This is the latest work of my Australian colleague, Phil Rooke, who has a way with words and music. I recommend it for its sound theoretical underpinning and practical panache…
Captivate Your Music Students 🙂
Welcome to the first post for 2015.  In this post, I would like to examine and explore the reasons that we play music in ensembles. This has in fact been a learning journey for me in my career as a music educator. I think that sometimes we lose sight of the untapped teaching and learning potential of ensemble playing and we forget the reason that we do all the work of establishing ensembles if it is only to have ‘representative’ ensembles to promote the music department or school.
Many years ago, (1987) my first position as a classroom music teacher was at a High School in the Central West of New South Wales. The only equipment was an ancient piano, a drum-kit, a small powered mixing desk and PA speakers, an early model Roland Juno synth, an electric guitar and amplifier and electric bass and amplifier.
BUT……in the storeroom was…
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