My school has a subscription to a teaching professional development online network with lesson plans, bulletins, research summaries and the like. We are currently perusing it independently for staff development today, and I found a bulletin on student engagement. It quotes a Chinese proverb that states "Tell me and I'll forget, show me and I may remember, involve me and I'll understand". Think of how much involvement goes on in the average music class! At the very least, we are usually showing through modeling, listening to recordings, counting out loud, etc. This makes me quite happy!!
Good day.
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Quickfire Teaching Thoughts, and Pedagogy Excitement
First, some thoughts scatter-gun style:
I started beginners this week. It's super exciting! I was so ready to send them all home ready to play "We Will Rock You" (Eb D C Bb C C for brass and clarinet, C B A G AA for flute, etc) for their parents so they would be hooked forever. And then, many of them simply could not make a discriminate pitch. Sure it was only day one, but how do we get around that? Are they going to go home and practicing making poor sounds that are in between partials and not really notes? Lesson two starts tomorrow, we'll see!
Another beginning band thought - this is where it all begins. It's incredible to think how influential my instruction can be for these 10 and 11 year olds!
Jazz improv is still on the shelf for now, but we're going to try to subtly and slyly back our way into it by having a "recording session" tomorrow, where we will record our rhythm section playing a sweet rock vamp groove, and then on Friday, I'll distribute it on CDs for everyone to solo along with. We have already practice a scale that sounds great with the groove, so hopefully this approach will have better results - they are very familiar and comfortable with rock grooves, they like this song in particular, we have a little better rapport, etc.
I just finished grading our first playing test, which consisted solely of a Bb scale played in half notes, quarter notes, then repeated 8th notes. Many students excelled, while others displayed some real weaknesses, and I'm a little wary about handing their scores out tomorrow. I tried to be generous, yet firm, remembering that 6th graders have really only been playing for a few months, whereas 8th graders have been playing at least three times longer. I plan on keeping playing tests around, though, because I love getting a chance to hear each student individually.
I attended my first Grade School Music Association district meeting today, and I knew nobody and had no idea what was going on! I'm looking forward to getting caught up to speed on this kind of stuff.
Finally, I put together a worksheet that I'm really excited about. Many of my students have a very serious note reading problem, and the worksheet addresses that. Right now, they are blank templates so I can increase the difficulty over time. I plan on assigning this once a quarter or so. Here's a look:
Any comments or suggestions for improvement? Part of what I want to communicate with this worksheet is that band (music) is just like any other academic class. You put hard work in at home and learn a lot. Hopefully this will help fingerings and note recognition become second for us. In the meantime, I'll remember that it's still very early and that growth and development will come - from myself and my students.
I started beginners this week. It's super exciting! I was so ready to send them all home ready to play "We Will Rock You" (Eb D C Bb C C for brass and clarinet, C B A G AA for flute, etc) for their parents so they would be hooked forever. And then, many of them simply could not make a discriminate pitch. Sure it was only day one, but how do we get around that? Are they going to go home and practicing making poor sounds that are in between partials and not really notes? Lesson two starts tomorrow, we'll see!
Another beginning band thought - this is where it all begins. It's incredible to think how influential my instruction can be for these 10 and 11 year olds!
Jazz improv is still on the shelf for now, but we're going to try to subtly and slyly back our way into it by having a "recording session" tomorrow, where we will record our rhythm section playing a sweet rock vamp groove, and then on Friday, I'll distribute it on CDs for everyone to solo along with. We have already practice a scale that sounds great with the groove, so hopefully this approach will have better results - they are very familiar and comfortable with rock grooves, they like this song in particular, we have a little better rapport, etc.
I just finished grading our first playing test, which consisted solely of a Bb scale played in half notes, quarter notes, then repeated 8th notes. Many students excelled, while others displayed some real weaknesses, and I'm a little wary about handing their scores out tomorrow. I tried to be generous, yet firm, remembering that 6th graders have really only been playing for a few months, whereas 8th graders have been playing at least three times longer. I plan on keeping playing tests around, though, because I love getting a chance to hear each student individually.
I attended my first Grade School Music Association district meeting today, and I knew nobody and had no idea what was going on! I'm looking forward to getting caught up to speed on this kind of stuff.
Finally, I put together a worksheet that I'm really excited about. Many of my students have a very serious note reading problem, and the worksheet addresses that. Right now, they are blank templates so I can increase the difficulty over time. I plan on assigning this once a quarter or so. Here's a look:
Any comments or suggestions for improvement? Part of what I want to communicate with this worksheet is that band (music) is just like any other academic class. You put hard work in at home and learn a lot. Hopefully this will help fingerings and note recognition become second for us. In the meantime, I'll remember that it's still very early and that growth and development will come - from myself and my students.
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
the Future
So things at the high school have been going well overall the last week or so. Classes are productive (usually!), I'm building some rapport with the students and late nights are less late. Joining a gym, catching up on fresh cooking, and some lull time in the marching band schedule have helped also.
However, I cannot help but worry about my instrumentation situation, especially for next year. Let me lay it out. In my top group I am sufficient in flutes, clarinets and saxophones (of course). However after this coming graduation, the only things left in the way of brass will be one trumpet, one horn, and one baritone. The freshmen level band only now has flutes, clarinets, alto saxophones, and two trumpets, so that is all I will be able to promote. I am not sure yet what will be coming up from the feeders for next year.
What bothers me most is that I feel powerless. I am totally up for the extra work of rewriting parts and carefully selecting repertoire. But I feel that in this coming scenario that may not get me far enough. I am also not sure how or when to approach students about switching instruments. I am also wondering how to approach my feeders about how we can work together to have proper instrumentation in the community's music groups.
I do not mean to complain or to sound overly bleak. However I am looking for some creative solutions and ideas towards mending this situation. What I really want is to provide my students with the experience of a characteristic band sound, and a shot at repertoire with diverse sounds.
However, I cannot help but worry about my instrumentation situation, especially for next year. Let me lay it out. In my top group I am sufficient in flutes, clarinets and saxophones (of course). However after this coming graduation, the only things left in the way of brass will be one trumpet, one horn, and one baritone. The freshmen level band only now has flutes, clarinets, alto saxophones, and two trumpets, so that is all I will be able to promote. I am not sure yet what will be coming up from the feeders for next year.
What bothers me most is that I feel powerless. I am totally up for the extra work of rewriting parts and carefully selecting repertoire. But I feel that in this coming scenario that may not get me far enough. I am also not sure how or when to approach students about switching instruments. I am also wondering how to approach my feeders about how we can work together to have proper instrumentation in the community's music groups.
I do not mean to complain or to sound overly bleak. However I am looking for some creative solutions and ideas towards mending this situation. What I really want is to provide my students with the experience of a characteristic band sound, and a shot at repertoire with diverse sounds.
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Monday, September 20, 2010
Save twice.
I would just like to preface this post by saying it is not my intention to complain, but to share a stressful yet comical story with you...
I have about 20 different lessons to plan for each week. Technically, they all have to be turned in and checked on mondays, so I usually spend one day of my weekend up to my neck in books, papers, and Word documents. Yesterday was that day. I spent about 4-5 hours working on lesson plans... Last week I had just felt really disorganized with the way I planned, so I was meticulous and really felt good about all of my lessons for the week. I knew what Is doing, all my powerpoints were ready, and the lessons were well sequenced... You can see where this is heading..
This morning, about 7:15, I was transferring my old lesson plans to a new location and saving my new lesson plans to my external hard drive so I could print them. Somehow, by a crazy wrong click of my hand, I save my old lesson plans over the new ones. There was no way of getting them back. If I had accidentally deleted them, then it would be a different story, however, saving OVER them? not so much... I lost every single lesson plan for the week, and had less than an hour before school started...
Luckily, the teacher across the hall was willing to change morning patrol shifts with me so I could work, and my dad was up so I could cry to someone.. Then I got down to work. I pulled together the 8 lessons that I needed for today, and all was well. Was I upset? of course! But, I was also really proud of myself... I took a few moments to grieve my lost work, and then moved on. I'm still not looking forward to re doing everything tonight and figuring out how to get my classes organized and on track again, but It will be okay.... The moral of the story? Save everything to two different locations. Period.
I have about 20 different lessons to plan for each week. Technically, they all have to be turned in and checked on mondays, so I usually spend one day of my weekend up to my neck in books, papers, and Word documents. Yesterday was that day. I spent about 4-5 hours working on lesson plans... Last week I had just felt really disorganized with the way I planned, so I was meticulous and really felt good about all of my lessons for the week. I knew what Is doing, all my powerpoints were ready, and the lessons were well sequenced... You can see where this is heading..
This morning, about 7:15, I was transferring my old lesson plans to a new location and saving my new lesson plans to my external hard drive so I could print them. Somehow, by a crazy wrong click of my hand, I save my old lesson plans over the new ones. There was no way of getting them back. If I had accidentally deleted them, then it would be a different story, however, saving OVER them? not so much... I lost every single lesson plan for the week, and had less than an hour before school started...
Luckily, the teacher across the hall was willing to change morning patrol shifts with me so I could work, and my dad was up so I could cry to someone.. Then I got down to work. I pulled together the 8 lessons that I needed for today, and all was well. Was I upset? of course! But, I was also really proud of myself... I took a few moments to grieve my lost work, and then moved on. I'm still not looking forward to re doing everything tonight and figuring out how to get my classes organized and on track again, but It will be okay.... The moral of the story? Save everything to two different locations. Period.
Friday, September 17, 2010
Making Mistakes
"Mistakes are okay, just learn from them!" This has been my number one lesson this past month of school. I have probably made more stupid mistakes in the past week than I did all of student teaching combined. (and I made plenty then, too!) And you know what? I still think I'm doing a pretty good job as a teacher! This has been a great opportunity (ehem, trial and time of suffering) to deal with and overcome my perfectionism. Change happens slowly. Remember that 5th grade class that I wrote about a few weeks ago? It's still a mess. I still spend more time angry at them than smiling at them. I am still too inconsistent in my punishment. I am still afraid to make parent phone calls. I am still learning. That one out of control K class? Still completely out of control! My fault? Partially, partially not. All I can do is continue to reflect and improve, and overall love the kids. Newsflash to the world: I have learned more about how to be a good teacher from the classes that DON'T go well than the ones that do. Here is what i've learned so far this week.
1. About school: It's seriously okay to be mean. It's okay to punish kids. It's okay if they cry. About me: I am afraid of being mean. Somewhere in my messed up brain, I have discovered another one of my many irrational fears. You ready? I am afraid that if I punish kids for talking and not meeting my expectations every single time and for minor offenses in the beginning, instead of leading to a respectful learning environment where the kids feel like they can both learn and express themselves, I will have a stoic, emotionless, and bored class that will completely miss the point of music. Yet, all my experiences and the experiences of teachers who I respect proves the opposite. Next week, I am going to try my hardest to not be afraid to punish kids. (side note of self reflection - I think it is really interesting that I am having this problem because I was that kid that was COMPLETELY afraid of GETTING in trouble as a kid.)
2. Kids need consistency and structure. Teachers fight a losing battle if a student does not have structure and discipline at home. Teachers fight a double losing battle if parents AND other teachers don't provide enough structure and discipline. My mom said to me today "Don't kids just adapt to the expectations of where they are at the time?" Absolutely not. Some will....but most of the time, I don't think they can. Consistency and structure are stabilizing. Boundaries are comforting. It is true.
3. If you believe a child won't succeed, they won't. If you believe that they will, they are more likely to. This is the most powerful fact that a teacher holds in their possession. I hate labeling. low kids, high kids, slow kids, gifted kids... obviously, we need some system of labeling in order to know and help each child succeed. We can't say that all kids learn at the same speed and in the same way. However, expectation plays a huge part in behavior and success. I wish that I could say that I have the same expectation for all my classes, but I am still making mistakes! This is one of my goals for next week, especially with the classes that I struggle with.
There is one particular student that I am trying to "win over to the good side." She is a kindergartener who always seems to be in trouble. Sort of randomly one day after she had made some bad choices, I called her over to me and told her that i believed that she could turn her day in music around. She said she could and she did.... for the next ten minutes... It was a start!! I've decided to really work on this child. Make her believe that she IS good and that she CAN make good choices for behavior. I figure, If I believe in her, maybe she will start to make some good choices and believe in herself. We had a similar talk today about her being a good leader for her class. She made it another ten minutes. I am proud of the start.
Those are my musings for the week. On another note, I survived BOTH middle school and high school without ever getting a detention, just to have detention duty this morning at 7AM... I can no longer say I've never been in detention. It's a little sad.
1. About school: It's seriously okay to be mean. It's okay to punish kids. It's okay if they cry. About me: I am afraid of being mean. Somewhere in my messed up brain, I have discovered another one of my many irrational fears. You ready? I am afraid that if I punish kids for talking and not meeting my expectations every single time and for minor offenses in the beginning, instead of leading to a respectful learning environment where the kids feel like they can both learn and express themselves, I will have a stoic, emotionless, and bored class that will completely miss the point of music. Yet, all my experiences and the experiences of teachers who I respect proves the opposite. Next week, I am going to try my hardest to not be afraid to punish kids. (side note of self reflection - I think it is really interesting that I am having this problem because I was that kid that was COMPLETELY afraid of GETTING in trouble as a kid.)
2. Kids need consistency and structure. Teachers fight a losing battle if a student does not have structure and discipline at home. Teachers fight a double losing battle if parents AND other teachers don't provide enough structure and discipline. My mom said to me today "Don't kids just adapt to the expectations of where they are at the time?" Absolutely not. Some will....but most of the time, I don't think they can. Consistency and structure are stabilizing. Boundaries are comforting. It is true.
3. If you believe a child won't succeed, they won't. If you believe that they will, they are more likely to. This is the most powerful fact that a teacher holds in their possession. I hate labeling. low kids, high kids, slow kids, gifted kids... obviously, we need some system of labeling in order to know and help each child succeed. We can't say that all kids learn at the same speed and in the same way. However, expectation plays a huge part in behavior and success. I wish that I could say that I have the same expectation for all my classes, but I am still making mistakes! This is one of my goals for next week, especially with the classes that I struggle with.
There is one particular student that I am trying to "win over to the good side." She is a kindergartener who always seems to be in trouble. Sort of randomly one day after she had made some bad choices, I called her over to me and told her that i believed that she could turn her day in music around. She said she could and she did.... for the next ten minutes... It was a start!! I've decided to really work on this child. Make her believe that she IS good and that she CAN make good choices for behavior. I figure, If I believe in her, maybe she will start to make some good choices and believe in herself. We had a similar talk today about her being a good leader for her class. She made it another ten minutes. I am proud of the start.
Those are my musings for the week. On another note, I survived BOTH middle school and high school without ever getting a detention, just to have detention duty this morning at 7AM... I can no longer say I've never been in detention. It's a little sad.
Rough Draft
I have been tremendously fortunate to have had wonderful veteran teachers in my life. In fact, I was just telling a friend of mine from my hometown that I had never had a first year teacher in all my years of public school. Kinda crazy. I remember student teachers, but no new teachers. As a result, it is hard for me to know what people expect of young teachers; it can be really stressful. I don't like to make excuses or settle for less than my best, but I don't want to burn out either. Especially as the only band teacher in my district, I don't have a sense of "normal."
This week while journaling, I had a nice thought that I wanted to share:
"Next year will be easier. I will have a place to go from. This is the first draft. It will be rough, it will have mistakes, but it will hang together. The big picture will be there. And I have the rest of my career to revise it."
I had a good week this week. I really felt like I turned a corner with this idea of a "rough draft." It's not like college. You don't get graded every time you teach. You just do your best. And if it doesn't work out, you do it better tomorrow. Sweet.
Okay, this post is kinda mushy/serious. Here's a silly kid quote:
Me: Great, band. Wunderbar!
6th Grade Band: huh? What? What's that mean? Is that German? My last name is German! Metzger means butcher!
Particularly loud sixth grade boy: It means testicle!!
::ALARMED TEACHER FACE. I collect myself.::
Me: Excuse me Tyler, what did you say?
Tyler: Fantastical! It means fantastical!
Me: ::sigh of relief:: Yes, that's a great translation!
One month down!
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Jazz Update
Remember that post I made a few weeks ago about the improvisation curriculum we were going to put in place in my jazz band class? Remember how uplifting it was and how I was going to lift my students out of their musical shells and take musical risks and create? We were going to gel as a musical unit and overcome our instrumentation problems and our shyness. Remember how musically and personally rewarding it was going to be?
My kids hated it.
The entire concept was met with incredible resistance, as my kids wanted nothing to do with musical risks, creativity, and self expression. It really is hard for me to describe how much they resisted participation in our improvisation games, in the idea of playing for playing's sake, and in the value of playing this type of music.
Needless to say, this was super frustrating. I was so excited about the prospect of making improvisation the centerpiece of the class (since the instrumentation stinks and they read really poorly anyhow), and I couldn't believe it when I saw it completely fall apart.
So I want to briefly analyze the failure, because I want to put it in my back pocket to try it again later, I think it is incredibly valuable, and I want to see how I can improve as a teacher. I see two main reasons why it didn't work.
1) One of the key components of the failure of the improv curriculum lies in the fact that it was completely different than anything they had done before. People hate change. Kids hate change. It is clear to me that they are very used to a very different system than what I was trying to implement. That system, which is probably practiced by the majority of band directors (which I have resorted to often this year, sad to say) goes like so: 1) Pass out some music, 2) sightread it terribly, 3) kids wait for band director to tell them how to play it, 4) perform at a concert with varying quality.
In this system, the kids learn nothing, don't do any of the work, and the director does all the work. (I've already had to do this with my 6-8 grade band that marches parades, because we had a parade right at the beginning of the year. I see how easy it is to slip into this system).
Well, the kids are very used to this system, and when I presented a different approach to our class, they did not handle it very well. They responded to the improv curriculum with comments like "when are we going to play real music?" "this sounds dumb," etc. (The irony of the first comment is that they can't read a lick, which is one of the reasons I went the improv route in the first place. If I put music in front of them, at this point it's pretty much always a disaster).
So this is one of those things that, as the students get used to me and as I develop a reputation over months and years and I get to start doing things they way I think they ought to be done, this'll change. They won't be so used to it anymore. Our fellow blogger Nick sagely reminded me that "Rome wasn't built in a day."
2) The second point of failure in the improv curriculum is a classroom management one. This lies on me and the teacher before me. It was clear from day one that my kids are used to talking whenever they want, getting up whenever they want, and pretty much controlling the class. Obviously, that's something I wanted to change, and I'm working hard at it. My mentor teacher said that it's going to be December before I make a lasting dent, but I'm working hard at it, and we're getting better, but man, it is exhausting.
The 8th graders in particular are tough to deal with. They think they know it all, are super cool, and they are used to having zero structure and zero consequences. So they didn't immediately see the value of the improv lessons, and they just went buck wild. They didn't do what I requested of them, sometimes flat out refusing to do so, and they just wouldn't focus or work toward any goal. They're content with sub-mediocrity and goofing off.
And I guess this comes back to a problem that's even larger than the failure of the improvisation lessons. I hate being the bad guy. I have this concept of a good classroom manager in my head as someone who just doesn't have to punish students because of their mystical, esoteric ability to inspire respect, motivation, and a healthy amount of fear in their students. And man, I am so not there. If I were totally consistent with my rules, I would hand out 20 demerits a day, and that just seems ridiculous to me. I am striving for consistency and firmness, and it's easier in jazz band with just 12 kids, but in band with 45, it is just out of my reach right now. It's overwhelming.
So I guess the nexus of the problem really lies in motivation. If I can sell to my kids the value of my educational vision for them, then they'll focus, do what I ask of them, and put in the work. If I don't, then I'll be fighting my kids, dragging them along forever.
Wow, this reflection was helpful. And now I'm pumped! I have a renewed zeal to just impart my passion for music and music making in my students. I know it's not gonna stick for all my kids, especially some of these hardened 8th graders, but 5th grade beginning band is just around the corner.
My kids hated it.
The entire concept was met with incredible resistance, as my kids wanted nothing to do with musical risks, creativity, and self expression. It really is hard for me to describe how much they resisted participation in our improvisation games, in the idea of playing for playing's sake, and in the value of playing this type of music.
Needless to say, this was super frustrating. I was so excited about the prospect of making improvisation the centerpiece of the class (since the instrumentation stinks and they read really poorly anyhow), and I couldn't believe it when I saw it completely fall apart.
So I want to briefly analyze the failure, because I want to put it in my back pocket to try it again later, I think it is incredibly valuable, and I want to see how I can improve as a teacher. I see two main reasons why it didn't work.
1) One of the key components of the failure of the improv curriculum lies in the fact that it was completely different than anything they had done before. People hate change. Kids hate change. It is clear to me that they are very used to a very different system than what I was trying to implement. That system, which is probably practiced by the majority of band directors (which I have resorted to often this year, sad to say) goes like so: 1) Pass out some music, 2) sightread it terribly, 3) kids wait for band director to tell them how to play it, 4) perform at a concert with varying quality.
In this system, the kids learn nothing, don't do any of the work, and the director does all the work. (I've already had to do this with my 6-8 grade band that marches parades, because we had a parade right at the beginning of the year. I see how easy it is to slip into this system).
Well, the kids are very used to this system, and when I presented a different approach to our class, they did not handle it very well. They responded to the improv curriculum with comments like "when are we going to play real music?" "this sounds dumb," etc. (The irony of the first comment is that they can't read a lick, which is one of the reasons I went the improv route in the first place. If I put music in front of them, at this point it's pretty much always a disaster).
So this is one of those things that, as the students get used to me and as I develop a reputation over months and years and I get to start doing things they way I think they ought to be done, this'll change. They won't be so used to it anymore. Our fellow blogger Nick sagely reminded me that "Rome wasn't built in a day."
2) The second point of failure in the improv curriculum is a classroom management one. This lies on me and the teacher before me. It was clear from day one that my kids are used to talking whenever they want, getting up whenever they want, and pretty much controlling the class. Obviously, that's something I wanted to change, and I'm working hard at it. My mentor teacher said that it's going to be December before I make a lasting dent, but I'm working hard at it, and we're getting better, but man, it is exhausting.
The 8th graders in particular are tough to deal with. They think they know it all, are super cool, and they are used to having zero structure and zero consequences. So they didn't immediately see the value of the improv lessons, and they just went buck wild. They didn't do what I requested of them, sometimes flat out refusing to do so, and they just wouldn't focus or work toward any goal. They're content with sub-mediocrity and goofing off.
And I guess this comes back to a problem that's even larger than the failure of the improvisation lessons. I hate being the bad guy. I have this concept of a good classroom manager in my head as someone who just doesn't have to punish students because of their mystical, esoteric ability to inspire respect, motivation, and a healthy amount of fear in their students. And man, I am so not there. If I were totally consistent with my rules, I would hand out 20 demerits a day, and that just seems ridiculous to me. I am striving for consistency and firmness, and it's easier in jazz band with just 12 kids, but in band with 45, it is just out of my reach right now. It's overwhelming.
So I guess the nexus of the problem really lies in motivation. If I can sell to my kids the value of my educational vision for them, then they'll focus, do what I ask of them, and put in the work. If I don't, then I'll be fighting my kids, dragging them along forever.
Wow, this reflection was helpful. And now I'm pumped! I have a renewed zeal to just impart my passion for music and music making in my students. I know it's not gonna stick for all my kids, especially some of these hardened 8th graders, but 5th grade beginning band is just around the corner.
Friday, September 10, 2010
Worry Wart
You know, I would say that of all the activities I do during a school day, the thing that takes up the most energy is something that isn't even on my (many) to-do lists. I do it every day. I WORRY. As a first year teacher, I find that I am constantly considering the "what ifs." What if I don't have any kids who want to play tuba? What if my soloist is sick? What if the buses don't show up? Sometimes, this helps me realize something important I am forgetting, but usually this uncertainty just makes me cranky. What if my worst fears come true??
Story: So, second home football game was coming up: Friday night lights, the usual. The band is a bit behind where we'd like to be with our field show, but we're adding our closer anyway as a park and blow. It was going to be a nail-biter as far as holding together. Well, to top things off, on Wednesday, I start to see rain in the forecast for Friday night. And not just showers, but a full on drenching. With visions of waterlogged saxophones and mildewed band uniforms rolling through my mind, I asked my boosters president offhandedly "So, do we have any raingear in case of a storm?" She laughed, "Of course not. That would be too easy." How silly of me.
It's Thursday. Doom and gloom still predicted for Friday night. Great. One day to come up with enough raingear to outfit my band (like I don't have other things to do). So, I went on the search for cheap plastic ponchos. I called every Dollar General in two counties with the request "Hi, could you please hold all of the clear plastic ponchos you have in stock? Thanks so much, I'll get them tonight!"
I was at school from 7 a.m. to 7:45 p.m. Thursday (beginning band recruitment, don'tcha know?). I was exhausted and just about to crack. So, I was just thrilled at the thought of collecting my poncho bounty before I could go home and crawl into bed. Dollar Generals close at 9 p.m. Once I left school, I had just over an hour to get to all four stores within a 40 mile radius. (Am I on a reality show challenge that I don't know about??). I managed to buy forty ponchos. HUZZAH! I AM THE GREATEST BAND DIRECTOR IN THE UNIVERSE!! MY BAND WILL BE DRY. I AM A HERO!! And I am going. to. bed. Amen!
Of course, after all that worrying, it didn't rain. Not one drop. Not that I'm complaining!! But, if I hadn't bought the ponchos, I have a feeling it would have poured. That's just how these things go. So, what's the lesson? Hard to say. I'm just glad that things worked out. I guess I'll always worry, but I'm realizing that most of my worries don't actually come true. I hope that helps me to stress less as I gain experience. Week 3 in the bag. Phew!
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Sousaphone Hero
In case you needed a little chuckle today.... check out this article from The Onion.
(This one's for all you mega band nerds out there!)
(This one's for all you mega band nerds out there!)
Monday, September 6, 2010
Labor Day Weekend
Changed the blog background in honor of the new season (almost): Fall! Brings good cheer, hopefully. Football, marching band season, beautiful trees, cooler weather, apple cider, etc.
Labor Day weekend was simply awesome. It's amazing how one extra day off can bring so much refreshment and relaxation! Hope everyone else enjoyed the weekend as well - congrats to Glenn & Nick who got through their first parade & football game, respectively. :)
The next best thing about labor day? It makes for only a four-day week. yahoo! Here's to another crazy busy week!
Labor Day weekend was simply awesome. It's amazing how one extra day off can bring so much refreshment and relaxation! Hope everyone else enjoyed the weekend as well - congrats to Glenn & Nick who got through their first parade & football game, respectively. :)
The next best thing about labor day? It makes for only a four-day week. yahoo! Here's to another crazy busy week!
Sunday, September 5, 2010
double trouble
Tonight I am blogging about two separate things... so, I guess the long title of this post should be "Things I should have figured out a long time ago and freaky fridays"
A continual gripe through my collegiate and now professional life has been the inability of most people to read music. By the time people came to me, wanting to join my church choir at the U of I, they had forgotten (or never learned) basic notes and rhythms. My usual complaint is " ALL KIDS TAKE AT LEAST 5 YEARS OF MUSIC. WHY CAN THEY NOT READ EGBDF and FACE????? HOW CAN A QUARTER NOTE BE SO HARD?????!!!!" With this in mind, I figured that one of the main things I would work on in my music classes was music literacy. Basics. Whole notes, quarter notes, half notes, eighth notes. one octave treble and bass. Student teaching helped me become more patient with this quasi quest of mine... usually music teachers only see kids once/twice a week.. Imagine teaching a child to read english only once a week. It would take FOREVER. So, I understand that it would take time... however, It took my 5th graders this week to help me understand that it takes a lot MORE than just a long time... I figured i was starting basic. steady beat vs. rhythm. Ta and ti ti .. stuff that my 2nd graders last year could do quite nicely... My 5th graders were so confused. They just didn't get it. I tried several different ways and they still didn't get it... so I did some thinking, and then it hit me... teaching kids to read music really IS like teaching a kid to read english (and most of my 5th graders only learned how to do that 4 years ago!). I completely take reading music for granted (I learned when I was about 7), but most of my students have close to zero prior knowledge with notation. They really DO need to experience it first. A kid couldn't READ the word "book" if he had never SAID the word "book". Do you get my drift? I was totally trying to jump into it too fast! (and I should have known that... I did know that...) Of course, that doesn't mean that I should stop trying get them to learn how to read music.. It's totally possible by 5th grade, and I really think that most 3rd graders could do it by May, but when teaching kids to read, you really really really really have to go slow. They need to DO music, and then the teacher needs to guide them, step by painfully slow step, until they understand the relationship between when they already know how to do and how it looks.
So, I'm back to the drawing board with 5th grade. I'm basically scrapping the stuff I started with them and am starting over a bit. I'm not sure how to get them to literacy yet. I think that's one of the hardest things about teaching music... but I really do think it is one of the most important. I'm excited for the new directions. I'm still going to work with them on reading music and soon, but I need to balance it and start with experience. Duh. (it took ME an experience before I finally got what people had been telling me... what do you know?)
In other news, my friday was the most eventful day of my student teaching or teaching this year. The whole day was absolutely insane. The morning was filled with everything from having to keep a 5th grade student after class to discuss respect (or his lack there of...) to a picture PERFECT second grade class. For my afternoon, those of you who teach elementary general music will not need much more of an explanation than "friday afternoon... recess duty for preschool and kindergarten on the blacktop only because of rain followed by two kindergarten classes and two preschool classes to end the day. And it was "beach day" for on of the K classes.. they spent all day outside playing." For the rest of you, a few highlights include: a recess crier who wouldn't let go of my hand, a skinned up knee, a cut and bleeding finger after a kindergartener found glass in the parking lot, a COMPLETELY out of control Kindergarten class (beach day.. I tried everything I had ever learned), cutting a kindergartener's lei and name tag off from around her neck because they had gotten tangled too close to her neck...just as the principal walks in with a perspective parent, another kid wetting his pants on my new rug, and about 20 MILLION unrelated comments from 4 year olds. At several points in the afternoon, i just stopped and laughed while I was teaching, because it was just one of those days....
whew, this was long. sorry.
A continual gripe through my collegiate and now professional life has been the inability of most people to read music. By the time people came to me, wanting to join my church choir at the U of I, they had forgotten (or never learned) basic notes and rhythms. My usual complaint is " ALL KIDS TAKE AT LEAST 5 YEARS OF MUSIC. WHY CAN THEY NOT READ EGBDF and FACE????? HOW CAN A QUARTER NOTE BE SO HARD?????!!!!" With this in mind, I figured that one of the main things I would work on in my music classes was music literacy. Basics. Whole notes, quarter notes, half notes, eighth notes. one octave treble and bass. Student teaching helped me become more patient with this quasi quest of mine... usually music teachers only see kids once/twice a week.. Imagine teaching a child to read english only once a week. It would take FOREVER. So, I understand that it would take time... however, It took my 5th graders this week to help me understand that it takes a lot MORE than just a long time... I figured i was starting basic. steady beat vs. rhythm. Ta and ti ti .. stuff that my 2nd graders last year could do quite nicely... My 5th graders were so confused. They just didn't get it. I tried several different ways and they still didn't get it... so I did some thinking, and then it hit me... teaching kids to read music really IS like teaching a kid to read english (and most of my 5th graders only learned how to do that 4 years ago!). I completely take reading music for granted (I learned when I was about 7), but most of my students have close to zero prior knowledge with notation. They really DO need to experience it first. A kid couldn't READ the word "book" if he had never SAID the word "book". Do you get my drift? I was totally trying to jump into it too fast! (and I should have known that... I did know that...) Of course, that doesn't mean that I should stop trying get them to learn how to read music.. It's totally possible by 5th grade, and I really think that most 3rd graders could do it by May, but when teaching kids to read, you really really really really have to go slow. They need to DO music, and then the teacher needs to guide them, step by painfully slow step, until they understand the relationship between when they already know how to do and how it looks.
So, I'm back to the drawing board with 5th grade. I'm basically scrapping the stuff I started with them and am starting over a bit. I'm not sure how to get them to literacy yet. I think that's one of the hardest things about teaching music... but I really do think it is one of the most important. I'm excited for the new directions. I'm still going to work with them on reading music and soon, but I need to balance it and start with experience. Duh. (it took ME an experience before I finally got what people had been telling me... what do you know?)
In other news, my friday was the most eventful day of my student teaching or teaching this year. The whole day was absolutely insane. The morning was filled with everything from having to keep a 5th grade student after class to discuss respect (or his lack there of...) to a picture PERFECT second grade class. For my afternoon, those of you who teach elementary general music will not need much more of an explanation than "friday afternoon... recess duty for preschool and kindergarten on the blacktop only because of rain followed by two kindergarten classes and two preschool classes to end the day. And it was "beach day" for on of the K classes.. they spent all day outside playing." For the rest of you, a few highlights include: a recess crier who wouldn't let go of my hand, a skinned up knee, a cut and bleeding finger after a kindergartener found glass in the parking lot, a COMPLETELY out of control Kindergarten class (beach day.. I tried everything I had ever learned), cutting a kindergartener's lei and name tag off from around her neck because they had gotten tangled too close to her neck...just as the principal walks in with a perspective parent, another kid wetting his pants on my new rug, and about 20 MILLION unrelated comments from 4 year olds. At several points in the afternoon, i just stopped and laughed while I was teaching, because it was just one of those days....
whew, this was long. sorry.
Saturday, September 4, 2010
Firsts, etc.
If you don't want to be humbled, don't be a first year teacher. Every day, situations come up that I've never faced before, so I can't fall back on prior knowledge and experience. Sometimes I feel like I handle the situations like a pro, and other times I totally blow it. This post will address some of these issues where I've felt bewildered in a sort of scatter-gun fashion.
-My students are incredibly far behind in terms of their ability to read (music, that is). I found out on day one of band camp that the students were just largely unable to read even basic quarter note/half note rhythms. To give you a picture of it, when we read out of Essential Elements 2000, it sounds more like Atmospheres by Ligeti and less like When the Saints Go Marching In. And after about two bars of musical nothingness, the students give up, quit playing, and just look at me.
What do I do? The junior high band is composed of 6th-8th graders, about 45 all together. The jazz band, about 12 kids, faces the same problems (which reminds me, I'll update my post about improvisation in jazz band class in a later post). I am currently in the first stage of David Newell's teaching rhythm with both groups. The sequence begins with performing rhythms in a call and response format, which even proves difficult right now. Next, I will use rhythm flashcards to show them what they are playing translates to in terms of notation. But even this system only teaches one "type" of rhythm at a time. For example, right now, we're only doing call and response with quarter notes, eighths, and half notes. But we have to start there, right? We can't just jump into sixteenth note rhythms, syncopations, and hemiolas?
The problem is that the kids are getting restless. All this work on fundamentals and not enough fun playing is tuckering them out. The ironic thing is that what they want is what we have been taught NOT to do. They want me to put a piece of music in front of them and just tell them how it goes. They want to memorize their parts and play just a few tunes all year using this format. They don't want to learn. They want to be completely dependent on me. I'm trying to convince them that our fundamental work will pay off to the tune of playing way more music and student independence. Right now, they aren't buying it. but it's only been 2 weeks in.
What I must do, however, is make sure that I pound rhythm reading into my beginning band kids' heads like crazy. Which leads me to another thing.
-Beginning band is bonkers. There are so many logistical pitfalls. I had about 35 kids interested in starting band this year, which is great! The problem is many students come from pretty poor families, and they are just unable to rent instruments. Some were turned away from our provider because of bad credit. I've loaned out almost all of our school instruments. What's going to happen for next year?
-Classroom management is a tough art. Thank God for Harry Wong, as his work has helped me tons. My band kids are used to coming into the band room and raising hell, so we've spent two weeks reforming bad habits. Like everything else, we're making improvements, but we have a lot of room for improvement. I've had to resort to handing out demerits, which is a school-wide penalty system. It stinks being the bad guy, but I believe in the concept of sticking to your guns and being firm, 'cause Harry Wong says that kids will respect you and your system more because of it. Hopefully that proves to be true.
-Other bewildering things include purchase orders, transportation requests, Teachers Retirement System, insurance, all sorts of bills. Growing up is tough.
-Among all these things that are frustrating and mind-buzzing, I am loving it all. It's probably still the honeymoon stage, but I am relishing the role of teacher. I love being able to talk with students who need a strong male presence in their levels. I love getting the chance to teach music. Today we had our first parade (yeah, middle schoolers marching....) and it went as well as I think it could have. The busses showed up, I didn't lose any kids, and we played pretty well! These kind of events build so much team spirit and pride. They're awesome. It was so rewarding being on the other side of that this time and facilitating that for my students.
Quick funny story: In between our parade songs, the drumline was playing a simple cadence, which predominantly features the quads at the beginning of it. During one of the cadences, the quad player dropped out unexpectedly, and I was originally irked with him. He got back on, and later I asked him what happened. The poor kid told me his pants became unbuttoned. Haha. He had to get readjusted, then just kept on marching like a trooper!
So the first parade is down, we have a little bit of time to spend on fundamentals, and I'm super excited. There are many pearls to take away from the first few weeks, even amongst the rampant confusion.
-My students are incredibly far behind in terms of their ability to read (music, that is). I found out on day one of band camp that the students were just largely unable to read even basic quarter note/half note rhythms. To give you a picture of it, when we read out of Essential Elements 2000, it sounds more like Atmospheres by Ligeti and less like When the Saints Go Marching In. And after about two bars of musical nothingness, the students give up, quit playing, and just look at me.
What do I do? The junior high band is composed of 6th-8th graders, about 45 all together. The jazz band, about 12 kids, faces the same problems (which reminds me, I'll update my post about improvisation in jazz band class in a later post). I am currently in the first stage of David Newell's teaching rhythm with both groups. The sequence begins with performing rhythms in a call and response format, which even proves difficult right now. Next, I will use rhythm flashcards to show them what they are playing translates to in terms of notation. But even this system only teaches one "type" of rhythm at a time. For example, right now, we're only doing call and response with quarter notes, eighths, and half notes. But we have to start there, right? We can't just jump into sixteenth note rhythms, syncopations, and hemiolas?
The problem is that the kids are getting restless. All this work on fundamentals and not enough fun playing is tuckering them out. The ironic thing is that what they want is what we have been taught NOT to do. They want me to put a piece of music in front of them and just tell them how it goes. They want to memorize their parts and play just a few tunes all year using this format. They don't want to learn. They want to be completely dependent on me. I'm trying to convince them that our fundamental work will pay off to the tune of playing way more music and student independence. Right now, they aren't buying it. but it's only been 2 weeks in.
What I must do, however, is make sure that I pound rhythm reading into my beginning band kids' heads like crazy. Which leads me to another thing.
-Beginning band is bonkers. There are so many logistical pitfalls. I had about 35 kids interested in starting band this year, which is great! The problem is many students come from pretty poor families, and they are just unable to rent instruments. Some were turned away from our provider because of bad credit. I've loaned out almost all of our school instruments. What's going to happen for next year?
-Classroom management is a tough art. Thank God for Harry Wong, as his work has helped me tons. My band kids are used to coming into the band room and raising hell, so we've spent two weeks reforming bad habits. Like everything else, we're making improvements, but we have a lot of room for improvement. I've had to resort to handing out demerits, which is a school-wide penalty system. It stinks being the bad guy, but I believe in the concept of sticking to your guns and being firm, 'cause Harry Wong says that kids will respect you and your system more because of it. Hopefully that proves to be true.
-Other bewildering things include purchase orders, transportation requests, Teachers Retirement System, insurance, all sorts of bills. Growing up is tough.
-Among all these things that are frustrating and mind-buzzing, I am loving it all. It's probably still the honeymoon stage, but I am relishing the role of teacher. I love being able to talk with students who need a strong male presence in their levels. I love getting the chance to teach music. Today we had our first parade (yeah, middle schoolers marching....) and it went as well as I think it could have. The busses showed up, I didn't lose any kids, and we played pretty well! These kind of events build so much team spirit and pride. They're awesome. It was so rewarding being on the other side of that this time and facilitating that for my students.
Quick funny story: In between our parade songs, the drumline was playing a simple cadence, which predominantly features the quads at the beginning of it. During one of the cadences, the quad player dropped out unexpectedly, and I was originally irked with him. He got back on, and later I asked him what happened. The poor kid told me his pants became unbuttoned. Haha. He had to get readjusted, then just kept on marching like a trooper!
So the first parade is down, we have a little bit of time to spend on fundamentals, and I'm super excited. There are many pearls to take away from the first few weeks, even amongst the rampant confusion.
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
An example of what the post below is getting at
Oh, the whimsy! This unique and innovative selection will inspire strangers to giggle and hug each other as they take a trip down memory lane. Replete with lush harmonies, an old-fashioned sensibility, and more than a few zany gimmicks, you’ll want to program this on every concert! And don’t worry about technical or instrumentation issues - LemonadeTown in the 1950s is safely scored to bolster confidence and contains no sharps, flats, ties, or nuance. Enjoy this cooky blast to the past!
Corporate Irresponsibility
Good evening everyone. I am going to step back from current situations for a little while, and pontificate upon the state of one aspect of music education in this country. (Mounts the soap box).
I never realized how much junk mail music teachers receive. It's amazing. Marching band and colorguard apparel and accessory catalogs are probably the worst of it (who poses for those pictures? Where do they find these people?) But in a close, close second is music publisher catalogs. Not only is most of the music they are hawking complete garbage, but the little description paragraphs they provide are even more offensive. But like all marketing, it must work, right? Or else they wouldn't do it. It scares me that music teachers must purchase music due to descriptors like "incredibly expressive" or "sweeping melodic lines". Yes, I do have a publisher's catalog in front of me. Ooh, this one is "heart wrenching". It must be good. I feel like I am trying to order from an Applebee's menu. Everything is a "zesty, tangy combination sure to keep you coming back for more".
I saw this one at the end of a long day and it proved to be too much. "Good King Wence-SALSA!", is a "salsa-style arrangement of Good King Wenceslas" which includes "a wealth of Latin percussion, authentic harmonies, and a ton of fun! With opportunities for the band to sing, a Latin-style flute solo, and a mesmerizing orchestration, this arrangement is sure to be the highlight of your next program!" This publisher describes this as "absolutely stunning!". More like, absolutely disgusting.
It is too bad that someone even thinks to write stuff like this. Even more disheartening is that many publishers actually print and hawk it. In my book, this puts them on par with other corporate scum like BP, Halliburton, Enron, and Apple. But the most revolting thing of all is that music teachers everywhere must purchase garbage, and purchase it by the truckload. It really makes me sad, because the students are losing out. Yes, music should be comprehensive, multicultural, and fun. Music is all of those things naturally, but it must be brought out by creative and intelligent teachers who demand quality content. Those things should not be injected like flavors and hormones into cheesy melodies, boring structures, and cheap cliche titles.
I feel that music education preparation programs (at least mine, for sure!) should include much more coursework on appropriate and quality repertoire for all levels of ensembles. Having a major clue beforehand may help the situation. I have great respect for composers like John Mackey and Steven Bryant who do their own publishing. Bravo. I also admire certain publishers for their integrity, such as the Windipendence series offered by Boosey and Hawkes. Thank you to those editors for only permitting quality. But at the end of the day, you, as a music teacher, should have standards. End of story. I know that there are limitless "real-world challanges", but please have standards. There is no problem that cannot be solved through creativity and hard work.
Here's my counter proposal to the piece described above. Play a real arrangement of a real 'Latin' piece - maybe actually teach your students something truly authentic; like what rhumba, tango, or Son rhythms actually are and where they come from. Then, you can play your Christmas song.
I never realized how much junk mail music teachers receive. It's amazing. Marching band and colorguard apparel and accessory catalogs are probably the worst of it (who poses for those pictures? Where do they find these people?) But in a close, close second is music publisher catalogs. Not only is most of the music they are hawking complete garbage, but the little description paragraphs they provide are even more offensive. But like all marketing, it must work, right? Or else they wouldn't do it. It scares me that music teachers must purchase music due to descriptors like "incredibly expressive" or "sweeping melodic lines". Yes, I do have a publisher's catalog in front of me. Ooh, this one is "heart wrenching". It must be good. I feel like I am trying to order from an Applebee's menu. Everything is a "zesty, tangy combination sure to keep you coming back for more".
I saw this one at the end of a long day and it proved to be too much. "Good King Wence-SALSA!", is a "salsa-style arrangement of Good King Wenceslas" which includes "a wealth of Latin percussion, authentic harmonies, and a ton of fun! With opportunities for the band to sing, a Latin-style flute solo, and a mesmerizing orchestration, this arrangement is sure to be the highlight of your next program!" This publisher describes this as "absolutely stunning!". More like, absolutely disgusting.
It is too bad that someone even thinks to write stuff like this. Even more disheartening is that many publishers actually print and hawk it. In my book, this puts them on par with other corporate scum like BP, Halliburton, Enron, and Apple. But the most revolting thing of all is that music teachers everywhere must purchase garbage, and purchase it by the truckload. It really makes me sad, because the students are losing out. Yes, music should be comprehensive, multicultural, and fun. Music is all of those things naturally, but it must be brought out by creative and intelligent teachers who demand quality content. Those things should not be injected like flavors and hormones into cheesy melodies, boring structures, and cheap cliche titles.
I feel that music education preparation programs (at least mine, for sure!) should include much more coursework on appropriate and quality repertoire for all levels of ensembles. Having a major clue beforehand may help the situation. I have great respect for composers like John Mackey and Steven Bryant who do their own publishing. Bravo. I also admire certain publishers for their integrity, such as the Windipendence series offered by Boosey and Hawkes. Thank you to those editors for only permitting quality. But at the end of the day, you, as a music teacher, should have standards. End of story. I know that there are limitless "real-world challanges", but please have standards. There is no problem that cannot be solved through creativity and hard work.
Here's my counter proposal to the piece described above. Play a real arrangement of a real 'Latin' piece - maybe actually teach your students something truly authentic; like what rhumba, tango, or Son rhythms actually are and where they come from. Then, you can play your Christmas song.
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