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Education Through Music believes that equity in education is vital to the success of all in our society - equity that is inclusive of the diversity in all people. Because we believe that a diverse, equitable, and inclusive society is a better one, we are committed to pursuing organizational policies and practices that move us forward towards that end in our role as educators and leaders.

We are committed to pursuing organizational policies and practices that are just, inclusive, equitable, and reflect the cultural richness of our students, our teachers, and our school communities.

In order to fully embrace and embody diversity, equity, inclusion, anti-racism, and social justice at ETM, we commit to

Implementing internal policies and practices that support diversity, equity, and inclusion at all levels of our organization.

Providing transparency to our staff and supporters around our decision-making processes.

Engaging in open dialogue with our partner schools to understand and align ourselves with their needs.

Using music to advance equity for marginalized and vulnerable students and bringing a social justice lens and a culturally responsive approach to classroom activities.

Training music educators and staff to support the lived experiences of students of all cultures, ethnicities, gender identities, gender expressions, ages, physical and mental abilities, religious beliefs, and sexual orientations.

Joining our peer organizations in advocating for systemic change and greater investment in education.

Being held accountable for our work and our actions.

Important Definitions

In an effort to maintain transparency and invite accountability, ETM is sharing our organizational definitions of some key terms in our anti-racism work.

Diversity is the breadth of representation ETM manifests in terms of the people it employs, serves, works with, and is governed by, as it relates to cultures, ethnicities, gender identities, gender expressions, ages, physical and mental abilities, religious beliefs, and sexual orientations. This concept of Diversity is founded upon acceptance and respect, and the conviction that these differences make ETM a better, more effective organization.

At ETM, we recognize that although not everyone starts with the same advantages and resources, everyone deserves the opportunity to succeed. The achievement of Equity often requires additional, purposeful efforts to ensure that those who are oppressed can reach the same levels of success as those with power. Equity means working to understand, help facilitate, and advocate for the distribution of the resources that individuals and groups in our community-including students, teachers, staff, board members, and others-need in order to be successful and happy, with an eye towards the equity of outcomes, and not only on the equality of current investments.

At ETM, we embrace people of all ages, cultures, ethnicities, family or marital statuses, gender identities, or gender expressions, languages, national origins, physical, mental, and emotional abilities/disabilities, neurodivergence, political affiliations, races, religions, sexual orientations, socio-economic statuses, veteran status, and other characteristics that make our community unique. Our goal at ETM is to make staff, students, and community members feel welcomed, included, empowered, valued, and connected through our policies, practices, protocols, and norms.

Anti-Racism
Anti-racism is a process of actively identifying and opposing racism. ETM recognizes that there is no justification for prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism directed against a person or people on the basis of their membership in a particular racial or ethnic group, and we acknowledge the role that institutions and systems play in the racial inequities we experience.

At ETM, anti-racism is achieved by taking action: creating policies, practices, protocols, and norms that prevent individual racism, interpersonal racism​, institutional racism, and structural racism​ in our office, our classrooms, and among our community. We will address and combat racism at every level of our organization, from staff members to funders, to students, and principals.

ETM's Board of Directors and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

ETM's Board of Directors has adopted their own DEI Resolution:

The Board of Directors for Education Through Music is committed to the principles and values of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. We strive for a diverse board, with representation of the communities in which ETM serves. We strive for an equitable environment that embraces all viewpoints when making decisions. We strive for an inclusive culture that makes all people feel welcome and that they belong. The Board of ETM is committed to ensuring these values are carried out and embraced within our staff and the mission of the organization.

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DEI Commitment | Education Through Music

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Education Through Music believes that equity in education is vital to the success of all in our society.

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Music Follows You: The 2017 NAMM Foundation PSA

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From our first heartbeat, to our dying breath's last rattle, we are music, and music follows us throughout our lifetime. "Music Follows You" is the title and concept of The NAMM Foundation's 2017 PSA. The PSA serves to inspire its viewers to think about music - and themselves - differently than before.

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Why Advocacy?

Advocacy, which is defined as the act of speaking or writing in support of something or someone, is essential to every music educator's career and to the profession as a whole. Every music educator needs to be a strong advocate for viable, sequential, enduring music programs for all students.

Advocacy can take many forms and is not limited to formal presentations to decision makers such as boards of education or legislators. One of the best forms of preventative advocacy is a strong, vital, quality music education program. Music educators become advocates for their programs at concerts and public performances by relating to the audience the musical content of the music being performed and the musical challenges students have met and mastered. This informal form of advocacy can yield significant benefits by building support for the program and demonstrating in a very real way the unique educational value of a music education to students. Inviting an administrator into the music classroom or rehearsal to see students engaged in active learning is another of many informal forms of advocacy that can build beneficial and even essential support when a crisis situation arises.

Although it may not be part of the "job description," many music educators actively engage themselves and others as advocates for music education on behalf of their students, schools, and communities. Some music educators may feel they are in an awkward position when it comes to directly "lobbying" decision makers within their school district. Others are passive or even inactive because they do not recognize the importance of advocacy or the necessity of taking a personal, active role in it. Music educators who do not feel their program is in immediate jeopardy may not be motivated to become advocates. Even if music educators value advocacy, their efforts may be less effective than they could be because they are unaware of advocacy tools readily available to them. They may not understand how to conduct advocacy activities efficiently and effectively. Finally, they may believe that they alone must initiate and be responsible for advocacy efforts.

The Governing Rationale

What prompts any advocacy efforts are the welfare and education of the students and the right of every student to a quality music education. Although developing and maintaining a career is important, as a music educator you are advocating for a higher cause than continued employment-you are advocating for a quality music education for every child.

The Music Educator's Role

Leader
Within the limits of local law and custom, the music educator can lead community efforts to delineate and articulate the benefits of music education for every child. This leadership includes:
First Steps

Contacting your state's MEA for advice and materials

Logging onto websites that deal with advocacy efforts for music education, e.g., SupportMusic.com; amc-music.com; MENC.org

Calling key players in your area to set up a meeting to discuss the crisis and to develop an action plan

Subsequent Steps

Creating a network database (phone numbers, e-mail addresses, etc.) that will be in place before an emergency exists

Seeking potential leaders from parent groups for advocacy efforts and presentations

Defining and coordinating advocacy efforts in a crisis

Being proactive in developing positive relationships (administrators, boards of education, parents, legislators) as a means of avoiding adversarial relationships

Educating parents, administrators, board of education members, and the community about the importance and value of music for all students

Maintaining ongoing awareness after a crisis

Collaborator
In advocacy efforts, the music educator plays the role of a collaborative leader with those who support music education. This collaboration includes:

Determining the nature of the situation and providing guidance and advice

Evaluating the music program and its support to know their strengths and weaknesses

Learning how budgets and politics work year-round; monitoring that information and sharing it with others, including parents, other teachers, music retailers, and anyone who supports music education

Involving oneself continuously with overall school planning

Working with others to define and guide an ongoing effort, heading the effort that determines the arguments and data to be used, sharing responsibility for advocacy activities, and ensuring that all involved are well informed

Understanding the power structure, working with natural allies, designing a well- orchestrated effort, developing a coalition, and providing clear lines of communication

Many music educators have parent booster groups to provide financial as well as other types of support for their music programs. These groups can be an invaluable source of workers for an advocacy effort. Parents or others not employed by the school district should take the leadership role in major advocacy efforts and formal presentations in order to nullify potential accusations directed at the music educator that he/she is "trying to save his/her job."

As educators, music teachers can identify special abilities and resources in individuals and help set clear goals for groups. As trained leaders, music teachers can organize, analyze, plan out, act on, and evaluate an effort, and they are well aware of the importance of communication, visibility, mutual respect, and cooperation. They are willing to educate the opposition about the value of music education while determining the best course of action that will develop allies.

Guidelines

These guidelines are not intended to be comprehensive instructions about how to create an advocacy program. Their purpose is to provide the music educator some basic information that will be helpful in getting an advocacy process started and moving. Ask your music education association leadership for specific advocacy tools.
Logistics

Recognize that each advocacy program must be customized to each individual music program and situation.

Recognize that sporadic, uncoordinated actions are not enough. Sustained campaigns are essential for sustained results.

Don't reinvent the wheel. Join with an existing advocacy group if there is one available, such as a parent booster group or an arts coalition.

Work with both adversaries and allies to turn adversarial, combative situations into cooperative efforts to find a solution.

Obtain or create literature and pertinent data for distribution.

Know your state's policies on music education. If you find them lacking, work to change them.

Know your school district's policies and regulations regarding teacher participation in advocacy efforts.

In addition to parents and school officials, connect with businesses, politicians, and the media to promote your message.

Keep detailed records such as enrollments, budget expenditures, instructional time allocations, and student academic achievement scores.

Define what's needed using a systematic approach and regular reevaluation.

Work in groups. If you must work alone at the beginning, plan how you will make connections with others who can help you.

Maintain a "legislative scorecard" to track votes of state legislators and board of education members on issues affecting music programs.

Logic

Be ready to debate the issues. Well thought out arguments can withstand scrutiny.

Make sure your philosophical stance on advocacy and education are aligned.

Choose your arguments wisely. The reasons used to promote music education must not be the
source of arguments that could undermine future support. Music educators should acknowledge the diverse nonmusical benefits that music study offers without allowing these benefits to overshadow the core, unique musical benefits music study provides students.

Strong believers make excellent advocates. Advocates with strong beliefs can:
- convince grassroots campaigns of their enthusiasm for music and music education
- demonstrate their interest in the education of American's future workers and leaders
- show concern for the quality of their schools and community
- commit the necessary time and energy

Organize parent groups. When music programs are threatened or facing a crisis, parents are the most influential group of advocates. Parents vote. Parents have their student's best interest at heart. Parents can come together and unite in significant numbers that command the attention of decision makers.

Arguments developed in support of the program must be congruent with the threat, e.g., financial justifications in a financial crises; scheduling and time allocations in a scheduling crisis. Central to all arguments should be the potential impact on students.

Formal presentations to administrators and boards of education should be made by parent support groups so as to nullify any perceived conflict of interest on the part of the teacher.

Other Considerations

Know and understand rules and policies that affect you, as an employee of the schools district in your efforts as an advocate.

Acknowledge and apply transferable skills in organizing, goal setting, directing, and recognizing the efforts of others.

Emotions can run high. Don't let yours or your advocacy group's get out of control.

Be efficient to obtain maximum results for the level of effort chosen.

Make no personal or professional compromises to win an argument; continue maintaining high classroom standards you have already achieved.

Share tools you've developed with others.

Be prepared to act quickly when a crisis arises.

Conclusion

This position statement is intended to substantiate the importance of advocating on behalf of music education for all students. It delineates actions that music educators and music education supporters can and indeed must take in situations where a music program is threatened with reduction or elimination. Students in our schools are depending on us. We must not, we cannot, let them down.

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Why Advocacy? Advocacy, which is defined as the act of speaking or writing in support of something or someone, is essential to every music educator's career and to the profession as a whole. Every music educator needs to be a strong advocate for viable, sequential, enduring music programs for all students.

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Music for All's advocacy programs and resources are key elements in our vision to be a catalyst to ensure that every child across America has access and opportunity to active music making in his or her scholastic environment. Our educational programs and events are just one way we deliver our advocacy efforts and message: We lead with music.

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Music education advocacy articles & videos about the importance of school music education including resources to present positive arguments for music.

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How were these built?

All our experiments are all built with freely accessible web technology such as Web Audio API, WebMIDI, Tone.js, and more. These tools make it easier for coders to build new interactive music experiences. You can get the open-source code to lots of these experiments here on Github.

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Music is for everyone. Play with simple experiments that let anyone, of any age, explore how music works.

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BandLab for Education empowers teachers and students with everything they need for collaborative, engaging and meaningful learning in the classroom.

No installation needed - our cloud-based platform works seamlessly across Mac, Windows, Linux and Chromebooks.

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BandLab for Education | FREE Award-Winning Education Platform

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Our award-winning platform empowers schools, institutions, teachers and students with essential workflow, classroom and assignment features for music education. Works on Chromebooks, Macs, Windows or any device. Sign up for free today!

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Themes & Variations is committed to providing quality music curriculum materials to schools at affordable prices. The company was founded by music teacher Denise Gagne. Denise has taught band, choir and classroom music from pre-school to college since 1978 and holds degrees in music and education as well as certification in Kodaly and Orff training.

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rube goldberg doodlechaos chain reactions dominos help tutorial chainreaction ok go awesome epic mini biggest machine

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Synchronizing things to music and crazy contraptions.

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QuaverEd is where Learning, Technology, and Creativity converge. Our curriculum provides flexible tools for educators and students in over 18,000 classrooms!

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A fun, interactive music experience
Incredibox is a music app that lets you create your own music with the help of a merry crew of beatboxers.Choose your musical style among 9 impressive atmospheres and start to lay down, record and share your mix.

Where making music is child's play!

Part game, part tool, Incredibox is above all an audio and visual experience that has quickly become a hit with people of all ages. More than 80 million players worldwide have already enjoyed it. The right mix of music, graphics, animation and interactivity makes Incredibox ideal for everyone. And because it makes learning fun and entertaining, Incredibox is now being used by schools all over the world.

Create a mix

Drag and drop icons onto the avatars to make them sing and start to compose your own music. Find the right sound combos to unlock animated choruses that will enhance your tune.

Share it

Once your composition sounds great, just save it and you will get a link to your mix. You can easily share it with anybody so they can listen and even vote for it.

Be a legend

If you share your mix a lot and get enough votes from other users, you may go down in Incredibox history by joining the Top 50 chart. Ready to show your stuff?

Ready to lay down
your mix?

';

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Subscribe to our newsletter to receive news directly in your mailbox.

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Incredibox is a music app that lets you create your own music with the help of a merry crew of beatboxers. Choose your musical style among 9 impressive atmospheres and start to lay down, record and share your mix.

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free music tech resources There are lots of great free and low-cost music tech resources out there - if you know where to look! Here are some of our most popular free technology resources for music teachers. start here

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Free Music Tech Resources

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You are a subscriber. Thank you! You can listen to anything IN FULL. (Your 10% download discount is included in the prices below.)

This site requires operational cookies (e.g. to remember your login, etc.). By continuing to use this site, you accept that cookies are stored on your computer. OK

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You are a subscriber. Thank you! You can listen to anything IN FULL. (Your 10% download discount is included in the prices below.) This site requires operational cookies (e.g. to remember your login, etc.). By continuing to use this site, you accept that cookies are stored on your computer. OK

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music+education+gamification = musication "musication" is a private channel from Jan Vink, music teacher in the Netherlands (Primary education). He creates visual playalongs for boomwhackers, (body-) percussion and handbells for primary education. https://ko-fi.com/musication https://facebook.com/musication2 https://patreon.com/musication

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With so many wonderful educational opportunities available at the DSO, it's hard to keep track of them all. Here is a quick snapshot of all that the DSO has to offer for music lovers of every age.

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With so many wonderful educational opportunities available at the DSO, it's hard to keep track of them all. Here is a quick snapshot of all that the DSO has to offer for music lovers of every age.

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Internet Sites and Software Applications Used in the Elementary Music Classroom by Music Educators:

ORCHESTRAL/CLASSICAL MUSIC SITES FOR KIDS:

*http://www.nyphilkids.org - The New York Philharmonic Kidzone is a place for kids to come and learn about the New York Philharmonic and about the instruments, music, musicians, and more.

MUSIC MAKING APPLICATIONS THAT ARE CLOUD-BASED:

*Soundtrap EDU (https://www.soundtrap.com) - It is basically GarageBand online that is HTML5 so that you can access it from any platform on a computer and a mobile device. It also has collaboration capabilities, depending on how strong your network is. As stated by Mic Wright of www.thenextweb.com, Soundtrap is "the lovechild of GarageBand and Google Docs. There is a free version for music educators to audition in their classrooms. There is also an EDU version which is priced at $250 a year for 50 users. The EDU version creates a safe educational environment where the students can login from any computer and can connect with others.

WIKI-TYPE WEBSITES WHERE PEOPLE/EDUCATORS CONTRIBUTE TO AND/OR WHERE YOU CAN DOWNLOAD ITEMS:

*http://finalemusic.com/notepad - Finale NotePad is free! Download this simplified version of Finale and begin to create music.

*http://www.noteflight.com - online, HTML, notation program that saves in the cloud. It is free, but you can upgrade to have more options. You can also collaborate with others online.

*http://www.scorecloud.com - Download the notation software and the app (Scorecloud Express) that records what you play or sing and notates it immediately.

*https://www.presonus.com/products/Notion

*https://flat.io/en - Flat online music notation for chrome browsers and chrome books. It is free and you can also collaborate online with other musicians.

* QComposer ( https://quavermusic.com/Default.aspx) - You or your students can create a free account, click "Apps", and click on "QComposer." You or your students can composer a song and save it for free. You will need Quaver Notes to publish it. However, you can use a screen recording device such as Quicktime to video it and share it with parents.

MUSIC INTEGRATION ACROSS THE CURRICULUM:

*http://www.nea.org/tools/lessons/Arts-Across-the-Curriculum-K-5.html - Great article by Phil Nest of lesson plans that integrate arts across the curriculum.

*http://neurorhythm.com/music-therapy/music-therapy-science - The science behind the music.

*MathScienceMusic.org - The US Education Secretary, John B. King Jr., displayed a curriculum that integrates math, music, and science lessons together. In attendance was legendary musician and composer Herbie Hancock, who is also the chairman of the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz, which has developed MathScienceMusic.org, a website that was displayed and showed teachers resources and apps to use music as a vehicle to teach other academic lessons for math and science.

At MathScienceMusic.org, there are several websites, resources, and apps that can enhance integration of science and math into music class, but still keeping the subject of music intact. For those music educators who have done this for years, this is another resource that you can use in the music classroom to enhance the teaching of rhythms, improvisation, and more. For those music educators who want to find more examples of integration across the curriculum, the website gives you numerous ideas to do this. Here is one lesson using this site for the elementary music classroom that I will be trying out in the next few weeks.

*https://www.apple.com/mac/garageband/ - GarageBand

*http://pbskids.org/games/music.html - Great musical site for very young children (early childhood to PreK). For example, the Curious George activity (http://pbskids.org/curiousgeorge/games/splat_symphony/splat_symphony.html) encourages students to make music by splatting paint on a canvas

*http://www.incredibox.com - Have your students easily create their own beat-boxing acapella group!

*http://www.incredibox.com/version1/ - The first version of Incredibox where the performers all have shirts

*http://buttonbass.com - Similar to incredibox as your students can easily create music with cubes.

*http://www.jamstudio.com - Creating music software

*Soundtrap - EDU (https://www.soundtrap.com) - It is basically GarageBand online that is HTML5 so that you can access it from any platform on a computer and a mobile device. It also has collaboration capabilities, depending on how strong your network is. As stated by Mic Wright of www.thenextweb.com, Soundtrap is "the lovechild of GarageBand and Google Docs. There is a free version for music educators to audition in their classrooms. There is also an EDU version which is priced at $250 a year for 50 users. The EDU version creates a safe educational environment where the students can login from any computer and can connect with others.

*http://www.nyu.edu/projects/ruthmann/CMSD/piano/ - This is a beautiful piano piece being looped on a video. Your students can use the keys on a computer to improvise a melody along with the pianist.

*http://www.soundation.com - a powerful online music studio with recording, effects, virtual instruments and over 700 free loops and sounds (Free and up) *If you are going to use Soundation with students, then go through musicfirst.com where you can subscribe to Soundation4Education which has more student-friendly loops.

*http://dinahmoelabs.com - This website has a variety of games to use to create and experiment with music. The Rick Astley Remixer lets you use a variety of styles to remix his famous song, Never Gonna Give You Up. Theme lets you experiment with moods of music. Plink lets you create and experiment with different musical sounds.

*http://typedrummer.com/ - Type into the box and create a drumbeat that you can share.

*MathScienceMusic.org - The US Education Secretary, John B. King Jr., displayed a curriculum that integrates math, music, and science lessons together. In attendance was legendary musician and composer Herbie Hancock, who is also the chairman of the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz, which has developed MathScienceMusic.org, a website that was displayed and showed teachers resources and apps to use music as a vehicle to teach other academic lessons for math and science.

At MathScienceMusic.org, there are several websites, resources, and apps that can enhance integration of science and math into music class, but still keeping the subject of music intact. For those music educators who have done this for years, this is another resource that you can use in the music classroom to enhance the teaching of rhythms, improvisation, and more. For those music educators who want to find more examples of integration across the curriculum, the website gives you numerous ideas to do this. Here is one lesson using this site for the elementary music classroom that I will be trying out in the next few weeks.

*http://www.rinki.net/pekka/monkey/# - Monkey Machine is a free online drum machine for creating drum loops and providing rhythmic accompaniment for musicians.

*http://www.beatlab.com/create - Experiment with sounds and beats.

*Whalesynth.com - Create whale sounds with this website. To make music with whalesynth, you click your mouse or touch your sreen and draw over it. It will produce various whale songs. By clicking on the waves, you can create a chorus effect of your whale songs. When you click on the anchor, it makes your sounds dive deeper into the ocea. The pleats swirl the echoes of the sound. The sonar lets the user play with a variety of whale clicks, pops, and beats. By clicking on the whale, you can change to three different species with three unique sounds. Finally, the site built an Ableton Live instrument for you, but you will need Ableton Live to use it. You can download samples if you do not have the instrument.

* Patatap ( http://pa tatap.com/) - This is a simple website that allows students to use the computer's keyboard to make music. As they tap the keys, animated pictures and shapes appear on the computer screen. My one caution is that students with visual sensory challenges will have problems with this website.

Uses: This website is applicable for all types of learners so that they all can create and make music.

* QGrooves ( http://www. quavermusic.com) - Quaver Music has set up a resourceful website for any music educator and/or music student to use without having to purchase the program. For a very friendly kid-version of garageband, I suggest QGrooves. All you need to do is set up a free login, create your avatar, click on Apps, and then click on QGrooves. Your students can use some of the loops to create a song and save it to the website. QGrooves is accessible to students and teachers with free QuaverMusic.com accounts. Teachers using any of Quaver's Programs can create and assign custom QGrooves projects via the Teacher Gradebook. Premium features - including some Loop Packets and the ability to publish a song as an MP3 - require QuaverNotes.

* Shapes (grades K-2): In Groovy Shapes, the first of the three programs, children learn about basic music concepts. The Explore section (in older versions) guides them aurally through a series of progressive exercises which teach them how music works. They can then put into practice what they've learned by creating their own music in the Create section.

* Jungle (grades 2-5): Groovy Jungle introduces children to notes and notation, ostinato, major and minor, and simple musical terms. More complex musical textures are explored, and additional instruments allow them to experiment further with their own compositions.

* City (grades 5-8): In the third program, children learn more about notation, and complete more complex listening tasks. They are also introduced to question and answer phrases and the blues scale, so that they can begin to build up more sophisticated compositions.

*http://kodaly.hnu.edu - Another great Kodály resource website.

*http://kodalysongweb.net/ - And another great Kodály song resource website.

*http://mysongfile.com/index - Miriam, a music educator in Australia, created this Kodály-inspired website where you can cross-reference numerous songs by rhythms, melodic elements, forms, games, themes, canons in 2-4 parts, songs in parts and more. You can sign up for free and access some of the free materials on the site. However, if you have ever taken a Kodály course and wished there was a site that had the songs, lessons, and a database of the materials from the class, then paying to be a member of this site is worth the price.

* Kodály Song Analysis Directory (https://ksadirectory.blogspot.com) - This is a free searchable database for teaching songs using the Kodály approach.

* The Global Jukebox (https://theglobaljukebox.org) - Listen to authentic recordings from around the world.

*https://www.apple.com/mac/garageband/ - GarageBand

*Soundtrap EDU (https://www.soundtrap.com) - It is basically GarageBand online that is HTML5 so that you can access it from any platform on a computer and a mobile device. It also has collaboration capabilities, depending on how strong your network is. As stated by Mic Wright of www.thenextweb.com, Soundtrap is "the lovechild of GarageBand and Google Docs. There is a free version for music educators to audition in their classrooms. There is also an EDU version which is priced at $250 a year for 50 users. The EDU version creates a safe educational environment where the students can login from any computer and can connect with others.

*https://twistedwave.com/ - TwistedWave is an audio editor for MAC, iOS, and online uses.

* Online Voice Recorder ( https://online-voice-recorder.com/) - Online-Voice-Recorder is a convenient and simple online tool that can be used right in your browser. It allows you to record your voice using a microphone and save it as an mp3 file.

* Audio Cutter ( https://mp3cut.net/beta/) - Audio Cutter is an online app that can be used to cut audio tracks right in your browser. Fast and stable, with over 300 supported file formats, fade in and fade out features, ringtone quality presets, and is also absolutely free.

* Audio Cutter Pro ( https://audio-cutter.com/) - It's a free online application that can be used to edit multiple audio fragments simultaneously. The app features waveform zooming.

ORGANIZATIONAL, DIGITAL PORTFOLIOS, STUDENT LEARNING, AND ASSESSMENT TOOLS:

SOME GOOD RHYTHM, NOTE READING, RECORDER RULES, NUTCRACKER, AND DANCE YOUTUBE VIDEOS FOR ELEMENTARY MUSIC CLASSES:

*BandPad - You can find some free "play-along" songs for recorder on this website, but just previews of songs. You can preview and then decide if you want to subscribe.

* https://odogy.com/LearnToPlayRecorderSongs/ - Wow! Check this out for recorder karate games.

*The Revolution Rap Movie Sample by Viegansong on Youtube - Great for recorder rules!

* https://americanrecorder.org/recorder_resources_for_teacher.php - American Recorder Society's Recorder Resources

CREATING A WEBSITE FOR YOUR MUSIC CLASSROOM:

ELEMENTARY BAND RESOURCES:

MUSIC CURRICULUM WEBSITES:

WHY IS MUSIC EDUCATION IMPORTANT? (RESOURCES)

SOME MUSIC EDUCATOR ORGANIZATIONS:

SOME NOTABLE MUSIC EDUCATOR'S NETWORKING SITES:

SOME NOTABLE MUSIC EDUCATION WEB 2.0 SITES (BLOGS, SOCIAL NETWORKING GROUPS AND MORE):

*http://www.amymburns.com/webinars - Webinars about integrating technology into the elementary music classroom

*http://mrsmuench.com - Brenda Muench's excellent elementary music blog

*http://emilyskodalymusic.blogspot.com/ - Emily Jenson's blog about elementary general music resources.

*http://www.kodalyinspiredclassroom.com/ - Lindsay Jervis Kodaly-inspired classroom

*http://www.musicedmagic.com/ - Chad Criswell's blog with numerous resources

*http://mmedvinsky.edublogs.org/ - Michael Medvinsky's blog about all things educational technology. I check his blog to see all of the amazing things he is doing daily with his students.

*http://www.klsriley.com - Kelly Riley's blog about using technology to improve her teaching and her students' learning

*http://iwbmusic.blogspot.com/ - Interactive web-based resources for the music educator

*http://elementarymusicresources.blogspot.ca/p/my-smartboard-files.html - Ashley's Queen's free downloadable music resources.

*http://musicedtech.com/blog/ - Barbara Freedman's blog. Teach music. The technology will follow.

*http://thomasjwestmusic.com/apps/blog/ - Music Practice Tips, Recommendations, Techniques, and Reviews for Teachers, Parents, and Students

*http://cbutler10.blogspot.com/ - Blog by second year K-7 music educator Cassandra Butler.

*http://bethsmusicnotes.blogspot.com/ - Amazing resources on this site

*http://motleymuse.blogspot.com - Great blog with resources and idea from Joanna Sisk-Purvi

*http://musicelementary.blogspot.ca/ - Jennifer's blog with examples of activities for the elementary general music classroom

*http://makemomentsmatter.weebly.com - Davis' blog that contains general music classroom ideas.

*http://highshoalsmusic.blogspot.com/ - K-5 music classroom blog with wonderful examples of students performing the lessons.

*http://quesadaorffclass.wikispaces.com/ - Fabulous website where you can listen to great Orff arrangements and see them performed by elementary students. Love the Oye Como Va arrangement with the school band!

*http://batesclef.blogspot.com/ - Stacie's blog titled The Bates Clef with music resources and more

*http://www.makemusicrock.com/ - Laura's Make Music Rock music education blog of lesson plans and ideas.

*http://floatingdowntheriverontheohio.blogspot.com/ - Linda's Floating Down the River elementary blog

*http://mrskingrocks.blogspot.com/ - Tracy King's (The Bulletin Board Lady) blog

*MiscellaneousMe.wordpress.com - Cara's music education blog about crafter, teacher, musicians, miscellaneous, and more

*http://www.mrsstouffersmusicroom.com/blog - Melissa's multi-age elementary music blog

*http://cabelloelementarymusic.blogspot.com/ - Alison's music ed blog of lifein a technology infused music classroom

*http://www.mrsmiraclesmusicroom.com - Aileen's Kodaly-Inspired Music Room

*http://www.musicalaabbott.com - Amy's Kodaly-Inspired Music Classroom Blog

*http://tanyaelementarymusic.blogspot.com/ - Tanya's Kodaly Inspired Music Classroom

*http://www.kodalyinspiredclassroom.com/ - Lindsay's Kodaly Inspired Music Classroom

*http://www.pitchpublications.com/ - Shelley's music education, graphics, and other items

*http://www.noteworthybyjen.com/ - Jen's Music Ed Blog

*http://www.sallysseaofsongs.com/ - Sally's Sea of Songs music ed blog

*http://musiceducatorresources.com/ - Jennifer's music ed resources

*http://kuchtascorner-ekuchta.blogspot.com/ - Erin's music ed corner, a elementary music wonderland

*http://caldwellorganizedchaos.blogspot.com/ - Elizabeth's blog about education and so much more!

*http://www.yellowbrickroadblog.com/ - Jennifer's resource for music literacy

*http://www.bethsnotesplus.com/ - Beth's blog of song indexes (subscription to the entire song index)

*https://ofortunaorff.blogspot.com/ - Lots of Orff inspired classroom ideas and host of the most recent music ed blog carnival.

*https://mrrobinsonssubpage.weebly.com/ - Very cool! Tim made a page for when a sub has to teach the music class.

Here are some ways to connect your music classroom to experts and other music classrooms:

SAMR (SUBSTITUTION, AUGMENTATION, MODIFICATION, REDEFINITION):

SOME NOTABLE MUSIC EDUCATION PINTEREST SITES:

CLOUD-BASED AND/OR SOFTWARE APPLICATIONS USED IN CLASS:

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Internet Sites and Software Applications Used in the Elementary Music Classroom by Music Educators: ORCHESTRAL/CLASSICAL MUSIC SITES FOR KIDS: * http://www.nyphilkids.org - The New York Philharmonic Kidzone is a place for kids to come and learn about the New York Philharmonic and about the instruments, music, musicians, and more.

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typedrummer is an instrument for making ascii beats.

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TI:ME Technology In Music Education - More Info

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The Technology Institute for Music Education (TI:ME) recognizes an outstanding music educator who successfully integrates technology into the music classroom. Know of a deserving music educator or are you a deserving music educator? Find the application and requirements here . Nominations are due...

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Music Tech Teacher includes quizzes, games, lessons, worksheets and other resources for teachers and students interested in using technology to enhance music education.

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For educators looking to infuse the arts into their educational practices, we’ve developed hundreds of free learning resources: lesson plans, articles, learning guides for performances, how-tos, and much more. Kennedy Center Education is here to help you succeed with newly revised lesson plans and…

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Discover free online educational materials and how you can connect with our engaging educational programs available digitally or at the museum, powered by PNC Bank.

Teachers and parents, whether students are in the classroom or learning from home, Rock Hall EDU is full of resources and activities that use the power of rock & roll to engage students of all ages. Sign up for free and begin using our expertly designed content as supplements to existing lesson plans, inspiration for new learning units, or as extension activities keeping students rocking and learning at home.

What you'll find on Rock Hall EDU

Our resources are developed and curated by our award-winning Education team and meet national and state learning standards in a variety of subject areas, including music, social studies, STEAM, English and more.

Rockin' the Schools at the Museum

Due to COVID-19-related restrictions, the Rock Hall is pausing its well-respected Toddler Rock and Rockin' The Schools programming in person, and providing parents and teachers with many of the programs' resources, such as Rock N' Learn worksheets and activities, at Rock Hall EDU.

Rock Hall EDU posts new content regularly and encourages parents and teachers to submit requests and feedback to [email protected] .

About Rockin' the Schools

Due to COVID-19-related restrictions, the Rock Hall has paused its well-respected in-person programming, Rockin' the Schools.

Rockin' the Schools programs are on-site, interdisciplinary classes on the history of rock & roll that meet academic content standards. Classes draw on the power of rock & roll to get students excited about academic content areas from fine arts, language arts, and social studies to mathematics, science, and technology.

Our staff of highly trained educators teach one-hour, interactive classes.

The program is FREE for schools within zip codes that begin with 440, 441, 442, or 443. For schools outside of those zip codes, please contact us for information on rates and registration.

Students can continue learning in the museum after the class by self-touring related exhibits.

Free busing for Cleveland Metropolitan School District schools (restrictions apply).

The Haslam Scholars program provides free admission and classroom instruction to CMSD students and extends these benefits to Title 1 schools statewide. Through this program more students will have the chance to benefit from our Rockin' the Schools programs and experience the power of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

PNC Bank is a supporter and partner of Rockin' the Schools

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Discover free online educational materials and how you can connect with our engaging educational programs available digitally or at the museum, powered by PNC Bank. Teachers and parents, whether students are in the classroom or learning from home, Rock Hall EDU is full of resources and activities that use the power of rock & roll to engage students of all ages.

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The Arts continue to drive our identity during current times. It allows people to connect more deeply and open their eyes to new sights around them. Through Arts education, students are exposed to various forms of expression and strategies to communicate through a variety of culturally-influenced mediums. Participation in the Arts, especially during the early years of life, have proven to support developing culturally-responsive, compassionate, and creative contributing members of society. The Arts challenge us to rethink perspectives and demand a newer, better world.

Greenwich Public Schools offers a top-notch approach in supporting the artistic nature of each student. Students are offered opportunities to perform, present, create and respond in the music, art and theater disciplines. The support and collaboration of all the schools and community members, define a tradition of arts excellence which is highly recognized and respected within the town and state. The highly talented and professionally decorated staff provide quality, personalized instruction for each student dedicated to the program. Teaching and learning are personalized so each student is able to design, monitor and create their own experiences. All these components reinforce the development of the creative thinkers of tomorrow.
Arts Curriculum Presentation Arts District Event Calendar
*Please note that all dates on the district event calendar are tentative and subject to change. Please confirm details with the various school locations.

GRAMMY Music Awards- Each year, the GRAMMY Museum recognizes educators (K-12) who have made a lasting and significant contribution to the field of music education. In addition to honoring these teachers, they distribute over $50,000 annually in honorariums and grants to chosen educators and their schools. Visit the link for more information.

NAEA Art Educator of the Year- The National Association for Art Education (NAEA) offers the opportunity to nominate outstanding art educators from each state. NAEA aims to recognize excellence in teaching, set standards for quality art education and focus professional attention on exemplary art educators. Visit the link for more information.

Program Coordinator

Program Coordinator - Art & Music

The Arts, District Administration

Music
The Music Program for Greenwich Public Schools is organized into three specific areas, Core Music Choral Music and Instrumental Music.

Choral and Instrumental Music

The voice is our very first instrument! GPS cultivates the voice within the Core Music classes in the elementary school. At the secondary level, students can elect to participate in the various choir offerings at each location. These offerings provide not only opportunities to sing within a large group, but also the opportunity to develop skills as a soloist!

Students can choose to play a band instrument in Grade 4 in our elementary schools.
Students are provided with a 30 minute, small group lesson to help reinforce the skills necessary to be successful on an instrument. Once their skills have reached a certain point, students will begin participating in an ensemble, which will challenge their independent musicianship and reinforce skills that are essential to performing with a team.

Students can choose to play a stringed instrument in most of our elementary schools in Grade 3. Hamilton Avenue School also offered a Suzuki Program for younger students to begin a stringed instrument in earlier years.

Similar to a band instrument, students can elect to participate in a string performing ensemble in our secondary schools.

Theater Arts in Greenwich Public Schools is found in Greenwich High School. Students are able to select this area as an elective. The Theater Arts Programs puts on several plays which include Black Box works as well as full-staged productions. All students in the high school are afforded the opportunity to participate in the study of theater.

Arts Curriculum Overview Guides

Click each grade to view the Curriculum Guide for each grade. Middle School guides are still being reviewed and edited as we renew our curriculum.

Please review the Greenwich High School Course of Study guide to review the Visual Arts, Music and Theater Arts courses offered

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The Arts continue to drive our identity during current times. It allows people to connect more deeply and open their eyes to new sights around them. Through Arts education, students are exposed to various forms of expression and strategies to communicate through a variety of culturally-influenced mediums. Participation in the Arts, especially during the early years of life, have proven to support developing culturally-responsive, compassionate, and creative contributing members of society.

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Every New York City public school is capable of supporting an excellent arts program in which arts specialists are key players, the school community is actively involved, and the resources of the city's cultural community are maximized. The recent changes in the New York City public schools have afforded an opportunity to make the arts central to the education that all children receive, regardless of the school they attend. This Blueprint points the way.

We are proud to release the revised 2015 edition of the Blueprint for Teaching and Learning in Music: PreK-12. This version includes documents to address arts instruction in PreK settings, for students with disabilities, and for English language learners. The Blueprint also provides guidance for aligning the arts and the Common Core as well as the Specific Considerations in Music for arts studio practice and observations. There are also revised bibliographies, website resources with active links and assessment guidance and other useful resources. We are confident that the Blueprint for Teaching and Learning in Music: PreK-12 will remain an essential tool for New York City arts teachers.
Download the Blueprint for Teaching and Learning in Music Download the Specific Considerations for Music
How to purchase through FAMIS (internal)
How to purchase as an individual or external organization

Sample Curriculum Maps for Arts Instruction

The Office of Arts and Special Projects is pleased to offer teachers of the arts a series of sample of Curriculum Maps to support their instructional planning. These Maps were developed by teams of veteran educators in Dance, Music, Theater, and Visual Arts with a deep commitment to the integrity and talent of New York City arts teachers. Informed by their respective Blueprints for Teaching and Learning in the Arts, each team developed dynamic introductory Curriculum Maps for four different grade levels: early elementary, upper elementary, middle, and high school.

Each Map has several defined Units that consecutively span an entire school year. These Units provide a sample comprehensive series of teaching and learning experiences, assessments and instructional modifications. Furthermore, each Map contains two fully developed lesson plans for teacher reference and use.
Click here for Sample DOE Arts Maps
High School Sample Introductory Course Syllabus in Core Music
Click here to download
NYC Arts Commencement Assessment in Music: High Schools
Click here for more information
Music Units
Click here for more information

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Every New York City public school is capable of supporting an excellent arts program in which arts specialists are key players, the school community is actively involved, and the resources of the city's cultural community are maximized.

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While the beginning of the school year bells were ringing and hallways were filled with kids, our elementary art, music, and pe educators were hard at work developing proficiency scales aligned to the national standards that they unwrapped last year during their curriculum work. This past quarter has provided the teams with insight into the development of their scales as they have given more formative assessments aligned to the standards to help guide their teaching and student learning.

While this work has been tedious at times, the teams have worked hard and have had great discussions.

Over the next week, I will be adding all of the proficiency scales that the teams developed aligned to the two power standards they will be reporting out on each quarter.

Music Proficiency Scales:

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District Teams(Art, Music, PE) Develop Proficiency Scales

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While the beginning of the school year bells were ringing and hallways were filled with kids, our elementary art, music, and pe educators were hard at work developing proficiency scales aligned to the national standards that they unwrapped last year during their curriculum work.

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How To Choose Essential Questions In A Music Classroom?

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How To Choose Essential Questions In A Music Classroom?

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New National Music Standards No Fuss Document.docx

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Musical training doesn't just improve your ear for music - it also helps your ear for speech. That's the takeaway from an unusual new study published in The Journal of Neuroscience. Researchers found that kids who took music lessons for two years didn't just get better at playing the trombone or violin; they found that playing music also helped kids' brains process language.

And here's something else unusual about the study: where it took place. It wasn't a laboratory, but in the offices of Harmony Project in Los Angeles. It's a nonprofit after-school program that teaches music to children in low-income communities.

Two nights a week, neuroscience and musical learning meet at Harmony's Hollywood headquarters, where some two-dozen children gather to learn how to play flutes, oboes, trombones and trumpets. The program also includes on-site instruction at many public schools across Los Angeles County.

Harmony Project is the brainchild of Margaret Martin, whose life path includes parenting two kids while homeless before earning a doctorate in public health. A few years ago, she noticed something remarkable about the kids who had gone through her program.

"Since 2008, 93 percent of our high school seniors have graduated in four years and have gone on to colleges like Dartmouth, Tulane, NYU," Martin says, "despite dropout rates of 50 percent or more in the neighborhoods where they live and where we intentionally site our programs."

A Harmonic Haven For L.A. Kids

There are plenty of possible explanations for that success. Some of the kids and parents the program attracts are clearly driven. Then there's access to instruments the kids couldn't otherwise afford, and the lessons, of course. Perhaps more importantly, Harmony Project gives kids a place to go after the bell rings, and access to adults who will challenge and nurture them. Keep in mind, many of these students come from families or neighborhoods that have been ravaged by substance abuse or violence - or both.

Still, Martin suspected there was something else, too - something about actually playing music - that was helping these kids.

Enter neurobiologist Nina Kraus, who runs the Auditory Neuroscience Laboratory at Northwestern University. When a mutual acquaintance at the National Institutes of Health introduced her to Martin, Kraus jumped at the chance to explore Martin's hunch and to study the Harmony Project kids and their brains.
Breaking Down Brainwaves
Before we get to what, exactly, Kraus' team did or how they did it, here's a quick primer on how the brain works:

The brain depends on neurons. Whenever we take in new information - through our ears, eyes or skin - those neurons talk to each other by firing off electrical pulses. We call these brainwaves. With scalp electrodes, Kraus and her team can both see and hear these brainwaves.

Using some relatively new, expensive and complicated technology, Kraus can also break these brainwaves down into their component parts - to better understand how kids process not only music but speech, too. That's because the two aren't that different. They have three common denominators - pitch, timing and timbre - and the brain uses the same circuitry to make sense of them all.

In other research, Kraus had noticed something about the brains of kids who come from poverty, like many in the Harmony Project. These children often hear fewer words by age 5 than other kids do.

And that's a problem, Kraus says, because "in the absence of stimulation, the nervous system ... hungry for stimulation ... will make things up. So, in the absence of sound, what we saw is that there was just more random background activity, which you might think of as static."

In addition to that "neural noise," as Kraus calls it, ability to process sound - like telling the difference between someone saying "ba" and "ga" - requires microsecond precision in the brain. And many kids raised in poverty, Kraus says, simply have a harder time doing it; individual sounds can seem "blurry" to the brain. (To hear an analogy of this, using an iconic Mister Rogers monologue - giving you some sense of what the brain of a child raised in poverty might hear - be sure to listen to the audio version of this story.)

Working with Harmony Project, Kraus randomly assigned several dozen kids from the program's waitlist into two groups: those who would be studied after one year of music lessons and those who would be studied after two years.

And what she found was that in the two-year kids, the static didn't go away. But their brains got better - more precise - at processing sound. In short: less blur.
Why The Improvement?
It goes back to pitch, timing and timbre. Kraus argues that learning music improves the brain's ability to process all three, which helps kids pick up language, too. Consonants and vowels become clearer, and the brain can make sense of them more quickly.

That's also likely to make life easier at school, not just in music class but in math class, too - and everywhere else.

To be clear, the study has its limits. It was small - roughly 50 kids, ranging in age from 6 to 9. It wasn't conducted in a lab. And it's hard to know if kids doing some other activity could have experienced similar benefits.

But 10th-grader Monica Miranda doesn't need proof that playing violin has helped her. She's one of the first students in the door at a recent Harmony Project re-enrollment event in the auditorium of a nearby elementary school.

"I feel like music really connects with education," she says. "It helps you concentrate more."

Miranda is in her third year with Harmony Project.

"When I do my homework or I'm studying for something and I feel overwhelmed, I usually go to my violin, to start playing it," Miranda says. "I feel like it relaxes my mind. And coming here to play with an orchestra, it's just amazing. I love it."

And, the science says, her brain loves it, too.

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This Is Your Brain. This Is Your Brain On Music

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Musical training doesn't just improve your ear for music - it also helps your ear for speech. That's the takeaway from an unusual new study published in The Journal of Neuroscience. Researchers found that kids who took music lessons for two years didn't just get better at playing the trombone or violin; they found that playing music also helped kids' brains process language.

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This is week four of Music Choice Boards for elementary music students and favorite activities include building instruments, sound experiments, making singing videos, and Kitchen Band playing with their family. Have you noticed how parents are slowing down and taking time to make music with their children? It's the silver lining to COVID-19! Here are a few highlights from this week's Music Choice Boards.

Review Musical Pitch

"Completely engaging for 2:35 minutes!" That's what I think of Mr. Beeken's explanation of musical note names. With quirky wit and slick editing skills, his video is just what my 4th / 5th graders need to review the names of the line and space notes of the treble clef and bass clef. Mr. Beeken is funny, in your face and hilarious. I can't wait to use more of his videos with my students.

"Believer" by Imagine Dragons

Kids everywhere know "Believer" by Imagine Dragons (Thunder, Radioactive), but when our students hear this cover by One Voice Children's Choir, they won't be able to keep from singing along with passion. Did you know it was inspired by Dan Reynolds' fight against Ankylosing Spondylitis?
"We also believe that the adversity you come across in life is what helps you grow to become a believer in yourself." One Voice Children's Choir

Water Drums Pitch Experiment

With these Music Choice Boards, my students love to build, explore, and create music at home. It's by far, their favorite way to learn. Lynn Kleiner just posted "Kitchen Music with Water Drums" and the timing could not be more perfect. What a great way to explore PITCH!! In Seesaw, students will be asked to make a video of their best "Jam" session using water drum beats and pitches. It would be great if we could have them notate the rhythm and the pitches.

Flintstones - Jacob Collier

Last week, Jacob Collier's cover of "Here Comes the Sun" was such a hit; my students wanted more. This week, it's "Flintstones!" In 2017, Jacob won two Grammy awards for Best Arrangement, Instruments and Vocals for the Stevie wonder song "You and I" and his cover of "Flintstones." Can you believe this piano reduction by Conrad Godfrey?

Musication "Home Run"

What a great brain break movement / exercise option from musication. "Home Run" is the best kind of ending to a great musical adventure for fourth and fifth graders. Kids and parents are going to love this one!!!

I Knew You Were Treble

AT8fingers Louie is at it again with her lyrics to Taylor Swift's song, 'I Knew You Were Trouble." Jeanette Young gets kids!! " I Knew You Were Treble" is a review of the treble clef for third graders this week.

Staff Crafts

One thing I've learned over the last four weeks is that children love to build, create, and invent. There is a fun bass clef painting activity for fifth graders. There are activities for teaching staff using straws and staff and notes using craft supplies. "Making" helps kids review the musical staff and pitches.

In Music Choice Boards - No. 4, first graders will be learning about the five lines of the staff numbered from bottom to top. Second graders will review the names of the treble clef line notes and then play a QUAVER game to work on mastery. There is even a craft activity for naming line notes.

Kindergarten Explores High and Low

Kindergarten students will compare the sounds made by a piccolo and a flute, learn about high and low sounds in a melody with Brian Gossard, and sing along with the MusicK-8 song, " High Low Song." Other great songs include, "Walking Through the Jungle," Quaver's " I Believe in You," and Laurie Berkner's " Waiting for the Elevator."

PreK will sing along with "Elevator Up and Elevator Down," and the a "Low High Word Song" perfect for their age. Their response will be to sing and record "The Itsy Bitsy Spider" in Seesaw.

Download Music Choice Boards - No. 4

If you would like to use these Music Choice Boards - No. 4, you may download them in the links below. Once you download the file, it will open in Seesaw with a prompt to SAVE to your library. You may assign it later.

I hope these activities will help during this special time and make your load lighter. By the way, I'm always open to suggestions. If you have themes or concepts that you would like to see in a Music Choice Boards, please let me know in the comments below. My hope is that you are actively learning how to make your own and anxious to create boards that are specifically for your students.

The Show Must Go Online!

We just received word that our schools will be closed for the remainder of the year. What about your school? These boards are nice and easy to use, but they are not the only way I am working with my students. Next week will include synchronous Zoom classes, plus fourth grade will start a musical called, "The Show Must Go Online!" and I can't wait!!

Stay inside and healthy,

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This is week four of Music Choice Boards for elementary music students and favorite activities include building instruments, sound experiments, making singing videos, and Kitchen Band playing with their family. Have you noticed how parents are slowing down and taking time to make music with their children? It's the silver lining to COVID-19!

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Ideas and Lessons from my Elementary Music Classroom. I utilize Kodaly and Orff philosophies in my classroom- check back for ideas, SMARTboard activities, and more!

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Kelly Riley's Online Classroom | Learner, teacher, reader, writer, gifted coordinator, ed tech geek, music ed evangelist | klsriley.com

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caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="480" class=" "] Konstantin Ivanov's original sketch for the set of The Nutcracker (1892).[/caption] First graders in the Hilliard City Schools study the life and works of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. Additionally, the students love the music of The Nutcracker so much, we look forward to studying it each year with all grades around the winter holidays.

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Don't worry, I'm still here! I know it's been a long time since I've posted anything on the social networks, and an even longer time since I've written a new blog post. This has been a busy year full of change for me. I've been working hard on my Master's Degree of Educational Technology, and I'm happy to announce that I should graduate in May! I've spent the past two years helping my elementary music department develop, write, and roll out a new curriculum. This is our first year using it, and although it's a strong curriculum, there is a lot of change, and that leads to a lot of extra work. A lot of extra work means less time to write. There's also one more thing...

I've also been getting ready to be a DAD!!! My wife is due to deliver this week, and I wanted to make sure I got some new stuff out to my followers before my entire life is flipped upside down. So please, don't worry... be happy!

Sing & Play with Bobby

In this post, you'll learn how you can use "Don't Worry Be Happy" to help teach harmony. Yes, that may be one of my weakest and weirdest transitions I've ever made, but it works, right? Even if it doesn't, don't worry... be happy! which has a three part ending, and last week we sang three part harmony to "I didn't have my students sing Bobby McFerrin's hit song, "Don't Worry Be Happy," this year, but I really wish I had because it would be perfect! You can easily use
My sixth grade students have recently been working on singing in three parts. We have practiced singing a couple rounds, we sang a Music Express version of "We Go Together" from Grease
The Lion Sleeps Tonight." As I mentioned above, we rolled out a new curriculum, and I randomly get new ideas all the time.
his website to show how layering parts together can create not only harmony, but an entire song. Have students choose which part to add to put the full song together. " Don't Worry Be Happy" has the melody, harmony to the melody, vocal percussion, bass, and three rhythm tracks. " Just Enough" has the melody, two vocal percussion tracks, two bass tracks, and three riff tracks. You can play one part at a time to show what it sounds like, then layer them together. You can let the students choose which parts to add or delete creating their own version of the song.

Incredibox

Incredibox is another amazing website that shows students how layering parts together can create harmony and entire pieces. There are now four versions of Incredibox. Each one works the same, but each has different tracks. My students LOVE creating their own songs with Incredibox. Students can also record their pieces and share them on Facebook, Twitter, and email. If you're looking for detailed instructions, then you have to check out Katie Wardrobe's website. She's another amazing music educator and tech guru, and I'm not even going to attempt rewriting her amazing instructions in my own words.

More Bobby McFerrin

A few years ago, Bobby McFerrin was a panelist for the World Science Festival. In the video below, he does a wonderful demonstration of how people from all over the world can identify the pentatonic scale. I tried this activity with my students, and they loved it! You can keep it simple by using specific notes such as Mi-So-La, or Do-Re-Mi. It's great for visual and kinesthetic learners.

Music Express Magazine

I love Music Express Magazine, and last year they arranged a kid-friendly version of "Don't Worry Be Happy" in their December issue. Even though I've been working on three-part harmony with my 6th graders, it's obviously easier to start with two-part harmony. The Music Express version has some nice two-part harmony in it, and would transition nicely to the Sing and Play website activity mentioned above. Here is John Jacobson doing his choreography to the piece:

Final Thoughts

Singing in three parts can be challenging. Finding fun, engaging, and quality songs and activities is one of the best ways to meet your learning target. I hope you have found these resources helpful! Next year, I plan on having my students sing the two-part harmony version of "Don't Worry Be Happy" from Music Express, play with "Sing & Play with Bobby" and "Incredibox" online for a while, then transition to three-part harmony with some other songs.

As I mentioned above, my wife and I are expecting our first baby this week. We are having a little girl, and I cannot wait to meet her! I know that I will be busy again for a while trying to learn how to take care of her, so thank you for understanding why I won't be posting as often. I do promise, however, that I will continue writing and sharing ideas as I find time. I appreciate all of you for checking out my blog, and thanks for sharing it with your friends and colleagues. Make sure to follow IWB Music on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and Pinterest. Take care, and don't worry... BE HAPPY!

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Don't worry, I'm still here! I know it's been a long time since I've posted anything on the social networks, and an even longer time since I've written a new blog post. This has been a busy year full of change for me.

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Getting Started With Culturally Responsive Teaching

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Understanding students’ lives can help teachers foster a sense of belonging and ensure that all students feel respected and challenged.

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Every educator has those moments when they wish they knew more. Maybe they wish they knew more about reaching a challenging learner, or maybe they wish their use of technology was more effective. Whatever the challenge, educators will work tirelessly to equip their instructional tool belts, all for the improvement of their learners' academic achievement. Yet, for many, becoming a culturally responsive educator has remained in the "realm of magic and mystery, knowledge that only a select few possess" (Hammond, 2015, p. 5).

Zaretta Hammond's Culturally Responsive Teaching & the Brain presents a "serious and powerful tool for accelerating student learning" (Hammond, 2015, p. 3). The Ready for Rigor Framework combines evidence-based instructional practices with neuroscience. Educators equipped with this tool are empowered to strive to close the achievement gap and to do so with rigor and consistency. Time and time again, dependent learners, or those who struggle to complete higher-order thinking tasks independently, are mistaken for being deficient. For many culturally and linguistically diverse learners in the American school system, dependency is the first step in the "school-to-prison pipeline". The pipeline, suggested by Michelle Alexander in New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness , is a compounding of innocuous educational structures and instructional decisions that leave learners of color falling academically further and further behind. Hammond provides concrete examples and strategies that help build the capacity of educators and school leaders to resource dependent learners with the tools needed to practice and grow into self-directed independence.

We have summarized 10 concepts from Hammond's powerful resource to engage you on your journey to culturally responsive teaching.
#1. Let's get ready for rigor!
Traditionally, when a learner is academically progressing at a slower pace, the response is to exchange rigorous activities with low-level basics. These low-level activities tend to be boring, unstimulating, and generally void of any meaningful context. As this continues throughout the learner's life, the learning gap increases. Hammond suggests that the answer is not to maintain rigor for rigor's sake, but rather to increase the learner's neuroplasticity by teaching them new habits of mind. Neuroplasticity is the brain's response to a productive struggle or cognitive challenge. When a productive struggle is removed, learners' intellective capacity becomes stagnant rather than supported to process complex information. Hammond's Ready for Rigor Framework is built on four key areas to build an educator's capacity to rethink traditional responses to dependent learners. The four areas to build culturally responsive instructional practices are awareness, information processing, learning partnerships, and a community of learners and learning environment. These key concepts will be unpacked throughout the summary (Hammond, 2015, p. 12-16).
#2. Culture is like a tree.
Hammond argues that culturally responsive teaching is less about being sensitive to every surface culture in the classroom and more about understanding shallow and deep culture. Culture not only shapes the way we interpret the world, but also how we learn. Hammond suggests that schema is built by our cultural experiences and plays a role in our perceptions. Each of the three levels of culture triggers increasingly intense emotional responses. Hammond breaks down each cultural level likening it to a tree. The first key area of culturally responsive teaching is increasing our own awareness of how deep culture is encoded into the brain. Threats to surface culture produce a low emotional response, yet, its elements are the most observable. Comparable to leaves or fruits of a tree, surface culture includes fashion, family dishes or holidays - to name a few. Hammond describes the next level, shallow culture, as the branches and trunk of the tree because it is dynamic and changes over time. Threats to shallow culture produce a stronger emotional response because it dictates all social norms and interactions. We may perceive these cultural behaviors as disrespectful or defiant because shallow culture often informs nonverbal cues such as eye contact, touching, and nonverbal communication. Finally, threats to deep culture can trigger the brain's fight or flight response because this level includes the "tacit knowledge and unconscious assumptions that govern our worldview" (Hammond, 2015, p. 23). In other words, deep culture is the roots of our tree - it is who we are and how we learn. Building awareness of the three levels of culture improves an educator's ability to understand which behaviors are rooted in culture and which are not (Hammond, 2015, p. 21 - 14).
#3. It's not all about you.
Hammond introduces the idea of cultural archetypes as another element to culture that helps educators to be more culturally responsive. Cultural archetypes are defined as universal patterns that manifest in all cultures. Hammond argues that collectivism and individualism are two archetypes of which educators should be most aware due to blending of these types in many American schools. Collectivist cultures value interdependence within a community. In other words, learning is cooperative, collective, and collaborative. Many of these cultures are found in the Eastern and Southern hemisphere. Alternatively, individualist cultures value independence and individual achievement. Learning is individual and academic progress is a reflection of what the individual achieves. Western cultures tend to exhibit a higher level of individualistic characteristics. What does this mean for culturally responsive teaching? Many culturally and linguistically diverse learners have cultures deeply rooted in collectivist practices where talking and sharing is commonplace. Many of these same collectivist learners find themselves in the individualistic American school systems and consequently, within the achievement gap. The learner's native culture is mismatched with the education system's dominant culture. With a greater understanding of how deeply rooted culture is, culturally responsive educators can begin to reinterpret the perceived behaviors of their learners by asking "is the behavior a cultural response or is it defiance?" Reviewing these scenarios from a collectivist lens provides cultural responsiveness and a more inclusive classroom community (Hammond, 2015, p. 25 - 28).
#4. When the amygdala hijacks the brain, learning stops.
You have two brains - one is your reptilian brain and the other is your limbic. The reptilian brain is made up of your cerebellum and your brain stem. It is always on and reacting. It does not think. It perceives using the reticular activation system to notify us of anything that may be a potential threat or reward. Your limbic layer is the humanizing brain as it is responsible for remembering past experiences and related emotions, behaviors, and decisions. The limbic layer is made up of the thalamus, hippocampus, and amygdala, which are responsible for communication, memory, and guarding the brain, respectively. The amygdala acts as a gatekeeper between the limbic and reptilian brain. At a moment's notice, the amygdala can initiate the fight, flight, freeze, or appease response by sending distress signals to the reptilian brain. Cortisol, the stress hormone, is produced in order to bypass all other cognitive functions unrelated to survival. Hammond connects that when marginalized learners perceive microaggressions or subtle verbal and nonverbal slights, the brain is hijacked by the amygdala, and the limbic layer responsible for working and long term memory is bypassed. The compounding impact of this biological process is that culturally and linguistically diverse learners begin to slowly fall behind academically. To reverse the hijacking process, oxytocin, our bonding hormone, is needed. This hormone is released when we feel safe, which is observable through laughing, talking, and hugging. Hammond concludes that when culturally responsive educators can recognize the perceived threats that hijack the brain, they can begin to adjust their own practices in order to avoid unintentional threats (Hammond, 2015, p. 37 - 41).
#5. Know your triggers.
Hammond emphasizes that one way to avoid the unintentional threats is by understanding who you are and what triggers you. Common classroom triggers stem from social interactions. Social neuroscience suggests that when the brain feels socially threatened, it is usually one of the five social interaction elements that are at risk. The five social interactions are standing, certainty, connection, control and equity. Hammond posits that educators who are able to reflect on their own triggers will allow them to self-manage their consequential emotions. One self-management strategy, S.O.D.A, takes advantage of the 10 second delay between our triggers and our reactions. The first step is to and consider that there may be an alternative explanation for the trigger. Then, , check yourself, and breathe. It takes about 10 seconds for cortisol to reach your prefrontal cortex, which in turn results in an emotional response. Hammond suggests that if educators can leverage this time period to rethink the originally perceived threat, a more culturally responsive reaction is possible. The next stage advocates that educators cognitively, by imagining happier memories or images. If that does not work, detaching physically may be necessary. The final stage Hammond suggests is to by removing your focus from your own emotions to the person who caused the trigger. Following these steps manages the biological responses to perceived threats and prevents an amygdala hijacking of the brain (Hammond, 2015, p. 62 - 68).
Pause to Process:
Throughout the book, Hammond intentionally models appropriate places to stop and reflect on the content. On page 41, Hammond poses these three questions in order to provide a moment to process what was presented on the brain:

What did you read that squared with your understanding?

What questions are going around in your head about how the brain structures interact?

What three points stood out for you? Why?

#6. Trust starts with listening.
In the second part of Hammond's book, titled "Building Learning Partnerships", she shifts focus from educators building their own self-awareness to placing attention on the learners, classroom and the content. Strengthening the relationship between educators and learners is what Hammond calls the "learning partnership" (Hammond, 2015, p. 72). Hammond challenges readers to reflect on and observe their relationships and interactions with all learners, but with particular focus on those with culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. Reflecting on the relationships and interactions between learners and educators allows us to begin positions ourselves as an ally or partner in supporting learners in building self-efficacy and cognitive insight. The author explains how rapport and affirmation are the building blocks of a learning partnership. In order to build rapport and affirm learners' personhood, there must be trust. Hammond provides educators concrete strategies to support developing trust with learners, starting with listening. Whether it's through characteristics of "Learning with Grace" or reading about "Trust Generators", educators learn more about how to be a culturally responsive teaching ally, explore examples, and process inquiry questions to apply to their practice (Hammond, 2015, p. 78).
#7. Work to restore hope.
In working to create a learning partnership, Zaretta Hammond highlights how the alliance phase "provides an opportunity for teachers to restore hope" for learners who have deficit perceptions of self as a result of learned helplessness, stereotype threats, and internalized oppression (Hammond, 2015, p. 91). As an ally in the learning partnership, educators work to empower through validation. Culturally responsive educators acknowledge inequities that impact learners and validate who they are as a people, thereby negating mainstream messaging about their being that has branded characteristics as "wrong". Acknowledgement and validation can support the restoration of hope. Hammond emphasizes the value of highlighting communities' resiliency and vision for social change to empower learners. In addition, the author cites research clarifying types of hope that impact real change and that are essential to a learning partnership alliance (Hammond, 2015, p. 93).
#8. Feedback is an essential element.
In earlier chapters, Zaretta Hammond breaks down concepts of neuroplasticity and describes how it is "the brain's ability to grow itself in order to meet the challenges presented to it from the environment" (Hammond, 2015, p. 101). When educators create opportunities for learners to reflect on feedback and monitor their own progress, engagement increases. When learners are reflecting and engaging with the feedback, they are building their brain power or neuroplasticity. The brain depends on regular feedback from the environment to adjust and strategize to minimize threats and maximize wellbeing. Activities that promote reflection, feedback, and analysis can cause the brain to literally grow and therefore allow learners to reach higher-order thinking tasks. Hammond states that feedback is an "essential element in the culturally responsive teacher's arsenal" to support culturally and linguistically diverse learners in being able to change their learning moves, acquire new ones and develop plans for approaching a task. Through this text, readers learn more about the power of providing relevant and timely feedback and are presented tangible examples and protocols to promote instructive and corrective feedback. (Hammond, 2015, p. 101-104)
#9. Culturally responsive teaching is for all classrooms.
The power and effectiveness of culturally responsive teaching, as posited by Zaretta Hammmond, is in the ability to support learners in deepening their understanding and building independence in their learning through skill development and empowerment. Through the text, readers learn that culturally responsive teaching is not just for English or social studies but for all subjects, including math and science. Hammond clarifies how culturally responsive teaching is not just relating all instruction to a learner's race or culture. Rather, culturally responsive teaching includes the validation of the learner's personhood by demonstrating authentic care, acknowledgement, empowerment, and support of the learner's independence through deeper conceptual understanding and personal connection building to the learner's life. Hammond explains the neuroscience of information processing to unlock understanding about how to promote higher order thinking in learners. Hammond identifies cognitive strategies to incorporate in any classroom setting, grade level and content area to provide possible next steps to support learning (Hammond, 2015, p. 132-138).
#10. Create a culturally responsive community.
In the last chapter of her book, Hammond invites educators to inquiry as they reflect on the learning environment they have set up for their learners. Through the chapter, readers reflect on how they would characterize the ethos in the classroom - the spirit of the classroom. Hammond provides the reader with considerations on how their classroom environment creates a physically, socially and intellectually safe space for learners to engage in meaningful learning. Readers also learn about routines, rituals, learner voice and agency strategies, and structures for social and academic discourse to incorporate in the classroom. Hammond summarizes that attending to the classroom environment is an important part of culturally responsive teaching in supporting a learner's journey to independence in learning (Hammond, 2015, p. 142-150).

In conclusion, Zaretta Hammond's book, Culturally Responsive Teaching & the Brain , provides neurological insight and research to explain how culturally responsive pedagogy can optimize learner engagement and facilitate deeper learning for culturally and linguistically diverse learners. This powerful text provides readers with concrete connections between brain science and instructional strategies in order to begin their journey to becoming allies to their learners and culturally responsive educators.

References:

Hammond, Zaretta. (2015). Culturally Responsive Teaching & the Brain . Corwin.
Erin Sailor, Senior Learning Leader/Curriculum and Quality Assurance Coordinator - Eduscape
Erin was a Teach for America corps member, teaching high school students prior to joining as a Senior Learning Leader at Eduscape. Erin holds a Bachelor's in History and Sociology from Loyola University Maryland and a Master's in Special Education from Fordham University. During her time in the classroom, Erin taught in an integrated co-teaching setting as a special education teacher predominantly in 11th grade English and US History. Erin served as a tenured teacher leader, leading various grade teams, the special education team and was selected as a Model Teacher in the NYC DOE. As a teacher leader, Erin supported the development of school wide curriculums, including a humanities curriculum and social-emotional learning curriculum. Erin also designed, facilitated and monitored the effectiveness of professional development of teachers and served as an instructional coach.

After teaching, Erin pursued a SCRUM project management certification and joined Eduscape, ready to support the sustainability of education by providing purposeful professional development to school leaders and educators. As a Senior Learning Leader, Erin obtained certifications as a Google Educator, Microsoft Innovative Educator and ISTE Educator. Her love for continuous learning and self-growth has supported Erin's ability to engage educators and school leaders in developing their skills and knowledge to implement equitable and meaningful learning experiences for all learners.
Mike Wojtaszewski, Senior Learning Leader/Instructional Design Coordinator - Eduscape
Mike was an elementary and middle school teacher before joining Eduscape as a Senior Learning Leader. Throughout his time teaching, Mike worked alongside classroom teachers as well as created district workshops to support his colleagues' use of educational technology tools and research-based pedagogical strategies. These skills have been translated into work with a variety of university partners including an adjunct position with Harvard Extension School in digital media design. His willingness to try new things and position himself as a lifelong learner led him to acquire a unique breadth of experience. Mike is also a certified Google Educator and Microsoft Innovative Educator.

Mike's passion for helping those around him become the best they can be does not stop in the classroom. He translates his instructional skills to the gym setting as a certified personal trainer and group fitness instructor. He enjoys staying active and exploring the outdoors. He's an avid traveler and has been to 35 countries and visited 5 of the 7 continents. Mike holds a Graduate Certificate in Learning Design and Technology from Harvard University Extension School, a Master's degree in Teaching, Learning and Curriculum from Drexel University, and a Bachelor's degree in History from Drexel University. He hopes to add to this list in the future.

Zaretta Hammond is a national education consultant and author of Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Brain: Promoting Authentic Engagement and Rigor for Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students. She is a former high school and community college expository writing instructor and has published articles in Educational Leadership, The Learning Professional, and Kappan. She is passionate about the intersectionality of equity and culturally responsive teaching as a way to help educators close opportunity and learning gaps for underserved students. She has consulted widely with school districts, regional education service agencies, and coaching organizations across the country on ways to help students accelerate their own learning through the science of learning. Hammond sits on the Board of Trustees for the Center for Collaborative Classroom and is involved in a number of working groups committed to educational equity through improvement science.

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Book of the Month | Culturally Responsive Teaching & The Brain - edWeb

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Every educator has those moments when they wish they knew more. Maybe they wish they knew more about reaching a challenging learner, or maybe they wish their use of technology was more effective. Whatever the challenge, educators will work tirelessly to equip their instructional tool belts, all for the improvement of their learners' academic achievement.

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Rowan University Libraries have many resources that can assist you in incorporating aspects of diversity, equity, and inclusion into your teaching practices and potential research. These issues have recently led to position statements from the National Association for Music Education (NAfME) on Inclusivity and Diversity (rev. 2017) and Equity and Access (2017) and the College Music Society set Fostering Equity and Opportunity in Music as their common topic for 2019-2020.

Find more information about the university's commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion here. Here is the Division of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion's definition of these terms:

We commit to promoting and increasing diversity which is expressed in various forms, including race and ethnicity, gender and gender identity, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, language, culture, marital status, national origin, religion, age, (dis)ability status and political perspective. As the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) so often points out, diversity should be talked about as "inclusive excellence," for only when a campus is truly inclusive can it make a claim to excellence.

Equity is the guarantee of fair treatment, access, opportunity, and advancement for all students, faculty and staff, while identifying and eliminating barriers that prevent full participation of some groups. Equity-minded practices are created through:

1. Willingness to look at student outcomes and disparities at all educational levels disaggregated by race and ethnicity as well as socioeconomic status.

2. Recognition that individual students are not responsible for the unequal outcomes of groups that have historically experienced discrimination and marginalization in the United States.

3. Respect for the aspirations and struggles of students who are not well served by the current educational system.

4. Belief in the fairness of allocating additional college and community resources to students who have greater needs due to the systemic shortcomings of our educational system in providing for them.

5. Recognition that the elimination of entrenched biases, stereotypes, and discrimination in institutions of higher education requires intentional critical deconstruction of structures, policies, practices, norms, and values assumed to be race neutral. (AACU)

We commit to working actively to challenge and respond to bias, harassment, and discrimination. We are committed to a policy of equal opportunity for all persons and do not discriminate on the basis of race, ethnicity, national origin, age, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, disability, religion, or veteran status.

Inclusion is the active, intentional, and ongoing engagement with diversity-in people, in the curriculum, in the co-curriculum, and in communities (intellectual, social, cultural, geographical) with which individuals might connect-in ways that increase one's awareness, content knowledge, cognitive sophistication, and empathic understanding of the complex ways individuals interact within systems and institutions. (AAC&U)

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Research Guides: Music Sources for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: Welcome

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Rowan University Libraries have many resources that can assist you in incorporating aspects of diversity, equity, and inclusion into your teaching practices and potential research. These issues have recently led to position statements from the National Association for Music Education (NAfME) on Inclusivity and Diversity (rev.

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Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Music Resources - Department of Music

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Welcome to the home for diversity, equity, and inclusion music resources. On these pages, you’ll find resources that have been used and recommended by our faculty, staff, and students in DEI work, specifically in music pedagogy and performance. This list … Continued

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Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Music Resources

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Many teachers who work in private studios have a special benefit when teaching music lessons to students. Teachers often have the opportunity to work one-on-one with students, or in small groups, and have the opportunity to work on specific musical skills. Nevertheless, all students have the right to partake in private musical lessons-including special learners.

Special learners are students who: learn, process information, communicate, move, and experience life in alternative ways. Special learners can include:

Students who receive special education services

Students with communication delays

Students with intellectual or cognitive delays

Students with emotional or behavioral disabilities

Students with physical disabilities

Students who are blind, deaf, or hard-of-hearing

Students classified as gifted and talented

Students who receive ENL services, or English is not their first language

When working with special learners, it is important to remember that many students might have an IEP (Individualized Education Plan), or a 504. These are documents that list necessary: modifications, restrictions, adaptations, and accommodations necessary for students to be successful. You can find out more information on students' individual needs from:

Classroom Special Education Teachers or Classroom Teachers

Paraprofessionals or Teaching Assistants

Related-Service Providers: Speech, ENL, Hearing, Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy

Counselors

Parents

Other Music (or Arts) Teachers

The Musical Environment

When working with special learners, the studio environment is extremely important. Teachers need to take into account: the organization of the room, the flow and routine of the lesson, incorporating visuals, and developing clear procedures. Teachers should model all the routines and procedures that are developed, so students can imitate what the expectations are.

When organizing the lesson space, teachers should make sure there is as little clutter as possible, and keep the room organized and neat. This will help prevent as little distraction as possible, and will help students who might have sensory needs or can be easily overwhelmed when there is too much information.

Incorporating rules with pictures, and using schedules, can help students independently follow the flow of the lesson. By having pictures connected to each rule-students are able to see what the expectation looks like. By having a schedule, students will be able to see what will happen first, next, and so on. This can be extremely useful for students who are on the autism spectrum, or have anxiety. Teachers can reuse this schedule for each lesson, to help build a strong routine so students will know the order of every lesson. For example, in each lesson: first is set-up, then is warm-up, then is method book work, etc.

Instrumental and Vocal Adaptations

Since many students might receive Occupational Therapy (OT) or Physical Therapy (PT) services throughout the school day, adaptions to the instruments might be necessary for students to be successful. These might be due to emerging fine motor/gross motor skills, or emerging hand-eye/hand-finger coordination.

Instrumental music is a great way for students to connect their OT/PT goals into music-making, while enhancing cross-hemispheric development. Teachers should remember to allow students to practice any skills as independently as possible-as the eventual goal is for the student to become independent.

Teachers can incorporate several strategies to help connect to OT/PT skills:

Finger warm-ups

Body warm-ups (ex: breathing, stretching)

Incorporating breaks if necessary

Using alternative objects to develop muscle memory (e.g., pencils to shape bow hand, rulers with dots to practice fingering)

Color-coding drum mallets or spots on the drum to help alternate left/right hands

Teachers can also adapt the actual instruments to allow students to become more successful. Teachers can incorporate colors, tactile manipulatives, and re-arrange parts of an instrument. Some basic strategies can include:

Thumb stickers on woodwind/brass instruments, or recorders

Thumb stickers on string instruments or bows

Different colored stickers/tape for different pitches on instruments

Rearranging the strings on instruments to focus on two strings at first

Incorporating gloves, with velcro, to help hold a mallet or bow

When adapting vocal lessons, teachers can adapt as many pitches or sounds as possible. Since many students might receive speech services, starting with vowels first can be easier to warm-up with, rather than singing with consonants. For example, instead of singing Do-Re-Mi-Fa-So, students can sing O-E-I-A-O. Gradually, teachers can begin to incorporate consonants. Teachers can also use visuals when teaching about different parts of the voice or body. This can help students literally see what the teacher is asking them to do. For example, when sustaining a pitch, the teacher can draw a line. When moving pitches up and down, teachers can draw an arch.

When teaching the text to a song, sometimes incorporating visuals might be necessary as well. Many students who receive special education services might struggle with reading and can become frustrated when having to read text. Teachers can use Google Images to represent the different words in a song. When learning a new song, teachers can first focus on speaking the words in rhythm, and then begin singing. Teachers might need to model or teach by rote, if necessary, and incorporate any problem spots into a warm-up. Lastly, teachers can use movement to the teach the melodic contour of a song (e.g., dancing or scarves to show where the high/low sounds are).

Teaching Music Literacy

Some students might struggle with music literacy at first. This is due to there being many new types of: icons, shapes, images, text, words, and visuals for students to process. Teachers can easily adapt the way music notation looks to allow students to find new entry points and become successful. Some strategies include:

Stop and Go Images when beginning notation (Go = quarter note, Stop = quarter rest)

Iconic Images (e.g., clap, stomp, hit the drum, play an open D)

Color-coded rhythms or pitches (e.g., green quarter note, red quarter rest, Do = red, Re = orange)

Incorporating letters of each pitch, or solfege letters, beneath the notes

Teachers can start simple when it comes to reading musical notation and begin to scaffold as students become more independent readers. Remember, the goal is for students to be as independent as possible. Some students might always need to use color-coded music notation. Nevertheless, by incorporating this, you are allowing them to become successful to the best of their ability.

Teaching lessons to students with special needs can be an amazing experience, both for the student, and for the teacher. Teachers should always be aware of any modifications a student might require, in order for them to be successful. Teachers can communicate with families-and, if possible, with staff from their school-to find the necessary strategies. Teachers can also adapt: the instrument, technique, learning environment, and music notation for students to be successful. As long as teachers are flexible toward "out-of-the-box" methods, students will have a wide variety of entry points in the music lesson.

Brian Wagner's webinars-"Making Connections: Using Music to Make Artistic, Interdisciplinary, and Lifelong Connections for Special Learners" and "Teaching Lessons to Special Learners"-are available in NAfME Academy. Subscribe today!
Read Brian's past blogs, "Using Repertoire to Enhance Lifelong Learning" and "Engaging All Types of Learners in the Music Classroom." About the author:
NAfME member Brian Wagner-Yeung received his BA and MSED in Music Education from CUNY Queens College. He is currently split between two schools in Brooklyn: PS 370K and Brooklyn School of Inquiry. He has worked with students on the elementary, middle school, and high school level, where he has worked with students who have severe special needs-in addition to students who are gifted and talented. Mr. Wagner has taught: general music, string orchestra, musical theatre, and performing arts. He is a classically trained cellist, and currently plays regularly in the NYC area.

He has presented, and co-presented workshops for: NYSSMA, NYCDOE, SCMEA, OMEA, NJMEA, CMEA, NYSCAME, NAfME National In-Service Conference, NAfME Biennial Eastern Division Conference, NAfME Western Division Conference, and two online webinars for NAfME Academy. He has also presented lectures at CUNY Brooklyn College, CUNY Queens College, and NYU. In addition, he has had papers and articles published in: International Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences, School Music News, Tempo, Maryland Music Educator, and Bluegrass Music News, in addition to NAfME's blog Music in a Minuet.

Visit Brian's website. Connect with Brian on LinkedIn.
Did this blog spur new ideas for your music program? Share them on Amplify! Interested in reprinting this article? Please review the reprint guidelines. The National Association for Music Education (NAfME) provides a number of forums for the sharing of information and opinion, including blogs and postings on our website, articles and columns in our magazines and journals, and postings to our Amplify member portal. Unless specifically noted, the views expressed in these media do not necessarily represent the policy or views of the Association, its officers, or its employees.
Catherina Hurlburt, Marketing Communications Manager. May 30, 2018. © National Association for Music Education ( NAfME.org)

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Teaching Lessons to Children with Special Needs - NAfME

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Many private studio teachers often have the opportunity to work one-on-one with students with special needs, or in small groups, and have the opportunity to work on specific musical skills. Nevertheless, all students have the right to partake in private musical lessons-including special learners.

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Edutopia is a free source of information, inspiration, and practical strategies for learning and teaching in preK-12 education. We are published by the George Lucas Educational Foundation, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization.

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And which resources are available in the region

COURTESY OF CENTER STAGE MUSIC SCHOOL

In almost every culture around the world, music plays a central role in bringing entire communities together, whether to help people celebrate special occasions, make memories or simply pass the time. In fact, U2 lead singer Bono once said, "Music can change the world because it can change people." Music is a universal language because it removes physical and verbal barriers.

Over the last few decades, there has been a substantial increase in research concerning how music therapy can also improve behavioral traits. Clinicians and scientists are studying how the acts of listening to and making music can impact a person's physical and emotional health, while monitoring his or her ongoing cognitive activity. What they have found is that because listening to and performing music stimulates almost every area of the brain - and almost all sensory systems - music has a significant positive influence on cognitive functions.

The National Endowment for the Arts published research in December 2015 titled, "The Arts in Early Childhood: Social and Emotional Benefits of Arts Participation," that shows promising implications for parents of special needs children. Let's tune into some of music's many benefits, particularly when it comes to how special needs children learn.

The Great Equalizer

According to Arts Access, an organization that was founded in 1982 to address this issue by increasing access to North Carolina's arts community for children and adults with disabilities, kids with disabilities do not participate in the arts at the same rate as kids who don't have disabilities, largely because they have fewer opportunities to do so, compared to nondisabled peers. Arts Access Executive Director Betsy Ludwig cites the organization's Wake Arts Inclusion Project as one of the many ways it is working to ensure that music educators in Wake and Durham counties' public school systems have the tools and skills they need to better include school-age kids with disabilities.

"Music education is good for all kids' social and emotional development, as well as educational outcomes," Ludwig says.

Music therapy helps special needs kids build self-confidence and awareness, and improves their communication, motor and social skills, according to the Masters in Special Education Program Guide, which offers information for special education professionals. Music therapy also gives them effective resources for interacting with and understanding their environment. Essentially, it is the great equalizer, leveling the playing field for many kids who may not otherwise thrive in a traditional learning environment.

Rebecca Smith, director of the Frankie Lemmon School & Developmental Center in Raleigh, says the school's music therapy sessions, offered three to five times a week, often provide the first opportunity for staff to witness children who can't otherwise communicate with their teachers. These sessions really engage children to participate in teacher-directed activities.

"Music therapy has greatly benefited many of our children," Smith says. "Our music therapist works on so many developmental skills during her sessions, but the children don't even realize how hard they are working because they are having so much fun."

Parents agree. Amy Klabon, whose son has developmental disabilities and attends the Frankie Lemmon School & Developmental Center, says the center's music sessions offer a sound-sensory experience that has made it easier for her son to learn and grow.

"There's a connection between movement and speech when these kids interact with musical instruments like the tambourine, drums and maracas," Klabon says. "Song and music engages him, holds his otherwise short attention span and allows him to get his energy out."

The interactive nature of playing instruments while singing makes it easier for special needs kids to learn traditional songs like "Ring Around the Rosie" and "Itsy Bitsy Spider." Even focusing on the difference between a yellow tambourine versus a blue drum has taught these children colors and shapes.

The Chemistry of Music

Studies highlighted in publications such as Psychology Today and Nature have looked at the link between attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and music. Researchers are not surprised to learn about music's benefits for someone with ADHD. Since music is enjoyable, it can improve multitasking, adherence to structure, collaboration, auditory processing and self-confidence.

Experts also know that kids with ADHD tend to have low levels of dopamine, a chemical released by neurons (nerve cells) to send signals to other neurons. These experts are now discovering that music is a stimulant that actually increases dopamine levels, which might account for the sense of pleasure people experience while listening to music.

For some professionals in this line of work, engaging special needs children through music not only gives them personal satisfaction; it's also a way of giving back. In 2010, two years after losing his construction business to the financial collapse of 2008, Robert Peele started Center Stage Music School in Garner, which serves roughly 140 students ages 5 and older, and offers guitar, violin, voice, drums and piano lessons. Peele says about 5 percent of his students are special needs children with either autism, ADHD, anxiety or obsessive-compulsive disorder. He says oftentimes special needs kids excel in music more than their peers do because they see patterns the other kids don't.

"Music is math," Peele says. "We have, basically, 12 notes and eight beats. Drumming, for instance, is a rhythmic pattern."

Many kids with autism seek out visual and/or auditory patterns. Peele works with the kids who are drawn to auditory patterns.

"Do we treat them any differently? Absolutely not," Peele says, adding that, in fact, the opposite is true. The very reason parents enroll their special needs children in music is because it provides a sense of equality and normalcy that other extracurricular activities don't.

Center Stage Music School offers two recitals a year and puts its students in bands and competitions around the area.

"Competition breeds excellence and advances the art form. There is no question about this," Peele says. "I've seen it firsthand at dance, cheer, gymnastics, martial arts and all types of sports competitions. Children with developmental and even physical challenges can participate, compete and do as just as well as any other child. ... If I put one of my autistic kids on a drum set, keyboard, guitar or even up front on the mic, you would be hard-pressed to tell them apart from any other."

Peele says he could not ask for a more fulfilling job. "I wish I'd started doing this 20 years earlier," he says. "When I'm playing with one of my autistic kids, the entire world outside doesn't matter. They have no preconceived notions about what the music is supposed to sound like, their inhibitions are gone and they don't care who is listening. We are all just in the moment and it is pure, unadulterated joy."
Elizabeth Lincicome is a communications expert and freelance writer based in Raleigh. She is also the mother of a 6‑year‑old daughter.
Music Resources for Special Needs Families

Center Stage Music School
889 U.S. 70 Highway W., Garner * 919-662-5433
This school offers private music lessons for ages 5 and older in bass guitar, guitar, violin, voice, drums and piano. Lessons are available to individuals with and without disabilities.

Frankie Lemmon School & Development Center
3311 Carl Sandburg Court, Raleigh * 919-821-7436
The Frankie Lemmon School & Development Center offers a curriculum for ages 3-6 that is designed to encourage growth in all areas. The curriculum is designed for children with and without special needs, and focuses on the following developmental areas and subjects to reflect the development of the whole child: social-emotional, fine motor, early learning, self-help, gross motor, science, technology, math and communication. Among its programs, the school offers music therapy, movement class, pet therapy, and language and communication group sessions.

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How Music Improves Learning for Special Needs Kids - Carolina Parent

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And which resources are available in the region In almost every culture around the world, music plays a central role in bringing entire communities together, whether to help people celebrate special occasions, make memories or simply pass the time. In fact, U2 lead singer Bono once said, "Music can change the world because it can change people."

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Is there credible proof that Jesus of Nazareth really is the Son of God? In The Case for Christ, Lee Strobel, former legal editor of the Chicago Tribune and New York Times bestselling author, retraces his own spiritual journey from atheism to faith and builds a captivating case for Christ's divinity.

How reliable is the New Testament?

Does evidence for Jesus exist outside the Bible?

Is Jesus who he said he was?

Is there any reason to believe the resurrection was an actual event?

What does all of the evidence point to--and what does it mean today?

In this revised and updated edition of The Case for Christ, Strobel cross-examines a dozen experts with doctorates from schools such as Cambridge, Princeton, and Brandeis, asking hard-hitting questions--and taking a deeper look at the evidence from the fields of science, philosophy, and history.

In his comprehensive investigation, Strobel doesn't shy away from the challenging questions, including:

Winner of the Gold Medallion Book Award and twice nominated for the Christian Book of the Year Award, The Case for Christ has been adapted into a major motion picture and has now sold over five million copies worldwide.

This edition includes scores of revisions and additions, including updated material on archaeological and manuscript discoveries, fresh recommendations for further study, and an interview with the author that tells dramatic stories about the book's impact, provides behind-the-scenes information, and responds to critiques of the book by skeptics.

Strobel's thorough examination reads like a captivating, fast-paced novel. But it's not fiction: it's a riveting quest for the truth about history's most compelling figure. Discover The Case for Christ today.

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The Case for Christ, Updated and Expanded, Mass Market

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If you were a journalist, how would you investigate the top story in human history? Join the award-winning former legal editor of the Chicago Tribune as he cross-examines scholars to uncover incontestable evidence supporting Jesus' claims. Includes updated archaeological material, an interview with Strobel, and more. A powerful defense of the Christian faith!

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The late Lewis, Oxford professor, scholar, author, and Christian apologist, presents the listener with a case for orthodox Christianity. This is definitely not the shouting, stomping, sweating, spitting televangelist fare so often parodied; Lewis employs logical arguments that are eloquently expressed. He describes those doctrines that the four major denominations in Britain (Anglican, Methodist, Presbyterian, and Roman Catholic) would have in common, e.g., original sin, the transcendent Creator God, and the divinity of Jesus as well as his atonement and bodily resurrection. Geoffrey Howard reads both works, and his performance is superb; he is clear and unhurried, giving just the right emphasis and/or inflection. The volume on the Blackstone edition is recorded at a higher level than HarperAudio's. Otherwise there were no perceived differences in the recordings. If your institution can afford it, the Blackstone production would be preferred because of its sturdy case and the announcement of side changes. Whether or not one agrees with Lewis's arguments, it is a pleasure to hear such a skillful reading of an eloquent work. Public libraries as well as institutions that teach religion/theology or speech should consider. Michael T. Fein, Central Virginia Community Coll., Lynchburg Copyright 2001 Library Journal.

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Arguably the 20th century's most influential Christian writer, C.S. Lewis sought to explain and defend the beliefs that nearly all Christians at all times hold in common. His simple yet deeply profound classic, originally delivered as a series of radio broadcasts, is a book to be thoroughly digested by believers and generously shared with skeptics.

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Free Online Bible Study Courses | BibleProject™

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Self-paced courses in Bible and Christian theology offering training from biblical scholars. Explore our library of classes.

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Dietrich Bonhoeffer, one of the most important theologians of the twentieth century, illuminates the relationship between ourselves and the teachings of Jesus in this classic book on living as a Christian.
What can the call to discipleship, the adherence to the word of Jesus, mean today to the businessman, the soldier, the laborer, or the government worker? What did Jesus mean to say to us? What is his will for us today? Drawing on the Sermon on the Mount, Dietrich Bonhoeffer answers these timeless questions by providing a seminal reading of the dichotomy between "cheap grace" and "costly grace." "Cheap grace," Bonhoeffer wrote, "is the grace we bestow on ourselves...grace without discipleship....Costly grace is the gospel which must be sought again and again, the girl which must be asked for, the door at which a man must know....It is costly because it costs a man his life, and it is grace because it gives a man the only true life."

The Cost of Discipleship is a compelling statement of the demands of sacrifice and ethical consistency from a man whose life and thought were exemplary articulations of a new type of leadership inspired by the Gospel, and imbued with the spirit of Christian humanism and a creative sense of civic duty.

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The Cost of Discipleship compels the reader to face himself and God in any situation. Bonhoeffer speaks of 'Cheap Grace': preaching forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, communion without confession. 'Cheap Grace' is grace without discipleship.

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As we approach the end of the Summer Sizzle Blog Hop, I would like to ask you to keep us writers that participated in the series in prayer. As we continue to write with our faith being the foundation of each of our topics, it is important that we have support and a team of prayer warriors.

Intercession of prayer from our readers and loved ones keeps us aligned with God's will with everything we write. It also keeps us accountable to everything we write about. As Christian writers, we know it vital for us to stay true to every word we write. This means, through us staying intimate with God by reading our word, praying fervently, and worshiping Him daily.

This post today and all the ones before this has been easy for me to share with you because through developing relationships with each one of these beautiful writers, I have learned their writing in done through their own experience and passion they have. It is also done through our relationship with one another by encouraging and praying for each other as we give ourselves to the Lord to write about our spiritual relationship for all to see.

It takes courage and steadfastness to continue to write through trial and error and through every part of our relationship with Him. I am honor to know personally each one of these ladies in the Summer Sizzle blog hop is not just a writer about faith but they truly walk daily with the Lord.

Deb has been an amazing example to us as a group. Her grace is immense and her love to for God is admirable. I am continuously in awe to know someone that truly walks in the anointing of Gods will and purpose for her life.

Recent Summer Sizzle Blog Posts:
10 "I can" Proclamations that speak life. How to start the new beginning God has for you 10 Simple Ways to add prayer to your day. "Since the days of our first parents in the Garden of Eden, worship has walked a tightrope between lifestyle and liturgy. When God walked in the Garden with His first children in the cool of the day, Adam and Eve worshiped Him as we should-without interruption. The Creator and His creatures experienced a continual, ongoing exchange of provision and praise. God provided everything Adam and Eve needed, and they responded with praise-with gratitude, reverence, honor, submission, and holy fear." ~David Jeremiah
The lifestyle part of worship is hard, isn't it? So many things can get in the way. Busyness. Discouragement. Distractions.

I want my life to be that offering of worship Paul wrote about...

So here's what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life-your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life-and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for Him. Romans 12:1-2 (MSG)

With God's help, I'd like to add these simple ways to make worship (that ongoing exchange of provision and praise) part of every day.

Start the day quietly with God.

Before you get out of bed, spend 5 minutes thinking about the blessing of knowing God is present in every part of your day.

"Be still, and know that I am God! I will be honored by every nation.

I will be honored throughout the world.

The Lord of Heaven's Armies is here among us; the God of Israel is our fortress.

Psalm 46:10

There is something about humbly kneeling to pray that changes an attitude from self to submission. That's worship. Be intentional about kneeling for prayer several times a week.

Come, let us worship and bow down.

Let us kneel before the Lord our maker, for He is our God.

We are the people He watches over, the flock under his care.

Psalm 95:6-7

Throughout the Bible, the number 7 stands for completion. Writing 7 things you're thankful for is the perfect way to remember God's completely perfect provision.

Praise the Lord! Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good!

His faithful love endures forever.

Psalm 106:1

Watch for miracles. Write down answers to prayer. Notice the variety in creation. Pay attention to the ways God is working around you. Celebrate who He is and all He does.

Your awe-inspiring deeds will be on every tongue;

I will proclaim Your greatness.

Psalm 145:6

Turn up the praise music, lift your hands in the air, and dance with joy.

I don't dance in the car but I do love to sing and it's hard to be impatient with other drivers when my heart is filled with worship. Sing and dance with your kids too, they'll love it!

And David danced before the Lord with all his might,

wearing a priestly garment.

2 Samuel 6:14

They should praise Him with dancing.

They should sing praises to Him with tambourines and harps.

Psalm 149:3

Most people don't realize how much they grumble and complain. Make it a prayer and deliberately set a time to refuse negativity. You might be surprised how much more appreciative you become and turn from grumbling altogether.

Do everything without complaining and arguing,

so that no one can criticize you. Live clean, innocent lives as children of God,

shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people.

Philippians 2:14-15

It takes less than a minute, will change your focus, and remind you of who God is . . . the same yesterday, today, and forever.

The instructions of the Lord are perfect, reviving the soul.

The decrees of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple.
The commandments of the Lord are right, bringing joy to the heart.
The commands of the Lord are clear, giving insight for living. Psalm 19:7-8

8. Intentionally surrender your day to God.

A dear friend taught me this morning prayer...

Lord, I have surrendered this day to You. I will follow where You guide and do Your will as You reveal it to me. Please help me to fulfill this promise that my life might glorify You alone. Amen.

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. Galatians 2:20

It's so easy to get distracted by entertainment, social media, and life's demands. Take a break and enjoy the beauty that's right outside your door.

The heavens proclaim the glory of God. The skies display His craftsmanship.
Day after day they continue to speak; night after night they make Him known.

Psalm 19:1-2

Make a note of God's blessings on your calendar and celebrate the anniversaries like the Children of Israel celebrated the Passover. Baptism birthdays. The day you met your spouse. The day you got engaged. Or the day you received good news from the doctor. Etc.

I will remember the things the Lord has done.

Yes, I will remember the powerful works of long ago.

I will think of all Your work, and keep in mind all the great things You have done. Psalm 77:11-12

God created you for this time and place. One of the best ways to worship Him is to intentionally love on the people around you.

So now I am giving you a new commandment:

Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other.

John 13:34

God made you. He cares for you. He loves you. Honor Him by getting enough rest, eating well and staying fit. Be the best you possible to offer yourself as a living sacrifice in worship to the Father.

Let me hear of your unfailing love each morning,

for I am trusting you.
Show me where to walk, for I give myself to you.

Psalm 143:8

I think we make worship too complicated. Maybe it's time to take our ordinary everyday lives and offer them to God as a daily act of worship.

Deb is a passionate blessing counter who loves to study the ways faith and life intersect. This year at Counting My Blessings, she is SEEKing God's will - one day at a time.

Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. Matthew 6:33

Deb lives in Missouri with her husband and furry child, Sadie now that all of their human children are grown and have little ones of their own. And yes, being a grandparent is the best!

She's hoping you will join her on Pinterest, Facebook and Twitter

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As we approach the end of the Summer Sizzle Blog Hop, I would like to ask you to keep us writers that participated in the series in prayer. As we continue to write with our faith being the foundation of each of our topics, it is important that we have support and a team of prayer warriors.

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◀ Versions / New International Version (NIV)

Version Information

The New International Version (NIV) is a completely original translation of the Bible developed by more than one hundred scholars working from the best available Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek texts.

The initial vision for the project was provided by a single individual - an engineer working with General Electric in Seattle by the name of Howard Long. Long was a lifelong devotee of the King James Version, but when he shared it with his friends he was distressed to find that it just didn't connect. Long saw the need for a translation that captured the truths he loved in the language that his contemporaries spoke.

For 10 years, Long and a growing group of like-minded supporters drove this idea. The passion of one man became the passion of a church, and ultimately the passion of a whole group of denominations. And finally, in 1965, after several years of preparatory study, a trans-denominational and international group of scholars met in Palos Heights, Illinois, and agreed to begin work on the project - determining to not simply adapt an existing English version of the Bible but to start from scratch with the best available manuscripts in the original languages. Their conclusion was endorsed by a large number of church leaders who met in Chicago in 1966.

A self-governing body of fifteen biblical scholars, the Committee on Bible Translation (CBT) was formed and charged with responsibility for the version, and in 1968 the New York Bible Society (which subsequently became the International Bible Society and then Biblica) generously undertook the financial sponsorship of the project. The translation of each book was assigned to translation teams, each made up of two lead translators, two translation consultants, and a stylistic consultant where necessary. The initial translations produced by these teams were carefully scrutinized and revised by intermediate editorial committees of five biblical scholars to check them against the source texts and assess them for comprehensibility. Each edited text was then submitted to a general committee of eight to twelve members before being distributed to selected outside critics and to all members of the CBT in preparation for a final review. Samples of the translation were tested for clarity and ease of reading with pastors, students, scholars, and lay people across the full breadth of the intended audience. Perhaps no other translation has undergone a more thorough process of review and revision. From the very start, the NIV sought to bring modern Bible readers as close as possible to the experience of the very first Bible readers: providing the best possible blend of transparency to the original documents and comprehension of the original meaning in every verse. With this clarity of focus, however, came the realization that the work of translating the NIV would never be truly complete. As new discoveries were made about the biblical world and its languages, and as the norms of English usage developed and changed over time, the NIV would also need to change to hold true to its original vision.

And so in the original NIV charter, provision was made not just to issue periodic updates to the text but also to create a mechanism for constant monitoring of changes in biblical scholarship and English usage. The CBT was charged to meet every year to review, maintain, and strengthen the NIV's ability to accurately and faithfully render God's unchanging Word in modern English.

The 2011 update to the NIV is the latest fruit of this process. By working with input from pastors and Bible scholars, by grappling with the latest discoveries about biblical languages and the biblical world, and by using cutting-edge research on English usage, the Committee on Bible Translation has updated the text to ensure that the New International Version of the Bible remains faithful to Howard Long's original inspiration.

Copyright Information

The NIV text may be quoted in any form (written, visual, electronic or audio), up to and inclusive of five hundred (500) verses without express written permission of the publisher, providing the verses do not amount to a complete book of the Bible nor do the verses quoted account for twenty-five percent (25%) or more of the total text of the work in which they are quoted.

When the NIV is quoted in works that exercise the above fair use clause, notice of copyright must appear on the title or copyright page or opening screen of the work (whichever is appropriate) as follows:
THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
These Scriptures are copyrighted by the Biblica, Inc. ® and have been made available on the Internet for your personal use only. Any other use including, but not limited to, copying or reposting on the Internet is prohibited. These Scriptures may not be altered or modified in any form and must remain in their original context. These Scriptures may not be sold or otherwise offered for sale.
These Scriptures are not shareware and may not be duplicated.
When quotations from the NIV text are used in non-salable media such as church bulletins, orders of service, posters, transparencies or similar media, a complete copyright notice is not required, but the initial NIV must appear at the end of each quotation.

Any commentary or other Biblical reference work produced for commercial sale that uses the New International Version must obtain written permission for the use of the NIV text.

Permission requests for commercial use within the U.S. and Canada that exceed the above guidelines must be directed to, and approved in writing by, HarperCollins Christian Publishing, Attention: Permissions Department, P.O. Box 141000, Nashville, TN 37214.

Permission requests for commercial use within the U.K., EEC, and EFTA countries that exceed the above guidelines must be directed to, and approved in writing by, Hodder & Stoughton Ltd., a member of the Hodder Headline Plc. Group, 338 Euston Road, London NW1 3BH.
"New International Version" and "NIV" are registered trademarks of Biblica, Inc. Used with permission. ®.

Biblica: the International Bible Society provides the Bible in accurate, contemporary translations and formats so people around the world can have the opportunity to be transformed by Jesus Christ. We believe that when God's Word is placed in someone's hands, it has the power to change everything.

About Biblica

Biblica: the International Bible Society provides the Bible in accurate, contemporary translations and formats so people around the world can have the opportunity to be transformed by Jesus Christ. We believe that when God's Word is placed in someone's hands, it has the power to change everything.

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New International Version (NIV) - Version Information - BibleGateway.com

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◀ Versions / New International Version (NIV) The New International Version (NIV) is a completely original translation of the Bible developed by more than one hundred scholars working from the best available Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek texts.

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Is it true that sticks and stones can break your bones, but words can never hurt you? Yes, but only if you choose to not let words hurt you. Comedian Tom…