Forward written by Katrina Proctor, content manager at Midnight Music.
A Note to Teachers
Never have I ever been so impressed with the dedication of teachers and educators as I have in 2021. In 2020, we all thought that the new year would bring with it a welcome reprieve from the chaos of a pandemic world, but unfortunately, it wasn’t quite the case.
2021 brought with it its own set of problems, namely the sheer amount of burnout and stress that comes from trying to pick up the pieces of ever-changing guidelines while still trying to share the life-changing power of music with others.
Music teachers gave 2021 their all! From finally performing together for the first time in nearly two years to showing up for other teachers who were restricted by quarantines; from continuing to hold students to high standards of excellence, or really getting to know students as people and putting the constant pressure of performance aside for a time.
In 2021 you showcased brilliant music-making, taught yourself how to host virtual concerts and recitals, brought in virtual guest-speakers, collaborated with composers, played games, laughed with students, taught beginning band and choir in masks, showed up for students, gave them love, and continued to offer the best of yourselves.
You are the brilliance of what it means to be human. You have been essential to continuing the fight to keep the hope of life beyond a global pandemic alive, constantly reminding students of their value and worth, and being genuine examples of how music can help heal broken hearts.
I am so incredibly proud of you. What you do every day extends far beyond the reach of your studio or classroom, you are shaping young hearts and minds in music. You are taking scared young people and reminding them of their community and connection to others. You are bringing people together in a time where it is so easy to feel so very far apart. Never underestimate music’s power in times like this or the very important role you play.
So, without further ado, here is the 2021 year in review; a countdown of our most popular posts that helped teachers survive and thrive in 2021.
Countdown: Top 10 Midnight Music Posts of 2021
10. Body Percussion the Digital Way, Part 1
Written by Elisabeth (Lisi) Bottoms
Body percussion is found in almost every musical culture – from the Austrian/Bavarian Schuhplattler to Palmas in Spain, a Saman dance from the Gayo ethnic group in Indonesia and Hambone in the USA, no matter what background your students have, the chance that they can connect to it is quite high.
9. Shall We Dance? From Vienna Waltz to EDM
Written by Elisabeth (Lisi) Bottoms
Dance music has been an integral part of almost every culture since the beginning. Over time, the conventions of dance have changed significantly in order to please the audience and to allow performers and dancers to express themselves.
As dance comes in so many different forms and genres, most students will be able to identify with at least one strand of it.
8. 7 Time-Filler Activities for Elementary Music Students
Written by Katherine (Katie) Miller
2020 has taught educators to be ready for anything! Now that we are starting to get back into our spaces and making music with students again, we understand the value of the limited time we have with them and have learned not to take it for granted.
7. Chrome Music Lab Lesson: C Major Musical Phrases on Shared Piano
Written by Katrina Proctor
Learning basic piano is one of the most important foundational skills for any beginning music student. Understanding basic chords, scales, harmony/melody, and even just simple hand-eye coordination are all things that we want our students to grasp and have practice with.
6. Using Chrome Music Lab’s Kandinsky Experiment In the Elementary Music Room
Written by Sarah Joncas
One of the most user-friendly Chrome Music Lab experiments is Kandinsky. Just draw a shape on screen to hear corresponding sounds. Students love experimenting with this tool. I’ve created a guided exploration lesson for my students so that they can find how to access all of the different elements of music within a Kandinsky drawing.
5. TikTok Lesson Ideas You Should Steal For Your Music Classes Part 1
This is a two-part series covering creative TikTok ideas you can adapt for your music classes. These will not involve actually using the TikTok app in class with your students, but rather using some of the challenges and trends as inspiration for creative lessons.
4. Exploring Sound with Chrome Music Lab’s Oscillator and Strings
Written by Katherine (Katie) Miller
Technology can provide an opportunity for students to dig deeper in ways that may not have been possible without it! This is my favorite thing about incorporating technology into my classroom. This lesson utilizes both the Chrome Music Lab Oscillator and the Chrome Music Lab Strings experiments to enrich student understanding of sound and pitch.
3. 7+ Fun Icebreakers for the Beginning of the Year In the Secondary Music Classroom
Written by Katrina Proctor
A great, well-placed ice-breaker at the beginning of the year sets up your classes for a year full of camaraderie, community, laughter, and structure. Here are some of my favorite tried-and-true icebreakers I’ve used personally in my secondary music classroom over the years!
2. How to Record a TikTok Harmony Builder in Soundtrap Bandlab or GarageBand
The harmony builder challenge has been a popular trend on Tiktok for a while now and the most well-known example is a snippet from the Grace Kelly song by Mika.
You can jump on this trend with your students by having them learn the parts of a song snippet and then record the parts in a multitrack recording software app.
THE TOP POST OF 2021
Written by Katherine Miller.
If you are like me, you are always looking for new ways to increase student engagement! In my elementary music room, I love to include many ways to experience music at the higher levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy. Creating, performing, composing, that is a music teacher’s jam. Plus, these activities are inherently more engaging to students as they provide lots of opportunities for voice and choice.
However, there is a lot of learning (like vocabulary for instance) that has to be done to build up a student’s background knowledge. This type of learning, usually more towards the bottom of the taxonomy Bloom wrote, can be a little harder to make engaging for students.
That is why I fell in love with a variety of online trivia or quiz-style games.
If you can relate, or maybe you can relate with needing a way to boost engagement with the variety of learners we are teaching this year (from in-person to virtual and other options somewhere in between), Blooket might be something new you can incorporate into your lessons TOMORROW.
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Looking for More Resources for Music Teachers?
Hello! I’m Katie Argyle – an Australian music technology trainer and consultant with a passion for helping music teachers through my business Midnight Music.
I’m a qualified teacher but no, I don’t currently teach in a school. I help teachers through my online professional development space – the Midnight Music Community – where there are tutorial videos, courses, links and downloadable resources.
I like to focus on easy ways to incorporate technology into what you are already doing in your music curriculum through a range of creative projects. I also run live workshops and have presented at countless conferences and other music education events.
If you want simple, effective ideas for using technology in music education, I would LOVE to help you inside the Midnight Music Community.
