Mr. B's Blog

We had Jr. District Auditions this morning in Methuen.  We had six students auditioning.  Mostly 7th graders, I think the culture of excitement will build for this event.  Hopefully word will spread and more students will be interested in it next year.  I think that this makes a great case for creating a community music lesson program starting next year.  I am trying to get the MICCA Taskforce to come in and meet with myself and the head of the district's continuing education department. While at the event I saw one of my old band directors from Pentucket, Bill Gray, who is now working in the Masconomet Public Schools.  I talked to him about the middle school band jamboree we used to do with Masco, Ipswich, and Hamilton-Wenham.  Apparently it has not happened in a year or two.  Bill said he would contact the Ipswich director to see if we can start it back up again.  I think it is important for our students to see what is out there, outside the doors of Pentucket.  Plus this is a ve...

Today we had the All-State Auditions in Northborough, MA.  We had three students from Pentucket auditioning...two snare and one cello.  I hope they get in!  One thing I enjoy the most about this event is seeing all my fellow music teachers from the state.  It is always good to check in and see what's happening with their programs.  I spoke with Colleen Toland from Weston who was one of two teachers that built their instrumental program to be one of the best in the state.  We talked about how to get the district as a whole involved in the schools' bands. Everyone seems to think that all my ideas we are putting into place this year are exactly what they did when they started...so I am pumped to see the results next fall!

Always trying to stay on top of my game with the latest technologies in music technology, I often will speak to my college professors or search online to see what's new.  Though not my professor, I often check out the webpage of  Dr. James Frankel.  He posted a podcast on the latest music technology innovations...and he caught my attention with the Radiohead re-mix project.  I found out that the project was shut down once I went to their webpage, but then learned the Nine Inch Nails was doing a similar thing.  The following project was a perfect start to this semester's Music Production I course and Garage Band.  How I Worded the Assignment:  As the music industry rapidly changes, passive listeners are now becoming active creators. Bands like Nine Inch Nails and Radiohead are now allowing users to download tracks from their songs and let subscribed users manipulate those tracks to create their own compositions to share with the world. We will be using Garage Band to create grou...

This is my second semester teaching Music Production I and Concert Band at Pentucket Regional High School in West Newbury, MA.  As I begin this new year, I am trying to think of ways that I can improve my teaching as well as all the aspects of my job.  Firstly, I found myself scattered with assignments last semester.  I tried to use the school's online information collaboration portal known as School Loop, but it was hard for students to find assignments that I posted.  As a result, I have created a wiki (www.pentucketmusic.wetpaint.com).  Here, students can simply click on the calendar to see what is due (only one assignment so far).  I provide a link on a due date so that students can access the materials which are located somewhere else on the wiki.  I also added a forum section where I am asking one question per week that the students must answer.  The first question is who is your favorite music artist and why.  I am reading the responses and am responding to them with links t...

I have always shared that it is important to always put work on display for the world to see. Not only does it advocate for your program, but it also promotes an atmosphere of "reflective buzz" within your student body. As a teacher, I have many issues posting things on YouTube. Aside from all of the real factors as to why I do not post Pentucket videos on this site, I think the biggest reason is that most teachers say that it is just plain wrong...and as a new teacher, I do not want to fight the system. The best thing out there for my needs as a music teacher is SchoolTube! I was surprised the first time I used because I was able to upload a 15 minute video. You can only post 10 minute videos on YouTube. The webpage offers many contests to enter. My students enjoy seeing how many hits their projects get on the webpage. This makes them take their work more seriously since they know the world will be judging the projects, not just me. The best part is that the only me...

In an effort to increase communication and advocate for our program, the new Pentucket Regional High School Music Web Page has been created! Enjoy! www.pentucketmusic.com