He would definitely have a private teacher if his parents would let him, but they can’t afford it. So he watches every youtube video he can find of the audition excerpt. If he made it, he might be the first kid in his entire school to make this orchestra. Just a few minutes ago, he was sitting on a metrobus. Watching the minutes on his phone go by as slow as snail mail….
Tag: guitar
5 Surefire Ways to Save Rehearsal Time
students are in music classes to make music, not to listen to your life story (well, sometimes they are way too interested in your life story…), but in general, they want to play more. So make way for more music!
Ingredients for the BEST LESSON EVA!
imagine this huge churning cauldron (think of this ever-changing environment with which we have great responsibility). With each new ingredient, the color may change, or the consistency and that may give you a hint as to where to go next for an optimal potion
Is This You? Building Perceptual Awareness in Listening
Listen to the clip once more and this time, point out the times that sounds came into the scene. Ask students to guess what those sounds were. Stop and start the clip as often as you like so that students are refining their observations each time. They may discuss with their team and with the class (10 minutes)
Now, show them the clip with sound. Write down any sounds that they may have missed.
Humor – There is a Place for it During Rehearsals!
Basically, encourage your students to have fun with music and with your class. When I surveyed my students, the vast majority said that their favorite thing about my class was my crazy stories. And I actually don’t tell them all that often, but students remember them. This brings them back day after day for another taste of our favorite thing in the world: music!
Private Teacher/Public Teacher Hostility
So… to sum up my rather whiny post… We must all be open to learning from one another, to experiencing that of a friend, and to welcoming new ideas. We must be aware of a negative attitude we might sometimes portray, for this negativity gives an impression of hostility and a mind trapped in a cage.
MUSIC ED MAJOR RANT
In each year of teaching music, I have always had at least one student who was interested in majoring in music education. Many of them have went… Read more “MUSIC ED MAJOR RANT”
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,”
Student Retention & Johann the Orchestra Rat Rides Again
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.
MusicEdLove 