You have all the credentials. You have a newly-minted music degree in one hand and a polished résumé in the other, but you wonder if you really have what it takes to be a great leader. What does it take, exactly? Some of us may have heard the words, "You're a born leader" in our lifeti

Although it's not ideal, we often must have students turn in instruments early to take care of repairs, overhauls and inventory. Here are some ideas to keep your students engaged and learning at the end of the school year.

This Music Substitute Plan Bundle will give you peace of mind so you can be prepared for any unplanned absences. These plans are perfect music sub plans for non music subs! You will be confident that your students are engaged in fantastic music lessons while you are away! This bundle includes 6 ready-to-print music lesson plans for music teachers and band directors, as well as a substitute prep pack and bonus instructions on how to have a “Student Led Band Class.” While these were designed as band sub plans, we have gotten outstanding reviews from choir directors, orchestra directors and elementary music teachers as well. All lesson plans are easy to follow and the sub instructions are EDITABLE for those that want to tweak or change the plans to meet your personal needs. What’s included: (click on the GREEN PREVIEW button to get a preview of each lesson) Emergency Sub Plan #1 Emergency Sub Plan #2 “Meter” Substitute Lesson Plan “Careers in Music” Substitute Lesson Plan "The Marine Band and John Philip Sousa" Substitute Lesson Plan "John Williams" Substitute Lesson Plan Music Substitute Preparation Pack The Life of John Philip Sousa - FREE Worksheet The prep pack is great for organizing your substitute teacher binder. Be prepared for last minute absences! All templates are editable to meet your classroom needs. ✅ If your entire district is interested in using these resources at every campus, please have an administrator or purchaser contact us at [email protected] for up to 50% off district-wide purchases.✅   Feedback from happy customers: ⭐"My non-music subs left me great feedback after doing these lessons with my classes. Can't wait to use them again!" ⭐"Enjoyed using these sub plans last year. Very thorough, even for non music subs. Thanks!" ⭐"Awesome sub plans - very helpful, and very useful! My sub loved them! Thanks!" ⭐"Great resource to keep my sub plans new and fresh!" ✅ FOLLOW US FOR UPDATES ON NEW PRODUCTS, SALES & FREEBIES! Other Products You May Like: • Music Games Bundle- Level 1 Music Theory Games • Back to School Bundle for Beginning Band Directors • End of Year Bundle for Band Directors If you have any questions, please feel free to email [email protected] - we are happy to help! Your feedback is important! Please let me know what you think by leaving a comment and earn credits towards future purchases from any TPT store! Terms of Use: This product is intended for personal classroom/band hall use only. Buyer does not have rights to share or distribute. The clip art in this document is copyrighted and may not be copied, removed or altered. Additional licenses will always be 50% off (purchase them in the TpT store). If you like this product and want to share it, please purchase the additional license, or purchase an additional license and split the cost of the total with a friend! Keywords - band director, teaching band, music education, music ed, teaching theory, instrumental music, elementary music, middle school band, music sub plans, band sub plans, band substitute lesson plans, band director sub plans, band games, band songs, band music, band sub plans, band activities, beginner band, beginning band worksheet, concert band, beginning band lesson, music activities, music sub plans, music substitute lesson plans, elementary music sub plan, band sub plan, beginning band sub plan, band director sub plans, band class, band classroom, end of the year music activities, end of the year music lessons,band music, band instrumental music, elementary music sub plans, music worksheets, band large bundle, music worksheets for sub, back to school music activities, beginner band resources, back to school music, back to school music classroom, instrumental music, music lesson plans, music sub plans middle school, music lesson plans bundle, music lesson plans gr. 6-8, music sub plans elementary, music sub plans for a non music sub, non music sub plans, middle school music lesson plans, beginner band, elementary music lesson plans, elementary band lesson plans

Music teacher interview questions and tips (plus – how to answer the music technology-related questions!) Applying for a music […]

Free Music Substitute Lesson Plan (for a non-music sub). Teach meter with short, fun video clips, "script" for the teacher and movement activities for kids.

Click here for 3 FREE resources for band directors and music teachers! From grants to website recommendations, this article is awesome!

Check out this fun music theory match-up game you can use with your band students! Work on note names, rhythms, anything you want. Click here!

Every month, there are 3 suggested songs to teach the Primary children. Discuss with your Primary President, and other chorister(s), which songs you’d like to focus on for each month. I try to pick one that THEY KNOW pretty well and one that they DON’T KNOW from the suggested songs. Teaching 3 new songs from scratch a month would be a lot for them to learn! So for the 3rd song, I will either sing it during a pick-and-choose Sunday, or as one of the opening songs that month. On the first Sunday of the month, I introduce the NEW SONG (the suggested song that they are unfamiliar with). To make Primary Singing Time interesting and fun and also bring the Spirit, I like to introduce the songs in different ways. I think introducing a song can be the most daunting of Sunday’s! I LOVE repeating songs, doing pick-and-choose activities, and incorporating holiday’s (if you follow our Instagram, it’s packed with those ideas!) But introducing a NEW song seems… I don’t know… boring? I don’t want to lose focus with their short attention spans by just telling them the words and then singing it over and over. So we’ve compiled some ideas as a resource on how to first introduce and help the children learn a BRAND NEW song. One they’ve NEVER heard before. ***With any and every new song, make sure you have the right attitude and prayer in your heart about the message the song will bring. Be enthusiastic, saying something like, “Today we are going to be learning a wonderful song”. You can also explain the words, message and story it conveys. Alright, you’ve waited long enough! Here are the ideas!!!!!! 1-Flipchart or Posters. I pretty much ALWAYS use a poster or flipchart for every song. I feel most children are visual learners and this helps Junior and Senior learn the words through pictures and words. Poster (my preference) Flipchart: (this flipchart is from Finch Family games found HERE) 2-Compound Learning. First, have them LISTEN to the song. This can be played on the piano, your phone through the Sacred Music app, CD, cassette, or Youtube video, etc. Second, let them HUM along to the melody. Third, have them SWAY their bodies (or sway scarves/wands) and hum to the music. Fourth, after showing and explaining the poster board/flipchart, SING the words to them (holding up the Poster or Flipchart). Fifth, have THEM SING along. Sixth, have them use shakers, paper plate drum, or clap/snap the rhythm as they sing along. 3-I sing, You Sing. After explaining the meaning of the song and showing the visual, play the music to the song all the way through. Sing the first line of the song with the piano, have the children repeat. Sing the second line of the song, have them repeat. Put the first and second line together and sing together. Continue on for the whole song. Make sure that before Primary you let your pianist know what you’re planning to do. You could also start with learning the chorus of the song. 4-Guess the Visual. Have the flipchart papers up on the board – all scrambled up and out of their correct order. Sing the first line of the song and have them guess which flipchart paper matches the first line. Continue this for each line of the song and put the flipchart in order. For Senior Primary, you could have word strips of each line of the song (out of order). Sing the first line and have them pick our which word strip is the correct one and have the children put the strips in order as you continue singing the rest of the song. For Senior Primary, you could have word strips of each line of the song (out of order). Sing the first line and have them pick our which word strip is the correct one and have the children put the strips in order as you continue singing the rest of the song. 5-Vanishing Flipchart Papers. For this one, call up as many children as papers you have in the flipchart. Each child holding one paper. Sing the song with children, one flipchart paper at a time. After the whole song has been sung, take away 1 paper and have that child stay standing. Sing the song and point to child as they sing that missing flipchart paper. Continue taking away papers and having them sing the song again until they’re all gone! Keep them up to the challenge using reverse psychology saying things like “Oh no! Can we do it now? (Yes!) Ok, here we go!” or “I don’t know, do you think you can remember this one????” 6-Bubblegum Blobs. For this idea, you’ll need a flipchart or poster hung up on the chalkboard. Sing the song with children (with idea number 2 or 3 on our list above). Tell the children you stepped on some sticky bubble gum on your way to church and thought the gum could help with singing time. Use one pink “gum blob” (pink paper or poster board cut into blob shape) to cover up a part of the song at a time. Sing after each blob is added. 7-Fill in the Blank. Write the words to the song on the chalkboard leaving out a word on each line. So intentionally NOT write some of the words to the song but draw a blank _______ so it can be added in. Sing the first line of the song. Have the children listen and see what the blank word is and fill it in. Continue on for each line of the song. This is a great one to get the children really listening! 8-Disappearing Words (eraser pass). Write the words to the song on the chalkboard. Have the children listen to the song as you point to the words. Next, sing the song with the piano. After, have the Primary sing along. Sing it one more time all together and tell the children to try to remember the words because they are going to start to disappear! As they sing the song, have them pass around the eraser. Whoever ends up with it at the end of the song, gets to erase 2-3 words!!! Sing again and pass the eraser! 9-Use Hand-Actions (or sign language). Sing the first line of the song. Ask the children to think of a hand action to be used for the meaning of the words. Sing the second line and again, ask them to think of a hand-action that would represent the words. Continue on for the whole song and combine all the hand-actions. This is another great idea for getting them to really listen to the words! (You could also sing the whole song together and only do sign language for KEY words). 10- Find It’s Home. Have the words to the song on the board - cut into separate word-strips and in the correct song order. Call up a child and give them a picture that matches up to one of the wordstrips. Have them match that picture to the word strip as you sing each line of the song. Have children sing along as they learn. 11-Picture to Lyric Match. (This one is the harder version of #10 "Find It's Home") Have pictures and song lyrics for each line of the song on the board (like a flipchart, but cut the words out separate from the picture so they’re not together). Sing the first line of the song and have the children try to match the picture to the words. Sing the song over and over until they’re all put in the correct place! 12-Listening Detective. Start by explaining we have a new song case. Listen up detectives!!! We need to find out: Who is it about? What do we learn? How many times does it read “He” or “Love”, etc.? You may want to read the scripture reference at the bottom of the song in the Songbook. 13-Visual Object Lesson. Show a quick visual lesson on what the song is about. Just a quick object lesson before you have them listen to the melody. In the Primary Music Instructions it say’s: For example, the song “Faith” (Children’s Songbook, 96–97) mentions a little seed. You could show the children a seed and talk about how we show faith when we plant a seed; this could lead to a discussion about ways we show faith in Jesus Christ, as described in the song. I also did this for “How Firm a Foundation” years ago. This helps them understand the meaning behind the song. Remember, it’s not just about learning the song and words, but learning and feeling the Spirit. AND now 2 last small tips: 14- Have the Pianist play the song as the interlude so that the children can hear the melody and be familiar with the tune. 15- Find the song in A Children’s Songbook Companion and read what’s suggested! This is a great resource for teaching the songs in the Primary Children’s Songbook. I refer to this book often. Find one HERE. It's seriously been a lifesaver on some Sunday's when I need an idea on how to introduce a specific song! and it also includes visuals on some songs! **Remember! This is the children's FIRST time hearing and learning this song! So don’t feel like a failure if they don’t pick it up right away! As you repeat and repeat this song, they will catch on! Also, remember the purpose is to help draw in the Spirit and let them feel the words and the meaning of the song. Good luck with your introducing your new song! Pray and listen the Spirit as you prepare! You can do this! -iheartprimarymusic

This article was inspired by a book that is not your normal “band director” book. This is a behavioral economics book based on scientific studies of why things ‘go viral.’ If you want to improve retention and recruiting in you music program, this article will give you some great tips!

The Music Teacher Administrators Love. A Music Teacher's Guide to Fostering Mutual Respect part 2: Music Teacher Qualities. Organized Chaos. Principal and administrator perspectives on what they think makes a great music teacher.

This Music Games Bundle will help your students HAVE FUN while learning and reviewing note names and rhythms! Perfect for any time of year to keep students engaged and learning! These are fantastic band games, choir games and orchestra activities! Good for elementary music centers and secondary music centers, too. ⭐⭐This Level 1 Games bundle is part of our GAMES SUPER BUNDLE! Save even more!⭐⭐ ►FOR AN UP-CLOSE LOOK, VIEW OUR PREVIEW VIDEO OR CLICK THE GREEN PREVIEW BUTTON Games will give you a variety of ways to teach and review simple note values, counting and rhythms such as: Quarter notes & rests Half notes & rests Dotted half notes & rests Whole notes & rests Eighth notes & rests Treble clef notes within the staff Bass clef notes within the staff Music symbols & terms Many of the “Volumes” contain numerous sets. For example, the Rhythm Envelope Game Volume 1 contains 7 different sets, meaning 7 different versions of the game. Each set focuses on a different concept. There are 9 different “volumes” or products which contain a total of over 20 different individual games. This Music Theory Games Level 1 Includes: Rhythm Envelope Game Volume 1 Melody Envelope Game Volume A Note Match Introductory Set. Match the Beats Introductory Set Match The Beats Volume 1 Note Name Match Volume 1 Music Symbols & Terms Match I have, Who Has Rhythm Game Set 1 I have, Who Has Note Name Game Set A Feedback from happy customers: ⭐"Awesome bundle! I love that I can reinforce rhythm and note names in so many ways through these super fun games! Great resource!" ⭐"Enjoyed using these for quick brain breaks with my beginning band kids. You can play them for short amounts of time (around 5-7 minutes) to get students moving and engaged. Kids liked them!" ⭐"I was looking for fun games, these are great and my students really enjoy them." Great information and easily taught! Love it!" ✅ FOLLOW US FOR UPDATES ON NEW PRODUCTS, SALES AND FREEBIES! If you have any questions, please feel free to email [email protected] - we are happy to help! Your feedback is important! Please let me know what you think by leaving a comment and earn credits towards future purchases from any TPT store! Terms of Use: This product is intended for personal classroom/band hall use only. Buyer does not have rights to share or distribute. The clip art in this document is copyrighted and may not be copied, removed or altered. Additional licenses will always be 50% off (purchase them in the TpT store). If you like this product and want to share it, please purchase the additional license, or purchase an additional license and split the cost of the total with a friend! Keywords - band director, teaching band, music education, music ed, teaching theory, band games, orchestra games, choir games, music games, beginning band, beginning band games, advanced band games, music theory games, rhythm games, note values, note value games, band activities, music games for middle school, music centers, music center activities, music card games, middle school music games, music games middle school, orchestra activities, choir activities, music activities, back to school, music game, music activities, elementary music activities, music games elementary, music game elementary, end of the year music, end of the year music activities, end of the year music games, music centers, music centers bundle, instrumental music, music theory games, rhythm games, note name games

The job of a music teacher is much more time consuming than others realize. The reason: programs. Planning an elementary [Continue Reading]

Looking for some great tips from a Midwest clinic or want to see a preview of the clinic coming up at TMEA? Below is a sample of the great information in the handout to Scott Rush’s clinic “Habits of a Significant Band Director.” You can download the FULL HANDOUT HERE! (If you’re coming to San ... Read More about Habits of a Significant Band Director

We can always turn to other directors around us for valuable tips and strategies. In this article, 5 organizational tips are discussed.

What can I say, I'm a teacher that LOVES to incorporate "holiday" themes WHEN it supports my curriculum. My first graders are preparing so-mi and we will **hopefully be presenting so-mi before Valentine's day. This is one of my favorite songs. . . and one of the things I love about it is it's not Valentine's Day specific. You can really use it anytime of year but with passing out Valentines this song works well. Here it is: Here's how we play it: Formation: seated circle, with one student as the “messenger” Action: The “messenger” walks around the circle as the song is sung, carrying a bag or basket that contains envelope. (Inside the envelopes are rhythmic or melodic patterns.) The person that the “messenger” is behind at the end of the song receives a “letter,” which they read to the class. I currently use handwritten cards and wanted to re-do them on the computer so they looked nicer. I'm a little obsessive so of course I started thinking of other games that could use these cards and how I could use them across more grade levels. Soooooooooooo I ended up creating a file of cards with 8 rhythms of each rhythmic element written in stick notation both with and without note heads. Here is my "key" to the file: Here are some sample cards: I numbered the sets and within the sets are 8 letters. In other words, there are 8 different rhythms for each rhythmic set. For the Messenger Song game I will use cards from sets 1-4 for my first grades: they know ta, ti-ti and ta-rest. It does take a long time to sing the song and for each student to get a "letter" so often times part of the class will get a letter in one lesson and the other will get one in the next lesson. An extension activity that I'm going to do with it is to have the students match the stick notation with note-heads to the stick notation without note-heads. That is, each student would be handed a rhythm card. They must find the other person in the class that has the matching card. Here are some other games to play with these cards: "Clap What You Don't See": Four cards are placed on the board. The students begin by reading each of the cards individually. They then read the cards in progression: card 1, card 2, card 3, card 4. After reading through the cards a couple times, the teacher turns one of the cards around. The students clap all four cards, including the one that they don’t see. The teacher turns another card around and the students read all four cards, even the two they can’t see. This progresses until all cards are turned around. If the students are very successful at this, more cards can be added. "Music Four-Square": This is a great option when using centers. It requires 4 players and is set up in a traditional 4-square court (but can be made smaller to accommodate your classroom space. Each square is assigned a rhythm. The player in box 1 begins and says someone else’s rhythm before bouncing the ball to them. That player then reads/says someone else’s pattern and bounces the ball to them. If an error is made, the person that read the card incorrectly goes to box 4 and all players in boxes lower than that person move up a box. "Mail Game": All students are given an envelope. Within that envelope are all 8 cards of that specific set. For example, each students’ envelope would contain cards 1-A, 1-B, 1-C, 1-D, 1-E, 1-F, 1-G and 1-H. The teacher would call a card. All students must find the card that matches the pattern that the teacher performed. The students turn that card over until everyone has chosen a card. The teacher will show the students the correct card. If their card matches, they get to put it back in their envelope. If their card does not match they must put it back on the floor. The goal is to be one of the first people to get all the cards back into their envelope. ** There are many opportunities for differentiation in this game: the teacher could clap and say the rhythm and students must find the card; the teacher would ONLY clap the rhythm and the students must find the card; the teacher would sing a song fragment that matches the rhythm of the card and the students must find the card; the teacher would play the rhythm on an instrument and the students must find the card; a student could lead the game and be in charge of calling the cards. ** multiple students will get all their cards into the envelope at the same time. This it not that “competitive” of game but is used more for assessment. ** the cards get easily mixed up in this game. Have the students make sure they have all the LETTERS in their set and only have one of each of those letters, before handing their “mail” back into you. The possibilities with flashcards are really endless!!! I'd love to hear some of your ideas! If you're interested in the cards above, you can find them at my Teachers Pay Teachers store. Also, don't forget that beginning in February I will be giving away a "Monthly Freebie" to all my Teachers Pay Teachers followers, so please follow me on there to get those coming free files! :)

This article explains what a nonprofit board of directors is and how they best operate to ensure the success of a nonprofit organization.

Clarinet hacks to improve your students quickly. A quick read with 4 fast solutions!

Help your elementary and middle school students learn to read music with this get-up-and-move note name game! Treble clef and bass clef included. Note name identification will be more fun with this "find a partner" matching game - perfect for music theory centers! Excellent game for all class size...

Band tags are an inexpensive and effective way to motivate students to meet behavior and musical goals! Simply hand out to your students as a way to recognize excellent performance or behavior. Perfect for motivating your beginning band students! Students can collect their cards and store them on a key ring, which may be hung from their instrument case, band locker or school bag. Another fun way to store them is in a band notebook by putting them in plastic business card binder pages. *Idea for use: When a student collects a certain number of cards, they earn a reward or prize! Fun rewards are eating lunch with the band director, free private lesson, ice cream party, etc. This bundle includes 40 ready to use tags and another 20 editable tags so you can personalize for your own band students! These print nicely on white cardstock and you can laminate for extra durability. Although printing with colored ink is preferred, you may also print in grayscale on colored cardstock. With the editable templates, you will be able to change the font, font size, font color, add text effects (glow, shadow, outline, etc.) move the font placement on the tag, and add additional text boxes. Icluded Tags: Great Posture Nice Tone Excellent Vibrato Way to watch the director! Way to practice! Good hand position Excellent Rhythm Great foot tap Good listening skills Excellent counting Way to be prepared! Good Leadership Way to be on time! Great sight-reading! Excellent tuning Great Embouchure Excellent Articulation Performed for my family Asked for help Helped a struggling student Top notch instrument care Outstanding improvement Played off a scale Excellent technique Good attention to style Super dynamics! Good air support! Practiced every day this week Outstanding behavior Played with confidence Practiced with a friend Excellent warm-up Had a pencil ready Prepared for class Good attention to key signature! Way to be responsible! Super tidy band locker Positive attitude Hard worker Great tonguing! ✅FOLLOW US FOR UPDATES ON NEW PRODUCTS, SALES & FREEBIES! Feedback from happy customers: ⭐These are great! My beginners need motivation. I added Cards for the different solo/ensemble contests too so the kids can collect them over the years. ⭐Product is a great motivator. Have used similar products with choruses. Cannot wait to use these with a Marching Band. ⭐I have instrument storage with the gates for doors. I gave each kid a binder clip and we clip the tags to the ring on the lockers. It's been great to recognize students for a job well done. There's a good variety of cards making it easy to award each kid for something done well. It's neat to see the kids earn a card and then set their goals on another...and another...and another. It's fostered a healthy, supportive type of competition among the students. Thanks for another great product BDTS. Doing Band Karate? These tags coordinate perfectly! Band Karate Tags & Award Certificates More Student Motivation Ideas: Music Games Bundle- Level 1 Music Theory Games Band Postcards Music Reward Coupons If you have any questions, please feel free to email [email protected] - we are happy to help! Your feedback is important! Please let me know what you think by leaving a comment and earn credits towards future purchases from any TPT store! Terms of Use: This product is intended for personal classroom/band hall use only. Buyer does not have rights to share or distribute. The clip art in this document is copyrighted and may not be copied, removed or altered. Additional licenses will always be 50% off (purchase them in the TpT store). If you like this product and want to share it, please purchase the additional license, or purchase an additional license and split the cost of the total with a friend! Keywords - band director, teaching band, music education, music ed, teaching theory, band games, orchestra games, choir games, music games, beginning band, beginning band games, advanced band games, music theory games, rhythm games, note values, note value games, band activities, orchestra activities, choir activities, music activities, back to school, instrumental music, elementary music, band fundamentals, fundamentals for band, band technique, band exercises, band instrument lessons, band instrument, band technique exercises, beginning band book, band games, band songs, band music, band sub plans, band activities, beginner band, band practice record, practice record, beginning band lesson, band supplemental book, beginning band supplemental book, band supplemental exercises, band warm-up, band method book, rhythm activity, band fingering exercises, band fingering chart, band warmup, beginning band music, beginning band composition, beginning band worksheet, concert band, band instrument, beginning band drills, band, back to school activities, back to school music, back to school music classroom, music tags, music motivation, music rewards, music coupons, music class coupons, middle school music, beginner band

Looking for an easy, fun way to teach the lines and spaces of the treble and bass clefs? Click here to check out this chant! Perfect for beginning band.

middle school chorus

A free printable checklist to make sure your elementary music classroom is prepared and organized for back to school.

Success? Rehearsal? Have you met my choir?! I know, I know. Choir members can be chatty and they don't always show up on time and sometimes it feels like you stand up in front of them and say the same. things. every. week. I get it. But success doesn't mean everything will be perfect.

Introducing an easy-to-use 8.5 X 11, digital template for music concerts, perfect for busy school teachers and music directors looking to save time and impress their audience with a professional-looking concert program. This digital template is designed with simplicity in mind, allowing you to easily create a custom program for your next music concert. The template is fully customizable via Canva (the free version) so you can adjust the layout and information to suit your needs. ***GREAT NEWS: CANVA PRO IS FREE FOR EDUCATORS with your school email!*** I have been a Music teacher for 10 years and always dreaded the extra time, effort, and mental space, creating a program took! This led me to want something easy and professional for teachers to use. We need to SAVE TIME, SAVE MONEY, and SAVE MENTAL SPACE! These programs are made to fit legal-sized paper and with minimal color so that you do not have to have them printed professionally. I've also included some options for program inserts and student names. Secondary and elementary programs will often have different needs so I tried to include everything. Although creating programs is something I’ve done forever, selling on Etsy is a new venture for me so I appreciate your feedback, kind reviews, clicks, traffic, and likes! This template is ready to download upon purchase, so you can get started right away and save valuable time. Please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns and I will get it worked out for you! Thanks, Angela

Although days can be busy and rehearsals can get crazy, here are 5 things you should say to your band more often. They will energize, inspire and motivate your students- and you!