So You Want To Teach?

Welcome to the very first edition of the Music Education Blog Carnival! I have sorted through the submissions, weeded through them some, and now present to you some absolutely terrific articles here!

We’ll start out by sorting things out a little bit. The articles came in basically three categories: Practice, Practice, and more Practice, Teaching Tips, 21st Century Music Resources, and The Life of a Music Educator.

Practice, Practice, and more Practice
Without a doubt, the common denominator between all musicians is the practice experience. Love it or hate it, we all must do it if we are to get better. We need to do it even if we simply want to stay where we are. The two most entertaining articles that were submitted to the carnival both had to do with practicing.

Even if you are not a music teacher, I highly recommend the first article. Find some way to apply one or two of the hints into your own life. You’ll be amazed. If that means you become a better Halo player, great. If that means you become a better golfer, congratulations! This series is one of the best educational resources I have seen online in quite a while!

1. Chris Foley presents 31 Days to Better Practicing: The Complete Series posted at The Collaborative Piano Blog.
2. Mike Saville presents 10 Most Common Practice Excuses | How To Practise posted at How To Practise.

Teaching Tips
We continue with the teaching category and its eleven entries. Some are research-oriented, others are editorial, and still others are humorous. It’s a great mix here.

1. Heather Johnson presents The Chords that Bind Music and Language posted at Mesoj.
2. Madeleine Begun Kane presents Musical Accord (Spoof Contract) posted at Mad Kane’s Humor Blog.
3. Eugene Cantera presents Stop the Madness! posted at Discover, Learn, Play.
4. Stengel99 presents Private Lesson Cancellation and Make-Up Policy posted at Music Ed Lounge.
5. Damien presents Music Education: Lens For Life (Blogathon #3) posted at Life is RANTastic!
6. Ken Pendergrass presents Teaching students to be critical in a healthy way and taking it personally posted at Music Is Not for Insects.
7. Mandy Loerch presents Oboe Basic Training posted at Masonryds.
8. Stengel99 presents Curriculum for Jazz Saxophone posted at Music Ed Lounge.
9. Nancy Flanagan presents HUSTLE — and FLOW posted at Teacher in a Strange Land.
10. Eugene Cantera presents Response to an AAJ Post posted at Discover, Learn, Play.

21st Century Music Resources
As music educators who read (and write) blogs, we are in the minority. That doesn’t mean that other music educators can’t benefit from our expertise. The Carnival included some really cool resources for those of us looking to expand out 21st Century bag of tricks in the music classroom. Check them out!

1. Joseph Pisano presents Top Ten Websites/Programs That Allow Musicians To Jam Or Collaborate Online posted at Music, Technology and Education: Mustech.net.
2. Larry Ferlazzo presents The Best Music Websites For Learning English posted at Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites Of The Day For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL.
3. Mark Monaghan presents Musicovery.com posted at eLearning.
4. Niharika presents 100 Free Sources for (Good) Downloadable Music posted at Free Geekery.
5. Danogo presents Guide to Making Your Own Ringtones and Selling Downloads posted at DanoSongs.com – Dan-O’s Music Blog.
6. Katrina Cain presents What is the Difference Between Digital and Analog? posted at The Difference Between.
7. Amy M. Burns presents Podcasting with the Youngest of Students posted at Elementary Music/Music Technology Blog.

The Life of a Music Educator
Life is more than just what goes on in the classroom. These articles address some research as well as some thoughts on the interview process and just plain ol’ life as a teacher.

1. Shaheen Lakhan presents Mozart, MD – Music for the Mind and Body posted at GNIF Brain Blogger.
2. MissD presents 8 Interview Red Flags posted at Choir Teacher Blues.
3. Stengel99 presents Do Your Eyes Light Up? posted at Music Ed Lounge.