So that the students feel so at home in your group that their identity transforms from “student” into “musician,” or “violinist,” or my favorite: “orch dork!” You will find that attrition becomes obsolete the more your students identify with your class, your room, and the culture you have created.
Category: education.
Need a New Mindset? Check out the Book!
tools for changing your mindset so that you can set appropriate goals, achieve them, and continue to experience growth beyond your initial objectives
My 2015 Role Model – Julia Ettie Crane
Recognizing the need for an authentic classroom setting, Crane created a model classroom in which all of her students practiced music teaching.[7] This classroom gave students the balance between musicianship and educational pedagogy which she sought. Crane’s beliefs on Music Education are still prevalent today.
Carrots & Cupcakes & Concerts, Oh My!
anyone was welcome to sit anywhere from the floor, to the monument, to the steps leading down to the monument. So there were people EVERYWHERE! Children dancing, people walking past taking photos as they headed home from work, and the best part was seeing people unplug for a minute or so as they listened to the live music on their way home from work. I LOVE this aspect of this concert & the audience did too.
The Big Fish Little Pond Effect
I had a student once who was an enormous fish in this teeny tiny pond of little musicians who all looked up to him as if he were Heaven-sent to play cello with them. He was beloved in my program and really was a good cellist with great potential. But his arrogance was a huge issue for him as he began to compete for chairs in All-State and eventual college acceptance as a cello performance major. I remember thinking “Such a big fish may struggle in a sea of sharks once he gets to college”
Musicking for Community Resilience
I know that education is one of the best ways to change the world, and I was thinking what role I might be able to play as a music teacher. I realize that my influence can be great in spite of the role of “elective” teacher, students are emotionally invested when they are in my classroom, and I think this is key to making powerful change.
THRIVE & Make more Music Makers!
I do think that the gender inequalitites and perceptions have been slowly changing in our country in the past few years. I see more and more male students on flute (an instrument that was once viewed as feminine) and more female students on tuba (once considered more masculine). We must transform these small steps into leaps toward greater continued participation in life-long music making.
Critique in Rehearsal – Don’t Send Them Overboard!
The greatness of the spoken word from one to another must never be underestimated. As educators, we must exercise great caution and care when speaking. Students are… Read more “Critique in Rehearsal – Don’t Send Them Overboard!”
Extra Benefits from the Extra Curriculars!
extracurricular activities, contrary to many beliefs of the past, actually increase students’ social and academic self-concept, aspirations, homework, academics, and even college entrance
Spinning a Web of Sounds as One Culture
Consider what role we as the educator have in this web of significance… Where do the students land in our own web, and how are we interacting with them as they create their own?
MusicEdLove 