All too often, the music classroom stifles students with one-size-fits-all curricula and repertoire. In Pass the Baton, authors Kathryn Finch and Theresa Hoover turn that paradigm on its head, offering a vision of music education that empowers students as critical thinkers who exercise voice and choice to question, discover, connect, and play like never before—in and out of the classroom.
Pass the Baton offers readers a comprehensive guide to crafting engaging music lessons that transform students from passive consumers to vibrant creatives. Whether you’re looking to rethink general music or overhaul your ensemble groups, Pass the Baton is chock-full of generative, actionable, and impactful tools. Finch and Hoover have drawn on deep research and years of experience in the music room to provide a guide for all music educators to create a learner-centered environment and give students the opportunity to truly own the creative process.
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Episode 114 – What Music Teachers Are Really Looking For
What Music Teachers Are Really Looking For In this Season 5 finale episode, Theresa and Kathryn reflect on the school year, celebrate major milestones, and revisit some of the most meaningful themes from the season. Theresa shares highlights from completing…
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Episode 113 – All Music, All Students: Rethinking What Belongs in the Ensemble Room
All Music, All Students: Rethinking What Belongs in the Ensemble Room In episode 113, Theresa and Kathryn sit down with Eric Songer, a veteran middle school music educator, to explore what it really means to move from “music for all”…
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Episode 112 – We Know We Can: Building Community Through Hip-Hop
We Know We Can: Building Community Through Hip-Hop In this episode, Theresa and Kathryn are joined by Andrew Wang, a K–12 music teacher who brings hip-hop culture to life in a neurodivergent-centered classroom. Drawing from his own experiences as a…



