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The Middle Schooler That Never Grew Up & The Infamous Cup of Doom with Mark A. Hensler
What an honor it was to interview my own band director: Mr. Mark A. Hensler for this very special FIFTIETH EPISODE! In this episode, Mr....
angelaammerman
Oct 13, 20212 min read
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Teaching Love, One Note at a Time
I know I shouldn’t be writing on my blog right now… Not at 8:20 am when I have students coming in so soon. But I can’t help myself. I...
angelaammerman
Jun 13, 20162 min read
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The Power of Even a Drop of Critical Pedagogy
Every day, many anxious students tap their feet, drum their fingers, and hum throughout “core” classes, anticipating the much favored...
angelaammerman
Jun 1, 20164 min read
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My Best Concert Ever!!! A Positive Shift in Culture
Okay friends… Seriously… I can hardly contain my enthusiasm for this upcoming concert as I sit here writing this blog post!!! It’s not...
angelaammerman
May 24, 20164 min read
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Assessment: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly PART II
As I have reflected upon my experiences with my recent judging, I have been struck by how different the experiences of each ensemble...
angelaammerman
May 21, 20165 min read
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The Honor of Honors Orchestras (or Lack Thereof…)
Sweaty hands. Shaking knees. Bow perfectly rosined. Stan is ready for his audition. He has worked countless hours, practicing,...
angelaammerman
Aug 14, 20153 min read
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5 Surefire Ways to Save Rehearsal Time
Okay, in favor of being parsimonious (per the title of my post…) this is going to be a quick post tonight. I just want to reiterate to...
angelaammerman
Aug 7, 20152 min read
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Ingredients for the BEST LESSON EVA!
Are you already writing up your lesson plans for the 15-16 school year? I know how stressful this time of year can be, so in this post,...
angelaammerman
Aug 6, 20153 min read
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Is This You? Building Perceptual Awareness in Listening
This past week, a few friends and I were chatting about various ways to increase students’ listening skills and I thought perhaps I would...
angelaammerman
Aug 3, 20153 min read
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“I Don’t Even Recruit…” (spoken in the snootiest voice ever)
Have you ever noticed this trend in some music teachers where they are proud that they don’t do any recruiting? What is that? It seems...
angelaammerman
Aug 2, 20153 min read
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Inspiration – The Cycle of Awe
After a long but stimulating week of learning and practicing the Paul Rolland Pedagogy, I am feeling inspired to do more, to work harder,...
angelaammerman
Jul 31, 20154 min read
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Humor – There is a Place for it During Rehearsals!
I spent this evening smiling, laughing, and listening to amazing stories and jokes by other musicians and music teachers. I love to...
angelaammerman
Jul 30, 20153 min read
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MUSIC ED MAJOR RANT
In each year of teaching music, I have always had at least one student who was interested in majoring in music education. Many of them...
angelaammerman
Jul 26, 20154 min read
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Makin’ Music in Juvie
The need for prison reform within our country is a well-supported and documented void within our social system. While many efforts have...
angelaammerman
Jul 25, 20153 min read
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Student Retention & Johann the Orchestra Rat Rides Again
Today I was super inspired by a post made by @thecandidchoraldirector She was talking about the school year starting up again and it...
angelaammerman
Jul 24, 20154 min read
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Emotion & Music
#choir #ensembles #band #education #guitar
angelaammerman
Jul 23, 20151 min read
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The Big Fish Little Pond Effect
Have you ever been a big fish in a little pond? I had a student once who was an enormous fish in this teeny tiny pond of little...
angelaammerman
Jul 20, 20154 min read
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