9 Peer-Recommended Resources for Performing Arts Teachers

I am reviewing Music Play Online. I created an account, went through all the content, and also showed the full website to my students to kid-test it, and here is what I found.
This music website is chock full of amazing content. Logging in is very easy as the fields have examples of what is needed to guide youngsters on that info. The website references activities, games, and units for help in theory, note reading, singing, and many more, catering to a wide range of levels and grades. It certainly lives up to this claim. It is easily accessible for young and older students alike, and organized in such a way so it is easy to find these different levels. Every section of content is easy to use and even very young students will have no trouble finding songs, games, and videos corresponding to each section. On the games and videos, feedback is given in a very fun way, such as telling the player if they are right or wrong and in case of an incorrect answer, will tell the student what the right answer is.
Critical thinking skills are exercised in a fun way. There are matching and memory games, complete the note games, and exercises in every imaginable theory concept. Even the videos are interactive. The whole website is colorful and engaging with lots of cartoon characters. There are options for teachers to create themed concert programs and videos of live performances for students to view. This website would be perfect for general music classes through choir, band and orchestra classes.
The downsides: There are no options for Spanish translations, students cannot share with the teacher a completed game, and the website runs on a subscription after a trial period. Even with these downsides, the website is valuable and can offer amazing content to both students and teachers alike. Kid-tested approved!

The app is relevant for its intended audience of k-12. The app focuses on building a foundational knowledge of music theory in which it succeeds in. However, it does not have many options for flexibility in its exercises. The note reading exercises do not take into account preferred ranges of concert band instruments. For example, an alto saxophone especially at the elementary and middle school level very rarely reads below low D at the bottom of the staff. However the default setting for note reading go much lower than that. The note reading exercises could be vastly improved with standard instrument range settings for example clarinet from Low E to High C (2.5 octaves), flute from middle C to High G (2.5 octaves)

MusicPlayOnline seems like a great resource for me to use in my general music classroom. It is very relevant to general music instruction; it provides lesson plans/modules, games, rhythm and vocal practice, and a toolbox of additional resources. These all come in varying difficulty so lessons and activities can be differentiated for each students ability. This app does seem accessible to students and does encourage higher order thinking skills (it is hard not to in a music class) but does not consistently offer student feedback or save student results for them to be shared. I will definitely be utilizing this resource in my music classroom from now on.

I have used the recommended resource, Drama Teacher Academy, many, many times. The lesson plans are an amazing jump off point as they are all customizable. Though direct student feedback is not listed, theatre classes are already geared toward specific feedback, from the teacher as well as peers. What I love the most about Drama Teacher Academy is the plethora of online Professional Development activities. Theatre PDs are few and far between but this resource is one stop shopping.

musictheory.net Is a great resource to have! While this might seem like a basic website, it can be a great resource for students of all different ages and skill levels. The ability to have "note helpers" and various levels of difficulty help scaffold learning for those that are starting out and challenge those that are willing to be able to go above and beyond. This website is full of everything ever needed for learning note naming!

I love MusicPlayOnline! MusicPlayOnline’s focus has a strong connection to its purpose, which is developing lessons, supplying learning materials and songs, and providing interactive technology so that students can play games to practice their musical knowledge and skills, or they can compose their own small melodic and rhythmic compositions.

This program is somewhat flexible, as teachers can stick to MusicPlay’s pre-planned lessons, or they can pick and choose certain songs and activities to create their own lesson to meet students’ needs.

Two downsides to MusicPlayOnline are that students are provided limited feedback and student performance data is not saved. If a student is using the website to practice their skills, the site will tell them if an answer is correct/incorrect, but not why. Student performance data is also not saved, so if a teacher is not checking to see the student’s final results (exactly when the task is completed), then they will not have any available data to assess.

I love MusicPlayOnline! MusicPlayOnline’s focus has a strong connection to its purpose, which is developing lessons, supplying learning materials and songs, and providing interactive technology so that students can play games to practice their musical knowledge and skills, or they can compose their own small melodic and rhythmic compositions.

This program is somewhat flexible, as teachers can stick to MusicPlay’s pre-planned lessons, or they can pick and choose certain songs and activities to create their own lesson to meet students’ needs.

Two downsides to MusicPlayOnline are that students are provided limited feedback and student performance data is not saved. If a student is using the website to practice their skills, the site will tell them if an answer is correct/incorrect, but not why. Student performance data is also not saved, so if a teacher is not checking to see the student’s final results (exactly when the task is completed), then they will not have any available data to assess.

Music Theory Net is an incredible site. I remember using this site when I was in school, and now I get to share it with my students. This resource helps students grasp difficult concepts in a fun way. It also helps us, as educators, assess what level the student is on and what we can do to help them. I like to make their exercises into games for the kids.

I tried using the Pintrest as suggested in this article. I loved that I found new dance lessons to use in my classroom. I would say its very customizable to my specific content which is useful. The lessons and ideas I found were appropriate and relevant to my classes. The app specifically does not give my students feedback because it is more of an app for the teacher than the student. This App is very useful and helpful for me and my planning but is not something my students would use but that is okay because I teach pre k dance so we dont use computers in our class. Overall, I would recommend this to all teachers for new ideas!

Music theory . net is a great resources for Instrumental, Choral and general music teacher. In my personal experiences creating compelling presentations is time consuming and I am never satisfied with the final result. With Music Theory dot net , you can select a subject and integrate the visual aids with your lesson plan. A great resource that should be used by all!

I love Making Music Fun!
Before I even made an account, just taking a cursory look around the site, I found 4 lessons I want to do next week. I did one earlier today! The lessons are perfectly age appropriate and fully customizable. I can’t wait to try all the different passing and rhythm games.

Each lesson plan is connected to National Standards and provides all the printables a teacher may need for the lesson. Some of the lessons require gear, (hula hoops, scarves, xylophones, etc) but if music teachers are good at one thing, it’s improvising with what’s available!

I chose to review the Drama Teacher Academy as I will be creating a new Theater class for my middle schoolers next year. Using the educational app evaluation rubric, the app satisfied most of the categories: it is very relevant and customizable. It is not for student use however and doesn’t offer feedback, sharing abilities or student engagement. This app is specifically for theater teachers and will help in PD as well as lesson planning. I like the format of the site in general. It makes the information easily accessible and easily searchable. I did not pay for access to the site however, so my review will be based on the preview it allows without membership. That’s my first critique, I would prefer a site that offers valuable information without a membership fee. That being said, I was able to browse the PD offerings and was very impressed with the topics covered. I think I could certainly benefit from the information offered. I also liked the idea of accessing so many different units organized into a specific number of lessons for each unit. It certainly seems like a great source if one had unlimited access to it.

The article by Stephanie Standerfer on differentiation provides the best ideas for music teachers to create lesson plans that are accessible to every student in the classroom. The way the article explains the characteristics of differentiation with clear examples gives room for any educator (not only music) to adjust for their student’s needs. The article is highly relevant for music educators to guarantee that every student has access to music, no matter which level of understanding they have. Also, this article really helps you to guide your teaching in the best direction possible, it provides you with essential questions and recommendations that could help you to engage a big audience into your music class.