Forward written by Katrina Proctor, Content Manager at Midnight Music.
2024 In Review
Wow, what a year it’s been! As 2024 comes to a close, it’s incredible to reflect on everything we’ve shared and learned together. If this year has taught me anything, it’s how powerful a community of passionate music educators can be. We’ve all come a long way, and it’s been a joy to watch you embrace new ideas, tools, and strategies to make teaching and learning even more exciting.
Looking back at the most popular posts of 2024, it’s clear that we’ve all been hungry for fresh ways to make our classrooms better, more efficient, and full of creativity. From practical tips on organizing your digital life to diving deep into rhythm apps, AI-powered tools, and fun classroom games like The Musical Olympics, it’s been fun to read how these posts have sparked so many “aha!” moments and creative breakthroughs.
But the best part? It’s not just about the tools—it’s about how they help you connect with your students in deeper, more meaningful ways. Whether you’re trying out Incredibox for the first time, saving hours with Canva AI, or discovering the magic of Google’s music experiments, the goal is always the same: to make teaching more joyful, impactful, and fun.
So, grab a cup of coffee (or tea!), take a stroll through these top posts, and let’s celebrate the journey we’ve been on this year. I hope these articles bring you as much inspiration and excitement as they’ve brought us. Here’s to even more growth, discovery, and music-making in 2025!
Countdown: The Top 10 Midnight Music Blog Posts of 2024
As music teachers, we often find ourselves juggling multiple tasks, from lesson planning to concert preparations, and it’s easy for our digital lives to become disorganized.
Today, I want to share some tips and strategies on how to organize your digital files to make your life easier and more efficient. Let’s dive in!
It feels like everyday, Canva is releasing a new update that changes the game. With the recent release of the Magic Studio, there are heaps of new AI tools that take ideas and visions you have for the content you want to create and turn them into reality. Recently on the blog, we introduced you to Magic Media, Magic Switch, and Magic Design, but today, we’re showcasing three MORE insanely cool Canva AI tools: Magic Write, Magic Animate, and AI Photo Editing.
Before we dive in, you may be feeling some hesitancy around AI tools, and this is completely normal! One of the best ways to deal with this skepticism is to practice and teach good digital citizenship when using AI tools, especially with students. Practice and demonstrate fact-checking your sources, always give AI-created content a good look-over for accuracy and inject your own voice and style into the writing. AI content should always be a jumping-off point, not the final product.
One of the best parts about social media – behind all the drama and the marketing – is truly the community! Music teachers really do this better than just about anyone. We are each building our own programs, which lends itself to growing our teacher community outside of our school buildings.
On the Midnight Music Facebook page, we often have conversation starters that go out to our community, and we love reading your replies! One of those recent questions was, “What is the best advice you were given when you started teaching?” In this blog, we’ll be sharing answers from many of those in our Facebook community. Keep reading to learn the best advice from current music teachers (that they were given when they started teaching)!
If you’ve been following the blog, you know we’re huge advocates for integrating all sorts of different technology into the music classroom. Today, we want to share with you an exciting tool that can add a sprinkle of fun and a dash of unpredictability to your lessons: Wheel of Names.
In this blog, you’ll learn all about Wheel of Names, how it works, and fun ways to spice up the learning in your classroom with this FREE tool!
Have you ever wondered how the integration of tech advancements could make your music classroom more dynamic and captivating? Or perhaps you’ve considered the role of artificial intelligence in music education? If so, you’re in the right place!
The educational landscape is constantly being reshaped by technology, and as music educators, it’s time we embrace some of these fun changes. Today, let’s explore some incredible developments from an online platform you may already be acquainted with – Canva.
Naming and memorizing notes on the staff can be incredibly fun for students if you have a few tricks up your sleeve! In this blog series, we’ll be covering 10 of the best note naming apps for teachers and students that work well, are useful, have lots of customization options, and will encourage basic through advanced note-reading skills. All of these apps have been covered in-depth in our live webinar, “Top 10 Note Naming Apps” inside the Midnight Music Community.
In this week’s blog, we’ll cover 5 of the top 10 note-reading apps, but join us again in a few weeks for the rest! Read on to learn more about how to choose apps and some of our favorites: Staff Wars, Staff Wars Live, Flashnote Derby, Noteworks, and Dr Musik.
We’re standing at a fascinating point in music education right now, propelled by recent advancements in artificial intelligence (AI). AI isn’t just for tech geniuses; it’s becoming a core part of our music teaching too, opening up ways we can inspire creativity and passion in our students.
Today, we’re going to explore some of the new and coolest Google AI tools that are changing the way you can teach music composition and exploration in your music classroom as well as some guidance on how to use AI and teach it responsibly and ethically.
When it comes to teaching composition, it’s essential to have the right tools at your disposal. One such tool that has gained popularity in recent years is Incredibox. This interactive music-making app and website provide a platform for students to explore their creativity while learning the fundamentals of music composition. Recently, Incredibox for Schools has been created, which gives teachers a dedicated, ad-free space for their students to create, but is it the right resource for your music classroom? We’ll delve into its features to help you decide.
Here’s a choice-board style list of musical Olympic events that your students can enter. They can choose which ones they’d like to do and there are plenty of “novelty” options, so everyone is in with a chance of winning a medal!
This would work well as an informal end-of-year activity, a music camp social activity, as a light-hearted break between concert programs or even as an activity for remote learning.
And even though it’s Olympic-themed, you could use it at any time!
1. The top blog of 2024: Top 11 Rhythm Reading Apps for Music Teachers
Rhythm is one of the skills that can make or break your students’ musical progress! Today, we’re diving into the world of rhythm reading apps—a treasure trove of resources that can transform the way you teach rhythm and timing to your students.
Whether you’re working with beginners or advanced musicians, these tools can make rhythm practice engaging, interactive, and effective. Let’s explore eleven fantastic rhythm reading apps and websites that are sure to become your new favorite teaching tools in the classroom.
Want more resources for music tech 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.
