As a Colorado native, I always love to incorporate pieces in my spring concert that created imagery of what was about to appear when the snow melted away! For me, the text painting, expression (both musically and visually), and blend always came naturally to students when working on these songs because of the visualization and collaboration that was possible in the rehearsal process.
These songs come in a variety of arrangements but all have one thing in common - flowers (and okay one plant)! Check them out and welcome spring! A Rose Touched by the Sun's Warm Rays by Jean Berger Why I love it: This beautiful legato piece for SATB features lovely harmonies and can be sung in English or German. It's acapella and there are a lot of great places to work on balance, watching the conductor, and intonation. Afternoon on a Hill by Eric William Barnum Why I love it: Although this song can be a challenge, the final product is so stunning. The text paints a beautiful picture and is great to work vowels, diction, and phrasing. It's also an opportunity to discuss the poet (Edna St. Vincent Millay was the first woman to win the Pulitzer Prize for poetry in 1923!) or collaborate with an English teacher on analyzing poetry and poetry writing. The dynamic contrasts are possibly one of the best parts of the song, ever changing and always taking a turn... execution from the ensemble is key! Come to my Garden (The Secret Garden) arr. John Leavitt Why I love it: I've programmed this song more times than I can count and every single time the product is different and just as beautiful. There are moments in this song where you disappear into the text and melodic lines, and the singers will be captivated by the beauty. Although it's technically musical theater, it can be sung with a more choral tone if you prefer. Additionally, there's room for optional solos if you want to highlight some individual singers! Dome Epais (Lakme) Delibes arr. Francisco J. Nunez Why I love it: This gorgeous song has such powerful harmonies (rightfully so for "the flower duet!"). It can work for a multitude of ensembles and opens so many doors - singing in a foreign language (French), diving into opera, learning about French composers (Leo Delibes), or collaborating with your school's art department - the work comes at the pivot between impressionism and neo-impressionalism in French painting, so you could compare the descriptive text with Pissaro, Monet, or Renoir paintings! Sakura arr. Linda Spevacek Why I love it: Sakura is a great song for a beginning choir. The two part arrangement of this Japanese folk song is accessible but stunning, and showing photos of the cherry blossoms will help your singers connect with the text. This song is another great opportunity for students to sing in a foreign language, develop tone and phrasing, and dive into Japanese culture! The Four Leaf Clover by Kevin Padworski Why I love it: This song will expose your students to more complex (and changing!) time signatures all while telling the story of the four-leaf clover. It's positive message makes diction is a must, and keeping the phrasing while enunciating the words will be a great workout for your singers. Additionally, I love to support local Colorado composers and Kevin is a fantastic one! He is a passionate educator and composes such creative music that is accessible for any level of choir. What are your favorite floral choral arrangements? Let me know in the comments below!
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The music binder is a sacred thing. Full of marked up music, rosters, tabs and stickies, this thing could make it through any storm unscathed. It goes everywhere with me... it's thrown in bags, tossed on the passenger seat, falls off the piano, students grab it off the music stand when I forget it... can anyone else relate?
After 10 years with this extra limb, I've come to have some MUST HAVES to keep my binder organized and accessible. These are a few of my favorite MUSIC BINDER things! And PS, before anyone asks, all of the music in my photos is e-print and has been purchased legally!
Thick Post-It Tabs
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Why I love it: These tabs are so thick and durable! They withstand thousands of page turns and constant binder travel. I love these specific tabs, and they are also available in different colors, a clear version with colored line, or longer tab! You can write on them clearly with pencil, pen, or sharpie, and they are easy to remove and re-stick.
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Why I love it: I lose my pencil within 5 minutes of a rehearsal, and not once has my pencil stayed the binder pocket during transport! These sticky pencil holders can be attached anywhere on your binder, stand, planner, etc. They are easy to peel off and are super durable! My only complaint is that I wish they were made in other colors. They are a GAME CHANGER for any musician!
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Why I love it: These post-it notes are THE BEST. This length specifically is my go-to. It's the perfect size to add a warm-up routine, jot down kids who are doing amazing so you can send some positive emails later, write down people who came in late, or take notes for things to get to next time. There are a variety of colors available and they come in a pack of four!
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Why I love it: I don't know about you, but music in my binder rips ALL THE TIME. I guess my page turns are violent haha! For a quick fix, I keep a page of reinforcement labels in the pocket of my binder, but my favorite way to fix these tears is to use washi tape! Just rip off a piece, fold over the edge of the paper to cover where the hole would be, and hole punch again! This fix reminds me of Kintsugi, the Japanese art of repairing broken items with gold or silver filling, thus celebrating the history of an object. Each time I see my washi tape, (and sometimes several different prints of washi tape), it reminds me of previous times I've performed a piece! You can see an example with gold plaid washi tape below :)
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Why I love it: Just today I used one of these cards in a rehearsal! We were teaching middle schoolers choreography... half were in person and half were on zoom, which was super challenging, as I'm sure you can imagine! I was working with our "Zoomies" and wanted to prepare them to be as successful as possible despite the circumstance. In addition to reminding them to make a clear space to dance, I read them the following quote: "Move out of your comfort zone. You can only grow if you are willing to feel awkward and uncomfortable when you try something new." - Brian Tracy. I love keeping a few of these cards in my binder for various reasons - I can randomly hand one to a kid having a bad day, read one out loud if we need a break in the rehearsal but I don't want to lose their focus, or have a discussion on what the kids think a quote means to them. It's empowering and this specific set is the perfect size and has quotes I really connect with!
What are your music binder must-haves!? Comment below!
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If I'm being honest, reading is the last thing I think to do. Listening to music? Yes. Watching Netflix? 100%. Watching my toddler and doing a thousand loads of laundry? All day every day.
That being said, reading is such a vital part of our professional development. Learning from every authors passion, experience, wisdom, and unique perspectives through their writing is an invaluable tool that impacts our growth as educators. So without further ado, these are a few of my favorite MUST READS for music educators right now!! Dare to Lead by Brené Brown
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THIS WEBSITE CONTAINS AFFILIATE LINKS, WHICH MEANS THAT IF YOU CLICK ON A PRODUCT LINK, I MAY RECEIVE A COMMISSION. THIS WEBSITE IS A PARTICIPANT IN THE AMAZON SERVICES LLC ASSOCIATES PROGRAM, AN AFFILIATE ADVERTISING PROGRAM WHERE I EARN ADVERTISING FEES BY LINKING TO AMAZON.COM.