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Not an actual choir teacher but an instrumentalist who has benefited immensely from learning solfege.

-Make sure you learn the curwen hand signs in conjunction with the syllables!

• I recommend movable 'Do' not fixed

• When singing in the minor mode, use 'La'

• buy a tuning key in A=440 and every day hold it, sing A as best you can and then check your tuning with the key. Always try to pull your pitch reference from your own head and THEN check to see how close you were.

• Start by picking some of Kodaly's group sight-singing books. They're designed specifically for use with solfege/hand signs.

https://www.amazon.ca/333-Elementary-Exercises-Sight-Singing/dp/B003AGJK6G/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1523271184&sr=8-2&keywords=333+exercises

Also, get 'Let Us Sing Correctly'

https://www.amazon.ca/Let-Us-Sing-Correctly/dp/B000ZGCLN8/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1523271216&sr=1-1&keywords=let+us+sing+correctly

The first book is just the pentatonic scale. No 'Fa' and no 'Ti'. That is to say, no half-steps (which are the hardest to tune). I promise you, if you have a good foundation of sight-singing the major/minor pentatonic scale, you'll be well on your way to reading any tonal music. Adding in those half-steps later will be easy.

• It's not about total time practiced, but how frequently you do it. The more the better.

• Remember, your only real goal here is to memorize the sound of intervals and be able to reproduce them easily - everything else is secondary.

Hope that helps!

The second book is to help with tuning and harmonizing. I practice it with my right hand playing one part on the piano and singing the other part.

Sibelius and Finale are the two "professional" programs that people use, but I'd encourage you to check out MuseScore. It's free and does all the stuff you'll likely need to do.

A doodle poll might help. It does the first part of what you're describing (you send out a schedule of your availability, and parents select which slots line up with their schedule), but you'd have to do the sorting manually. Or, you could just have each parent sign up for ONE slot and then you would have your schedule generated, but you may hit a snag if a parent doesn't have any availability with open slots that are left.

You could maybe use MuseScore. They have a way to upload scores online with embedded playback.
https://musescore.org/en/handbook/share-scores-online

The other online (only) notation site I know is noteflight.com, but I think there's a small limit to the number of scores you can start on the free version.

As a horn player myself, transposing is something that I've been working a lot on lately (but could always use more work, haha) so while I can't say much about the alto sax, here are some general things that have been helping me:

• becoming really familiar with scales and transposing just scales before anything else- I had a scale sheet so i could look at the notes of a C major scale while thinking in the key of F, for example.

• You might find it helpful to visualize the notes on the staff moved up or down to fit the key of your instrument- I have trouble with mental pictures of things, but some of my friends swear by this.

• If you are familiar with solfege, you might find it easier to think of notes with solfege instead of note names- When I look over a piece to transpose for the first time, I at least try to pick out do, mi, and sol, think of what those notes will be in the new key so I can least play those correctly if I get off track.

• Find some easy sight reading etude books, either for your instrument or another, and practice transposing from every key you need to know. I started off with this book, and played every exercise in 4 different keys. They're super simple for sight reading in the original key, so using something like this to sightread transpositions was great practice for me.

• Practice!! You don't even have to spend a lot of time woth your instrument- just keep reading through new music and fingering it. Say the note names out loud or in your head, or use solfege- whatever works. Take yourself through the small steps as many times and as slowlt as you need to until it becomes second nature.

I'm not sure exactly how familiar you are with transposing not sightreading, so I hope I don't sound too condescending or anything- these are just some things I wish I knew a few years ago and maybe they'll help you? Either way, good luck!!

i have a lot to say about music ed at uconn and wont get into it all right now. for starters, assuming it works the same way as when i want there:

you start as pre-music ed, take the required classes for 3 years- very little scheduling flexibility because the required classes are only offered occasionally.

apply for the school of education for your 4th year- you might not get accepted and then you might feel you wasted your time on all those required classes.

4th and 5th year you are working on a double major music + education while the other people in your education classes are in their 3rd year- they will leave after 5 years with a masters, you will not

education professors hardly acknowledge the music people, they don't seem to think you belong there.

music education professors- well i don't want to be personally accused of slander so here are some other people's reviews:

http://www.ratemyprofessors.com/ShowRatings.jsp?tid=720677 http://www.ratemyprofessors.com/ShowRatings.jsp?tid=333949

General organizational thoughts:

1. Use numbers (rather than the alphabet) to organize things whenever possible. I have my music library numbered and then a google sheet to keep track of everything. This is easier to find things, helps prevent similar pieces from getting mixed up since they aren't alphabetically next to each other, easier to add on storage since you can just add it to the end and don't have to cram things in the middle, and it's easier for students to help you (since most kids intutively know that 34 comes before 35, but not all of them know that L comes before M). Which brings me to #2...
2. Enlist student help whenever possible. Most high schoolers will need some sort of community service. Find a responsible one that needs some and have them help you organize and/or maintain things. They will like it bc they can listen to music/tv while they work. You will like it because you don't have to do it.
3. Floor Tape is your new best friend when it comes to organizing other things since color coding is also the best way to organize items, especially for elementary. This can be put on floors (obvs) but it also pulls off cleanly from ANYTHING and you can write on it. I color code instruments with it, you can label plastic boxes with it and be able to move around the labels a few times and still have them stick. Your gym teacher might have some already, but this is seriously my #1 investment as a teacher is to have every single color of this.

I read this book to them: https://www.amazon.com/Nutcracker-Susan-Jeffers/dp/0060743867

Then we talk about ballet (usually I have some students who take dance, and I let them take the lead on proudly explaining some aspects of ballet to their peers) and we watch the Dance of the Sugarplum Fairy.

I follow up with the scene from when Clara is shrunk down until the mouse king is defeated and the nutcracker is transformed

Last we watch the Russian Dance and do a movement activity for Trepak usually with a parachute, though this year we will use streamers or ribbons or a scarf, whatever they have to use.

The number one thing I use is a class set of these whiteboards: https://www.amazon.com/Double-Sided-Dry-Erase-Boards/dp/B00UXINY4S/ref=sr_1_3_sspa?dchild=1&keywords=music+staff+whiteboard&qid=1605991659&sr=8-3-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEyRUU4VFgwSjRNWDk0JmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwMDQwNzM0MUdYSFpJNTRCVzgwWCZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwMjkyNDgzM0o5SEhNMlJOVDZCVSZ3aWRnZXROYW1lPXNwX2F0ZiZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU=

Use only with expo markers, otherwise the boards get stained/scratched. I use black socks as erasers and store the markers inside them so the kids don't fight about colors.

I know a number of colleges use this textbook: Reel Music: Exploring 100 Years of Film Music. It would probably be a great resource to structure your curriculum and pull ideas and analysis from. In addition to the (somewhat pricey) paperback there is an ebook, and Amazon has an older edition of the book available cheaper as well.

Most band programs in my area own one. Its an absolutely FANTASTIC tool!

There aren't really many other devices that can do it. The TonalEnergy app can do a few things like it, but its no harmony director.

Link for Android devices.

I recently attended the Technology In Music Education's (TI:ME) Leadership Academy at TMEA.

One thing that blew my mind is that up until that point I was thinking about wrong was the purpose of teaching music technology. Keep in mind that the purpose of teaching this class is not to teach students how to use music tech but to teach music through this medium. It is easy to overlook this, but all the things you can teach in a band setting can usually be taught in the music tech setting.

That brings me to the best resource ever, which I picked up at the conference: Teaching Music Through Composition: A Curriculum Using Music Technology by Barbara Freedman http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/teaching-music-through-composition-barbara-freedman/1112040188?ean=9780199840618&st=PLA&sid=BNB_DRS_Core+Shopping+Books_00000000&2sid=Google_&sourceId=S362&k_clickid=3x362&kpid=9780199840618

This is an amazing resource that steps you through the structuring of a music tech course using the simplest programs, but gives you enough insight to adapt it to your needs and hardware/software.

Wireless Microphone Headset, UHF Wireless Headset Mic System, 160 ft Range, Headset Mic and Handheld Mic 2 in 1, 1/8''&1/4'' Plug, for Speakers, Voice Amplifier, Pa System(Incompatible Phone, Laptop) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07PPDR5NT/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_2BATX4RZRZ3222E17A23?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

This is what I use, it gets the job done! Whatever you get, get a note from your doctor and request that your school provide it.

Vocal health is very important!

I’ve used all of these in my teaching, and for 1 on 1 lessons, I’ve found the most success with the Meridee Winters Chord Crash Course series. They intuitive, fun, and clear. My students adore them.

https://smile.amazon.com/dp/1943821003/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_AXNYPYXR0F6JGMTTHV36?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

Weikhart's Teaching Movement and Dance book and the CD accompaniment set.

Our PE department uses one of these (or something similar) to play music outdoors. Having the microphone would definitely be a plus for you, even if it's just a handheld.

Teaching Kids To Sing by Kenneth Phillips is a great vocal pedagogy curriculum. I use it all the way through high school as part of the warm-up every day. Find or create a sight-singing curriculum. When you're far away from concerts, spend up to about 20 minutes or 35-40% of the rehearsal learning to sight read. I'm doing my own this year, and I'd love to share more details if you're interested. Running the rehearsal depends on what you're preparing. Unison music is great because it gets everybody singing, but it's also tricky because some boys are reluctant to sing in the treble clef if they aren't used to it. Two part music is great, but it's usually written in the wrong key if you've got mixed choirs. It's okay to transpose a whole song to make it fit your choir better. SAB music is alright if you've got confident singers, but definitely don't start there if you don't think the kids can handle it.

The two-part arrangement of Bring Us Peace by Spevacek is a great place to start because it is a two-part round that echoes a fourth below, so it fits high voices and low voices well.

These are more about practice techniques than lesson plans, but really good and aimed at young student: Practiceopedia: The Big Book of Practice Help

And from memory this one is more aimed at the teacher: The Practice Revolution: Getting great results from the six days between lessons

I just finished my music education degree last month, am currently looking for a job now. I'd be up for an interview. You can send me a PM and I'll give you my email. I'd love to see a bit in your book on networking. Maybe it's just me, but locking yourself in a practice room for as long as you can kind of dampens your social skills, and I was shy in the first place. The only time I'm not shy is when I already know you, or if I'm teaching. But to be teaching I need a job. And to get a job, the best thing I could do is network. And so on.
As a side note, my cooperating teacher had me read "The Art of War" by Sun Tzu, translated by J. Trapp, chartwell books inc. He's a leadership methodology fanatic, but I found this book to be VERY helpful during my student teaching in learning to deal with administrators, getting what I want, classroom management, etc. You might want to check it out and use it as quotes.

I'll just tell you what I'm doing? I'm using a combination of Musicplay and K8 Plank Road Publishing (I have a bunch from years past and they have some choreography videoes!)

I'm doing a snow theme because I can't do anything that even says holiday.

K-1-2 (small classes)
Winter Wiggles (K-8 song from one of their magazine things)
-Seven Feet of Snow (...from a random Christmas Program in my library)

3-4 (for me both these classes are super strong singers)
-The Littlest Snowflake (K8)
-Snowflakes (Musicplay, the Craig Cassils one, I think its in the 5th grade strand)

5-6
Mister Frosty Winter (K8)
Here Comes the Snow (K8)

For preschool, I have the Super Simple Christmas. I do their little snowflake one almost every year. I also try and pick one out that uses jingle bells because they always love that and it looks cute XD

I also try and start and end the program with a k-6 combined song so no one thinks of leaving.

Pre-K goes first and after their songs they either go to their classroom with their teacher, or their parents let them sit with them)

Taffanel and Gaubert's 17 Exercises is probably the closest thing for flute, although they are mostly focused on the technical side. Trevor Wye's Tone book is widely used to fill in the gaps.

I’d recommend her finding some YouTube videos on vocal pedagogy and the changing adolescent voice, so that she knows what she may be dealing with. MS voices can be a tough to finesse, so repertoire designed for that age would be helpful. You can find resources on that as well with a Google search - there are composers out there who arrange music specifically for changing voices (and God bless them haha).

Warm ups focusing on diction, vowel formation, blend, and intonation are all good to start with each day. There’s a warm-up book that I find helpful with all levels. Sight singing (I use solfège, but you don’t have to) is good too.

I’ve found the hardest part of choral conducting is allowing myself to really listen to what I’m hearing and diagnosing/fixing issues to reach the desired sound. It’s easy to focus on notes and rhythms, but communicating to the choir how to create a true choral sound can be tough. If she knows what she wants when she starts a piece, that will help, and she can try to pick warmups that will directly apply to the pieces she’s rehearsing.

Best of luck to her!

Probably just one of those portable accordion file things when you're talking about that many scores.

FANWU 26 Pockets Expanding File Accordion Folder with Handle - Letter A4 Paper Size - Expandable Large Plastic File Folder Wallet Monthly Portable Document Organizer with Flap & Buckle (Black) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08HY3XB9H/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_i_T44F97R08KSPM9550ERC

Something like this ^

80 Pieces Saxophone and Clarinet Mouthpiece Cushion Sax Mouthpiece Patches Pads Cushions 0.8 mm Thick Rubber Strong Adhesive https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08TWP2263/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_i_XHPX6YEQ7TBJHWTTHA42?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

I bought these for myself as I'm a beginner sax player. I couldn't live without them and it's 7$ for 80 so incredibly affordable. There are probably better options out there but these have worked great for me so far.

THIS HAS SAVED MY VOICE!!! I had prenodules and after using a microphone, they are completely healed! This has held up for me for a long time. https://www.amazon.com/Rechargeable-Amplifier-Microphone-Waistband-Presentation/dp/B06XWV9CCQ/ref=sr_1_5?crid=3VH0LOAIMTDKN&keywords=personal+microphone&qid=1650750502&sprefix=personal+microphon%2Caps%2C293&sr=8-5 My kids call it my Britney Spears mic lol.

I like the "Dozen-a-Day" books. I feel like they're Hanon exercises for little kids. Definitely both bite-sized and progressive (from easier to more advanced, logically). Sorry if this feels a little "old school", or if you already use them, but I find kids still respond to these well. Great for the real little ones.

Looks like BandLab has some massive issues with student data privacy. They have a COPPA parental release form that is almost frightening to read: https://www.bandlab.com/consent-form

I don't know if Ableton would work with the Chromebooks, and I'm looking for a free alternative. At this point, paying the $99 setup fee and $100 minimum subscription fee is starting to look a little better.

Creative Projects that engage students in their interests helps! The prep work takes a bit of time, but then once they get started on it its easy teaching bc you are mainly there to answer questions and you can spend a lot of time with individual students. I try to stay away from group projects as a rule, but with online it's nice to group similar student projects and send them into breakout rooms after covering the class material. For example, as a final project I'll create a rubric to the standards for a composition project. How much you give them to work off of and what you expect will depend on your class. They can choose to try and match something they know or create their own composition but they have to include certain rhythms, a time signature change, dynamics etc. The website flat.io is great and it's collaborative so I can view their scores just like a google doc, my only qualm is that there are a lot of instruments hidden behind a paywall. For differentiation with students, I might give them a premade score with the parts already notated that they need to add on to. Grading takes some time, but you look at the projects so much while they work on them that it takes less time than you think.

If you aren't against Tik Tok, there are a lot of quality music education videos you can download to include in the lecture. They are short, informative, and the kids love them. I try and find a relevant one to the topic, but if I can't there are a lot of rhythm reading, counting, and theory creators. TheRoyalOperaHouse is great for music+dancing, Staceyryanmusic does fantastic jazz/funk covers, notyourbasicvocalcoach has some great singing warmups, breathwrk has breathing exercises, songbirdstreamig covers vocal techniques as well, itspiano.time has tons of ear training/time signature exercises, herstorytalk covers a lot of women in history but she frequently features musicians and composers and there's lots more!

>r meows, Star Wars effects, a

That is HILARIOUS. How young did you go with flat.io? Last week, my kiddos (K-6) had trouble Turning In/Mark As Done their google assignments. (And 5-6 use google classroom all year??) SOO. I went with plain ol Song Maker from Chrome Music lab this week..

Oh, if you don't already use Kahoot!, it's a must. Bar trivia-style multiple choice quizzes where you're rewarded for speed alongside accuracy. They get to pick usernames, but it's easy for you to see and delete inappropriate ones, then the kid just doesn't get to play, so they'll respect it.

Here is what I've come up with: https://padlet.com/anellett18/5ol1kyrbat5m5u1f

Not all like chrome music lab, but all great fun. I'd also like to highlight Groove Pizza and Incredibox. Those are closer to Chrome Music Lab.

Any of them should work, something like this for example: https://www.amazon.ca/Jackery-Generator-Portable-Power-Station/dp/B07D29QNMJ/ref=mp_s_a_1_1_sspa?crid=1KQEBM7CCYFK2&keywords=portable+power+station&qid=1636042682&sprefix=portable+power&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkU...

You can also rent them from your local music store. How long it will run depends on how much power your setup draws.

I like the Mastering the Guitar.

https://www.amazon.ca/Mastering-Guitar-1A-Spiral-BAY/dp/0786693509

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But I also use a lot of supplemental materials from everything else.

Discover Your Voice, Oren Brown. From this philosophy and suggested practice you'll learn so much. I think this book more than any other will support sound reasoning to be applied to how you give information to students.

I had great luck with this tool, which allowed me to log into Zoom with my phone (in addition to my laptop) and show my fingers on the keys to the students, to help them understand what was going on:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07S9JXQP2/

My big tips if you do this are to arrange the phone in advance, as getting the direction and angle set to something helpful took longer than I expected, and don't forget to mute the phone in Zoom, since you don't want your audio going to the class twice over.

Phones is usually an "audio out", and you want something that is "audio in". Can you take a picture of the back, especially the "AM 4060 PA Amplifier" piece? There should be something that looks like this (PDF of the manual page). Unfortunately it looks like there are only microphone jacks (three pins called XLRs), and it seems like your wireless microphone uses a guitar cable jack (1/4" TRS cable).

On the plus side, if you have any guitar or bass amps sitting around, you can plug your wireless mic in and use one of those instead. Otherwise you will need to order something like this adapter and plug it into the back of your Mackie amplifier.

This book does a great job articulating everything from American Singing Schools, to the first sights of graded orchestra and band curriculums in the United States.

A History of American Music Education https://www.amazon.com/dp/157886576X/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_1Y1KTPHRQ1683TZK7ENT history of American Music Education

there is a really great section on this in one of my music ed textbooks:

https://www.amazon.ca/Instrumental-Music-Education-Teaching-Practical/dp/1138921408

I've found that a good microphone has made my teaching considerably easier. There are tons of brands and tons of price points, but I find that the most versatile tool in my arsenal for normal times and pandemic times is my trusty old Zoom (ironically) Q4 Handy Recorder. I bought it four or five years ago when I started teaching, so I think they're out with a newer model now called the Q8.

For clarity, Zoom the audio tech company is different from Zoom the video chat software company.

I've used this thing to make tons of audition recordings, record student playing tests, and now it doubles as my USB microphone for online teaching so that the kids can hear the nuances and clarity in what I'm playing when I demonstrate. Most laptop microphones are tuned to work with speech only, so they fall quite short when you're playing instruments.

So many different things!! This age is so fun to work with. If you’re looking for specific songs or plans, John Feierabend has a great line of books (here’s one John M. Feierabend )

Kids at this age love waving scarves with music and choreographing with scarves. Eurythmics are also great (there’s a fantastic recording on YouTube of a teacher doing the Bunny story). Marching is also fun if she has space to move around. Raffi and Dr. Jean Feldman have some fun preschool-age music that is easily accessed on YouTube.

Do I need to have a keyboard with an internal tone bank for this method to work?

I would like to buy a very small two-octave keyboard that I can use on Zoom calls with my choir this fall. So, I'm wondering if I can do this with a midiplus MIDI controller. It has no internal sounds of its own.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

You need to get this book "Year of Wonder." I am an instrumentalist and have listened to a lot of classical music, but this book introduced me to a ton of choral works that I really love.

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6gY84R5lUq1ROTS0E5Byw6

https://www.amazon.com/Year-Wonder-Classical-Music-Enjoy/dp/0062856200/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=year+of+wonder&qid=1577459680&sr=8-1

I use this external webcam.

It's got a really good mic built in.

The Power of Habit. Take a look at how they're entering the classroom. One of my mentors had each student line up outside the classroom before each period, and he would stand at the door and shake each of their hands as they entered, having a little chit chat as they entered. The students would then come in quietly, grab their seat and read a book while the rest of the class comes in. That, or he would have an assignment up on the board for them to follow while the whole class comes in. The chit chat would help the teacher reinforce good behavior, while anyone doing something that might disrupt the class was sent back outside or to the back of the line to "try entering respectfully" again.

This is a pretty good video explaining a bit more of this: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=u086rr7SRso

Progress in music is a tricky thing. I would highly recommend purchasing this book on quantifying music. I think it will satisfy your question succinctly.

I bought this 1/8th inch vinyl pinstripe tape from Amazon and it works AMAZINGLY! It’s only $6.43 and 100% worth it. I can write over it and it erases just fine (even with whiteboard spray)!

Gradus ad Parnassum for counterpoint

Tonal harmony with an introduction to 21st century Music is also really good

I use this one in medium (different color, but that doesn't matter), and it holds my laptop, charger, wallet, phone, binder of scores, lunch, and a huge stack of papers to grade without issue. I got it for Christmas last year and use it daily (travelling teacher, so it gets some abuse) and it shows no signs of wear.

Roger Emerson: Pop Warm-Ups & Work-Outs for Guys https://www.amazon.com/dp/1423470885/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_07OlybJRY0W5D I like these. There are ten songs in this book and another ten titled Pop warmups for guys! I like them both. I use them with my K-5 kiddos and all of those ages love them. I also likeA-Z Singing tongue twisters by Brian Kane.

If you have some experience teaching Orff arrangements and your kids have the chops, consider getting this book by Mary Helen Soloman-- https://www.amazon.com/Little-Christmas-Book-Helen-Solomon/dp/0934017565

I'm doing a couple tunes out of it for my Christmas concert this year. Mary Helen is a great composer.

If you're asking about rep, I took several pieces from a Faber & Faber piano book and transposed it to the relevant instruments. My students loved it - http://www.amazon.com/Piano-Literature-Developing-Original-Keyboard/dp/1616770309/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1403741633&sr=8-1&keywords=piano+literature+book+1 - the songs are "real" songs and have a certain staying power that honestly I think a lot of band rep doesn't.

Northeastern Music Publications has some beginning band pieces my students liked. http://www.nemusicpub.com/store/category.aspx/categoryId/2/Young-Band/ Check the "level" setting at the top of the page.

There are also some beginner-level flex band rep books floating around. I don't have them at home though - if I manage I will check for the name when I get back to my classroom.

i'm gr1-3 so you will have to judge what's right for your level, and what might appear too childish, but I just got a bunch of these alto resonator bells which are one octave lower than soprano resonator bells. They are way cheaper and more portable than standard Orff instruments so you can get enough for the whole class. I use them for learning basic melodic figures, chord theory, and as part of an ensemble with full-size Orff instruments. I actually prefer working within one octave and have removed the bars beyond one octave from my Orff instruments- to be added on only in certain circumstances.

Start with a Do Now: Who are you? Tell me about yourself. What do you want to learn in this class? Is there a particular song you want to learn how to play? etc. Collect them right away.

Ice breakers that you might try:

• lining up by birthday (month, day) without talking (communication, paying attention, relying on others)

• pair-share bios (building relationships) - odd number of students? Pair share with a student and have that student introduce you.

• lighthouses (builds trust) - note that this one requires space

You can also check out the book Team Building Activities for Every Group. I have used several from this with my high school students with success. It can be found at Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Team-Building-Activities-Every-Group-Alanna/dp/0966234162

Choose one or two of the ice breakers for the first day, depending on the time you have allotted for class.

Also use the first day to set your rules and procedures. Some teachers like to have the students set the rules but in music I always set my own to account for music-related things the kids may not know yet (instrument and uniform care, etc.) A syllabus and handbook goes home with every student. Both the parent and the student must sign it, and it is due at the next class.

The first day is also a good day to remind the piano students that their nails must be kept short for good hand position, to avoid injury (nails get torn between keys, etc.), and to keep from hearing the clicking sound on the keys.

Exit Ticket: What questions do you have that were not answered today? or something similar.

Maybe this book can help http://www.amazon.com/Fundamentals-Music-Rudiments-Musicianship-Composition/dp/020511833X it doesn't go deeply into details by introduces quite a lot of things. Don't ask me about the price :-)

If that is not enough, then I think reading about history can help, e.g. how things have been developing and so on. Maybe a book like this - http://www.amazon.com/Cambridge-History-Western-Music-Theory/dp/0521686989

The complete set of Fourteen Tolkien Songs for Children’s Voices in vocal score (voice parts with piano accompaniment) as available from Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Fourteen-Tolkien-Songs-Childrens-Voices/dp/1492187534/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1435952494&sr=8-4&keywords=charles+mccreery

I made a game called ChordProg its to learn to recognize chordprogressions. Might not be what you´re looking for. Focus on chord recognition by ear with real music snippets

Android : https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ChordFunc.ChordProgPro

IOS: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/chordprog-ear-training/id1268719506?l=nb&ls=1&mt=8