8 Great Websites for Listening to Recordings of Band Contest/Festival Music Music Education by Joel Wagner - January 31, 2010June 30, 20100 The world of band directing has changed over the past few years as a result of the increasing pace of technological development. Back then Contest preparation when I first started teaching way back in August of 2002 went something like this: I began by digging through the CDs that I picked up each year at music conventions to find recordings of some of the band music that might be available. Then I picked up my copy of the UIL Prescribed Music List to see what was on the list. At this point, I went back to the recordings and tried to find whichever of the tunes I had on CD so I could listen. If a friend recommended a piece
20 Ways I Really Use My iPhone To Teach Band Class Blogging & Technology by Joel Wagner - September 12, 2009October 3, 20104 On the day that the iPhone 3G was released, I rushed out to the local AT&T Store to pick up my very own. I was excited, so I rushed home and wrote 10 Awesome iPhone Apps (Band Director Style) and listed all of the cool things that I was going to download and use in class. Well, a year has passed and things have changed somewhat. So I thought I'd go back and look at the list. I was somewhat surprised to see how it has changed and how some of those apps never panned out to be what I thought they would be. Even so, I am thrilled at the purchase of my iPhone and continue to find it extremely
5 Tips To Putting The Pieces of Your Life Back Together General by Joel Wagner - April 15, 2008July 2, 20104 I recently took my band to the UIL Concert & Sight Reading competition. We worked hard on the music. We worked hard in after school sectionals. We worked hard on passing classes to retain eligibility. The end result was that the band got first division in the Concert portion of the contest, and first division in the Sight Reading portion. That combination is called Sweepstakes. Putting together a performance like this takes its toll on everyone involved. As a result, I have fallen behind on a number of things in my personal life. The most notable is my housekeeping.Since I conduct the second band, it is made up of mostly 7th graders. This was their first year to go to
Top 10 Things I Learned This Year At TMEA Music Education by Joel Wagner - February 17, 2008July 2, 20101 I returned home from the Texas Music Educators Association clinic and convention this weekend. It was different TMEA experience for me than what I have been accustomed to in the past. One of the primary reasons for this was because I desperately needed the vacation more than I have in the past. If you've been following my blog, you know that the band director with whom I work had a stroke in December and has now been out for 8 weeks of classes. The workload I have is not more than I can handle at any given time, but when combined, it adds up and has been taking its toll on me. He anticipates being back before spring break. Only