The F-flat Books Blog is a community-run blog exploring a variety of topics in music teaching and learning.
Browse posts by category or check out the most recent posts below.
My son doesn’t have a music teacher and music education is my career.
When my husband and I decided to stay in Philadelphia after graduating from college, we always got the same questions: "Are you going to stay in the city long term?" "What will you do when you have children?" "Where will you send your kids to school?" In our mid-20s, living in the city was fun. We played in a band and loved taking advantage of all that the city offered us—great restaurants, walkable neighborhoods, close proximity to friends. We also felt compelled to acknowledge the brokenness of our [...]
How I’m approaching musicianship in my choral classroom
Like most music educators, I spend my summers reflecting and dreaming of what I want to accomplish with my students throughout the upcoming year. This past summer I set the intention of creating and fostering more musicianship in my choirs. Sure, this was always something I incorporated to some extent, but I knew there was more to be done. I constantly tell my singers that I want them to become independent musicians, but how was I to do so with so many constraints? Hurdles such as limited [...]
You teach what?!: Music education in virtual schools
Virtual Education When I tell people I teach music at a virtual school, they often have a hard time wrapping their heads around how it all works. My school has no physical school building. All of the teachers, students, and staff go to school via computer. Yes, I get to teach from home and yes, I get to wear comfy pants but the differences between virtual and brick and mortar teaching aren’t as numerous as people think. The virtual school I teach at has over 2,000 students in [...]
Music Beyond the Classroom: Interview with Violist and Social Media Influencer, ThatViolaKid
When I told my students I was interviewing Drew Alexander Forde for my blog (AKA ThatViolaKid), their jaws dropped. One even said, “Wow. You’re not a boomer!” Drew, a dynamic personality and incredible musician, has won over music fans with his engaging social media presence. A Juilliard grad, Drew might be playing a classical quartet one day and sharing the stage with Kanye the next. He embodies the fluidity and creativity that is needed to carve out a space in the music industry today and I wanted [...]
Music citizenship and urban education: Thoughts from grammy-nominated educator, Courtney Powers
As a native Philadelphian, I love the opportunity to celebrate the good things that are happening in my city. Teachers like Courtney are what make our urban school succeed. When I saw that Courtney was a semi-finalist for the Grammy music educator award for 2020, I asked her to share some thoughts via a blog post. In this post, Courtney describes her philosophy on music citizenship and her approach to urban education. Thank you for all you do for students! -Sarah Gulish What is Music Citizenship? Music [...]
New Teacher Series: Tips for concert season
Concert season- it’s one of the most exciting, nerve wracking, busy, and fun parts of our jobs as music educators. It never falls at a good time of the year and is guaranteed to be at least a little stressful. In every year of my career so far, I have been new to at least one building (including this year!). I’ve found some tips and tricks that have worked well in all of my positions regarding concert planning and execution. Although all of your concerts will be [...]
Reflections on 2019 from a new business owner
Have you taken the enneagram test? It’s basically a personality test. The idea underpinning the test is that each person has certain personality traits that are inborn, and can be boiled down to 9 specific types of personalities. I took the enneagram a few months ago thinking it would be fun. What would it say about me? What kinds of cool things would I find out about myself? Instead, it sent me into a tailspin. I scored most strongly in type three: the achiever. As I read the [...]
Music Beyond the Classroom: Interview with Ben Gundersheimer (“Mister G”)
For the next installment of our Music Beyond the Classroom series, we caught up with Bend Gundersheimer, affectionately known as "Mister G" to all his fans. Ben is a true entrepreneur and manages his performing career with a successful writing career while he continues to tour and record. His website sums up all of his roles in the music industry as a"Latin GRAMMY Award winning artist, author, activist, and educator. With 10 albums of original songs composed in four languages, Ben tours internationally as a solo artist and [...]
Redefining the “dream job”: My journey back to teaching
If you had told my 20-something year old self that I would walk away from my “dream job” at the age of 30, I never would have believed you. When I was 23 years old, I was so fortunate to land the job of my dreams. Teaching high school chorus was the job I had thought about since I was in the eighth grade. I imagined myself being in that position until my retirement. However, life had other plans for me. The reality of teaching high school High [...]
Teaching Trans Singers: Rethinking the Basics
Theresa Thomasulo In recent years, it has become increasingly common for choral teachers to have transitioning and gender-fluid singers in their choirs. A quick online search will reveal some excellent literature centered on vocal pedagogy and transitioning voices. However, we should also consider the statistics surrounding mental health risks among transgender youth. While we may think that we are accommodating and inclusive of all our students, we need to take extra steps to ensure that students across the gender-identity spectrum feel safe, comfortable, and happy. [...]
What’s on my desk
While we are in the business of selling eBooks, it doesn't mean that we don't love our physical books! During my 12 month teaching sabbatical last year, I had more time to read, discover, and write. I've taken some of my favorite books and placed them on my desk, hoping that the lessons I've learned from these texts will stay with me when the days are long and I'm running out of inspiration. If you are looking for some good books to read over the upcoming holiday [...]
Music Beyond the Classroom: Interview with Latin Grammy winner, Jose Valentino Ruiz
This week, we're highlighting Jose Valentino Ruiz in our music beyond the classroom series. Not only is Jose one of our authors at F-flat books, he is an incredible musician who wears many hats. University professor, Latin Grammy and Emmy-winning producer and engineer, multi-instrumentalist, dad, husband---these all describe this incredible human being. The first time I met Jose, I was so impressed with his ability to communicate with passion and expertise. If I could bottle his energy, I would! Check out what Jose had to say about [...]