The Music Ed Mentor Podcast A podcast for music educators

Today’s episode focuses on highlighting innovation in music education, and my guest is my dear friend Christopher Schroeder. He’ll share with us how Boston Music Project was able to pivot at the start of the pandemic and find new ways to engage learners in music creation and learning despite being physically separated.

In this episode, Dr. Raiber is going to coach us through areas of focus that we can create or shift to ensure the longevity of our careers, which at times can feel so elusive.

In this interview with Steve Giddings, we address some of the most overlooked questions in music education like why are we insisting on continuing to teach one type of musical notation, when there are many other types available for students to use? Why are we teaching the great composers when they weren’t even the popular musicians of their time, rather the music of the socially elite? Why have we so often said that sight reading is the truest test of musical skill and downplayed the ability of students to play by ear? Which is truly the test of musicianship?

My outstanding guests, Kat Reinhart and Sarah Gulish, talk about why songwriting isn’t always part of our core curriculum, how it aligns with the curriculum that we do have, how to fit it into our lives, and how to overcome our inhibitions and become the songwriters we always wanted to be.

This episode talks about social justice—issues with race, repertoire challenges, and more. Some listeners may be uncomfortable, but I urge you to embrace discomfort as a symptom of change, and in this case, I believe it is positive change.

Many of our educator friends have noticed how their students have fallen away—not connecting in the ways we’re used to. How can we reconnect with these students, and more importantly, help them connect with returning and new students, too?