Audio & Video Recording Assignments in EEi
EEi has supported audio and video assignments since day one — listen to recordings, watch performance videos, and give meaningful feedback that supports real musical growth.
Read More →Category: For Teachers
Posts targeted at music teachers — classroom management, rehearsal routines, teacher account workflow, method-book selection, and webinars.
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Establishing an Effective and Positive Rehearsal Routine
A great rehearsal starts long before the first note. Build a consistent routine — Rest/Ready/Play positions, breathing exercises, tizzling along to recordings, and clear pacing — so middle school students focus quickly, take ownership of expectations, and treat every transition as part of the music.
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Finding Methods that Support Your Teaching
Chase Banks — student, director, now Hal Leonard contributor — walks through what to look for when choosing a method book: solid pedagogical sequencing, an integrated digital component like EEi, repertoire that connects to students' listening lives, inclusive content, and a path that grows from beginner through advanced ensemble playing.
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Chair Placement Audition Tips
Chair placements motivate practice and balance ensemble parts — but only when the process feels fair. Share rubrics and music in advance, use blind listening when you can, grade against clear criteria, and consider rotating parts or leadership-by-role as alternatives to fixed rankings.
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Easy Strategy: Rhythm of the Day
A weekly bell-ringer that turns rhythm study into student composition. Set rules on the board (measures, time signature, allowed values), have students compose one exercise, then pick one each day to count, clap, and play together. Collected sheets double as rhythmic-comprehension assessment data.
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EEi Overview
Essential Elements Interactive is the digital companion to the EE method books for band and strings. The Music Studio gives professional accompaniments, recording, tempo control, and a built-in tuner; teachers get assignments, gradebook, 400+ instructional videos, and customizable resources — all included free with every EE book.
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Back-to-School Percussion Tips for Band Directors
Get the percussion section sorted before students walk in. Inventory every instrument and accessory, prioritize critical repairs (timpani pedals that hold tension, working snares) over cosmetic fixes, align with feeder programs, and set storage and handling routines from day one so students learn to take ownership.
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Setting the Tone for a Successful School Year
Matt Wolf borrows the BME framework — a note's beginning, middle, and end — and applies it to the school year. Set high expectations from day one, lean on EEi assessments and instructional videos through the long middle, and reflect on what worked when wrapping up.
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Create an EEi Teacher Account
EEi is free with every Essential Elements student or teacher book. A Teacher Account lets you download method-book audio, videos, and PDFs, assign resources, collect student recordings for feedback, message students and parents, and track practice and progress — set up in four steps with your book code.
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Classroom Management by Erin Cole Steele
Erin Cole Steele shares the classroom management system she built for 280 beginning band students: instrument-specific unpacking, air-playing along to method-book tracks while everyone gets ready, daily rehearsal plan on the board, and consistent positive reinforcement across 20 years of middle school teaching.
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