses the use of rubrics in the music classroom, focusing on a description of rubrics, using rubrics for writing assignments and to assess performance and instruction, obtaining student input when creating rubrics, and the benefits of rubrics. Provides sample rubrics. (CMK)

Discusses popular music, the role of the musical performer as a creator, and the styles of jazz and popular music. Describes the pop ensemble at the college level, focusing on improvisation, rehearsals, recording, and performance. Argues that pop ensembles be used in junior and senior high school. (CMK)

Discusses guidelines for music educators when scheduling conflicts occur involving curricular music performances, both during and after school, by musical groups that practice during school hours. Provides justification for regular attendance and addresses why directors should be flexible in certain cases. Offers the Scheduling-Conflict Resolution…

Discusses how music educators can address Content Standard 6 of the National Standards for Music Education that concentrates on teaching students to listen, analyze, and describe music. Provides six approaches that help students access new pieces of music through listening, such as responding enactively to musical cues and focusing on cultural…

Believes that the first step in developing students practice habits is by enabling them to understand that the goal of practice is performance. Describes five components of an effective practice session: (1) setup; (2) preparation; (3) warm-up; (4) maintenance; and (5) advancement. Addresses the implications for teachers. (CMK)

Compares the experience of playing an acoustic instrument to an electronic instrument by analyzing the constant structures and relationships between the experiences. Concludes that students' understanding of the physical experience of making music increases when experiences with acoustic instruments precede their exposure to electronic…

Outlines a series of practical ideas for incorporating the creative activities of composing and improvising into instrumental ensemble rehearsals. Discusses simple techniques and approaches for composing with new notes, rhythms, and concepts, as well as improvisation and in-class compositions. Includes key notation charts and a list of selected…

Maintains that children's success with drones, responsorial singing, and ostinatos in the primary grades can lead naturally to the singing of polyphony and homophony in the upper elementary grades. Recommends teachers using age-appropriate materials, teaching sequentially, and evaluating each instructional step. Lists national standards related to…

Defines "Orff-Schulwerk" as an educational technique that guides children through several phases of musical development: (1) exploration, (2) imitation, (3) improvisation, and (4) creation. These phases are integrated throughout various learning activities that occur in a group context. Briefly discusses the development of Orff-Schulwerk from the…

Identifies "play-party" games as simple musical games requiring no instrumental accompaniment. The games were popular on the 19th-century American frontier. Recommends using these as class learning activities. Provides several lists of resources and includes notational scores and activities for two songs. (MJP)