Using Google Classroom To Teach Music

Editors Note: During this challenging and unprecedented period, we want to express our appreciation to the music educators who have been forced to take their classrooms online to provide students with a safe learning environment. As stated in our mission statement, we believe in the importance of supporting music education both at home and abroad, which is we have ungated all of our lesson plans, eBooks, and whitepapers.

Over the past two weeks, we’ve had several requests from educators looking for assistance with remote teaching using tools like Google Classroom. Luckily, we have a vast network of generous and dedicated educators like Patrick Munson, the Director of Music at Belfast Area High School in Belfast, Maine. Patrick has been using Google Classroom for several years and has graciously penned the following open letter with some helpful hints and tips for first-time users.

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Patrick Munson 
Director of Music 
Belfast Area High School 
25 Lions Way 
Belfast, Maine 04915 
207-338-1790 ext. 107
pmunson@rsu71.org

Dear Fellow Music Educators,

I would like to take a moment to introduce myself and to offer my help during this unprecedented time in our lives as music educators. I wish we were meeting under better circumstances, but I hope that the information I’m including will assist you in making meaningful and long-lasting musical connections with students during these times of the unknown.

My name is Patrick Munson and I am a high school music educator in the great state of Maine. I have been asked by the wonderful folks at Encore Tours to explain how I have used Google Classroom in my everyday teaching over the past several years and how I have used this as a tool that can be used to teach students remotely.

I have included the following attachment as a crash course in Google Classroom and how I use it as a platform to aid me in teaching the music classes at my school. As you all know, music is not a subject that is meant to be done independently. It is meant to be shared and bring people together. Though it is a scary and difficult time for us as educators, it gives me hope to know that sometimes out of the worst of situations great things are possible. I hope that the information I give to you will be a valuable tool for you to be able to connect with your students in a positive and meaningful way. Please know that I will gladly answer any questions that you might have if you wish to direct them to the email address above.

I wish all of you good fortune and good health in the coming weeks and months as well as some hope in knowing that there are ways of being able to meaningfully reach out to students even when we can’t be with them in the classroom and pride in knowing that the music community is there to support and help each other.

Sincerely,
Patrick Munson

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At Encore Tours, we are committed to supporting music education both at home and abroad. Do you have any tips to help fellow music educators with remote teaching? Please email encoretours@acis.com with your suggestions.