MUED 352: Week 4

This week we discussed two topics; method books and planning instruction. So, I will be covering these two topics first before I discuss the remainder of my OMEA clinics.

There are so many different method books out in circulation that it stands to reason that an educator needs to pick the right one for his students. The research that should go into picking the correct method book is something that I have personally never done. A previous teacher of mine told me that it is not the book that is important, but the information inside. This same teacher stressed the importance of finding a method book, but it is how you relay the information, engage the students, and how you view music that will inspire your students to keep playing.

For the most part I think that the previous statement is true. Most of the method books teach the same exact material (in my experience) what is more important is how you relay the information inside the book to your students. Now, having a preferred book is not a bad thing, but knowing how to utilize the book is, what I consider to be, more important than the book itself.

I think, in terms of keeping students, that a teacher needs to show how music has impacted their lives and demonstrate how to live a musical life. I know many kids are motivated by a teacher who they respect and who they want to be similar to. This means that these students are watching everything that the teacher is doing. Even students who are not interested by a teacher are always learning from what the teacher does. Thus a teacher has to show that they believe in what they are teaching.

I think that this is where picking a method book could be very handy. Choosing a book that you enjoy teaching from shows your students that you are invested in what you are doing and that they should be too. This, again, is an example of how the method book is used more as a tool rather than as a curriculum. The function of the book does not have to be its information.

Before a method book can be discussed the first lesson must be taken into account. It has been reiterated to me more than once (too many to count) about how important the first lesson is. So I am going to detail what has been on my mind since it was first brought to my attention; this will be the scariest and most daunting moment of my educational career. The weight of the world feels like it is on my shoulders.

From this one lesson I need to do many things; teach posture, embouchure, buzzing/tonguing, producing a tone, using your wind/space, and, most importantly, keeping the student motivated to go home, practice, and come back, only to reinforce and add to what I taught in my first lesson. Oh boy.

This, to me, is very frightening. How can I be expected to to all this, plus many more objectives that I did not list, all in one lesson? INSANE!!!! What is a comfort to me is that my goal is small, minuscule, and in the shallow end of the musical pool. My goal is to spark a love,or less than that, an interest in the art of music. That concept needs to stick with the student. When they are fascinated, I can be there to answer questions and to further their learning.

As my previous post stated, I was not blown away by OMEA this year. But the three clinics that I went to spoke volumes to me.

The second of my three clinics was with Dr. Tim Robblee and was on improving communication through meaningful warm-ups. While this was not the most exciting clinic, I gained some very valuable tools from it. One of these tools was about not always conducting, and instead, listening and evaluating. This concept seemed really foolish to me especially when Dr. Robblee stopped conducting and the ensemble almost stopped.

What this showed me was a problem with the pattern of conducting. The kids that he was conducting were very used to seeing a baton during warm up so when one was not there, they stopped playing. Aha! This means to me that I need to keep my students on their toes, they can be musical without the conductor. The conductor is there to be a leader and shape the music for the students so they can better navigate it.

Another concept that I took away was that a note needs to be treated like a good book; every aspect of it is important, beginning, middle and end. Even the parts in between are important. Your students can learn how to be mindful of their notes by watching a solid conductor. The conductor shows the length of the note, style, dynamic, texture, articulation, and cutoff all with the baton. If the conductor is willing to put in the time to conduct well, the students will learn how to respond appropriately, and all without using words.

The third and final session that I attended was given by three CWRU alum, Brad Hruska, Ryan Huch, and Dan Crain. This session meant the most to me because I have worked directly with all of these teachers and we have watched each other grow and become who we are. I highly respect the trio that was in front of me and I relished in the moment because I was being taught by them.

The session that Dan, Brad, and Ryan gave was on implementing the national standards with a band/instrumental program. And without going into all of the info which was given (a lot) I can say that this session made me think about what I would do if I were teaching in a high school right now. Needless to say, I would be scared out of my mind, but I would at least have some ideas.

This session made me happy because I found that I really understood what was being said to me. I think that this session gave me a lot of confidence to try new techniques and explore my teaching skills. I really think that Dan, Brad, and Ryan all have the potential, and in my eyes, are great educators and will heavily impact the lives of the students that come through their programs.