top of page
Do you wish your students were more productive with home practice?
Are you tired of students being "less-than-honest" on their practice records?
The Big IDEA is a method designed to help you move beyond the traditional practice record in order to create more independent learners in your instrumental music classrooms and private studios. While using The Big IDEA, students will learn to practice with purpose and create their own strategies for success! 
Identify Decide Execute Analyze
Our Story

The Big IDEA method was designed by Katie O’Hara LaBrie, a Middle School Orchestra Director, and Tracy Magwire, a Middle School Band Director, with the goal of teaching their students how to practice efficiently and effectively; to get away from simple time based practice records, and give students a path to becoming self-motivated, independent, life-long learners. 

 

In quantity-based logs, we often wonder whether the students are being truthful. Are they truly practicing, or just “playing through” the music? With these types of logs the goal of practice can become skewed - the goal focuses on time practiced, rather than effort and achievement. 

Using The Big IDEA, we have designed quality-based practice journals, where the students set goals based on musical principles, execute a variety of strategies that effectively help them meet those goals, assess their skills, and analyze what to do next.  

 

Since implementing The Big IDEA into our classes, we have seen an upswing in student practice, musical knowledge, rehearsal interaction, and performance. We hope that these resources will prove useful for you and your students!

The documents on this site have been created by a variety of music educators

and you are free to download whatever you would like and make it your own!

 

We are always looking for additional content, so share your awesome ideas with us! 

Katie O'Hara LaBrie: katieoharalabrie@gmail.com

Tracy Magwire: tlmagwire@fcps.edu

bottom of page