This week we focused on teaching elementary instrumental music. To be honest, all of the discussion have melded together in my head, and they are very hard to separate. But there are some very interesting points that keep bubbling up through the swamp of thoughts in my head.
I keep feeling very discouraged whenever we talk about actually teaching. The first thing that I feel discouraged about is the success rate of educators. Not in the concept that I cannot relay material to children, but more the fact that I will not have an easy time handling all of the duties of an educator. There is just way too much for me to even process at this point, and it becomes very daunting.
I feel as though I will burn out very quickly because of all the work that I am expected to accomplish. Part of my brain is confident that I will be able to manage the work load, another part tells me that there is no way. The biggest part of my thoughts is taken up by, what may be a fallacy, the fact that this music education thing really isn't as hard as it is being made out to be.
This single thought permeates throughout all of my daunting tasks, because I want to think that this profession is something that I wish to accomplish, and therefor will have success in. Whether this is selfish or whimsical, or wrong, I want to make a point to say that I never thought this profession was easy. I think that, sometimes, some facets of the profession, as I have heard in class, have been blown out of proportion. Another point that I want to make is that regardless of the work, I will be fully dedicated to my future job.
Another (separate) thought that I continue to have is once that deals with support. From the way I have experienced it in this class, I will get little to no support when I am in the school system. My program will be on the eternal back-burner of the board of education. Again, I have a problem taking this grain of information as a truth; and the grain of salt I take it with is quite large. I have a hard time truly believing that I will receive no to little support in music education. From I have seen, even if my department/community does not give support my fellow band directors and music lovers will come to my aid.
A topic that I would like to discuss in class is a healthy band program beyond the 'compartmentalized' ones we have been talking about. By compartmentalized I mean not specific to a specific level of schooling; middle, high, or elementary. Obviously the programs at each of the levels have a strong relationship and need to be developed and mapped out. A good example would be the Shaker Schools. The band program over in Shaker Heights is quite advanced, almost running on autopilot in some cases.
However, I know that this program has been built for many years and continues to be developed. I know that it is the relationship that this program has with all three schools that make it such a powerhouse in the band world. The Shaker Band Program, in my opinion, is set up for success because the educators who are a part of it coexist in such a way that there is a perfect balance and harmony that will benefit the bands down the road.
So, I would like to talk about networking and gaining the level of professionalism and dedication that the Shaker Bands have. Something that will help us as students understand how to develop a program that is both musically rich and meaningful.
Ian, please also mention the readings required each week in your reflections. They have important information and perspectives in them that related to the discussion and activities in class.
ReplyDeleteThe level of support received by music educators varies from community to community, from school to school. There are many teachers who are well-supported in their jobs. This is not accidental and is usually a result of fine teaching; good communication with students, parents, and administrators; and other proactive actions in which the teacher engages. All successful programs are the result of careful planning and hard work by all involved. Programs like Shaker Heights are certainly not on auto-pilot. Large successful band programs like that take a huge amount of effort. While it may seem like a well-oiled machine to an outsider, that machine wouldn't continue to function without careful oversight and maintenance by those charged with running it.
I'm not sure I understand what you mean by "compartmentalized" band programs. Any successful band or orchestra starts with a solid elementary program. This is where we've spent the bulk of our time so far this semester. We will move on to the secondary level soon. Be patient - we can't get to everything at once.