When most people think of education resources, they probably think strictly of core academic subjects like math, English, science or even physical education. But there are just as many tools online for those teaching in the arts, so music educators should spend some time learning how to utilize the best of them. Some are professional development areas of education professional organizations. Others are run by advocacy and education support groups that seek to actively assist the teachers they are fighting for. No matter what your preference, bookmark some of these resources for future consultation the next time you feel stumped for a lesson plan idea.

The National Association for Music Education (MENC) has a resource called My Music Class that hosts lessons plans customizable for any grade level, from pre-k to university. You can also search for lesson plans by categories and national standards to further limit your searches. Then there’s the Art/Music/Drama community at Edutopia, where music teachers can participate in discussions and network with other educators to share ideas and perspectives on music education. Additionally, you’ll find inspirational stories to motivate your instruction in the “Schools That Work” section, and other resources like blogs, videos, and lesson plans by searching “music education.”

Diversifying your lesson plans as a music teacher can mean the difference between a student maintaining an interest in music or losing it, because they’re bored with the same old lessons day in and day out. By pursuing an online music education, you can learn about a wealth of other strategies that will help you become a leader in these online and real world communities you become involved in. Aside from updating your knowledge of today’s best music education strategies, you’ll also have a more direct opportunity to network with other instructors and learn some of the latest technologies to improve the quality of your instruction.

With new technologies like auto-tune, anyone can create a masterful vocal track, free from flaws, but what are these advancements really doing to the quality of music. As pop singers rely on these developments to carry their tunes, literally, some young listeners come to dislike the sound of unaltered singing, a sad day for music aficionados who couldn’t imagine this reversal of opinion. Because music educators have the opportunity to instill traditional music skills and appreciation in students, it becomes a part of your job to understand popular music, how it influences your students and how you can incorporate these developments alongside traditional music instruction to keep students’ interest while helping them acquire other tastes.

Much of popular music is formulaic, sticking to a tried and true equation that churns out single after single. And much like the youth of today, you likely bobbed your head to a bubblegum pop song in your day. But what was it about other music styles that eventually attracted you to a deeper palate for music? Think about the first song that had a real emotional impact on you. Can you recreate this moment in your classroom? This sort of creative thinking can help teachers to invigorate their curriculum, adding elements of popular music, while also taking the opportunity once you’ve gained the attention of your students to show them different forms of music they’re less likely to stumble upon on their favorite radio stations.

You can gain insight into instruction strategies for music education through a number of online music schools that craft master’s and doctorate music education programs that work with an employed educator’s schedule. As part of these programs, you’ll get caught up on today’s music education technology and some of the issues facing music education today, so you’ll be up to speed with everything happening in your field.

If you’re a music teacher wondering what might be missing from your instruction, there are so many resources to turn to. You can gain expert insight into some of the best learning theories and strategies by enrolling in a music school online, but you can also start your studies right now by picking up a few of these great reads. Some are quick reads: essays and articles from professional journals. Others are more in depth about a certain music education subject. But all of them offer a worthwhile perspective on music education that could help you broaden your skills and open your mind to new ideas in the classroom.

For those who are looking for a go-to text for short readings to help with their instruction, pick up Intelligent Music Teachings, a series of essays by influential music teacher Robert Duke. Then there’s Seeking the Significance of Music Education is the perfect text for those who don’t have time to keep up with the music journals. It gathers the best essays and articles over the last 50 years, collecting only the best resources to save you the time and effort of finding them yourself. There are also current resources that introduce innovative concepts to music education, like Estelle Jorgensen’s Transforming Music Education approaches the conflict between the popular music young learners listen to in the world and how it slows and sometimes even halts some of the aesthetic pleasures of studying and appreciating music.

These aren’t texts that you would normally find on the reading list for online music schools, though, so if you’re looking to truly delve into serious academic study, you might want to consider enrolling in a graduate degree program. Both are valid ways of renewing your perspective on teaching music education to change up the way you lead your classroom for the better.