Inclusive Practices You Can Incorporate into Your Ensemble Rehearsals By Shawn Lynn Royer & Sarah Breann Royer When we talk about inclusion in education, we are most often talking about including the students that require more classroom support in …

How To Raise A Young Musician Words by Crystal Hammon Imagine a contest that ranks the most commonly shared childhood experiences. A few rites of passage would quickly rise to the top. Taking the training wheels off your bike, dreaming that you’ve gone …

Differentiated Instruction in Music Ensembles Words by Shawn Royer The idea of differentiating instruction in music ensembles simply means that we are cognizant of and teach towards students with varied learning preferences, experience/ability levels, …

Story Time at the Symphony Words by Kate Hamori One of my most vivid musical memories is from my very first orchestra rehearsal in high school. I won’t lie—I was totally panicking. But as soon as we started to play, all my thoughts and worries disappea …

Women & The Orchestra Words by Kate Hamori If you take a look at your average symphony concert program, you’re likely to notice a pattern: the majority of the composers that appear on orchestra concerts are white men. This isn’t because women aren’ …

Ignatius Sancho: Composing the Hypocrisy of Colonialism & Convention Words by Joshua Thompson Episode 3 from Season 2 of Melanated Moments in Classical Music is sure to go down as one of my favorite episodes of this podcast thus far. I distinctly r …

My Music. My Story. Hilary Buttrick. Words by Elliot Shelton What is it about music that makes something buried deep in the roots of your soul begin to churn? Admit it, all of our hearts flutter when we hear a piece that has some kind of extraordinary …

Ways to Better Support LGBTQ+ Youth in Music Classrooms By Shawn Royer & Sarah Breann Royer When it comes to working with LGBTQ+ youth, even small efforts made by music teachers could make a huge difference to the health and well-being of students. …

Make Music Meaningful for Children With These Expert Tips Words by Crystal Hammon If you’re teaching your kids at home for the first time, there’s a good chance you’re getting an education all your own. Learning what works with children – and what does …

5 Helpful Tips for Teaching High Notes on Clarinet and Saxophone Written by Shawn Royer As a Yamaha Performing Artist and Vandoren Artist Clinician, I typically work with many young clarinetists and saxophonists each year in sectionals and masterclass …

Recognizing the Remarkable: Thomas Wiggins Words by Joshua Thompson Of all the featured artists in Season One of Melanated Moments in Classical Music, I find Thomas Wiggins to be the most compelling and truly remarkable. Whether one analyzes the struct …

My Music. My Story. Christian Siegfried.  Words by Rebekah Conn Christian Siegfried is an Astro Physics and Mechanical Engineer major at Butler University. When not in the classroom, Christian is most likely browsing at record stores. His record collec …

Birds Calling in Fort Ben Words by Anna Hinkley In her new composition Birds Calling, composer Hanna Benn created a musical piece inspired by the birds of the Fort Benjamin Harrison State Park. Commissioned and recorded as a takeaway show for park visi …