Concert season is here and it's time for the dress rehearsal. It's easy to obsess about the musicality of your upcoming performance. Yet, there are so many other things to remember which go into a good show and make everything run smoothly. Don't forget to check these concert to-dos.
1. Did you remember the program? Don't get caught without a program. It looks professional and helps the audience know what the overall plan of the concert is. Programs are a good place to highlight your soloists. You can also give background information about the music or a special guest performer. Concert programs make a good keepsake for that proud parent as well. 2. Will you serve food? The concert may be an hour or longer, but people will be smiling when refreshments are served afterwards or during an intermission. Serving food to the musicians as well gives a great opportunity to celebrate the performance and a job well done. 3. Don't leave your chords in a mess If you have little ones on the stage or even a nervous adult, be careful to wrap your chords. Don't leave a bundle of cables anywhere on the stage. You can tape down long cables so no one will trip over them and keep everything nice and neat. You'd be surprised how easily feet can get tangled. 4. Do you have extra batteries for your wireless mics? You used the mic during rehearsal and it was working. Now, it's the concert night and the mic is flickering on and off. Make sure to have lots of fresh batteries. If you can, even keep an extra mic on the sidelines. In fact, having extra cables is a good practice as well. Don't let a good concert get canceled because of technical issues. 5. What are you going to say between songs? It's a good idea to plan what you will say between songs. Some people can just wing it, but most of us deal with nerves. You can write out the entire script or give yourself some flashcards with a few notes on them. Writing a script will also help you sort out those transitions and make sure the flow of the concert is just right. 6. Did you plan for transitions? Speaking of transitions, if there will be a costume change, or class change, plan, plan, plan. You should practice all transitions ahead of the concert. You should also plan on keeping the audience occupied with some additional jokes or catchy story while people are scrambling behind the stage. If you know exactly how long these transition will take, you can plan to fill up the time and not have an unusually awkward pause. 7. How are you entering and exiting the stage? Practicing entering and exiting the stage is very important to do during a dress rehearsal. This will give your group a professional feel. Believe me, someone will try to run across the stage to get to their place. Show them how you want them to get up and down from risers. How should they hold their instrument in rest position. When should they exit. Will they take a bow? 8. Do you have clips to hold down sheet music if you're outside? If your concert takes place outside, make sure to clamp down the music. If you don't have clamps, you may have to resort to tape, although that ruins the sheet music. Watch out for page turns as well. On a windy day, when all the music is clamped down, it will be very difficult to turn pages. It may be important to factor this in and make sure a few tunes are memorized. 9. Do you have lighting for the music? If your concert is inside in the evening and lights will be dimmed, be sure to get some lighting on the music stands. It would be very terrible to get to the concert and not be able to see the music. Yes, this has happened! Music stand lights are readily available, so plan ahead for it and test out the lighting when you do your dress rehearsal. 10. Don't forget to tune Everything was ready, you were running around making sure not an issue occurred. The group looked good. They got up on stage and you gave them a great introduction. Then, they started playing and you realized they were out of tune! Now the song has already started. You are horrified. Don't let this happen to you. You will be busy, so pick a good student to oversee tuning. And then put it on your list to check the tuning! I hope all these tips help your concert turn out great. Just remember above all else, to have fun. When you enjoy the performance, that energy will rub off on the musicians and they will also enjoy the show.
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Going back to class can be daunting after a long summer break. Elementary class is filled with miraculous moments of children coming together in beautiful harmony, learning that Christmas concert song just in time, or giving you a fond smile as they hand you a handmade gift with a note that reads, "Best Teacher Ever." But there are also those times when eyes role, children group together to exclaim how much they hate an activity, and one sincere question from a student sends the class into chaos. Let's be honest, you may be hesitating a little on finalizing your lesson plan this year, and with good reason! Will you meet the Music State Standards? Will you end up boring kids with too much theory? Here are ten steps for a successful elementary school year.
1. Procedures, procedures, procedures Before you roll out your lesson plan, mentally go through every aspect of your lesson time from the first second you see them until the very last student exits the room. You can't decide to have a morning activity if you don't know how they enter the room. Will you set the activity out? Will they form a circle? Sit in seats? Is there a welcome song? What does their homeroom teacher say to quiet them? If there are books or papers, how do they pass them out or collect them? Channel summer excitement and keep students engaged at home with these summer-themed music coloring pages!
Click the link below to access the coloring pages. This is a fun review of music notes, rests, dynamic, and other music terms for your students. This package includes ten simple Summer themed music review color by music pages for elementary students to do at home, private lesson, or in the classroom. This review covers: Notes, Rests, Dynamic, staff, and clefs and includes an answer key! This product is great for little musicians to use at home during school closure or summer holidays. Easily use these coloring pages for distance learning by sending .pdfs and instructions for your students or their parents. Answer keys are provided for parents or a sub to check and assist kids when they are having trouble. Get your summer review pages here. *All pages may be colored with a 24 crayon set or 8 basic colors plus pink. ************************************************************* You might also like: Learn Music Through Coloring Birds: Notes, Rests, and Meter Music Conducting Quiz Time Signature Coloring Page 2/4 3/4 and 4/4 If you have any questions, please feel free to ask. I am happy to help! My Website Follow me on Pinterest Send a message on Facebook __________________________________________________ #distancelearning #MusicatHome #Music #distancelearningTPT #privatelessons #sublessons Covid-19 has changed the music industry forever, but the music industry has not been crippled. If anything, musicians have shown the world their resilience. When concert venues shut down, live streaming gained popularity. When the doors shut to private lesson studios, teachers took their students online via Zoom and other platforms. But what will music education look like in the 2020-2021 school year? Is music education in jeopardy as school districts make decisions about the budget after the world’s largest recession?
by Angela Bond
I remember going to college for my BA and being forced to take the general requirements for music theory. I had taken all the theory classes at the community college level so I could transfer out of theory at the upper level, only to get partial credit on my entrance test and have to repeat one class. Admittedly, I was very good my second time around, but when I encountered theory at the masters level, I was again hit by that feeling of impending doom. After encountering student after student scoff at music theory, I wonder, Why is music theory so hard? Is Music Theory Irrelevant? I don’t think music theory has to be difficult. You can break it down to the smallest ideas and anyone can learn. I believe if two problems are addressed, music theory may return to its former glory. The first topic to address is relevance. Just face it, how many students have to know counterpoint in the real world? The riskiest yet most necessary thing for us to do as a society is regularly overhaul our systems. We should constantly be looking towards the future, to ways we can better ourselves and make overall improvements. |
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