Is There a Coupon for That?

So here's a question to think about: 

Should we have to rely on parents and fundraising to run a modern music program?

Here's what I think. 

I don’t think that we should have to rely on them, but they can certainly help contribute. I usually see them as extra money for the music program outside of the allowed budget the music teachers are allowed. Both of these things can do a lot to help pay the cost of other things that aren’t a necessity or help along in the cause of getting something that is necessary.

Fundraising is a great way to get some extra money. I remember in high school we would fundraise to cut the cost of the annual band trip. First we would try to sell cookie dough/cheesecake/pies and then the second one would be the Entertainment book, that big book of coupons.  I find it ironic that I bring up the Entertainment book. If there were a way for us music teachers to have a coupon for EVERYTHING that we want to purchase, perhaps then we wouldn’t be in this predicament where we don’t know if the funding for the music program will be given or not. 

Parents are a good source of money as well. I wouldn’t expect them to fund an entire music program, but it is quite possible for them to support the music program. If they support their children playing an instrument, then they are contributing to the music program as well! Whether it is buying something as minuscule as a reed or something big like renting a tuba, a parent helps contribute to the music program by helping a student gain something that perhaps the music teacher cannot provide.

Becoming a Techie

Today’s world is changing thanks to the technology that is being developed or updated every day. With this new change, comes adaptation. The new generation of students has adjusted quickly and can maneuver through this technology better than the older generations. Everything is now more accessible. Young students can find songs easily on YouTube then go download them from iTunes for their iPods or for the older students, iPhones. Video games such as Guitar Hero and Rock Band can give the student an experience in coordination when it comes to playing an instrument. iPads have a new apps that help students grow in music while having fun! They also give students a way to play an instrument if they normally don’t play one. So what does this mean for music in the classroom? In an article I found called, “ How Music Teachers Got Their Groove Back: Music Instruction Goes Digital,” it tells how some teachers have found ways to integrate technology into their music classes.

The truth is that music education has been changing to fit in the new technology. Many schools have received funding for all sorts of new gadgets such as iPads, MacBooks, Chromebooks, and Macs. With these new gadgets, music teachers can find apps and other software to make music possible. Software such as Garage Band can help a teacher teach composition to his/her students. Therefore opening doors to students’ creative minds. I remember one time when I was observing in a middle school, a general music class was learning about film music and their project was to create their own pieces to fit behind a thirty second movie trailer. I was able to listen to some of the pieces the students had written and it was amazing to see what they were really capable of.

Do technology and music really have to stop at just composition? Of course not! Dr. Douglas O'Grady, a professor at my alma mater, composed a piece of music for iPads and an orchestra called iAlchemy. Thanks to an app called MorphWiz, that’s what gave the students of Seymour High School the tools to play with the orchestra. When listening to the song, it was very dramatic and sounded very much like something Danny Elfman would compose. The song sounds amazing and it’s very cool to see that technology (something new) can combine with an orchestra (something old).

Unfortunately a concert that featured the piece happened two years ago so if you wish to listen to this song, you’ll just have to click on the word, iAlchemy above.

Music Educator Traits

Music teachers are a unique type of teacher. We do things differently than any other teacher, but what part of us makes us so exceptional? Is it because we have to teach every student an instrument rather than grammar? Is it because we have to rehearse ensembles rather than have everyone sit at a desk, bored because of math?

            Maybe, but what makes us distinctive are the qualities we have as teachers. No two teachers are alike. Sure we can emulate what we’ve seen from colleagues, but we make our classroom our own. The way we teach is our own as well. Though there are three traits I believe to be very essential to music teachers.

1.     Optimist

The music teacher needs to be an optimist, “someone who tends to take a hopeful and positive view of future outcomes.” That is how Peter L. Boonshaft defined it, in his book, Teaching Music with Purpose. The classroom climate in an optimist’s room is positive where negativity is not welcome. As the optimistic music teacher, I believe it is your duty to reinforce positive behaviors you see with appropriate compliments that will be an example for the other students to follow. An optimistic teacher is also confident in his or her students by telling them firstly that they can succeed. Since you just showed that you believe in your students, then they will believe in themselves.

2.     Flexible

Much like how the students learn about the teacher and the subject, the teacher learns about the students and how to teach them in a manner that will lead to success. The teacher must have an extensive knowledge of his/her specialty. This teacher will need a bag of tricks in case if something that had been explained does not make sense to a student. Some students won’t understand clearly the first time, it’s a good idea to have more ideas in the back of your mind or come up with some that can give a student an easier time to understand. As a music educator, one must be able to communicate clearly what he or she wants to achieve with his or her students, especially in rehearsal, where it’s best to talk LESS and do MORE to make the most out of time. 

3.     A Leader

Defined by Merriam-Webster Dictionary, to lead means to direct on a course or in a direction. For a teacher to be a leader, one must be able to guide students on the right path. It can easily be achieved if you have a positive attitude. To be a leader and a teacher, one must have people skills! You have to know how to keep people engaged and excited to learn. A teacher is always enthusiastic to see his/her students grow and succeed. Being a musician, a teacher, and a conductor, mistakes are made a lot. Boonshaft says that mistakes are learning experiences so long as you, the teacher, show them that it’s okay and I couldn’t agree more. It’s important for student to keep going and to not stop. As educators we are passionate about what we do. I have yet to meet a teacher who does not like his/her job. Therefore, if you’re a music educator, you must have a passion for expanding the brains of students and music. So you must be committed! Meaning you won’t give up on your students and to pull through until your ensemble performs! When times get rough, always remember to STAY POSITIVE. Frank Battisti said it best; “The primary task of a leader is to keep hope alive.” That’s the greatest thing we educators can do.

The Voice!

This past Monday, instead of teaching a trumpet lesson, I taught a choral warm-up. Needless to say it was once again, interesting.

After teaching my warm-up lesson, I realized that I could have done a lot more than just sing a scale with solfege. There was a lot that I missed that could have vocally warmed up my students. I originally had on my lesson plan after we sung a scale; I would have had my students sing thirds (Do Mi Re Fa, etc). I used to do them as a small warm-up for my sight-singing class just because it got us thinking about solfege and it was fun to do. Perhaps for next time I decide to teach a warm up, I could have used syllables that could have helped more than solfege.

I enjoyed the fact that I was able to talk less and do more in order to achieve what I wanted. If I added more, I felt as though I would be more implied to explain more and do less. I should have used more exercises, but then again it’s just a warm-up. How many exercises can you do before it becomes too much and you have less time to work on repertoire? It seems as though there is a delicate balance between the two. I find this problem sometimes when I’m teaching my flute and clarinet students. Sometimes warm ups take a little too much time, but it can be productive when I ask for my students to play with a good tone. With a choral warm-up there’s just more to it than singing scales. I should have known that after taking choir as an undergrad with an amazing choir professor. With more exercises that dealt with keeping the right “technique” for singing, the more I could have accomplished.

There’s always room for improvement and this lesson gave me an eye-opening look into what I should work on before I teach again.

Five Minutes. That's It!

This past Monday, I was able to do teach the first trumpet lesson to my professor, Brandt Schneider, who did a wonderful job playing the 4^th/5^th grader. As a woodwind person, I had a fun time trying to think of ways to create a lesson plan for the trumpet. I’m very grateful for asking for advice from my brass friends. However, my lesson plan had too many objectives when I should have kept it to one. It was unclear to my audience who was watching, my “student,” and even myself. Therefore, I need to pick one logical objective that my students can take away from it, in the future.

It’s funny to me how I got feedback about how quiet I was when I’m at my internship school, I’m definitely more energetic and alert. Even at my job (I teach private clarinet and flute lessons) I always ask my students about something that’s going on in their lives before we get started. During my lesson, I was quiet and less energetic. I’m not sure if it was the fact that I was the first one giving the lesson or the fact that I was tired during the day, but when I finally teach lessons in a public school setting, I will be mindful of how much positive energy I’m showing to students.

For the next time I teach a lesson to a student, I’ll keep it short and to the point. If that is something I believe in as a prospective teacher, then I better make sure that I keep myself held to that idea. There’s a way to fix it. Janet Robinson first showed me this acronym at the internship orientation during her lecture. She taught us, K.I.S.S. It stands for “Keep It Simple, Stupid!” This means that I should use simple words that my students will easily understand and for myself to remember what we’re talking about.

Rubrics? No Thank You

Do you remember when you were given a writing assignment in Language Arts class or any sort of project during middle school or high school? I do too. They weren’t the best, but it made me understand what I missed.

I read an article titled, “The Trouble with Rubrics,” by Alfie Kohn. In his article, Kohn talks about his perspective on rubrics in the classroom. He starts by talking about assessments and how rubrics are an alternative. I agree that rubrics are an alternative, but they shouldn’t be used all the time because then students grow used to getting one every time there’s an assessment of some sort. However Kohn said that rubrics give more details about a grade than just seeing just a letter. I do agree that rubrics do that, but I don’t believe that we should rely on them heavily.

Kohn said that it’s actually a better idea to not give the actual rubric to a student who is so enveloped with grades. It’s troublesome and the student loses focus on what’s important. I agree that students shouldn’t be given the rubric because so much authentic work is lost for the sake of getting a good grade. Though I have this idea in my head that if you do give students a rubric, you should go over it so they understand what’s to be expected then put it away and move on. If you put an emphasis on the grade, then you’ll worry them. If you show that it can guide them to what you’re looking for, perhaps they won’t be so worried in the end.

A way that I would utilize a rubric is that I wouldn’t. Student musicians are at different levels that it can be difficult to decide where they fit on a rubric. You would almost have to tailor a rubric to fit everyone’s specific needs. That’s where a rubric wouldn’t be the best way to assess someone on a performance. I would suggest having a student record a short performance on a piece of music the band is performing then send the file to you via email. From there you could assess appropriately. It really depends on what the teacher would like to assess, but I wouldn’t assess something that couldn’t receive feedback. Fortunately, everything in music can receive feedback!