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The Concerts are Over…Now What?

It’s that time of year where many band directors are gearing up for winter or holiday concerts. We have a single track focus, making sure that everything is *just right* before putting it in front of an audience. But then the concert is over and the panic of, “what do I do now?!?” often sets in! While obviously we want to continue making music, there needs to be some kind of change to the daily routine. Something different to keep students interested and engaged leading up to winter break.

As I too am getting ready for winter concerts, I don’t have a brand new post containing ideas for your students. Sorry to disappoint! Instead, here are a few of my favorite posts from the last two years that tackle this exact question.

The Snowball Fight: A Music Composition Strategy – this is a quick yet fun music composition activity you can try with any age group.

Five Ideas to Try After a Concert – student leaders, reflection, and Makerspace projects.

Five More Ideas to Try After a Concert – everything from music composition, creating promotional material, and coding activities.

Steam Lessons with the OK Go Sandbox – a great series of lesson plans incorporating music videos from the rock band, OK Go.

Whatever you do, keep making music and find a way for students to take ownership throughout the process. They will thank you!

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