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The following ideas relate to working with school librarians to make music materials available to students and teaching music theory via interactive television.
Libraries and Music Rooms: Harmonious Partners
One of the challenges many of us face as music teachers is exposing our students to a broad range of educational material in a very limited amount of time. We don't always have the opportunity to play exemplary recordings, show worthwhile videos, or let students peruse our filing cabinets in search of another lesson book to study. Neither do we have the extra minutes to take care of the bookkeeping chores involved in lending materials. There is, however, a solution to this challenge of exposure versus time: the school library. Calling on your school library can help make your music materials more accessible to all students.
Because the library/media center is open to everyone (including other teachers), it makes an ideal distribution center. Work with your librarian to arrange for display space for music materials and to place bar codes on all the items you would like to circulate (parent volunteers can help with this task, perhaps).
One of the main items I wanted my students to have more access to was supplemental lesson books. I had a great deal of music to share but didn't have the time or space in my room to set up a lending system. These books are now part of the school library, housed in two plastic crates, organized (thanks to a parent) according to instrument. A retired piano teacher donated...