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.
That was an awesome post, Glenn! I as well have had some supposedly great ideas that have flopped terribly and I am in the same boat with classroom management. Your reflection really helped me out, too! I think that my main things are motivation and positivity. It's really easy for me to get distracted by the few people who are being resistant and forget about those that are going along with it. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteGlenn,
ReplyDeleteI feel as if I am reading my own thoughts. I am a first year band director, and I have a 60-piece band for 6-8 graders, with a 55-piece band for 9-12, plus a small jazz group that meets before school twice a week. This was exciting for me, especially given that the school only has about 30 students per grade.
Many of the struggles that I face are in debunking the preconceived notions set forth by my predecessor about how to act in the band setting. Students (again, particularly slacking 8th graders) will speak CONSTANTLY, particularly whenever the band stops; when they raise their hands for questions, it's always something that serves as a distraction for the rest of the group.
For example, when the band is finally paying attention, trying, and making some strides forward, a hand goes up that says "Mr. Clark, I don't wanna play saxophone any more." What am I supposed to do with this? They do this as a distraction, knowing that the band goes off track once they speak. Terribly frustrating.
Another such instance occurs when I am trying to focus the group from pandemonium; my predecessor, who was loved by all and built a program of incredibly high participation rates, put his fingers in his mouth and whistled. The students want me to do this. What intelligent young teacher can agree with adding another sound to the mix? I'm working on it, maybe you have some suggestions. So far I have gone with teaching and re-teaching how to react to me on the podium. Here's to crossing my fingers.
Anyway, what really got me in your post was the bit about the improv curriculum. For my first 3 or 4 stage band rehearsals, we read out of Aebersold books and played with the recordings. We played heads, we played solos, we played impromptu background parts, I thought it went great. Only about 4 kids (all seniors) bought it. The rest of the group was astonished that we weren't reading down charts.
It's tough for me to understand why kids act the way they do, which at 23 years old is surprising to me. Anyway, this site is a great idea, and congratulations to all of you! Keep up the good work!
Mr. Clark, now I feel like I'm reading my own thoughts! Welcome to the blog - your comments and additions are greatly appreciated.
ReplyDeleteI'd be very interested to hear what you did after you felt like the improv idea didn't stick. I shelved it for now and decided to come back to it later, while trying to find material that they could play with significant success in order to get them excited about playing jazz (a grade 1 arrangement of James Bond is working towards that).
As far as the classroom management situation is concerned, I completely sympathize. It seems like there are usually half a dozen moments a day where I find myself stopping teaching, sitting, and waiting for the band to realize that I'm waiting for them, because there is so much talking going on.
I find myself stuck between two unappealing alternatives - lower the boom and be completely zero-tolerance on any talking and hand out demerits (our school policy) by the dozens, or go completely soft and continually ask students to stop talking while achieving no results.
I have spoken to several students who consistently misbehave face to face in my office, and that has yielded some improvement. Keep us updated on your first year, Mr. Clark!
Glenn-
ReplyDeleteIn the jazz group, I have limited the amount of improv things that we do. I have concluded that making improv mandatory in the rehearsal alienates students with less ability. I want people there, and I want them to have fun. As a result, I have been able to work with interested students in their lessons- which I get once every 6 school days.
I hate to compromise with my own personal beliefs, especially the one that says anyone can improvise. However, when I say "what key are we in?" and my group response is "F Sharp", I can conclude that they do not understand what a scale is. (the correct answer was G) When one cannot correlate a key signature to a tonal center, I have work to do before a 12-bar blues seems logical.
I also had my first assessment from my principal last week. My middle school group was there, and it went okay. It's interesting to hear an outsider's take on band classroom management, especially since no other teachers ever have more than 25 students at a time... let alone 60 students holding devices designed to make sound. All in all, though, without all of the musical reasoning, my principal came up with the same conclusions that I did: there's a lot of work to do because of where the bar has been set, but we're on our way.
You can count on me for plenty more comments, have no fear :)