👀 What’s Inside This Newsletter:
- 🎶 Why the "April Crunch" caught me off guard
- 🕺🏻 My Middle School Hip Hop unit (starring Shel Silverstein)
- 🔓 [EXCLUSIVE] Live Strategy Session
🎶 Confessions of a Tired Conductor
Greetings! I’m on break this week—and I definitely need it (as I’m sure we all do!).
I’ll be honest: my concert is next week, and while I usually feel confident heading into a performance... this time feels different.
Here are the three traps I fell into this year:
- Mistake #1: The Habit Trap. I stuck to my usual Solo & Ensemble schedule (January–February), forgetting that an April date is a completely different beast than a May date.
- Mistake #2: The Missing Month. I lost nearly 4 weeks of rehearsal time compared to previous years.
- Mistake #3: Collaborative Delays. My students and I choose music together. While I love the buy-in, two of my groups didn’t finalize their third piece until three weeks ago. Ouch.
🌅 The Silver Lining: Even with the stress, there’s a massive benefit: We’re beating the burnout. By performing in April, we avoid AP exam fatigue and end-of-year field trip chaos.
Plus, it gives me a "bonus month" in May to focus on the technical units I usually have to cut short, like tuning and vibrato.
🕺🏻My Hip Hop Unit
Once the concert is over, I’m diving into one of my favorite activities. Whether you’re an expert or a novice, students truly shine here.
High School Strategy: Students write a personal poem, select a beat, and record their work. It’s incredible to see their vulnerability.
Middle School Adaptation (New!): To help the younger ones who might be hesitant to share personal work, I’m partnering with our librarian.
- The Task: Choose a poem (100+ words) from Silverstein or Prelutsky.
- The Twist: Work in teams to set it to a beat.
- The Choice: They can still write their own if they feel inspired!
I’d love to hear from you:
- How are you handling your concert dates this year?
- What are your "go-to" end-of-year projects?
Just hit reply—I read every single one.
🔓 Exclusive Owners-Only Session: Tools for Turning Passive Listeners into Musical Thinkers
Finally, a very special note for those who have joined the Ultimate Composer Collection family:
I want to make sure you’re actually using these tools, not just letting them sit in a folder. I’m hosting a Live Private Implementation Session—exclusive to bundle owners—to show you exactly how to maximize every part of the collection in your classroom.
- When: Tuesday, April 21st @ 8:00 PM ET
- The Goal: Practical, "use-it-tomorrow" strategies and a live walkthrough of the bundle.
Not a bundle owner yet? If you want to join us for this exclusive live session and get guided support for the rest of your school year, you can grab the bundle below for 50% OFF to secure your invite:👇
To great teaching and great tunes!
- Lyda Osinga, MusicBox Education
