Gear Up for the New School Year Thursday, August 03, 2017
by Ken Tilger, Band Education Specialist –
The school year is almost upon us so I thought we might feature some of the most useful resources for improving and developing your band program. From overall program development and administration, music teaching, and conducting, to the National Standards, classroom management, and working productively with your booster organization, these titles touch on almost every aspect of being a band director. Pick up 1 or 2 of these to recharge before the school year starts, or use them as guides to implement small changes over the year. Either way they are sure to provide new insights, ideas, and resources to make your school year smoother and your program better.
Habits of a Successful Band Director
In Habits of a Successful Band Director, Scott Rush provides a how-to book for young teachers, a supplement for college methods classes, a common-sense approach to everyday problems band directors face, sequential models for instruction that are narrow in scope, and more. Some of the topics covered in the ten chapters include: classroom organization and management, working with parents and colleagues, the importance of the warm-up, rehearsal strategies, selecting high-quality literature, and student leadership.
Habits of a Successful Middle School Band Director
Building on the successful Habits series, Scott Rush and his team have created a practical guide to all aspects of the middle school band program, including, recruiting for beginners, mouthpiece testing and instrumentation, running an effective middle school rehearsal, teaching strategies for middle school, repertoire suggestions, warm-ups for beginner, intermediate, and advanced middle school players Additional sections address musicianship, classroom management, working with parents and colleagues, assessment, technology, the middle school mind, minor instrument repair, private lessons…even traveling with middle school students.
Developing the Complete Band Program
This book is a unique resource for both novice and experienced band directors, gathering effective teaching tools from the best in the field. Includes more than 40 chapters on: curriculum, then and now of North American wind bands, the anatomy of music making, motivation, program organization and administrative leadership, and much more. A wonderful resource for all music educators! Dr. Jagow’s book is comprehensive and impressive in scope.
National Core Arts Standards in Secondary Music Ensembles
This practical, 96-page resource provides detailed information to ease understanding and implementation of the 2014 National Core Arts Standards in secondary music ensembles. Each artistic process in the standards – creating, performing, responding, and connecting – is explored through examples of day-to-day rehearsal activities and a sample cornerstone assessment that is ready for class use.
** NEW **
Boosters to the Rescue!
Veteran band director David Vandewalker has been successfully empowering school parent organizations across the country for years. In Boosters to the Rescue! he offers practical tools to modernize your program into a 21st-century booster organization that can function as a successful small business and significantly support the school music and arts programs. In clear, concise language Vandewalker lays out an action plan that includes how to learn to be articulate in sharing your vision; enlist an army of volunteers; develop project plans; define a composite list of duties, tasks, and responsibilities; communicate; create a business plan model; and more.
** NEW **
Strategic Plans for a Successful Booster Club
Strategic Plans for a Successful Booster Club is the companion resource to Boosters to the Rescue!, which provides ready-to-use Word, Excel, and PDF files to help booster clubs set and achieve a long-term vision for their organization. Strategic Plans includes project-planning guides for three diverse sizes of booster clubs: Developing, Growing, and Maximizing. Strategic Plans offers a wealth of ideas, forms, organizational charts, and branding tools in four concise sections: “Ready, Set, and Go!” introduces the strategic planning process and explains how to get down to business. “Rally the Troops” provides practical advice on how to organize, manage, and empower people. “Roll It Out” delves into the details of creating a business plan blueprint and a project-planning guide. And “Rock It Out” includes ways to build effective teams, with dozens of branding and advertising designs ready for you to download, edit, customize, and print.
** NEW **
The Conductor’s Companion: 100 Rehearsal Techniques, Imaginative Ideas, Quotes, and Facts
100 outstanding middle and high school, collegiate and professional band and orchestra conductors passionately and candidly share their most powerful rehearsal techniques and cutting-edge program ideas in this concise and inspirational volume. Also included are fascinating historical facts about famous composers and conductors as well as inspirational quotes ideal for advocating music programs. It’s an excellent university supplemental text and a “go-to” source for directors at all levels.
Classroom Management in the Music Room
Classroom Management in the Music Room: Pin-Drop Quiet Classes and Rehearsals is a resource vital to any productive music classroom. Designed with simplicity in mind – simple to teach, simple to learn, and simple to administer – this book promotes student-centered self-discipline and turns classroom management into creating music.
Don’t Forget These!
Handy Manual Fingering Charts
Complete Instrumental Reference Guide
About the Author:
A former band director, Ken taught grade 5-12 band and music appreciation in both public and parochial schools in central Ohio, and joined the Stanton’s team in 2004. His iPod ranges from jazz and funk to classic and alternative rock, and symphonies. Besides music, he geeks out on comic books, amusement parks, hockey (especially the Stanley Cup Champion Penguins), and all things Pittsburgh.
