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.
Musicast Episode 11: Dr. Christopher Azzara
Dr. Christopher Azzara, Professor at the Eastman School of Music, talks about his work as a teacher, jazz pianist, and researcher with the Musicast Duo! [...]
The New Normal: Starting a Job During a Pandemic
I started a new job this fall at Boston University and I love it. I am an Assistant Professor of Music (Music Education). My job is mostly to work with graduate students on interesting, challenging topics and publish research in my area of expertise. Basically, my dream job (after International Rock Star, for which there is no application process anyway, and to which I came as close as I ever will this past summer when I played on another obscure album with my best friend in the world, [...]
Holiday Gift Guide: Music Teacher Edition
I love gift guides. There's nothing better than someone on the internet telling me what I should buy for the people in my life! What is so great about gift guides? If you're someone like me (who does not enjoy shopping), it's nice to have a perfectly curated gift at the click of a button. This gift guide is specifically for the music educator in your life. As a music educator of 15 years, I am well-versed in the world of treble clef jewelry and cheeky music teacher [...]
Musicast Episode 10: Scott Sheehan- The Future of Music Education
Scott Sheehan, the next president of the National Association for Music Education, sits down to talk with Marissa and Kevin about COVID teaching and what comes next, post-pandemic. [...]
The “New Normal”: Running a Popular Music Program in Australia
Like most, if not all, music institutions around the world, the lockdown resulting from COVID-19 necessitated a swift move of all of our teaching to online, and a consequent steep learning curve especially for instrumental and ensemble teachers who had never had to operate in that kind of environment. At the Queensland Conservatorium, where 75% of courses are practical in nature, this posed of course enormous learning and teaching challenges as we strove to still offer our students an optimal learning experience – this was especially challenging for [...]
Research to Practice: Developing Musicianship
The potential for growth when teachers listen to each of their students, help them develop their own musicality, and engage an entire group of them in active listening is just…well, the possibilities are endless. [...]
Growing Young Professionals: Human Resources
In this installment of Growing Young Professionals, we will be talking about Human Resource Management! So, what is HRM? Most young professionals have heard of a Human Resources (HR) department, but not many have interacted with one. Most large scale organizations (school districts, businesses) have an HR department that supports employees. When you apply for a job at a school, you will almost always contact the school’s HR department, which handles the initial steps of the hiring process (reviewing resumes, checking backgrounds). Once you accept a position, the [...]
Musicast Episode 8: The Liberty High School Bagpipe Corps – Student Leadership on an International Stage
The Musicast duo is joined by Liberty High School band director and his bagpipe corps student leaders for a conversation about bagpipes, leadership, and the meaning of a music program to the community. [...]
The New Normal: I “just” teach music
I am often called “just the music teacher.” And I may or may not also be tired of non-teachers looking at me and asking, “Soooo, how are you actually working during COVID?” I will never forget it. One co-worker even asked me, “So Darlene, what do you do now on Zoom? Just cha-cha the whole time?” I have a shirt from Prince Rhythm Company created by Franklin Willis that says, “More Than a Music Teacher.” Wow, does it ring true this school year. When the pandemic forced schools [...]
Growing Young Professionals: An Introduction
Hello, and welcome to F-Flat’s new blog, Growing Young Professionals! The purpose of this blog is to answer practical and logistical questions young professionals, more specifically new teachers, have when entering the work environment. Often, the collegiate experience heartily prepares you to teach your subject in a standard classroom. However, it does not often provide experience with practical aspects of professional life, such as benefits, contracts, unions, and much more. We learn to be good at teaching but not necessarily good at the rest of the gig. To [...]
Musicast Episode 7: Dr. Tim Lautzenheiser- Chicken Soup for the Music Teacher Soul
Dr. Tim Lautzenhesier drops by to talk about motivation, inspiration, and keeping music alive and well in our schools during tough times. If you need a boost in your teacher morale, this one is for you! [...]
The New Normal: Advocating for students
I hadn’t seen my students since March 10th. I hadn’t heard them sing together or in public since we closed down back in March. In fact, I was at an American Choral Directors Association Southern Conference went everything went left. I didn’t even get to tell them goodbye. At first, we believed it was only going to be two weeks. “Oh, we’ll be back after spring break,” is what we kept telling ourselves. All of my colleagues quickly realized the severity of it all. My heart ached, and [...]