This is the time of year that people start considering if they want to take a levels course. But there are so many options! How do you know what to take? Here’s a little run down to help you out:

Consider Your Teaching Style

Different ‘methods’ have different appeals. Do you like to move? Do you play piano? Are you looking for more curriculum building? Do you have a room full of drums? Are you teaching early childhood? What speaks to you? Kodaly, Orff, Dalcroze, Music Learning Theory, Song Works, World Music Drumming? Something else?

Consider Your School Resources

If your school has zero instrument resources and a small budget, Orff may seem less appealing. I know that Orff style teaching can be done without instruments but it may feel discouraging and a little sad knowing some of the things you can’t do. Just an honest thought on why I didn’t pursue Orff when I started levels.

Cost

Yup. Some courses are more expensive. Some require more materials. Cost of travel is also a consideration. Price out a few places and weigh your options. Can you stay at a dorm? Or is it more efficient to stay in a hotel? For level 1 I stayed in a ‘hotel style’ room on my college campus in the university center. It was a super cool experience and worth it.

But, I’m team hotel. If I am old enough to have a college freshman I don’t need to live like a college freshman. You all remember how uncomfortable college mattresses were then, right?

For levels 2 and 3 I stayed at hotels because they ended up being more cost efficient, especially when you consider what I’d have to buy to make the dorm room work. I was traveling to different cities so I didn’t have car full of household goods like things to cook in, sheets, and towels. In my Portland hotel, I managed to microwave cook, eat out, and get things that could stay in the fridge and eat cold like yogurt and sandwiches. My hotel in Oklahoma had a full sized fridge and a stove as well so I definitely was able to feel a little more at home.

The big benefits for me were that I had a TV (I like TV for background noise because it is easier to tune it out for me than music), no laundry to do, and I didn’t have to bring things or purchase those XLsheets for the college dorm or towels. My Oklahoma hotel also had a pool which I used pretty heavily.

What to Bring If you DO travel for levels

• Obviously school supplies but I’d advocate for a few pencils you love, a pair of travel scissors, tape, and some highlighters to make their way into your bag.
• Extra charger cords/long ones
• Reusable silverware and a dish or two
• Water bottle and travel coffee mug
• Travel kettle: Oatmeal, instant coffee, tea, ramen. Inexpensive and a lot of uses.
• Collapsable laundry hamper. This was really helpful being somewhere for 2 weeks. In the end I just tossed that into my car and threw other things in my suitcase.
• Something to do your dishes (I have this little travel bottle washing set but it works for much more than bottles)
• Sturdy backpack. My backpack that I took to Portland broke halfway through and I had to replace it while I was there. Which leads me to what I did for Oklahoma….
• If you have a few of your resources already, scan them with an app like Cam Scanner, run them through a copier at school to create a PDF, or take pictures (especially of the heavier books) and bring yourself a digital copy instead of paper. I did this for a lot of my books and while I know I can’t host them online due to copyright (and I won’t share them even if asked), it’s great to be able to reference them when I’m on the go! And it saved my back in Oklahoma for level 3. I also maintain all of my paper copies of these books.
• If you are in a hotel, bring a swimsuit. I know…what… BUT. I made sure during level 3 to take a dip in the hotel pool a few nights and on my last night there I spent the evening drifting down the lazy river at a local water park. I’m SO glad I did that and it helped me relax and get out of my head a little bit. If that’s not your thing, make sure you bring something so you can move, get a little exercise and and step away from work for a few like a yoga mat, a small pair of wrist weights, or your running shoes. Hotels also have excise rooms which is nice too.
• Lunch bag so you have something to keep food in and not have to eat out every day.

Location Availability

I hate to say this because I travelled heavily to finish my Kodaly levels because it was important to me, but the reality is that a lot of people can’t do that. Commitments, children, pets, scheduling, and cost make it very difficult to travel for levels. I was lucky enough to do them fairly cost efficiently and didn’t have a child at home at the time. If there is nothing near you, you’ll have to weigh the options of cost vs desire to take it.

I hope this gives you a little help in making decisions about summer levels!