music - Sensory Sculpture

The MTEL is an acronym for Massachusetts Teacher Education Licensure, it is a required test to become a licensed teacher in Massachusetts. I took the MTEL music exam in January of 2021. I overstudied a lot of unnecessary material. I want to make it easier for you future exam takers by providing you all with some resources. There is a lack of listening example playlists on the internet to prepare for the test. Below is a link to my Youtube channel playlist that includes listening examples of relevant composers from the Medieval Era to Post Modern. These are all songs you should be familiar with whether your taking the test or not.

These listening examples above are good, but do not over look classical ear training. Music Theory.Net is a great tool for training your ear, learning music theory, and studying for your Music MTEL exam. Study hard!

” My first experience teaching as a long term music teacher was during COVID 19. I have compiled a good strategies to make it easier for teachers to teach and connect with students in the virtual classroom.” –Kelly Emery, Educator, Musician

Embrace Hotkeys

Using quick commands on the keyboard is an efficient way to run a Google Meet. Pressing Command + D to toggle the microphone on and off was a lifesaver. Command + E to toggle on and off video was also very helpful. When presenting content on Youtube there are also a number of helpful hotkeys such as K, for toggling play and stop, and F, for toggling full screen. Basic shortcuts for copying, pasting, refreshing and making new internet browser tabs can save you a lot of time.

Refresh Your Browser Page Often

In Google Meet, a number of times, I would be surprised when no one would answer back to “Hi Class, how’s it going?!” I realized that sometimes Google Meet needs to be refreshed for the l. After hitting command + R and rejoining the meet, the students’ microphones and video would all of a sudden work. Don’t get discouraged if no one answers you because a simple refresh to your browser page can fix your connection.

Two Computers

Using two computers can be a great way to present content and keep an eye on student engagement. I recommend using one computer to present content and navigate through lesson plan material. Use the second computer to monitor students in the meet and respond to comments in Google Meet’s chat box.

Keep Students Engaged

From the start when students come into music class, I like to have a music video presenting. It really sets the mood class and gets students thinking about music. While silence can be a good thing, I noticed some students actually tried to sabotage the class by telling everyone to turn off of their microphones and videos. When you present to them from the beginning you can engage them with classroom talk when you are ready, no funny business.