Last week, one of my music ed majors was in my classroom sobbing, trying not to call attention to herself. I approached her and asked what was… Read more “Episode 8: On Belonging with Kathy Augustine”
Category: inequality
EXCLUDED: Missing Musicians from the Classroom
Our very existence is threatened annually, and we cry out at the inequity of the threat, and yet many continue to only value the talented ones. You may be thinking, “This isn’t true though!” but I urge you to sit down with a big group of music educators and listen. Listen carefully, because once your eyes and ears are open to the exclusionary trends within this field, you will notice more and more that what we often do is segregate our own students into the talented and supported versus the “untalented” and underrepresented, whether we do it intentionally or not, it is there.
Thwarted by a Tennis Ball…
the thing about this homeroom time is that teachers are supposed to use this time to remediate students who are struggling. But some of my students were never being requested by anyone, even though they were failing nearly every class. Two of them completely failed 9th grade by the end of the year. I tried so much to reach these students last year, but nothing worked….
Turning Down my Dream Job: A Dissertation Death Story (Sort of)
Either way, after mulling it over and over and over and over, I ended up turning the job down in favor of my current position. I spent so much of the summer fearing what might come…. And when I said, “You did an incredible job today!” They said “We can still do better.”
Teaching Love, One Note at a Time
Today, in my classes, we will be playing music and sending love, as we always do. But today, we will be directing our love to the families and victims in Orlando. I urge you today to do what you can in your own lives to send love, to show your support to those who need it, and to fill the world with music, love, and pride.
The Power of Even a Drop of Critical Pedagogy
Ever since learning about Critical Pedagogy, I have done everything I could do put it into practice. Let me tell you… The results have been out of this world…
Assessment: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly PART II
The third school that really struck me was the most frustrating. It was a group of students from a poor school. So many of their issues had to do with crummy instruments, an unfortunate lacking of a bass player, and just poor circumstances. This was really ugly and frustrating. And so… I decided to write about it…
Makin’ Music in Juvie
In some cases, the students even were able to re-define themselves instead of as “criminal,” into “musician.” One of the inmates even said, “Instead of getting in trouble, just sitting there and play tunes, and stuff.” One student was so effected that he went so far as to dream about “helping out in the community, yeah. Helping other people learn music. Yeah, teach them,”
Qualified or Able: A Music Ed Advocate’s Struggle
Just yesterday, I read an article on all state musicians’ attitudes toward majoring in music education. It was a really great article and led me to some… Read more “Qualified or Able: A Music Ed Advocate’s Struggle”
Demo of High School Music Students – Article Summary
Today I will be looking at Elpus & Abril’s article on High School music ensemble students. Elpus, Kenneth and Carlos R. Abril. “High School Music Ensemble Students… Read more “Demo of High School Music Students – Article Summary”