I love teaching. It is the one area in my life where I feel absolutely confident about my abilities. When I teach I feel like the person I was meant to be, and all doubt about what I can and cannot do disappears. It was the same when I was teaching the 6th Grade Band at CJMS.
The previous day Becky had taught, and at the beginning of her teaching episode, before the students had found their seats, I tried helping to rally the players. The students had begun talking and were not focusing on finding chairs or music stands and preparing to play for their new instructor, Becky. I will admit that I raised my voice a bit, but in my mind it was to get their attention and let them know we meant business: we were not there to talk with our friends...we were there to learn, and we needed to show respect to the instructors, even if they are college students. The students did not seem upset by my raising my voice (though, really, I just tapped in to the acoustics I've learned in singing and projected my voice). On the ride back to class, however, Becky told me that I came across as yelling, and suggested that I tone it down when I teach the next day. I had her drop me off at my house, where I immediately burst in to tears around my husband, recounted the conversation, and asked him if he thought I came across as mean. Thank God for my husband, because without him I have a very difficult time calming down. He boosted my confidence and told me to just teach how I know. I have a different teaching style to Becky, and I shouldn't hold myself to her standards.
So the next day I entered the World Music classroom with the 6th Grade Saxophone players with a plan in mind. I had reviewed the music, listened to each piece dozens of times, and had narrowed each composition down to a few measures that, to my mind, appeared to be the most difficult. In the minimal time I had I was able to work through all the pieces I had planned, and even taught the students an easy way to remember a rhythm with which Mrs. Nelson said they were having difficulty. I had taught the students the rhythm at the beginning of our time together, and reviewed it at the end as well to ensure they retained that knowledge. To my great delight they did! Each student could play the described rhythm after playing other pieces for extended periods of time!
I really do love teaching. Every time I teach I feel like the person I have always dreamed of being. I always end each teaching opportunity feeling confident, successful, and beginning to form ideas of how that particular lesson can be expanded into the next. I feel completely satisfied in my career choice, and, after ten years of college, I am eager to start.
Thursday, March 1, 2012
CJ Primary Observation
My first day observing the CJMS 8th Grade Band was certainly not what I expected. I had anticipated on observing teaching style, classroom management, and perhaps, were the time available, introducing myself to the ensemble. What I wound up doing was distributing music with Becky to the ensemble, as they had just performed a concert the previous week. This was most certainly a test for me, a non-band musician! While I know the instruments, and know generally where they are seated, I found myself asking students to direct me to where I certain performer was. During this time I kept my confidence up as much as possible, trying to maintain the appearance of authority with the students. Thankfully, this worked out well. The music was distributed, Becky and I introduced ourselves, and we enjoyed hearing part of the recording from the concert.
Recruiting for Beginners
Since I decided to become a music teacher I have had one main ambition: To teach kids to love music. In my mind, love is synonymous with having an outside person, object, or thing leave an indelible mark on ones desires. That is what I hope to impart on my students. When they walk away from a beginning instrumental music class, I want them to feel as if they cannot go through life without some sort of music. I want them to feel as if their instrument, whatever it may be, is not only an enjoyable pastime, but is also an extension of their emotional self. At the same time, I want them to feel as if playing music is fun. The best way to engage students, I feel, is providing them with a fun and emotional connection to something.
My hope, therefore, is to have students learn more than the basics. Yes, they will be learning how to accurately play, assemble, and handle the instruments. However, they will not be restricted to repertoire in their methods book. My students will be given opportunities to play original compositions (which can be done in groups). More than that, students will also listen to examples of trained musicians playing their instruments as solo instruments, as well as in background to their favorite songs, television shows, and movies. Basically, I want my students to learn to play the instrument, have fun with what they play, feel proud of their playing, and hear what sort of quality they can obtain with practice and dedication.
Of course, before any of the above is possible, I must get students in to my program. This is not limited to the first few weeks or even months before the instrumental program begins, however. From the early years of grade school I will have my students hear quality music and begin to make connections to how it is used throughout everyday life (such as on the radio, in the store, or at the doctor's office). Through this I will attempt to establish an emotional connection between my students and instrumental music.
From there I will use the skills I have acquired dabbling in Photoshop to create an eye-catching poster to grab the students' and the parents' attentions. I would also have a "meet-and-greet" type of day, where students can "meet" the instruments first hand and try them out. If I am teaching in the Bozeman area, I will set up a field trip to attend MSU's "Petting Zoo" as another way of introducing my students to their playing possibilities. Then my students will each have a card on which to write their name and rank the two instruments they would be most interested in playing.
Whether or not any of my ideas will work in an actual classroom, I do not know. What I do know, however, is that the best way to engage anyone is to have them get emotionally involved and have fun. Those will be my main goals when teaching first year instrumental music.
My hope, therefore, is to have students learn more than the basics. Yes, they will be learning how to accurately play, assemble, and handle the instruments. However, they will not be restricted to repertoire in their methods book. My students will be given opportunities to play original compositions (which can be done in groups). More than that, students will also listen to examples of trained musicians playing their instruments as solo instruments, as well as in background to their favorite songs, television shows, and movies. Basically, I want my students to learn to play the instrument, have fun with what they play, feel proud of their playing, and hear what sort of quality they can obtain with practice and dedication.
Of course, before any of the above is possible, I must get students in to my program. This is not limited to the first few weeks or even months before the instrumental program begins, however. From the early years of grade school I will have my students hear quality music and begin to make connections to how it is used throughout everyday life (such as on the radio, in the store, or at the doctor's office). Through this I will attempt to establish an emotional connection between my students and instrumental music.
From there I will use the skills I have acquired dabbling in Photoshop to create an eye-catching poster to grab the students' and the parents' attentions. I would also have a "meet-and-greet" type of day, where students can "meet" the instruments first hand and try them out. If I am teaching in the Bozeman area, I will set up a field trip to attend MSU's "Petting Zoo" as another way of introducing my students to their playing possibilities. Then my students will each have a card on which to write their name and rank the two instruments they would be most interested in playing.
Whether or not any of my ideas will work in an actual classroom, I do not know. What I do know, however, is that the best way to engage anyone is to have them get emotionally involved and have fun. Those will be my main goals when teaching first year instrumental music.
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