In the Middle With Mr D

How One Classroom Video Became the Next Chapter of S-Cubed Sight Singing

noreply@blogger.com (inthemiddlewithmrd1.blogspot.com) — Thu, 27 Aug 2026 20:12:09 +0000

The image at the top of this post is me on the first day I began sharing S-Cubed from my classroom.

Lesson 1. Day 1. The game was Forbidden Pattern.

I remember how vulnerable I felt when I turned on that camera.

I was a working middle school chorus teacher sharing my real classroom, my real teaching, and my real students. Nothing was staged. I did it for a year and a half. There was no production crew, no perfect lighting, and no guarantee that anyone would find what I was creating useful.

I set up my iPhone 4 in the corner of the room, pressed record, and taught, giving teaching tips for every lesson.

And I was scared.

I worried that other music teachers might watch and judge my choices. I wondered whether they would criticize my classroom, my teaching style, or the sight-singing program I was beginning to share. I wondered whether anyone would watch at all. But I did it day after day. It was and is a labor of love and passion.

Honestly, whenever I share something new, part of me still feels that way.

But I shared that first video anyway. Every day for a year and a half, I came home at the end of the workday, uploaded the new videos to my YouTube Channel, implanted the links into my PowerPoint, and uploaded the lessons to TPT.

The video from the first day has now been viewed approximately 15,000 times.

Why I Started Recording My Sight-Singing Lessons

When I began creating the S-Cubed Sight Singing Program for Beginners in 2013, I knew that written directions would not be enough.

Sight singing can be intimidating—not only for beginning singers, but also for the teachers responsible for teaching it. Many excellent music educators were never shown how to introduce sight singing to middle school students in a way that feels sequential, engaging, and achievable.

A written lesson might tell a teacher what to do. I wanted teachers to see how it looked and sounded in a real classroom. We had the technology to do it. Nobody else was doing or had done anything like it. Every other method was essentially a similar sequence that didn't work for my beginners. Most other methods were written from the perspective of a music educator with a long history of private music lessons and, of course, a college education.

In the videos, teachers could see the pacing, procedures, mistakes, laughter, corrections, and breakthroughs. They could watch my students encounter the material for the first time rather than watching a polished demonstration after everything had already been learned.

My goal was simple:

I wanted to stand beside the teacher.

I wanted a band director unexpectedly assigned to teach chorus to feel supported. I wanted a young choir teacher opening Lesson 1 for the first time to know what to do next. I wanted an experienced teacher who had never found a successful way to teach beginning sight singing to have a clear, practical path forward.

The videos were never about showcasing perfect teaching. They were about making the process visible.

What Started in One Classroom Kept Growing

I could not have imagined where that first vulnerable video would lead.

Since 2013, S-Cubed has been used by more than 2,000 teachers, more than 250 school districts, and more than 100,000 students. Teachers have written more than 900 reviews on Teachers Pay Teachers, describing what happened when their students began experiencing success with sight singing.

Those numbers matter to me—but the individual teachers behind them matter even more.

Over the years, teachers have contacted me with questions about pacing, procedures, and student difficulties. Some were just beginning. Some had started S-Cubed but lost momentum. Others had used it successfully for years and needed a reminder, a reset, or a shot in the arm.

Again and again, I saw the same truth:

Having a strong curriculum matters, but teachers also need support while they are using it.

They need help interpreting what is happening in front of them.

Is the class actually struggling, or is this a normal part of the learning process? Should the teacher repeat the lesson or move forward? Was an important procedure unintentionally skipped? What should happen tomorrow when today did not go as planned?

Those are difficult questions for a PowerPoint to answer in the moment.

Why I Am Building the S-Cubed AI Coach

Thirteen years after putting that iPhone in the corner of my classroom, I am taking another risk.

I am building the S-Cubed AI Coach, scheduled to launch in early October.

I am currently spending two to three hours every day teaching it the details of the first 10 S-Cubed lessons. Those lessons are the initial focus because they establish the habits, language, and procedures that support everything that follows in Level One.

I am giving the Coach specifics about:

● Lesson pacing and priorities

● Procedures that may appear small but become essential later

● Common beginning-student responses

● Frequent teacher questions and mistakes

● When to repeat and when to advance

● How to rebuild consistency after a difficult day

● Which S-Cubed instructions and videos can provide additional help

● How to encourage a teacher who feels uncertain or discouraged

I am also teaching it to help bring new energy to teachers who've taught the program for a while and want some new ideas to keep the daily routines fresh.

The more I build, the more I realize how much knowledge lives between the written instructions—the small decisions an experienced teacher makes after observing students in real time.

That is the knowledge I am working to make more accessible.

The Teacher Must Remain at the Center

When I first announced this project, some teachers were excited. Others were understandably cautious.

I have listened to those concerns.

Educators are asking important questions about accuracy, intellectual property, privacy, environmental impact, and the growing pressure to use technology in places where human expertise and relationships belong.

The S-Cubed AI Coach is not being created to replace a teacher.

It cannot know your students personally. It cannot listen to your choir, build your classroom culture, or make professional decisions for you. It cannot replace the creativity, empathy, and judgment that a teacher brings into the room each day.

The teacher remains at the center. That is not negotiable.

This Coach is being developed from the curriculum, videos, procedures, and teaching philosophy I have created and refined since 2013. Its role is to help teachers navigate and implement S-Cubed with greater clarity, confidence, and consistency.

It also does not replace the S-Cubed curriculum. Teachers will still need the instructional materials purchased separately through Teachers Pay Teachers or J.W. Pepper. The Coach is designed to help teachers use those materials more successfully. S-Cubed stands for Successful Sight Singing. That success applies to the students but also to the teacher. Success builds confidence, and that is what we are working to do. Success feels good to the teacher and to the student. That's what I was doing in 2013, and that is what I am doing with this new tool.

Who Is the S-Cubed AI Coach For?

I am building it for the teacher opening Lesson 1 for the first time.

I am building it for the teacher who began S-Cubed, became overwhelmed, and put it aside.

I am building it for the longtime user who knows the program works but needs fresh energy or renewed consistency.

I am building it for the band teacher who has suddenly been assigned a chorus class and does not feel prepared to teach singing.

I am building it for every teacher somewhere in between.

Ultimately, this work is about more than helping teachers complete lessons. It is about helping students experience the confidence that comes from doing something they once believed they could not do.

Successful sight singing means success for the teacher and the students.

Different Tools. The Same Mission.

When I look at that image from my first classroom video, I see more than a younger version of myself.

I see someone frightened of being judged but believed that sharing might help another teacher.

I did not know that the video would be viewed approximately 15,000 times. I did not know that S-Cubed would eventually reach more than 100,000 students. I did not know that 13 years later I would be developing an entirely new way to support the teachers using it.

I only knew that teachers should not have to figure this out alone.

That is still what I believe.

Different tools. Same mission.

The S-Cubed AI Coach is scheduled to launch in October. Make sure you are on my email list. Write "subscribe" in the subject line, and I will add you.

The Tool is Changing. The Purpose is Not.

noreply@blogger.com (inthemiddlewithmrd1.blogspot.com) — Sat, 15 Aug 2026 00:41:18 +0000

I’ve been watching the reactions to the AI coach I’m building for S-Cubed, and they have covered nearly the entire emotional spectrum—excitement, curiosity, skepticism, fear, and, in some cases, outright anger.

Honestly, I’m underwhelmed by the overreactions on both sides.

AI is neither a miracle that will solve every problem nor a monster we can make disappear by refusing to use it. The technology is already here. The question is what thoughtful, experienced people are going to do with it.

This is not the first time I have stood at a technological crossroads.

When I began sharing my work through YouTube and Facebook, many educators were uncomfortable with those platforms, too. But traditional publishers were not interested in S-Cubed. They did not give my work its reach because they wouldn't accept my work.

Technology made it possible for me to get my work out there, and because of it, I've been able to help a lot of teachers in a lot of classrooms and, most importantly, their students.

I used the tools available to me at that time when no one knew what S-Cubed was to show teachers what I had created. I demonstrated the lessons. I answered questions. I still do. I did it today. I built relationships. Teachers tried S-Cubed, their students succeeded, and word began to spread.

Only after I had created that success myself did established companies become interested in what I was doing.

Even then, I had to fight for the value of my work. I had an extremely difficult conversation with the leadership of J.W. Pepper when they wanted to underpay me.

I handled it.

I stood up for what I had built, and that is why S-Cubed is offered there today, and I am paid what I deserve for what I created.

Now we have arrived at another crossroads.

I am not using AI to replace my work. I am using it to deliver my work in a new way.

The coach is being built from the program I created, the classroom experience I earned, the videos I recorded, the questions teachers have asked me, and the guidance I have provided for years. I am not pressing a button and asking a machine to invent a sight-singing curriculum for me.

I did it already.

It's documented.

I am the one who will tell my story. That's why I have always been tech-forward.

I am carefully teaching a new tool how to help teachers use the curriculum I have already spent years developing.

And I am working just as hard on this version as I worked on the original.

Teachers do not have to feel completely comfortable with AI today. I understand the hesitation. But I also believe that refusing to explore a new technology will not stop that technology from changing education.

My responsibility is to explore it thoughtfully, protect the integrity of my work, and find out whether it can help more teachers get past those difficult early lessons—when they are most likely to feel stuck or give up.

That is what I have always done: use the tools available to help teachers reach students.

The tool is changing.

The purpose is not.

I've been here before part 2- Why AI is a part of the next chapter of my S-Cubed Journey

noreply@blogger.com (inthemiddlewithmrd1.blogspot.com) — Thu, 13 Aug 2026 22:54:16 +0000

As I’ve been building the new S-Cubed AI Coach App, I made a decision about something that might seem pretty insignificant.

I’m not changing my old slides.

Some of them are pixelated. Some of them aren't particularly pretty. If I created them today, they certainly wouldn't look the same.

But I'm keeping them.

Because they're part of the story.

When I created S-Cubed, this was pretty much a one-man show. It still is mostly that. I hired people to help me with things here and there once I had some success, but when you look at those original materials, you are looking at the work of a teacher who had a lot of ideas and absolutely no idea how to make them look professionally polished.

I knew how to teach.

I knew how to get middle school students to read music.

I knew how to make them laugh while they were learning.

I knew how to take something that intimidated kids—and intimidated their teachers—and break it into small enough pieces that suddenly they could do it.

What I didn't know was graphic design.

And you can tell.

I'm okay with that.

In fact, I've decided that I don't want AI—or anything else—to go back and sanitize that part of my journey.

Over the years, teachers who purchased S-Cubed have sometimes created beautiful versions of my materials for their own classrooms. They've shared them with me. I love seeing them.

But the originals are mine...in all of their imperfect glory.

They represent where I was at that moment in my life.

And I think there is something worth preserving about that.

I've watched technology change before.

I've lived long enough to know that times change and new technologies arrive.

I also decided a long time ago that I don't want to make my decisions out of fear.

I want to make them out of love.

I love this program, and I love helping teachers. S-Cubed has been a lifelong journey for me.

I've created hundreds of lessons over the years in addition to S-Cubed, and they matter to me because of the teachers and students on the other side of them.

That has always been the mission.

Help teachers. Help students. Make learning accessible and fun and effective.

3/4 cup learning + 1/4 cup fun = SUCCESS.

My motto. Look at the original stuff I posted 13 years ago. I've stuck to it.

The technology has changed.

The mission hasn't.

And that is how I see AI.

I remember being terrified in 2013.

When I started putting unedited videos of myself teaching on YouTube in 2013, I was scared to death.

These weren't beautifully produced videos.

They were me.

Teaching.

Talking.

Trying things.

Sharing what I had learned from years in a middle school chorus classroom.

And putting yourself out there like that means people get to judge you.

When I began selling my lessons on Teachers Pay Teachers for $3 a pop, every time a new review appeared, I was afraid to read it.

I remember one review after I finished Level One in 2014.

A fellow Teachers Pay Teachers seller tore the program apart.

The painful part?

A lot of what she said was true.

Some things could have looked better. There were things I could have cleaned up. But...I didn't know how.

But what she couldn't possibly have known was how many hours this one teacher had spent sitting at a computer trying to get all of those ideas out of my head and into those PowerPoints and into the hands of teachers and students who needed it.

Thankfully, most teachers approached me differently.

They would write reviews about how much the program helped their students—and then sometimes privately message me:

"Hey, Dale, you might want to take another look at this slide."

That's how most teachers are.

We help each other.

We make each other's work better.

And I listened.

Sometimes you have to build the thing yourself.

Before S-Cubed became what it became, I tried to interest traditional publishing companies in what I was doing.

It didn't really fit. My vision seemed to be ahead of where they were. And that's ok.

The way I wanted to deliver the program was unusual at the time.

So eventually I did what I've done many times in my life.

I built it myself.

Looking back now, I realize I've been standing at versions of this same crossroads for most of my career.

When I decided to compete in sportaerobics back in the early 90's, none of the folks at my gym would do it with me because I was scrawny. Some of them had actually won a regional event. Most had not. So, I picked up the rule book myself, and did it my way. And three years later, I was a National Champion in the sport when it was at its peak. It's what I do. It doesn't mean I am always right...but I'm following the path right now that I have always followed, and it is all documented on social media.

At the time I shared S-Cubed for the first time-

YouTube was new.

Teachers Pay Teachers was new.

Social media was new.

Putting your classroom and your teaching ideas on the internet was new.

Every one of those things came with reasons to be nervous.

And now AI is here.

So I'm building an AI Coach App.

For the past several weeks, I've been training an AI-powered S-Cubed Coach app using my own teaching, my own philosophy, my own materials, and my own experience.

The first version is intentionally focused.

Lessons 1 through 10.

Those first lessons are where teachers are learning how S-Cubed works. They're figuring out the games, the pacing, the philosophy, and how all the pieces fit together.

Some teachers fly through them.

Others need somebody beside them saying:

"Here's what Dale is trying to accomplish today."

"Don't worry about that yet."

"Watch for this."

"Here's what you should do tomorrow."

For years, I have tried to provide that kind of support through videos, emails, blog posts, Facebook groups, and professional development.

Now there is another possibility.

An AI Coach that can help hold a teacher's hand through those first ten lessons—day by day—using the approach I have trained it to use.

Over the next two months, I'm going to test it.

And I'm excited.

I'm also nervous.

Those two feelings can exist at the same time.

I know some people won't like this.

I'm in an artistic field.

I'm an artist.

I'm also a businessman.

Those two identities don't always sit comfortably beside each other.

I understand why musicians and teachers are asking hard questions about AI. I think we should ask hard questions about it.

I also believe people should have choices.

People can choose whether they want to use Facebook.

They can choose whether they want to use YouTube.

They can choose whether they want to use TikTok.

They can choose whether they want to use AI.

And they can choose whether they want to purchase something that is powered in part by AI.

That's why I'm being completely transparent about what I'm building.

I'm not hiding the AI.

I'm talking about it while I'm building it.

I'm talking about what excites me.

I'm talking about what worries me.

And I'll talk about what works and what doesn't.

Because that's pretty much how I've lived my entire career.

I've been transparent about much harder things.

I was an openly gay public school teacher through years when doing that wasn't always easy.

I knew some people wouldn't approve.

Some didn't.

But I eventually learned something important:

Being disliked by some people isn't the same thing as being wrong.

Leadership doesn't mean everyone agrees with you.

I accepted many years ago that I am a leader.

And being a leader in any field carries responsibility.

It means listening.

It means questioning yourself.

It means being willing to change when you're wrong.

But it also means being willing to move when you believe something can help people—even when not everybody is ready to move with you.

That's where I am with AI.

The slides are staying.

So those slightly ugly, occasionally pixelated S-Cubed slides?

They're staying.

Because AI isn't going to rewrite my history.

It's going to sit beside it.

The teacher who made those PowerPoints is still here.

The guy who uploaded those imperfect YouTube videos night after night after teaching all day full-time is still here.

The teacher who was terrified to open his first reviews is still here.

The artist is still here.

What's changed is that I now have access to a tool I couldn't have imagined when I started.

And I'm going to see what I can do with it.

If it helps a teacher make it through Lesson 7 when they otherwise might have given up, that's important to me.

If it helps a teacher understand why a particular game matters, that's important to me.

If it helps that teacher's students experience that wonderful moment when they realize, Wait—I can actually read this music, then I've accomplished exactly what I set out to accomplish all those years ago.

The tool changed.

The mission didn't.

I'm 62 years old now.

My résumé is my résumé.

I'm thankful for my life experience.

I'm thankful for the teachers and students I've helped.

I'm not going to start making decisions out of fear now. I've never done that.

On my personal Facebook page, I've had a motto for years:

Share your gifts.

That's what I've tried to do with mine.

It's what I'm doing with this next chapter.

And it's what I intend to keep doing until I take my last breath.

Being a Leader with New Technology is a Trick.

noreply@blogger.com (inthemiddlewithmrd1.blogspot.com) — Thu, 13 Aug 2026 00:46:21 +0000

Being a leader with new technology is a trick.

Move too slowly, and the world can pass you by.

Move too quickly, and you can find yourself chasing every shiny new thing that comes along.

I’ve been thinking about that a lot lately as I build the new S-Cubed AI Coach App.

Because the funny thing is, I’ve been here before.

Not with artificial intelligence, of course. But with technology.

I Remember the “Old” Way

When I started teaching in 1989, Apple was the "new tech". Everyone was up in arms about Apple. The Mac.

In 1989, I stood in front of students. I watched their faces. I listened to their voices. I figured out when they understood something and when they didn't while the next-level older teachers were telling the other young ones and me...Apple is it.

They were right.

Over 30 years in the classroom, though, something interesting happened.

Technology kept changing around me.

Mac has arrived.

Then the internet.

Then digital resources.

Then YouTube.

Then social media.

Eventually, a teacher could create something in one classroom and share it with teachers all over the world.

That changed my life.

At Some Point, I Had a Choice

I could keep doing things the way I had always done them.

Or I could ask a different question:

Can this new technology help me do what I already know how to do—better?

That question eventually helped turn the lessons I had created for my own students into the S-Cubed Sight Singing Program using tech long before AI came around. I just used the tech of the time.

Technology didn't create those lessons.

Years of teaching children created them.

Years of watching students struggle created them.

Years of trying something, failing, changing it, and trying again created them.

Technology simply gave me a way to share what I had learned with people far beyond my own classroom.

That's an important distinction.

And now, all these years later, I'm asking myself essentially the same question about AI.

AI Feels Different

I understand why some teachers are uncomfortable with artificial intelligence.

I'm not dismissive of those concerns.

In fact, I think some skepticism is healthy.

We should ask questions.

What are we giving up?

What happens to creativity?

What happens to critical thinking?

What happens to the relationship between a teacher and a student?

Those things matter enormously to me.

But there's another question I think we need to ask:

What becomes possible now that wasn't possible before?

That's the question that has me excited.

Old Knowledge. New Technology.

I've spent the last several weeks putting years of my own teaching experience into the S-Cubed AI Coach App. The same way I spent thousands of hours getting my original work into the hands and classrooms of teachers 13 years ago.

And there is something almost surreal about it.

I'm doing it all over again.

I'm taking lessons I developed long before anyone was talking about generative AI and putting them inside one of the newest technologies available.

Old and new are meeting each other.

The teaching philosophy is still mine.

The sequence is still mine.

The mistakes are mine.

The successes are mine.

The stories are mine. I told them when I set my iPhone 4 into a corner of my classroom in 2013. I took control then. And I am still taking control. This blog is my spot. It has been my spot since 2013. Look. It will always be my spot as times change.

The experience behind it comes from real classrooms filled with real middle school students. I did it.

AI didn't create any of that.

What AI may be able to do is help me make that experience available to a teacher at the exact moment they need it.

A teacher doesn't necessarily need another 90-minute professional development session.

Sometimes they need someone to say:

"You're on Lesson 3. Here's what you should pay attention to today."

Or:

"Don't panic. Your students are supposed to struggle with this part."

Or maybe:

"Try this tomorrow."

That's where I see the opportunity.

And I am working as hard on this as I did when I created the original program.

It's all documented. I made sure of it. Nobody gets to tell my story but me.

Maybe This Is What Leadership Looks Like

For a long time, I think I associated leadership with knowing the answer.

Age has changed that for me.

Now I think leadership often means being willing to walk into something new before you completely understand it.

Not recklessly.

Curiously.

You bring your experience with you.

You ask questions.

You experiment.

You keep what works.

You throw away what doesn't.

And most importantly, you don't abandon the principles that got you there in the first place.

I'm 62 years old. That- actually- is currently my power. And I am owning it.

I'm not trying to become a 25-year-old technology entrepreneur.

I'm bringing decades of experience into a technology that didn't exist for most of my career.

And I'm discovering that those two things aren't in conflict.

They may actually belong together.

Because New Doesn't Automatically Mean Better

I've watched plenty of technologies come and go.

Some promised to revolutionize education and disappeared a few years later. I've been there for it.

So I'm not interested in AI simply because AI is new.

I'm interested in it because I'm beginning to see ways it might solve problems I've been thinking about for years.

That's different.

Technology should serve the mission.

The mission shouldn't serve the technology.

My mission hasn't changed.

I want teachers to feel successful.

I want students to experience the incredible feeling that happens when they suddenly realize:

"Wait. I can actually read music."

I wanted that when I was standing in front of my own students in all of the videos I have posted since 2013 on YouTube before people trusted YouTube.

I did it to document my work.

And I want it now as I build an AI coach.

The tools have changed.

The purpose hasn't.

Maybe That's the Trick

Perhaps being a leader with new technology isn't about always being the first person through the door.

And it certainly isn't about adopting every new tool that comes along.

Maybe it's about knowing when a new tool can help you carry something valuable forward.

That's where I find myself right now.

Taking 30 years of teaching experience, 13 years of building S-Cubed, thousands of interactions with teachers and students—and introducing all of that experience to something completely new.

I don't know exactly where AI is going.

None of us do.

But I've been through enough changes in my life to know this:

I'm not afraid of something simply because it's new.

And I'm not willing to discard something simply because it's old. And I want to stay that way.

The best part of moving forward may be figuring out how to bring the best of the old world with us.

That's what I'm trying to do.

And on October 6, I'll get to share the next step of that journey.

The Hardest Part of S-Cubed? Getting Through It the First Time.

noreply@blogger.com (inthemiddlewithmrd1.blogspot.com) — Wed, 12 Aug 2026 19:35:00 +0000

Today I uploaded two more lessons into the S-Cubed AI Coach, which means I’m getting very close to the end of the uploading process.

Two more to go, and then I will start testing the app.

And I have to admit—I’m getting excited.

October 6 is starting to feel very real. I'm going to do an "Ask Mr. D" session on it sometime before or on the day of the release. I haven't done one of those in a LONG time. Stay tuned for details. Make sure you are on my email list so you don't miss it. Write "Subscribe" in the subject line, and I'll add you! Email inthemiddlewithmrd@gmail.com

As I’ve been building this coach, I keep thinking about two groups of teachers.

The first group is made up of teachers who have heard about S-Cubed, seen other teachers talking about it, read the reviews, maybe even watched some of my videos—but haven’t taken the leap yet.

The second group may be even more important to me.

They’re the teachers who already own S-Cubed.

They bought it because they wanted something different for their students. They started it. They may have even seen glimpses of what it could do.

But somewhere along the way, they stopped.

And I understand why.

S-Cubed asks you to trust a process that probably doesn't look like the way you learned music.

That’s a big deal.

Most of us were taught music in a very particular way. We were given explanations. We were taught terminology. We learned rules. We practiced skills.

S-Cubed often turns that process around.

Students experience things before they completely understand them.

They play games.

They make mistakes.

They laugh.

They listen.

They discover patterns.

And little by little, the pieces begin connecting.

For a teacher experiencing S-Cubed for the first time, there can be a voice in your head saying:

“Am I really supposed to do it this way?”

That's exactly where I want the S-Cubed AI Coach to help.

I don't want AI to replace the teacher. I want it to support the teacher.

This is an important distinction for me.

The magic of S-Cubed has never been technology.

It's you.

It's the relationship you build with your students. It's the environment you create in your classroom. It's the way you encourage them to take risks, make mistakes, and keep trying.

The AI Coach isn't there to do that job.

It's there to stand beside you while you do it.

Imagine finishing Lesson 3 and wondering:

Did I do that correctly?

Or perhaps your students reacted differently than you expected.

Maybe you aren't sure whether you should move on tomorrow.

Maybe something in the lesson doesn't make sense yet.

Maybe you simply need someone to remind you:

Trust the process. You're exactly where you're supposed to be.

That's what I'm building.

The first 10 lessons are the key.

My biggest goal with this first version of the S-Cubed AI Coach is very simple:

Help teachers successfully get through the first 10 lessons.

Each day, I want the Coach to help you understand what you're doing, why you're doing it, and what to watch for.

And when you have a question?

Ask it.

That's the part that excites me most.

You won't have to wonder whether you're interpreting something correctly or search through materials in hopes of finding an answer.

The Coach will be there to help you work through it.

Because I believe something important happens when a teacher gets through those first 10 lessons.

You begin to understand the flow.

You start trusting it.

Your students start understanding the expectations.

The games begin making more sense.

And, most importantly...

you start seeing and hearing the incredible results you've heard and read about.

That's when I think you'll want to keep going.

Not because an AI Coach tells you to.

Because your students will tell you—with what they're now confidently able to do.

And before long, I hope you'll find yourself wanting to take them all the way through Level One.

Thousands of teachers have already trusted this process.

That's something I don't say lightly.

S-Cubed has been used by teachers for 13 years, and there are hundreds of reviews on Teachers Pay Teachers and testimonials on my blog from teachers who took the leap.

They trusted a process that initially may have felt unfamiliar.

And many of them watched their classrooms transform.

Their students became more independent.

They became more confident.

They started reading music in ways their teachers weren't sure were possible.

Those teachers didn't have an AI Coach walking beside them.

Now you will.

And if you bought S-Cubed years ago but never made it very far, I'm especially talking to you.

Pull it back out.

This time, I want to help you get through those first 10 lessons.

You already made the investment.

Let's finally help you experience what all those other teachers have been talking about.

And if AI makes you nervous...

I understand.

I've spent most of my professional life creating, teaching, and connecting with real human beings. I don't want technology replacing the things that make teaching human.

That's why I'm approaching AI differently.

I'm asking:

How can this technology help a teacher feel MORE supported—not less human?

How can it take something I've learned through decades of teaching S-Cubed and make that support available when I'm not standing beside you?

How can it help a teacher at 7:00 Tuesday morning who's thinking, “Okay, Dale...what am I supposed to do today?”

That's the AI I am interested in.

Not replacing you.

Supporting you.

October 6.

We're getting closer.

Two more lessons went into the Coach today.

Soon I'll finish uploading.

Then comes the really exciting part—seeing how all of this works together and getting it ready for teachers to use.

Whether you're discovering S-Cubed for the first time or you've had it sitting in your Teachers Pay Teachers library waiting for another try, I hope you'll join me.

You don't have to figure it all out on the first day.

You don't even have to completely trust the process yet.

Just give me 10 lessons.

Let the Coach walk beside you.

Let your students experience it.

Then listen to what happens in your classroom.

Hundreds of teachers have already made that leap.

You could be one of them.

The S-Cubed AI Coach arrives October 6.

The Silver Medal that Felt Like Gold.

noreply@blogger.com (inthemiddlewithmrd1.blogspot.com) — Mon, 10 Aug 2026 00:25:45 +0000

https://youtu.be/CiTldvBgBnw?si=cnpeowc77EPaR4lC

This was the peak of my aerobic gymnastics career, even though I had won gold in 1993.

It was my best athletic performance ever. This was prelims.

With this performance, I won the opportunity to represent the USA at the World Championship.

But it was my personal best performance.

That's why I love it.

I Don’t Want AI to Replace Artistry. I Want It to Help Artists.

noreply@blogger.com (inthemiddlewithmrd1.blogspot.com) — Sun, 09 Aug 2026 21:21:43 +0000

A few days ago, I asked music teachers on Facebook how they feel about artificial intelligence.

The responses surprised me—not because people had strong opinions, but because there seemed to be so little middle ground.

Some were all in.

Others wanted absolutely nothing to do with it. Most who feel this way worry about environmental concerns or about people stealing other artists' work. I share those concerns and some others as well.

I am old enough to remember when people were terrified of Facebook, but I embraced it. Nobody would know about my work without social media. None of the major music education publishers would touch S-Cubed as a book. I'm not upset about that. It wasn't supposed to be a book. The universe had a different plan, and I embraced all of the technologies that I could find at the time to get it out there...blogging....posting videos to my YouTube Channel...sharing them in choir director Facebook groups and using TPT as my launch pad for people to get it. I called it the 21st-century way to learn to teach the subject of sight singing, and it is.

As the comments kept coming about my AI Facebook post, I became curious about something else. I edited the post and asked people to share their generation—Boomer, Gen X, Millennial, etc.—because I wondered whether age might help explain some of the divide.

I'm still watching those responses come in.

But the whole conversation has made me think about my own relationship with technology—and especially about what happens when you're not just a musician or a teacher, but also a creator trying to get your work into the world.

In 2013, the year I started creating S-Cubed, I didn't know what I was doing.

When I created S-Cubed Sight Singing for Beginners, I had never created a PowerPoint in my life.

Not one.

And it showed.

I was a music teacher. I knew how to teach middle school students to sight-sing. I had spent 20 years developing a method that worked in my classroom, and I believed other teachers and students could benefit from it.

But turning that method into something I could share with teachers around the world?

I had no idea how to do that.

So I figured it out.

My early images were terrible. Most were pixelated. My PowerPoints weren't pretty. I was criticized for them. I took them down from TPT, and I tried again. Hours and hours of work.

And, truthfully, graphic design still isn't my gift.

But I kept creating anyway.

There's a quote often associated with Sheryl Sandberg that became something of a philosophy for me:

"Done is better than perfect."

Thank goodness I believed that.

Because if I had waited until I could make everything look perfect, S-Cubed might never have existed.

Instead, I put my imperfect work into the world, and I was scared to death of the judgment.

I still am...as I adopt AI to help my work.

Thousands of music teachers eventually adopted my sight-singing program in those early years, and are still purchasing it now for the Back to School season. I am grateful.

More importantly, their students are learning from it.

That mattered more to me than whether every slide looked like it had been designed by a professional graphic designer.

Then AI arrived.

And I understand why musicians are uncomfortable with it.

I don't want artificial intelligence replacing composers.

I don't want it replacing singers, instrumentalists, conductors, teachers, or the creative process.

I don't want a machine to become a substitute for the messy, beautiful, deeply human experience of making music.

Ever.

And I don't believe it can.

But I've also started realizing something else:

AI can help me do things that have always been difficult for me.

It can help me organize my thoughts.

It can help me communicate an idea more clearly.

It can help me improve something visually when graphic design isn't my strength.

It can help me brainstorm, edit, analyze, question, and refine.

It can help me spend less time struggling with the things I'm not particularly good at so I can spend more time doing the things I am good at.

That distinction matters to me.

I don't want AI to create my artistry. I want AI to help me present my artistry.

And yes, there's another side to this for me.

Since 2022, when AI first became available to the public, I became very concerned that people would find ways to take my intellectual property. I have created S-Cubed, but I also created tons of other products that I was also concerned about.

I've spent more than a decade developing, refining, documenting, and sharing a very specific method of teaching sight-singing. That work represents thousands upon thousands of hours of my life, and it still does.

I worry that tools like AI make it easier than ever to take someone's intellectual work, strip away the name attached to it, and recreate something that looks remarkably similar.

I hope that isn't happening with my work.

But I'd be lying if I said I haven't thought about it.

And that puts me in an interesting position.

Because the same technology that concerns me is also becoming one of the tools. That is why I am using AI to make my work better. That is exactly why I am creating the new AI coach app for S-Cubed. It's becoming available on October 6, 2026.

Maybe that's where the middle ground is.

We don't have to worship AI.

And we don't have to run from it.

We can ask difficult questions about copyright, intellectual property, creativity, compensation, and what happens to artists when machines can generate things that resemble human creative work.

We should ask those questions.

I’ve learned over the years that once you put creative work into the world, you can’t completely control how others use it.

At the same time, I think artists have always had to adapt to new technology.

I certainly have.

In 2013, PowerPoint was new technology to me.

YouTube changed what was possible for me.

Teachers Pay Teachers changed what was possible for me.

Social media changed what was possible for me.

None of those things made me a better music teacher.

But they allowed the work I had spent decades developing as a music teacher to reach people I never could have reached otherwise.

I'm beginning to see AI through a similar lens.

And now I'm building with it.

As I mentioned above, I'm currently using AI as part of the next evolution of S-Cubed.

I'm developing an AI coach designed to help teachers work successfully through the first ten lessons of the program—the place where some teachers need the most reassurance and guidance. The AI coach is built around MY 13 years of S-Cubed experience and materials.

The AI isn't inventing my teaching method.

It's helping me deliver the method I spent years creating.

That's an important distinction.

I want a teacher who gets stuck to be able to ask a question.

I want the teacher who feels overwhelmed to know what to do next. That's what I did when I created the original, messy version of S-Cubed.

I want someone who bought S-Cubed but never quite got it off the ground to have another chance at succeeding with it.

And ultimately, I want their students to succeed.

That's why I created S-Cubed in the first place.

I'm still a musician and artist first.

Maybe that's why this conversation about AI interests me so much.

I don't believe artists should surrender their artistry to technology.

I believe we should protect it fiercely.

But protecting artistry doesn't necessarily mean refusing to use the tools that are changing the world around us.

Sometimes it means learning how to use those tools in service of our artistry rather than in place of it.

Thirteen years ago, I didn't let my inability to make a beautiful PowerPoint stop me from sharing something I knew could help teachers.

Today, I'm not going to let fear of AI stop me from discovering how it might help me serve those teachers better.

I'll keep asking questions. I hope the industry continues finding ways to address AI’s very real environmental costs.

I'll keep protecting the human part.

I'll keep learning.

And I'll keep adapting.

Because perhaps the choice isn't between AI and artistry.

Perhaps the challenge for artists now is figuring out how to use one without ever surrendering the other.

And I'd really like to know where you land.

Has AI changed the way you work as a musician or music teacher—or are you still keeping your distance?

Why I’m Building an AI Coach for S-Cubed

noreply@blogger.com (inthemiddlewithmrd1.blogspot.com) — Sat, 08 Aug 2026 20:54:20 +0000

Why I’m Building an AI Coach for S-Cubed

Over the past 13 years, I’ve watched thousands of teachers discover S-Cubed Sight Singing Program for Beginners.

And I’ve noticed something.

Sometimes the hardest part isn’t deciding to try the program. People who buy it have seen the reviews and continue to see the recommendations on social media.

The problem most people encounter is getting started — and sticking with it long enough to see what happens. The results are real. They are proven.

Those first lessons are important. They establish the routines, the language, the expectations, and most importantly, the relationship between the teacher and the students. S-Cubed is not just a method. There are tons of those out there. As I've said for years...S-Cubed is part method and part philosophy.

But there can also be the point where a teacher starts wondering:

Am I doing this right?

Should I move on or repeat this lesson?

What if my kids aren’t getting it yet?

What exactly should I focus on today?

I've answered versions of those questions for years through emails, blog posts, Facebook messages, YouTube videos, workshops, and conversations with teachers.

And lately I've been thinking:

What if I could be there every day?

Obviously, I can't.

But perhaps new technologies can.

Enter the S-Cubed AI Coach

For the last several weeks, I’ve been working on something new: an AI-powered coach designed specifically to help teachers navigate the first 10 lessons of S-Cubed.

And I want to be very clear about what I want this to be.

I don't want it to replace the teacher.

I don't want AI teaching your students.

I want it to help you teach your students the way I originally intended and to make it easy for you to be successful.

Think of it as having someone beside you who knows S-Cubed and can help you figure out what comes next.

The goal is simple:

Daily guidance through the lessons.

You’ll be able to check in, get help understanding what you should be doing, find the resources connected to that lesson, and ask questions when something isn't going quite the way you expected.

In other words, I'm trying to take the support I've provided teachers for years and make it available when they actually need it.

I Know the Words “AI” Make Some Teachers Nervous

I understand that.

In fact, I think a healthy amount of skepticism about any new technology is probably a good thing.

But I've also been thinking about my own journey with technology.

When I started S-Cubed, I didn't follow the traditional route.

I used YouTube.

I wrote blog posts.

I shared ideas on social media.

I used Teachers Pay Teachers.

I connected teachers directly to videos and resources in ways that weren't particularly common in traditional choral music publishing at the time.

The technology wasn't the point.

Helping teachers was the point...and it still is.

And that's how I feel about AI.

I'm not interested in using it simply because everyone is talking about it.

I'm interested in whether it can help a teacher walk into the classroom feeling a little more confident about what to do next with their students that day.

If it can do that, I think it's worth exploring, and that's why I am working on it.

Why Lessons 1–10?

I'm intentionally starting small.

I'm not trying to put the entire S-Cubed universe into an app.

I want to solve one specific problem really well:

Helping teachers successfully navigate the beginning of the program.

Because once the routines start clicking...

Once the students understand the games, the friendly competition component, the daily routines...everyone starts to see the results.

Once the teacher begins seeing why the sequence works...

Something changes.

Confidence grows.

The rewards of the work pay off.

For everyone.

I’m Building This Carefully

This isn't something I'm throwing together and putting online next week.

I'm going lesson by lesson.

I'm thinking about the questions teachers have asked me over the years.

I'm connecting the resources I've already created.

And I'm trying to teach this coach to support teachers in a way that feels like S-Cubed — and feels like me.

There are limitations. There are things I'm learning. There are things AI can do remarkably well and other things it simply can't do.

I'm learning all of that as I build.

And over the next two months, I'm going to share some of that journey here.

Because if you're skeptical, curious, excited — or some combination of all three — I want you to be able to watch this develop rather than suddenly seeing an announcement one day saying:

“Here's my new AI app!”

That's not how I want to introduce this.

I want you to understand why I'm building it.

October 6

That's the date I'm working toward.

And between now and then, I'll show you more of what I'm creating, what I'm learning, and how I believe this can help teachers who are beginning their journey with S-Cubed.

Technology will continue to change.

It always has.

But my goal hasn't changed much at all.

Help teachers succeed.

Help students succeed.

And maybe make that first steps into S-Cubed feel a little less intimidating.

That's why I'm building an AI coach.

I've been here before-

noreply@blogger.com (inthemiddlewithmrd1.blogspot.com) — Fri, 07 Aug 2026 00:45:14 +0000

When I first began creating S-Cubed, there wasn't really a roadmap.

Most music education resources still revolved around printed books, teacher manuals, and the traditional publishing model. That's a wonderful model, and it has served our profession well.

But I wanted to try something different.

Instead of asking teachers to figure everything out from a printed page, I began creating YouTube videos. Then blog posts. Pinterest boards. Facebook communities. Email support. Teacher tips. Video demonstrations.

Many people thought it was a little unusual.

Others embraced it immediately, and for that, I am grateful.

Over the last thirteen years, that decision has connected me with thousands of teachers around the world. Together we've accumulated hundreds of reviews on Teachers Pay Teachers, countless success stories on social media, and an incredible community of educators who have helped shape S-Cubed into what it is today.

None of that happened because of technology.

It happened because teachers trusted one another.

Technology simply allowed us to have the conversation.

Today we're standing at another crossroads.

Artificial intelligence.

I completely understand why some teachers are hesitant.

Every new technology brings questions.

Will it replace teachers?

Will students rely on it too much?

Will it make learning less personal?

Those are fair questions.

I've asked many of them myself.

But after spending months exploring what AI can—and cannot—do, I've come to see something important.

The best educational technology has never replaced great teaching. Ever. I've done this since 1989. When I started, I remember having meetings with people who were helping the administrators trust Apple. Seriously.

It removes obstacles so teachers can spend more time doing what only teachers can do.

That's exactly why I'm building the S-Cubed AI Coach.

This isn't an app that teaches instead of you.

It isn't a shortcut.

It isn't designed to replace the hundreds of videos, lessons, and years of experience that have gone into S-Cubed.

Instead, it's designed to organize all of that knowledge into one place.

Imagine having a coach that's available whenever you need it.

"I'm starting Lesson 3 tomorrow. What should I watch for?"

"One of my students keeps making this mistake. What should I do?"

"How fast should I move through Lesson 7?"

"What if my students are struggling with skips?"

Instead of searching through years of blog posts, videos, emails, and social media discussions, the AI Coach can guide you through the first ten lessons using the same philosophy I've been teaching for years.

We have learned from thirteen years of questions.

Thirteen years of answers.

Thirteen years of teacher feedback.

Thirteen years of refining what works.

The goal isn't to make teachers dependent on AI.

The goal is to help teachers become confident with S-Cubed more quickly so their students experience success sooner.

Because that's what has always mattered.

Not the technology.

The kids who land in front of us.

If this AI Coach helps one more teacher feel confident enough to stick with sight-singing...

If it helps one choir experience that magical moment when students realize they can truly read music...

Then it will have done exactly what I hoped.

Every chapter of S-Cubed has looked a little different.

First it was YouTube.

Then blogging.

Then social media.

Now AI.

The mission hasn't changed.

I'm simply continuing the journey of meeting teachers where they are, using the best tools available to help them become successful.

And when teachers become successful...

Their students do, too.

I can't wait to share what's coming.

October 6.

TpT Back to School Sale and some gift cards for you!

noreply@blogger.com (inthemiddlewithmrd1.blogspot.com) — Sun, 02 Aug 2026 15:41:42 +0000

The first two people to email me at inthemiddlewithmrd@gmail.com with "Send me the gift card" in the subject line will be sent a $10 gift card for the TpT Sale!

Thanks for reading!

The sale is August 4th and 5th.

Google Slides Version of Mega Bundle of S-Cubed

The new Mastery Belt System Bundle. Great for long-time users of S-Cubed.

The"QUICK!" Series 15 lesson bundle

The Elementary Bundle of S-Cubed

My New Nine-Week Musical Bundle that includes Hairspray, Shrek, and Matilda.

My Nine Week Music Bundle that includes Annie, Newsies, and Sound of Music.

My Chorus Sub Plan Bundle

Why do so many children quit music lessons?

noreply@blogger.com (inthemiddlewithmrd1.blogspot.com) — Mon, 27 Jul 2026 21:14:22 +0000

Why Do So Many Children Quit Music Lessons?

The answer may have less to do with talent... and more to do with how they're being taught.

Every year, thousands of children begin music lessons with excitement. They dream of playing songs they love, performing for family and friends, and becoming "musical."

Yet, just a year or two later, many of those same children have quit.

Why?

Parents often assume it was because their child wasn't motivated enough or simply "wasn't musical."

After teaching music for more than 30 years, I don't believe that's the real reason.

I think many children quit because success isn't celebrated, and it doesn't happen fast enough.

Music Should Build Confidence... Not Frustration

Imagine asking a child to read an entire chapter book before they've learned the alphabet.

We would never expect that to work.

Yet that's often what happens in music education.

Many students are asked to play songs on an instrument before they truly understand the language of music itself. They memorize finger patterns, practice the same songs over and over, and rely heavily on a teacher to tell them what comes next. In choir classes, that is super common because teachers are under pressure to do concerts, and they don't always make time to teach their students to read music.

Eventually the children begin asking themselves...

"Why is this so hard?"

"Why can't I do this on my own?"

Little by little, confidence disappears.

And when confidence disappears...

...so does motivation.

Reading Music Is a Language

Music isn't just something we play.

It's something we read.

Just like learning to read words, learning to read music begins with understanding the symbols, recognizing patterns, and gradually building fluency over time. Learning to read music mimics the exact way our children learned to speak their native language. They should WANT to learn what the words mean, and with S-Cubed, they will.

When children can look at a piece of music and understand what they're seeing—even before touching an instrument—they begin developing true musical independence. A capella? Absolutely. It's the best way.

The confidence they gain when following the S-Cubed system changes everything.

Instead of feeling lost...

...they begin feeling capable and excited to see what is next.

The Philosophy Behind S-Cubed

When I created the S-Cubed Sight Singing Program for Beginners, I wasn't trying to create another system that imitated all of the others out there. They start in the key of C (already confusing to a beginner...those LEDGER lines), move to the key of G or F (It's so HIGH...I can't sing that high), and on and on. Systems like those are a dime a dozen and they don't work for the true beginner.

I wanted to teach children how to read music confidently.

That's why every lesson is built around a philosophy that guided my classroom for decades:

3/4 Learning + 1/4 Cup Fun = SUCCESS!

Children absolutely need to enjoy learning.

But they also deserve lessons that build real skills.

The "learning" comes from carefully sequenced instruction that develops music literacy one step at a time.

The "fun" comes from celebrating progress, singing, games, and activities that keep students engaged and looking forward to the next lesson with Mr. C, with whom I collaborated when we created this version of the program. He is a long-time user of S-Cubed, and he captures the Home version of this program perfectly.

When we balance "fun" with celebration of success, something wonderful happens.

Children are excited to continue to learn.

And success makes them want to keep going.

You Don't Need a Piano to Build a Musician

One of the biggest misconceptions parents have is believing they need a piano before their child can learn to read music.

The truth is, your child's first instrument is already with them...

their voice.

The S-Cubed Homeschool Edition is designed to help children become confident music readers using their voice first. Because the program is self-paced and taught through video instruction, families can learn at home without owning a piano or paying for weekly private lessons. Try the first lesson for free by clicking this link. Check out all of my reviews from teachers over the last 13 years right here, and there are more in my TpT store!

Whether your child eventually chooses choir, band, orchestra, piano, guitar, or another instrument, they'll already have one of the most valuable musical skills they can develop:

The ability to read music independently.

Every Child Deserves the Chance to Succeed

If your child has struggled with traditional music lessons—or if you're looking for an affordable way to introduce music at home—I hope you'll consider giving them a different kind of musical beginning.

One built on understanding.

One built on confidence.

One built on success.

Because I don't believe children quit music because they aren't capable.

I believe many simply haven't been given the right foundation and the right philosophy.

And that's exactly why I created S-Cubed. The original version of the program has been used in classrooms all over the world since 2013. Now it's time to bring it into their homes!

Have a question? I'd love to hear from you in the comments below. Has your child ever taken music lessons? What was their experience?

What if your child could learn to read music...without piano lessons?

noreply@blogger.com (inthemiddlewithmrd1.blogspot.com) — Thu, 23 Jul 2026 13:36:42 +0000

What if your child could learn to read music...without piano lessons?

When I taught middle school chorus, one of my greatest joys was watching students discover that they could actually read music.

Not guess.

Not imitate.

Not wait for someone to play it on the piano.

They could simply look at the notes on the page and sing them.

That skill changed everything.

For the past 13 years, my S-Cubed Sight Singing Program for Beginners has been used by hundreds of classroom teachers and thousands of students. It has been refined, tested, and proven in real classrooms by music educators across the country.

But recently, I began thinking about a different group of children.

What about the child who loves music but doesn't have a piano or other instrument at home?

What about the family who wants to give their child a strong musical foundation before they ever choose an instrument?

Or homeschool families looking for a complete music reading curriculum they can use at home?

That's why I created the S-Cubed Homeschool Edition.

This isn't just for homeschoolers.

It's for any family that wants their child to learn to read music in a fun, self-paced way.

Why parents love it

🎵 No piano or other instrument is required.

🎵 No musical background is required from the parent.

🎵 Children work at their own pace.

🎵 It's far less expensive than years of private piano lessons.

🎵 The lessons are engaging, interactive, and designed to build confidence one small success at a time.

My teaching philosophy has always been simple:

3/4 learning + 1/4 cup fun = SUCCESS!

By the end of Level One, students will be able to:

Read music independently.
Sight-Sing music examples a cappella (without a piano or adult helping).
Read skips as wide as an octave accurately.
Perform syncopated rhythms accurately.
Confidently use the Curwen hand signs to locate pitches.
Sing a chromatic scale in tune.
Have excellent ability to identify sharp/flat and in-tune singing.
And have fun while they do it!

Those are remarkable skills for beginning musicians. I wasn't able to demonstrate some of those skills until I was in college.

Whether your child eventually joins choir, learns an instrument, sings in church, auditions for musical theatre, or simply enjoys making music, learning to read music is a gift that lasts a lifetime.

Try Lesson One of the program for FREE

I'd love for you to experience the program before making any commitment.

🎵 FREE Lesson 1 of S-Cubed Home Edition:
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/S-Cubed-Homeschool-Edition-Lesson-1-The-Game-Forbidden-Pattern-5594070

If your family enjoys it, the Complete Level One Homeschool Edition is available here:

🎵 Complete S-Cubed Home Edition:
View the complete Level One program

As families prepare for a new school year, this is a wonderful time to add a fun extracurricular activity that develops real musical skills. Whether you're homeschooling, supplementing a traditional school education, or simply looking for a meaningful music curriculum your child can enjoy at home, I'd love for you to take a look. The program was created by me, and the videos in the Home edition are led by a long-time user of my sight-singing program in the public school classroom, Mr. C.

And if you know a parent, grandparent, homeschool family, music teacher, or anyone raising a child who loves music, I would be honored if you shared this post with them.

Music literacy is one of the greatest gifts we can give a child—and it doesn't require a piano to begin.

S-Cubed Homeschool Edition- Lesson 1-The Game- FREE on TpT

noreply@blogger.com (inthemiddlewithmrd1.blogspot.com) — Wed, 22 Jul 2026 20:06:16 +0000

S-Cubed Sight Singing Program for Beginners – Lesson 1 (Homeschool Edition)
It's FREE on TpT! Go grab it!
To see the S-Cubed Homeschool Complete Edition, click here.
Give your child the lifelong gift of reading music.
Have you ever wished your child could look at a page of music and confidently sing the notes instead of simply memorizing songs by ear?
S-Cubed Sight Singing Program for Beginners was created to make learning this valuable skill simple, enjoyable, and achievable—even if you don't have a music background yourself.
This self-paced program has helped thousands of music students and teachers build strong music-reading skills, and now it's available in a format that's perfect for homeschool families.
What Your Child Will Learn
In Lesson 1, students begin developing the essential foundation for reading music by learning to:
Learn correct posture for singing
Learn the solfege hand signs
Play the game that is the "hook" for the program- Forbidden Pattern
Each lesson in S-Cubed builds on the previous one, allowing students to experience success from the very beginning.
Designed for Homeschool Families
✔ Self-paced learning
✔ Short daily lessons (10–15 minutes is ideal)
✔ No formal music training required for parents
✔ Easy-to-follow instructional videos created by Mr. D, delivered by Mr. C
✔ Printable student materials
✔ Learn at your own schedule
Whether music is a core subject or simply an enrichment activity in your homeschool, Lesson 1 fits easily into your weekly routine.
Why Sight Singing?
Learning to read music is much like learning to read words. Instead of memorizing every song, students develop the ability to understand music for themselves.
These skills benefit children who:
Take piano lessons
Sing in a choir
Play an instrument
Participate in musical theater
Want a stronger overall music education
A Proven Classroom Program
Originally developed for middle school chorus classrooms, the S-Cubed program has been used successfully by music educators across the country for more than a decade. Hundreds of teachers have shared positive reviews about how effectively it teaches beginning sight singing.
Now homeschool families can benefit from the same structured approach from the comfort of home.
Included in Lesson 1
Instructional teaching videos
Student practice materials
Guided exercises
Step-by-step instruction
Everything needed to complete Lesson 1 successfully
Suggested Age
Recommended for students approximately ages 10–15, though motivated younger or older beginners can also be successful.
No Musical Experience? No Problem.
Many homeschool parents feel uncertain about teaching music. This program was designed to guide both parent and student through the learning process with clear instruction and manageable lessons.
By the end of Lesson 1, your child won't just know a few songs—they'll have begun developing the skill of reading music independently, creating a foundation that will benefit them for years to come. 3/4 cup learning + 1/4 cup fun = SUCCESS! The S-Cubed way!

Check out this blog post with a homeschool parent review-
Homeschool Parent Review

S-Cubed Homeschool Edition- Sight Singing Program for Beginners!

noreply@blogger.com (inthemiddlewithmrd1.blogspot.com) — Mon, 20 Jul 2026 13:31:24 +0000

Are you a parent who doesn't know how to read music? No problem. Your homeschool child will be able to read music and much more after they complete this program! Have your child click on the videos and follow Mr. C each day.

This homeschool music curriculum was originally developed during the 2020 pandemic, when classroom music teachers were struggling to teach music literacy online, and it is based on the highly regarded S-Cubed Sight Singing Program for Beginners Classroom Edition that has been reviewed by hundreds of teachers and is used by teachers all over the world in music classrooms. Now, many homeschool parents and co-ops are discovering this fun, effective, and easy way to teach music to the 10- to 16-year-old homeschool students.

This package contains the entire Level One S-Cubed Sight Singing Program Homeschool Edition. Once you purchase it, you own it for life, and you can use it with all of your children. Only one license is required per family. It's "open and go", self-paced, video-based, mastery-oriented, and it doesn't require the parent to be a music specialist.

I got this email from a homeschool parent in 2022.

Hello

I am a homeschooling parent to 2 kids currently in elementary. We have done some free solfa programs but are looking for something more.

I came across your program but am not sure which one would be best for me. I watched the music first you tube video you have, and I like that, but the subscription only lasts one year? How does this compare to your PowerPoint bundle with JW Pepper? If you can help point me in the right direction, that would be great. I tend to do the lesson with the kids but can 'teach' it if not video-based.

We currently do solfa twice a week but are willing to put it to three.

thanks,

Marlon

Here is my response-

Dale Duncan inthemiddlewithmrd@gmail.com

Jul 17, 2022, 8:03 AM

to Marlon

Good morning!

Thank you for your interest!

During the pandemic, I collaborated with a colleague to create a version of the program that could be done online. I think that would be a good option for you.

Since you do it twice a week all year, you have a couple of options.

If you aren’t sure how committed you’ll be, I recommend just purchasing the first five lessons.

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Distance-Learning-Bundle-1-Lessons-1-5-S-Cubed-Sight-Singing-for-Beginners-5647725

The link is above.

If you end up finishing the first five lessons, you can come back to me, and I will send you to the second bundle, which contains lessons six through 10.

If you want to go all in, purchase this bundle-

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Distance-Learning-Version-COMPLETE-BUNDLE-LEVEL-ONE-S-Cubed-Sight-Singing-5802934

It’s level one… 27 lessons.

Both options are the same… I bundled them differently so that people who teach in different situations would have options and would not have to buy unnecessary lessons. You would not need to lead the lessons because of how they are set up. My collaborator, Mario, leads each lesson through video. There are assessments included. The original version of the program was intended to be used by a teacher who teaches in a group setting.

I hope that helps!

3 years later, in 2025, I got this email from the same parent after having used the program.

Marlon marlon

May 16, 2025, 9:30 AM

I just want to say thank you for your great resource. We are a homeschooling family, and I have never used such a great solfa program. We LOVE Mr. C. I have never used a video teaching resource with someone who could reach students through video like that!. I guess when we are done with level 1, we move to level 2, which is available on TPT?

I didn't complete a distance/homeschool version of Level Two because most people don't get that far, but here is the thing: When your children finish Level One, they will be able to sight-sing in two-parts a capella with skips as wide as an octave and dotted-quarter/eighth note combinations just like the students in this video. Click here for Video 1. Click here for Video 2, which is just five minutes later. They do it a capella on their own without my help from the teacher, me!

Once your child completes the curriculum, you can have them continue to practice their skills by using Sight Reading Factory. SRF has an auto-assessment tool that gives instant feedback to your student. I highly recommend it!

At the start of the pandemic, there was a huge demand to create something teachers could use to teach their students to read music online, so Mr. D, the original creator, paired with long-time S-Cubed user, Mr. C, to create this program. Homeschool parents began to discover it over the last few years, so we've decided to rebrand it with hopes that more homeschool parents and co-ops will find it. This program uses video music lessons that are interactive to become fluent in the solfege hand signs while learning gradually over days, weeks, and months to read music if used 10-15 minutes per day. This program is designed to be fun and effective. 3/4 cup learning plus 1/4 cup fun = SUCCESS! That's the S-Cubed way.

Read below to learn more! Email me at inthemiddlewithmrd@gmail.com with questions!

-------------

Original product description from 2020-

Since late April of 2020, soon after the shutdown began, we've worked to re-create all of these lessons so our students can continue to learn to sight sing from their computers in these guided lessons. They are designed so that you can simply upload them into your virtual platform (like Google Classroom, for example) and follow the teacher who is on video teaching you. The lessons are editable so you can do what you'd like as well in order to custom fit the lessons for your students.

Click here to read the original product description of this lesson from the original version of S-Cubed Sight Singing Program for Beginners.

Before proceeding with the purchase of this lesson, please read this product description if you wish to purchase the original version of S-Cubed Sight Singing Program for Beginners. Also, this blog post so you are very clear about what you are purchasing and what our goals are with this project. This is a "test run" of some distance learning versions of S-Cubed Sight Singing Program for Beginners.

These guided video lessons are a great resource for our students who are distance learners. Distance learning with Mr. C! follows a modified version of Music In the Middle with Mr. D! S-Cubed! Sight Singing Program for Beginners. In the event that your daily routines are disrupted, students are encouraged to continue learning at their own pace from home.

Mario Contreras, who leads the Distance Learning sessions in S-Cubed, aka “Mr. C.”, has been a middle school choir director for 9 years. He has used S-Cubed! to build strong foundations with his choirs for many years and has seen and heard positive feedback from his students.

In light of world events that have led to an increase in Distance Learning, Mr. C has created student-friendly video instruction of S-Cubed! He has modified the original product to fit the needs of our distance learners.

This product fosters continued music education at home, and would benefit students who require extra learning accommodations in choir. Mr. C has also added suggestions for assessing a student's mastery within the documents he has created.

Although this is not a replacement for a hands-on learning experience in a traditional choral setting, this will help build and maintain a strong foundation in individual music literacy and choral techniques for our young musicians.

Guided video instruction from a real middle school choir director
Follows a modified version of S-Cubed level 1
Continued music education at home/ remote leaning
Introducing/reinforcing new music knowledge and skills
Suggested Assessments of Mastery

Celebrate Summer with this "End of June" S-Cubed Sight Singing Program and Mastery Belt System Giveaway

noreply@blogger.com (inthemiddlewithmrd1.blogspot.com) — Mon, 22 Jun 2026 17:15:30 +0000

Around the country and beyond its borders, most teachers are out for the summer.

So, I am hosting a giveaway of the largest bundle in the S-Cubed series, and also the newest addition to the S-Cubed Series family, Mastery Belt System, created by Pamela Weaver of The Choir Room on TpT. That is over $400 worth of free materials! Someone will get those items for free on Monday, June 29, 2026. All who enter the giveaway will receive an email from me on Monday morning, June 29, letting them know how to get some items in my store for 50% off that day only, including the Mega Bundle and the Mastery Belt System Bundle.

By now, most choral music educators have heard of the S-Cubed Sight Singing Program for Beginners, but if you haven't, click this link to see the reviews that I've kept for the last 13 years as I've been sharing it, and you can also check out the reviews in my TpT store.. And click this link to access the FREE curriculum map, which is available exclusively in my TpT, so you can see how the lessons flow and what is covered if you want to learn more about the program.

If you haven't heard of the Mastery Belt System, make sure to read the product description in this link. And also, watch this video of an interview I did with the creator, Pamela Weaver, in late February. She has created a wonderful incentive program for students of S-Cubed in which they progress from one color "belt" to the next as they master the various skill sets of each individual lesson successfully. If you are a long-time user of S-Cubed, her program can inject new energy into your journey with S-Cubed.

Also, if you are a long-time user of the S-Cubed Sight Singing Program for Beginners, and you've created something that you think could enhance or amplify the S-Cubed journey of teachers and students, email me at inthemiddlewithmrd@gmail.com. In the subject line, write "Can we schedule time to talk about what I've created?", and I'll get back to you.

That is exactly how my journey with Pamela Weaver and The Choir Room began. It was almost a year ago when Pamela contacted me to share her system with me. We worked together slowly and steadily over several months before we offered it, and many teachers have purchased The Mastery Belt System and are using it in their classrooms. If you're one of those people, and you are reading this, please leave reviews on TpT in my store or hers, depending on where you purchased it. We need them! It helps more people find our work when we have reviews. In fact, if you leave a review for any product of mine that you have purchased in my TpT store between today (June 22, 2026) and June 28, 2026, email me, and I'll send you a product from my store that is worth up to $25 in value. In the subject line, please write "I left a review for..." and list the product. I get notifications from TpT on every single review that is left, but I don't get access to your email addresses when you do that, so please make sure to email me.

So, back to the giveaway- You can enter below these photos!

*When you enter, make sure you include your correct email address in your entry. Otherwise, you will not be entered in the giveaway.

*There are multiple ways to enter, and you are welcome to do them all to increase your chances.

Click the link below in blue to enter the giveaway anytime between now (June 22, 2026) and Sunday night, June 28, at midnight Eastern time. >>> .

Good luck!

The Curwen Hand Signs Leverage all three learning styles for S-Cubed Sight Singing Program

noreply@blogger.com (inthemiddlewithmrd1.blogspot.com) — Thu, 18 Jun 2026 12:14:56 +0000

Using the Curwen Hand signs is not that hard.

I learned them in my 30s while creating the S-Cubed Sight Singing Program for Beginners, and I did so through daily use in a gamified setting. I learned the power of lifting and lowering the hands and pulsing to connect the rhythm to their brains. I took it further with exercises like "Follow the Hand". Then I incorporated increasingly subtle hand movements when I added the "Ear Training" component, which is woven throughout S-Cubed.

Using the hand signs with my students was simple, not scary, and a game-changer.

Many choir teachers learned to read music while they were children, taking piano lessons.

In that setting, there are multiple advantages-

*The privilege of private instruction

*The early start to learning to read music

*The kinesthetic/visual/auditory connection that comes while you are reading and hearing the music that you are making while reading it from the page.

Most of our beginners have had none of those privileges.

So, we must find ways to successfully get our students...all of them...to successfully read...no matter what learning limitations they have.

We know that leveraging all three learning styles is one of the best ways to do that, so if you've resisted learning and using the Curwen Hand Signs, rethink it.

When I did it, I literally did so in front of my students through the game Forbidden Pattern each day. They loved the game, and before I knew it, I was fluent in the usage of the hands signs, and so were they.

I've always recommended these charts from Dancing Crayon on TpT because she created them just for my program when I was getting started sharing S-Cubed. She also created one for the Chromatic hand signs that I use in S-Cubed, which is available for you if you dare to get that far into the program.

I've kept track of the reviews and testimonials from teachers who have used my program for years.

If you are thinking about using S-Cubed next year, take time to read them and take a look at the free curriculum map located in my TpT store!

If you have any questions about the program, as always, email me directly- inthemiddlewithmrd@gmail.com. Subscribe to my email list by emailing me and writing "Subscribe" in the subject line.

Prioritizing your health

noreply@blogger.com (inthemiddlewithmrd1.blogspot.com) — Sat, 16 May 2026 01:32:46 +0000

I've always prioritized my health.

I still do it.

When I wake up every day, I am thankful.

Then, I decide...When am I going to work out? What does that look like? How long do I have? Do I really want to work out hard, or do I want to play Pickleball for 2 hours?

Today, I did a quick leg workout, jump rope, and some plyometrics between sessions with clients at Lifetime.

I am 62, so it all looks different now than it did back in the day.

I'm helping this amazing human being return to prioritizing her health as she retires from an epic career.

I am thankful for the opportunity to do it.

I am careful with her.

She is just two years older than I am, but because she has not always prioritized herself and her health, I want to get her where she wants to be, one step at a time, without injuries.

This is my next chapter.

I've always prioritized my health, even as I ran a program of 350+ students in public schools as a choral music educator.

I want to move as well as I can, as pain-free as I can, for as long as I can.

That is what I want to help others do.

I am loving this next chapter.

Need a free Broadway Musical Unit for the end of the School Year?

noreply@blogger.com (inthemiddlewithmrd1.blogspot.com) — Mon, 20 Apr 2026 21:50:00 +0000

Need a free Broadway Musical Theater Unit for the end of the school year?

This one is great!

You can test out my Broadway musical theater series that I have in my TPT store with this free lesson.

This unit focuses on the musical Hairspray! There are so many great lessons that come from the plot of this show, and the kids love watching the musical. As with all of my musical theater units, it is filled with activities that are interactive. There are games. There are opportunities for singing, acting, writing and creation.

Go and get it… And then consider purchasing some of the other units in my TPT store on Broadway Musical Theatre. Leave a review! It helps more teachers know the quality of the product, and it helps me help you better!

Mr. D- Creator of S-Cubed Sight Singing Program for Beginners on "The Choir Guys" Podcast

noreply@blogger.com (inthemiddlewithmrd1.blogspot.com) — Tue, 03 Mar 2026 18:02:00 +0000

We had a blast talking about everything ranging from Pickleball to my "not so secret" past as an Aerobic Gymnast to the Olympics to solfege and sight singing!

Blake Richter and Daniel Gutierrez are two delightful hosts of The Choir Guys podcast. They love teaching middle and high school choir, and so did I before I retired and moved on to things like Pickleball and personal training!

One of my core missions in life is and has always been to help middle school teachers, and that is also what these two are doing with their podcast.

Listen to it here or wherever you get your podcasts!

Do you hate it when your admins and counselors dump children into your Choir Program?

noreply@blogger.com (inthemiddlewithmrd1.blogspot.com) — Wed, 25 Feb 2026 13:06:00 +0000

Do you hate it when your admins and counselors dump children into your choir program mid-year?

We've got a solution for users of the S-Cubed Sight Singing Program for Beginners!

We officially introduced Pamela Weaver, of The Choir Room on TpT last night on Zoom.

She tells us all about the reasons she created the program and how to use it. We also learn about her donut obsession and how she starts the program to get "buy in" from every student.

The video begins at the 12-minute mark, and it includes an approximately 50 minute discussion of the Mastery Belt System for S-Cubed Sight Singing Program for Beginners created by Pamela Weaver of The Choir Room on TpT. She tells us the "what, the why and the how" of her new system that is sure to motivate your students to excitedly achieve the various concepts that students need to master to move toward the sight singing competency of each step of the program...and your admins will love it too. And another thing- When students get "dumped" into your program mid-year, you'll have exactly the tools you need to walk up to your counselor and say "We are setting this new student up for failure because the student is unable to do these things." Pamela provides the list in her lessons. It'll make it way easier for you to keep your program filled with students who are in the right class for their ability.

Sit down with a glass of your favorite beverage, and learn about this awesome new system that will enhance your experience using S-Cubed Sight Singing Program for Beginners while motivating your students to do their best.

Here is the link to the video.

Ask Mr. D and Pamela Weaver- Creator of The Mastery Belt System for the S-Cubed Sight Singing Program for Beginners- on Zoom!

noreply@blogger.com (inthemiddlewithmrd1.blogspot.com) — Sat, 17 Jan 2026 20:29:00 +0000

Pamela Weaver from The Choir Room on TpT has created a new series called "The Mastery Belt System" specifically for use with the S-Cubed Sight Singing Program for Beginners.

Her students love it (and so do her admins!).

We will be on Zoom on 2/24/26 at 7 PM EST where we will learn what this supplemental program can add to your S-Cubed journey.

Join Dale Duncan, from Music in the Middle with Mr. D on TpT, and Pamela Weaver, from The Choir Room on our free Zoom to learn more about what choir teachers are talking about!

Reserver your spot here on my Facebook page- Click here.

I hope to meet you there!

TpT Cyber Sale Gift Card Giveaway from Music in the Middle with Mr. D

noreply@blogger.com (inthemiddlewithmrd1.blogspot.com) — Wed, 26 Nov 2025 20:13:00 +0000

The TpT Cyber Sale is December 1 and December 2, and I am giving away a $20 gift card on Monday morning December 1! Use promo code Cyber25 to get 25% off anything in my store on those two days. My entire store will be 25% off for the entire sale.

You can use it to purchase anything you wish including the brand new companion product to S-Cubed Sight Singing Program for Beginners, the Mastery Belt System as well as other great items by awesome TpT sellers. Get your wish list ready.

Enter in one or all of the several ways I've included in the giveaway link at the bottom of this email. One of the ways to enter includes double points which may help you win. Make sure to try them all!

Check your email on Monday morning! Someone is going to have a gift card for $20!

Now... Scroll to the bottom of this post, click the link, and enter for your chance to win!

Enter to win with this link-

Guest Blogger, Pamela Weaver, on the real impact of using Mastery Belt System with S-Cubed Sight Singing Program for Beginners

noreply@blogger.com (inthemiddlewithmrd1.blogspot.com) — Mon, 17 Nov 2025 18:28:00 +0000

I've been writing and posting about the Mastery Belt System which is a companion product for my S-Cubed Sight Singing Program for Beginners. Pamela Weaver, from The Choir Room on TpT writes about how she used the Belt System last week.

Someone is going to win the Mega Bundle of my program, a large bundle of the Mastery Belt System, and my Sub Plan bundle one week from today- Here is how to enter.

On the morning of November 24th, someone is going to win the S-Cubed Sight Singing Program Mega Bundle, the new S-Cubed companion product created by Pamela Weaver, the Mastery Belt System, and two months of my sub plans!

It’s a big Thanksgiving giveaway! You can enter until 11:59 PM on November 23rd.

http://inthemiddlewithmrd1.blogspot.com/2025/11/thanksgiving-s-cubed-sight-singing.html?m=1

Pamela mentions below how she uses Sight Reading Factory- Reminder- If you use Sight Reading Factory with your students, use promo code "scubed" for a 10% discount. This past summer, I hosted Don Crafton on a Zoom, and we talked about the latest technology systems on Sight Reading Factory. It's great stuff. If you missed it, here is the link- Here it is.

Here is the blog post from Pamela Weaver-

Motivation, Beads, and Sight-Reading Factory

One of my favorite parts of the Mastery Belt System, built on the S-Cubed Sight Singing Program for Beginners, is the motivation it creates. My students will do anything for their next belt—even when the “belt” is literally just a tiny pony bead.

And honestly? That motivation is a huge part of why this system works so beautifully across my entire program.

This year I started using Sight-Reading Factory with my intermediate and advanced students as a way to assess the real application of their S-Cubed skills. They don’t need the same content-knowledge checks as my beginners, but I still need to know where their musicianship is landing. With 82 intermediate singers and 47 advanced singers, one-on-one hallway assessments just aren’t possible as often as I’d like.

SRF solves that.

Each student completes two sight-reading assignments a month—and they can do them in less than five minutes.

Yesterday, I told my classes I’d be handing out Orange Beads today. My students know the expectation: if their SRF assignments aren’t done, they don’t get the bead.

Later that night, an eighth grader emailed me to say she had just finished her missing assignment and wanted to make sure her grade was updated in time to earn her belt. This is a student who’s been through S-Cubed and the Mastery Belt System with me before, and now as an eighth grader, she’s applying those skills directly in our repertoire.

But the motivation is still there.

That drive to earn the next bead never goes away.

When a student completes their belt, I hype it up and hand them their bead with full performance energy. And when they earn all of their beads for the year, they become Masters—one of my students’ favorite end-of-year celebrations.

This small moment—a single email about a missing sight-reading assignment—captures exactly why the Mastery Belt System works.

Pamela Weaver

@the_choirroom

Update on the S-Cubed Sight Singing Program for Beginners and the Mastery Belt System Collaboration

noreply@blogger.com (inthemiddlewithmrd1.blogspot.com) — Wed, 12 Nov 2025 12:38:00 +0000

I announced earlier this fall that I was collaborating with Pamela Weaver from The Choir Room on TpT on a companion product that she developed for S-Cubed Sight Singing Program for Beginners called the Mastery Belt System.

Pamela purchased S-Cubed years ago, and is a very experienced user of the program. The Mastery Belt System is her creation that she uses in her classroom to assess the skills from each lesson in S-Cubed. She's created clear data points that help her learn about how successfully she's taught the skills from S-Cubed and how well the students have learned the skills individually. Administrators love it, and so do the students. When they master each skill, they advance to the next belt.

She wrote this blog post below yesterday about how she used it in her classroom earlier that day.

We will be giving away the Mega Bundle of S-Cubed, one of the large bundles of the Mastery Belt System and my Sub Bundle on November 24. Here are the details on how to enter-

It’s a big Thanksgiving giveaway! You can enter until 11:59 PM on November 23rd.

http://inthemiddlewithmrd1.blogspot.com/2025/11/thanksgiving-s-cubed-sight-singing.html?m=1

----

Pamela's post-

Orange Belt Assessments: Real-World Impact in a Big Choir Room

I’m in the middle of wrapping up the Orange Belt with my beginners—almost 100 sixth graders split into two huge classes of about 50 each.

A lot of people assume it’s impossible to keep track of every student in a class that size… and honestly, they’re not wrong. You do have to stay on top of your stuff! One thing that’s been a total lifesaver for me, especially in these beginning stages, is the Mastery Belt Assessments I built.

For example, we just finished the Orange Belt Final Test. A major focus of this belt is note-name identification. Students complete two assignments, several written warm-ups, and a final exam—all designed to check that skill. There’s also basic vocabulary like bar line, measure, staff, time signature, and accent.

Once the tests were done, I sat down and reviewed every score. I use that data not only to see who’s struggling, but also to gauge my own teaching. For instance, this time around, I realized I didn’t do as strong a job teaching rhythm rules—I had to rush that section—so many students missed those questions. That tells me it’s something I need to revisit.

For students who didn’t pass, I dug deeper to identify which skills they were missing. If it was vocabulary, I can review that quickly with the whole class (because chances are, others need that refresher too). If it’s note naming, that’s more foundational—so I plan to pull those students for small-group support and focused practice.

These assessments aren’t just about grades or data points. Yes, they give me evidence to share with administrators, counselors, and parents—and they help me speak clearly at IEP or conference meetings about where a student is growing or struggling. But more importantly, they ensure that every single student gets the chance to succeed.

Now that I’ve reviewed all the data, I’ve identified about six or seven students in each class who need extra help, plus exactly which skills they’re missing. I’ve even written a quick review sheet for my TA to use over the next two days so those students can get targeted support as we keep moving forward in the curriculum.

At the end of the day that’s what The Mastery Belt System is about—structure, equity, and success for every learner.

— Pamela

"One Life, One Chance"

How did you change the world today?

QUICK! I need ideas for my Choir Lesson! Topic- Concert Planning Checklist

noreply@blogger.com (inthemiddlewithmrd1.blogspot.com) — Mon, 10 Nov 2025 15:54:00 +0000

We all know the importance of proper planning.

It's really important to the success of our students when we are preparing for concerts.

Concerts are a "thing". Concerts are "moments" for our students, and it is our job to make the moment memorable for all of the right reasons instead of the wrong reasons!

A lot of the things that can go wrong can be avoided with good planning.

This "QUICK!" series lesson is aimed at the teacher- The choir teacher, the orchestra teacher and/or the band teacher.

It is designed to get your brain expecting and anticipating all of the parts of the concert planning process from picking and ordering music to the dress rehearsal.

In this lesson, you are advised to create various templates that you can use long term for all of your concerts to make things easier for you and for your students.

All of my "QUICK!" series lessons are designed to. help you get ideas and to think about things differently than you might have without my "QUICK!" lesson.

Please leave a review! Teachers count on them, and I do too!

We must set the up for success.

Here is the lesson on TpT!

In the Middle With Mr D

How One Classroom Video Became the Next Chapter of S-Cubed Sight Singing

The Tool is Changing. The Purpose is Not.

I've been here before part 2- Why AI is a part of the next chapter of my S-Cubed Journey

As I’ve been building the new S-Cubed AI Coach App, I made a decision about something that might seem pretty insignificant.

I've watched technology change before.

I remember being terrified in 2013.

Sometimes you have to build the thing yourself.

So I'm building an AI Coach App.

I know some people won't like this.

I've been transparent about much harder things.

The slides are staying.

Being a Leader with New Technology is a Trick.

Being a leader with new technology is a trick.

I Remember the “Old” Way

At Some Point, I Had a Choice

AI Feels Different

Old Knowledge. New Technology.

Maybe This Is What Leadership Looks Like

Because New Doesn't Automatically Mean Better

Maybe That's the Trick

The Hardest Part of S-Cubed? Getting Through It the First Time.

Today I uploaded two more lessons into the S-Cubed AI Coach, which means I’m getting very close to the end of the uploading process.

S-Cubed asks you to trust a process that probably doesn't look like the way you learned music.

I don't want AI to replace the teacher. I want it to support the teacher.

The first 10 lessons are the key.

Thousands of teachers have already trusted this process.

And if AI makes you nervous...

October 6.

The Silver Medal that Felt Like Gold.

I Don’t Want AI to Replace Artistry. I Want It to Help Artists.

In 2013, the year I started creating S-Cubed, I didn't know what I was doing.

Then AI arrived.

And yes, there's another side to this for me.

And now I'm building with it.

I'm still a musician and artist first.

Why I’m Building an AI Coach for S-Cubed

Why I’m Building an AI Coach for S-Cubed

Enter the S-Cubed AI Coach

I Know the Words “AI” Make Some Teachers Nervous

Why Lessons 1–10?

I’m Building This Carefully

October 6

I've been here before-

TpT Back to School Sale and some gift cards for you!

Why do so many children quit music lessons?

Why Do So Many Children Quit Music Lessons?

The answer may have less to do with talent... and more to do with how they're being taught.

Music Should Build Confidence... Not Frustration

Reading Music Is a Language

The Philosophy Behind S-Cubed

3/4 Learning + 1/4 Cup Fun = SUCCESS!

You Don't Need a Piano to Build a Musician

Every Child Deserves the Chance to Succeed

What if your child could learn to read music...without piano lessons?

What if your child could learn to read music...without piano lessons?

Why parents love it

Try Lesson One of the program for FREE

S-Cubed Homeschool Edition- Lesson 1-The Game- FREE on TpT

S-Cubed Homeschool Edition- Sight Singing Program for Beginners!

Dale Duncan <inthemiddlewithmrd@gmail.com>

Celebrate Summer with this "End of June" S-Cubed Sight Singing Program and Mastery Belt System Giveaway

The Curwen Hand Signs Leverage all three learning styles for S-Cubed Sight Singing Program

Prioritizing your health

Need a free Broadway Musical Unit for the end of the School Year?

Mr. D- Creator of S-Cubed Sight Singing Program for Beginners on "The Choir Guys" Podcast

Do you hate it when your admins and counselors dump children into your Choir Program?

Ask Mr. D and Pamela Weaver- Creator of The Mastery Belt System for the S-Cubed Sight Singing Program for Beginners- on Zoom!

TpT Cyber Sale Gift Card Giveaway from Music in the Middle with Mr. D

Guest Blogger, Pamela Weaver, on the real impact of using Mastery Belt System with S-Cubed Sight Singing Program for Beginners

Update on the S-Cubed Sight Singing Program for Beginners and the Mastery Belt System Collaboration

QUICK! I need ideas for my Choir Lesson! Topic- Concert Planning Checklist

Dale Duncan inthemiddlewithmrd@gmail.com