Interactive whiteboards are rapidly replacing chalkboards and standard whiteboards in the classroom. Using an interactive whiteboard allows for a dynamic and engaging learning environment that students will benefit from. Used in conjunction with a computer and a projector, an interactive whiteboard reflects presentations and resources that can be manipulated directly on the board. Incorporating an interactive whiteboard into your music lessons is not challenging. Only basic computer skills are required to operate an interactive whiteboard and to integrate it into your daily teaching practice

Explore music resources and lesson plans available online; many use the interactive whiteboard. PowerPoint presentations can also be used. Adapt your old presentations for the interactive whiteboard by adding animations and web links to make them more visually engaging.

Load the software, presentations or lesson plans that you are interested in using onto your computer. Connect your computer to the interactive whiteboard and experiment with the material. Experiencing the technology before the students do will help in your lesson planning and delivery.

Display sheet music on the interactive whiteboard. This technology makes it easier to highlight and manipulate particular bars or notes. Move through a piece of music page by page and allow students to make annotations or edits as a group. Teach individual notes and chords with manipulative resources from SMART Exchange.

Use web links in your presentations to give them more depth and to give your students a multimedia learning experience. Links to videos on YouTube can show instructional videos for instruments and clips of particular musicians or concerts.

Encourage your students to interact with the whiteboard by using manipulative software and web content. Muxicall is a wall of music that presents the students with a grid of notes that they can play by touching the interactive whiteboard. By inviting a group of students to use Muxicall at the same time, you can let them experiment with different notes and challenge them to create a piece of music together. TitanPad is another great resource that allows real-time communication between the class and teacher. Play a piece of music and ask the students to write how they feel about it as they are listening or test them on their ability to recognize different instruments.

Prepare students for exams with quizzes and questionnaires on the interactive whiteboard. This method engages students and makes the material they need for exams more memorable due to the interactive and group learning experience.