2018-2019 Georgia Music News | Fall

ASSOCIATION NEWS | BOARD MEE TING MINUTES| DIVISION NEWS

GeorgIa music news COMPOSER STEVEN BRYANT Dr. Lauren Denney Wright

AUTISM AND THE MUSIC CLASSROOM

Denise Wilkinson

HIGHLIGHTING LOOK-FORS IN YOUR TEACHER EVALUATION

DaLaine Chapman

M U S I C AND SENIOR CITIZENS VOLUME 79 | NUMBER 1 | FALL 2018

GeorgIa music news NEWS FOR TODAY'S MUSIC EDUCATOR

BECOME A CONTRIBUTOR

LARGE GROUP PERFORMANCE EVALUATION

REGISTER TODAY

OPUS

FA L L 2018 | G E O RG I A M U S I C N E W S

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

GMEA BOARD OF DIRECTORS District Chairs 1 - Michael Nestor 2 - John Scanling 3 - John Inzetta 4 - Christine Kraemer 5 - Seth Gamba 6 - Stan Kramer 7 - Douglas McConnell 8 - Alan Carter 9 - Michael Oubre 10 - Katie Bennett 11 - Jay Davis 12 - Andy Esserwein 13 - William Owens 14 - Dennis Naughton

President Evelyn Champion President-Elect Carl Rieke Vice-President for Performance Evaluation Events Jon Cotton Vice-President for All-State Events Amy Clement Past Presidents’ Representative Frank Folds

26 STEVEN BRYANT

DR. LAUREN DENNEY WRIGHT

VITALITY

PEGGY D. BENNET & VICKY SUAREZ

20 LISTEN WITH YOUR EYES DR. JOSH BYRD

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22 LOOK-FORS IN YOUR TEACHER EVALUATION DaLAINE CHAPMAN

AUTISM AND THE MUSIC CLASSROM DENISE WILKINSON

38 STUDENT-CENTERED PEDAGOGY RICHARD S. WEBB, Ph.D.

44

34

Editor, Georgia Music News Victoria Enloe

Executive Director Cecil Wilder

For the complete list of Board Members please visit:

Band Division Chair Dr. Matt Koperniak Choral Division Chair Kim Eason College Division Chair Dr. Keith Matthews Elementary Division Chair Emily Threlkeld Orchestra Division Chair Dr. Bernadette Scruggs

GMEA Staff Dr. Bernadette Scruggs Aleta Womack Brandie Barbee Ryan Barbee Advertising/Exhibitors Cindy Reed

-ADVERTISER INDEXALFRED MUSIC PAGE 25

PANAMA CITY BEACH MUSIC FESTIVAL PAGE 29

FIESTA-VAL PAGE 43 GEORGIA SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY PAGE 7 LEE UNIVERSITY PAGE 19 MUSIC & ARTS PAGE 11 NEFF COMPANY PAGE 18

SMOKY MOUNTAIN MUSIC FESTIVAL PAGE 13 THE UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA PAGE 24 YAMAHA PAGE 2 YOUNG HARRIS COLLEGE PAGE 13

TO ADVERTISE

APPLY TODAY WWW.GMEA.ORG/ADVERTISE

© Copyright 2018 by the Georgia Music Educators Association

All pieces reproduced in this issue are under prior copyright of the creators and publisher by the contractual arrangements. Nothing shown may be reproduced in any form without obtaining the permission of the publisher and any other person or company who may have copyright ownership.

Unless otherwised noted, photos are provided by Andy Edwards of Ace of Photos Visit aceofphotos.com

FA L L 2018 | G E O RG I A M U S I C N E W S

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EDITOR'S CORNER BUILDING OUR LEGACY GMN EDITOR Victoria Enloe As you know if you have read even a few of Derik Clackum’s articles in Georgia Music News, our historian possesses an amazing wealth of knowledge regarding GMEA’s growth and evolution since its founding in 1922. In our current issue, Derik remembers Max Noah and Maggie Jenkins, GMEA members whose contributions led to the development of Large Group Performance Evaluation and Georgia Music News, among other things. This particular article got me thinking. Did Max and Maggie know that their volunteer efforts would leave a lasting legacy for Georgia music educators close to a century later? Probably not. They simply saw a need among their fellow music educators and, like so many GMEA members before and after them, stepped up. None of us may ever fully recognize the impact we have on our families, colleagues, or students, but we can be ready and willing to serve. May we continue to build on this legacy!

READ THE LATEST GMEA NEWSLETTER @ GMEA.ORG 4

G E O RG I A M U S I C N E W S | FA L L 2018

Please take some time to think of those who make a difference in your circle of music educators and consider nominating them for a GMEA recognition or award. Find the nomination form for Volunteer of the Year, Educator of the Year, Friend of Music Education, Distinguished Career, and Administrative Leadership award at opus.gmea. org under “Applications and Forms.” Applications are due October 16.

Within the fall Georgia Music News, Dr. DaLaine Chapman’s Rehearsal Frames and Music Teacher Evaluations: Highlighting the LookFors for Your Administrators shares an approach to teacher evaluations that may be useful to teachers and administrators, alike. Denise Wilkinson (Autism and the Music Classroom) offers assistive strategies for autistic students, and Dr. Lisa Lehmberg (Music and Senior Citizens: Research Findings and Considerations for Music Education) discusses the role music education may play in shaping the lifelong music experience. I am excited to share every article in this issue and hope you will find them valuable.

When you start recognising that you're having fun, life can be

l u f t h g i del

JANE BIRKIN FA L L 2018 | G E O RG I A M U S I C N E W S

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ASSOCIATION NEWS THE PRESIDENT SPEAKS EVELYN CHAMPION, GMEA PRESIDENT

Greetings, colleagues!

As I begin my second and final year as GMEA President, it becomes more and more evident that Georgia has one of the strongest state music educators associations in the country. Each year, our dedicated elected officials, volunteers, and office staff work to move GMEA forward. The redevelopment of the OPUS software platform puts us on the cutting edge of technology use and GMEA events for students are second to none. While there will always be room for growth and improvement, every member can be proud of the Georgia Music Educators Association and all it has to offer. © Photography by Zelda

Thank you for attending your fall GMEA meeting and thank you to the new district chairs and hosts for facilitating them. These meetings are your best opportunity to be involved in the association and informed about changes. Please take a moment to review the GMEA Board of Directors under “Member Information” in OPUS to find the leaders who can help you should you ever have a question, suggestion, or issue.

October 16 is the deadline for Recognition & Awards Program Nominations and the Service to Music Education Award.

Please be sure to fill out the form for yourself if you have reached a milestone teaching year or if you are retiring so that you can be recognized at the Opening Session of the Conference and the President’s Luncheon. Also, November 1 is the deadline for Music Program of the Year applications.

Please plan on attending the Opening Session of the 2019 In Service Conference on Thursday, January 24 at 11:00 a.m. in the Classic Center Theater. Tim Sharp will be our keynote speaker, and many music educators and programs will be honored. And finally, lobby group applications for the conference are due October 9.

Please remember to renew your membership early, submit your applications on time, and most importantly, verify that your payment was received in the office. I hope that you will have a successful and smooth school year. If I can help you in any way, please contact me at president@gmea.org.

Respectfully submitted, Evelyn Champion

APPLY TODAY 6

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spring 2018 // georgia music news FA L L 2018 | G E O RG I A M U S I C N E W S

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ASSOCIATION NEWS GEORGIA MUSIC EDUCATORS ASSOCIATION

BOARD MEETING MINUTES

MARRIOTT COURTYARD HOTEL | McDONOUGH, GA MAY 12, 2018 • The meeting was called to order by president Evelyn Champion at 10:00 AM • The following members were present: Vice President for Performance Evaluations Jon Cotton, Vice President for All State Events Amy Clement, Immediate Past President John Odom, Past Presidents’ Representative Frank Folds, Executive Director Cecil Wilder, Band Division Chair Matt Koperniak, Choral Division Chair-Elect Marla Baldwin for Choral Divisioon Chair Kim Eason, Elementary Division Chair Emily Threlkeld, Orchestra Division Chair Sam Lowder, District One Chair Kenza Murray, District Two Chair Andrew Bell, District Three Chair Jonathan Carmack, District Four Chair Alan Fowler. District Five Chair Steve Lawrence, District Six Chair Samuel Miller, District Seven Chair Blair Calloway, District Eight Chair Alan Carter, District Nine Chair Pat Gallagher, District Ten Chair Gene Hundley, District Eleven Vice-Chair James Christenson for District Eleven Chair Todd Howell, District Twelve Chair Paula Krupiczewicz, District Thirteen Chair-Elect William Owens for District Thirteen Chair Erik Mason, District Fourteen Chair Dion Muldrow, Member-at Large Sue McDonald, Georgia Music News Editor Victoria Enloe, Multi-Cultural Awareness Chair Roland Ventura, CNAfME State Advisor Richard Bell, Georgia School Boards Association Representative Julia Bernath, and Georgia School Superintendents Association John Lairsey. Guests present were Kristine Kraemer, District Four Chair-Elect, and Seth Gamba, District Five Chair-Elect.

• The minutes from the May, 2017 board meeting were approved as published in the Georgia Music News.

• A proposal was presented by Matt Koperniak from the Band Division to mandate that every school that enters more than 15 students for All State auditions must have all full time directors of that school available to judge or monitor both the district and final auditions. After discussion and questions about the clarity of the proposal, the fact that some schools send more than 15 students but there is only one director at the school, the fact that some schools have multiple directors but only one director shows up to help, and whether it was intended to apply to all divisions or just band a motion to table for one year was brought by Matt to give the involved division chairs time to discuss the issue and bring it back to the board next May. The motion to table passed unanimously.

• A proposal for an inclement weather procedure for First Round Band All-State Auditions was presented by Matt Kopeniak as follows. "The decision to cancel auditions will be made jointly by the District Band Chair, State Band Chair, and Vice President for All-State by noon on the day prior to auditions. School system leadership, weather experts and the state highway officials should be consulted to determine potentially hazardous conditions. To keep the integrity of the audition process across the state, it is up to each district to schedule an alternative time for auditions (in the event they are canceled) within 10 calendar days of the original scheduled audition date. Auditions may be

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held on multiple days so long as *the judging panels remain the same for all auditions on any particular instrument. Each district needs to discuss their inclement weather contingency during their Spring/Fall planning meeting and publish their plan on the district calendar."

• An amendment to the proposal was presented by Pat Gallagher to insert the wording “every effort is made to keep the judging panels the same” where indicated by an asterisk in the text of the proposal above. The amendment passed unanimously and the proposal passed unanimously as amended. The final proposal reads as follows: “The decision to cancel auditions will be made jointly by the District Band Chair, State Band Chair, and Vice President for AllState by noon on the day prior to auditions. School system leadership, weather experts and the state highway officials should be consulted to determine potentially hazardous conditions. To keep the integrity of the audition process across the state, it is up to each district to schedule an alternative time for auditions (in the event they are canceled) within 10 calendar days of the original scheduled audition date. Auditions may be held on multiple days so long as every effort is made to keep the judging panels the same for all auditions on any particular instrument.

Each district needs to discuss their inclement weather contingency during their Spring/Fall planning meeting and publish their plan on the district calendar.”

• A proposal was presented by Matt Koperniak to replace the Middle School and High School Percussion Snare Drum Rudiment Requirement of a “Long Roll (Double Stroke)” with a “Multiple Bounce Roll” for the first round audition and should be played starting at a piano dynamic, crescendo to a forte dynamic, then decrescendo to a piano dynamic. The proposal passed unanimously.

• A proposal was presented by the choral and elementary divisions to incorporate the Statewide Sixth Grade Honor Chorus into the All State Chorus event beginning in 2020. The Sixth Grade Honor Chorus would rehearse on Thursday afternoon and evening and Friday during the day and perform in the Classic Center Theater on Friday evening. The Statewide Elementary Honor Chorus would be scheduled at a different date and location (as it was prior to moving to the Classic Center 3 years ago).

Following discussion it was approved unanimously to move the Statewide Sixth Grade Honor Chorus and Statewide Elementary Honor Choruses as proposed with the caveats that the Choral Division will be responsible for setting the exact schedule and the Elementary Division will be responsible for securing a location and setting a date for the Elementary Honor Chorus. Note: it was later decided to leave the Statewide Elementary Honor Chorus in February.

• A proposal was presented by the Choral Division to change the maximum number of students nominated per school for Sixth Grade Statewide Honor Chorus from five students to four. The proposal passed unanimously with the caveat that the change

cannot be change in Opus at this time due to technical difficulties with Opus. Note: this was passed by the choral council last year but was not brought to the board.

• A proposal was presented by the Choral Division for choral directors to submit LGPE selections in Opus 21 days prior to the event instead of the current ten days. Head judges will review and notify directors of any potential rule violations at least 14 calendar days prior, and if a repertoire issue isn’t resolved at least ten days prior to LGPE then that group will no longer be allowed to perform. Should they travel to LGPE anyway, the group will be allowed to sing but no scores will be given and a letter will be sent to the principal regarding this infraction. After lengthy discussion the first part of the proposal passed unanimously and the part concerning consequences was tabled for further study concerning implementation and consequences to be imposed for failure to comply. Responsibility for researching the consequence issue and bringing it back to the board next year was given to Marla Baldwin.

• A proposal was presented by the Choral Division to add “A rest will be performed silently” to the LGPE sight-reading directions. This refers to the practice of having students make a sound of some nature in rests in the music when sight reading. It was pointed out that the LGPE guidelines indicate that LGPE sight reading is to be treated like a performance and therefore making a sound during rests is not appropriate. The proposal was amended to include all state chorus and sight-reading chorus auditions and passed unanimously as amended.

• A request was made the Choral Division to offer choral LGPE adjudicators training this summer. There will be two identical sessions offered: 9 AM-3 PM on June 7 at Esther F. Garrison School of the Arts in Savannah, and June 28 at North Gwinnett Middle School in Suwanee. Attendance is optional and no compensation will be offered. We don’t anticipate any expenses, but potential costs would be very minimal at best; schools are already open since the training is on Thursday and presenters/facilitators are judges from the current list. We will amend the list to reflect those who choose to attend this training session as it currently shows for the training from many years ago. The request was approved unanimously so long as no request for funding other than reasonable security/custodial expenses is made.

• A proposal was brought by Cecil Wilder, from Bernadette Scruggs, to change the wording in the handbook concerning the minimum number of participants required for LGPE entries to read: "Ensembles performing at LGPE should have enough players to cover all the parts in the selected music literature. Rewriting of parts is acceptable as long as it does not compromise the music being performed."

The current wording is as follows: “Performing groups numbering less than seventeen (17) members may not register for LGPE and should enter Solo and Ensemble Performance Evaluation. “ As per Cecil, the proposal is somewhat problematic, does not specify if it applies to all divisions or only the Orchestra Division, does not specify a minimum number of participants, and the wording about rewriting of parts could present copyright issues as it is worded. A different wording to apply only to the orchestra division was substituted to give small orchestra programs the opportunity to participate with fewer than 17 players if circumstances warrant it. The substitute wording is as follows: “Per-

forming groups numbering less than seventeen (17) members may register for LGPE with prior approval by the vice president for performance evaluations in the orchestra division only”. This proposal passed unanimously.

• A proposal was brought by Pat Gallagher from District Nine to allow districts to elect district officers electronically at their discretion. It was pointed out that this would require a constitutional amendment since the constitution specifically states the district elections are to be conducted during the spring meeting and that nominations from the floor during the meeting must be allowed. A concern was also expressed that if members were allowed to vote without being present at the meeting attendance might suffer. The other side of the situation was pointed out, that being that members unable to attend the meeting are deprived of a vote if the elections must be held during the spring meeting.

After discussion the proposal failed by a vote of 3-24.

• A proposal was brought from Pat Gallagher from District Nine requesting that the rehearsal space on the theater stage at All State Band and Orchestra be rotated on a year-to-year basis.

Currently the 11-12 Full Orchestra is assigned to that space every year. It was pointed out that this was a matter to be worked out by the two division chairs and the proposal passed by a vote of 18-6 with 3 abstentions.

• The statewide calendar for 2018-19 was approved by a vote of 25-2.

• Evelyn Champion reported on the progress of moving the Opus software from Logic Speak to the new company, Helium.

The status of the software is such that much of it will need to be rewritten and the process will be time consuming and expensive. We are looking at the summer of 2020 before the project is complete and the new software is ready for use by the general membership. In the mean time we will continue to use Opus as it is.

• Evelyn Champion reported on the interest in establishing a new Guitar Division. There was much discussion as to whether or not a new division is the best route or whether to continue to serve those needs for the time being using the current “interest area” designation with the appointed chair. Evelyn will continue the discussion with the interested parties who teach guitar.

• An interim financial and participation report was presented by Cecil Wilder. A final financial report will appear in the fall issue of the Georgia Music News after the end of the fiscal year.

• Reports from board members wishing to do so were presented, either written or spoken as desired. Written reports are on file.

• Certificates of appreciation and lapel pins were presented to departing board members.

• The meeting was adjourned shortly after 1:30 PM.

Respectfully submitted, Cecil Wilder, Executive Director

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ASSOCIATION NEWS GEORGIA MUSIC EDUCATORS ASSOCIATION

GMEA BUDGET REPORT GMEA budget 2018 and 2019 (projected) REVENUE ACTUAL 2018

PROJECTED 2019

membership dues interest revenue non-GMEA event applications royalties plaque and medal GA Music News misc. non-program revenue TOTAL NON-PROGRAM REVENUE ALL STATE REVENUE AND EXPENSE all state band all state jazz ensemble all state chorus all state sight reading chorus all college chorus statewide sixth grade honor chorus statewide elementary honor chorus all state orchestra as booth revenue TOTAL

$ 54,220.00 $ 933.82 $ 5,850.00 $ 1,806.05 $ 86,845.24 $ 7,460.00 $ 178.63 $ 157,293.74

$ $ $ $ $ $ $ $

55,000.00 1,000.00 5,850.00 1,800.00 87,000.00 7,500.00 150.00 158,300.00

$ 314,265.00 $ 10,795.00 $ 188,079.16 $ 10,266.00 $ 4,620.00 $ 17,525.00 $ 13,880.00 $ 62,251.00 $ 4,100.00 $ 625,781.16

$ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $

ISC REVENUE AND EXPENSE

$ 338,096.68

non-program revenue

2018 PROJECTED 2019 SURPLUS/LOSS

$ $

59,197.60 24,511.60

$ $

59,200.00 17,800.00

315,000.00 10,700.00 188,000.00 10,000.00 4,600.00 17,500.00 14,000.00 62,250.00 4,800.00 626,850.00

$ $ $ $ $ $ $ $

130,366.00 6,673.13 139,100.72 9,256.61 4,890.91 26,792.00 26,085.60 59,422.43

$ $ $ $ $ $ $ $

130,000.00 8,050.00 139,650.00 10,050.00 7,000.00 24,650.00 24,650.00 58,000.00

$

402,587.40

$

$

340,000.00

$

269,619.27

$ 191,019.00 $ 176,749.59 $ 82,761.00 $ 450,529.59

$ $ $ $

191,500.00 180,600.00 82,650.00 454,750.00

$ $ $ $

$ 40,200.44 $ 5,295.00 $ 11,670.00 $ 2,275.00 $ 59,440.44 REVENUE ACTUAL 2018

$ $ $ $ $

41,030.00 5,520.00 11,200.00 2,044.00 59,794.00

$ $ $ $ $ $ $

54,220.00 933.82 5,850.00 1,806.05 27,647.64 (17,051.60) 178.63

2019 SURPLUS/LOSS (PROJECTED) $ 55,000.00 $ 1,000.00 $ 5,850.00 $ 1,800.00 $ 27,800.00 $ (10,300.00) $ 150.00

402,050.00

$ 183,899.00 $ 4,121.87 $ 48,978.44 $ 1,009.39 $ (270.91) $ (9,267.00) $ (12,205.60) $ 2,828.57 $ 4,800.00 $ 223,893.76

$ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $

185,000.00 2,650.00 48,350.00 (50.00) (2,400.00) (7,150.00) (10,650.00) 4,250.00 4,800.00 224,800.00

$

274,650.00

$

68,477.41

$

65,350.00

164,983.37 88,463.57 63,043.14 316,490.08

$ $ $ $

163,335.00 90,480.00 63,665.00 317,480.00

$ 26,035.63 $ 88,286.02 $ 19,717.86 $ 134,039.51

$ $ $ $

28,165.00 90,120.00 18,985.00 137,270.00

$ 20,794.06 $ 3,531.37 $ 4,343.54 $ 996.62 $ 29,665.59 EXPENSE ACTUAL 2018

$ $ $ $ $

21,070.00 3,500.00 4,500.00 875.00 29,945.00

accounting & Legal Bank Charges credit card charges Computer exp On-line App Proj Donations & Contributions Insurance-General Insurance-workmans Comp Dues & Subscriptions Outside Services Operating exp Postage Taxes & Licenses Rent Repairs & Maintenance Staff Development Telephone Utilities Internet Svc/Tech Support Copier Lease and Supplies misc Total OFFICE EXPENSE

$ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $

17,868.47 30,359.31 6,921.97 9,215.24 79,146.60 100.00 4,438.00 803.00 403.39 1,914.11 5,761.48 5,560.06 294.05 26,224.00

$ $ $ $ $

$ $ $ $ $ $ $

375.00 2,942.65 2,941.80 18,776.69 11,318.37 107.16 225,471.35

16,000.00 30,000.00 7,000.00 3,000.00 70,000.00 100.00 4,400.00 800.00 100.00 1,000.00 5,750.00 2,000.00 300.00 26,224.00 250.00 400.00 2,900.00 3,000.00 19,000.00 8,000.00 150.00 200,374.00

PAYROLL EXPENSE

$

286,547.79

BOARD/EXEC. COMM./COUNCIL EXPENSE

$

18,211.50

EXEC.DIR TRAVEL EXPENSE LEADERSHIHP TRAINING ADVOCACY

$ $ $

968.40 1,556.00 5,974.82

LGPE REVENUE AND EXPENSE

band choral orchestra TOTAL

S&E REVENUE AND EXPENSE wind and percussion jazz ensemble string vocal TOTAL OFFICE EXPENSE

$ 1,631,141.61

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EXPENSE ACTUAL 2018

G E O RG I A M U S I C N E W S | FA L L 2018

PROJECTED 2019

$

1,639,694.00

$ 1,640,801.40

$ 19,406.38 $ 19,960.00 $ 1,763.63 $ 2,020.00 $ 7,326.46 $ 6,700.00 $ 1,278.38 $ 1,169.00 $ 29,774.85 $ 29,849.00 SURPLUS/LOSS SURPLUS/LOSS PROJECTED 2019 ACTUAL 2018 PROJECTED 2019

$ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $

$ 305,203.00

$ 18,650.00 $ $ $

850.00 2,000.00 6,000.00

2018 2,019 SURPLUS/LOSS SURPLUS/LOSS (PROJECTED) $ 1,634,202.00 $ (9,659.79) $ 5,492.00

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MusicArts.com

GMEA HISTORY A NEW YEAR BEGINS HISTORIAN Derik Clackum As you read this article, a brand new school year is well under way, with all the excitement and anticipation that come with new opportunities! Maybe this is your first year as a teacher, or maybe your 29th. Both are still exciting (but maybe for different reasons!). And now all those plans you formulated last summer, that would make this a great fall, are underway, some realized and some yet to be.

But, lest we forget, as we entered into this new year, we are standing on the shoulders of many dedicated teachers that came before us.

Without their efforts, we would be without many of the advantages music educators are enjoying today.

My thoughts travel back in time to the 1930’s, when music was not widely accepted in the schools. Musical Pioneers like Max Noah and Maggie Jenkins are two of those that helped us enjoy teaching an accredited subject, during the school day, and in a classroom. Max and Maggie were both staff members of the music department at the Georgia State College for Women in Milledgeville (now Georgia College and State University). Both of them saw the desperate need in our state for music to become a part of every child’s education and committed their time and talents to making that happen.

Max and Maggie envisioned the need for music teachers to become better organized if they were going to have any impact on school administrators and the public’s point of view about music education. They also saw the need for the small number of music teachers in our state to work together. Leading by example, they decided to get involved in a relatively new organization called the Georgia Music Educators Association. And, taking their involvement another step, Max agreed to serve as the GMEA vice-president while Maggie agreed to serve as treasurer. This gave them a chance to help develop policies that would advocate for music throughout the state. Back in those days, there wasn’t exactly a crowd of candidates seeking to be GMEA officers, so for nearly two decades, Max served as vice-president, and Maggie served as treasurer. This was no small commitment when you consider these were volunteer positions and they had to do their GMEA work in addition to their regular instructional jobs at their college.

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Once the GMEA began functioning as a state-wide music advocate, the GMEA leadership decided we needed a means to communicate between members. After some discussion, they decided that a monthly newsletter seemed the best format to let all the GMEA members know what was going on around the state. But the question was, who would take on the task of assembling the information, typing it up, printing it, and mailing it out to all the members? Why not Mr. Action, himself, Max Noah? And so, in 1937, “The Music News” (later changed to Georgia Music News) was born, and it was published monthly in the first few years. That first issue was mailed out to all sixty-one members, with a stated goal of growing our association to 100 members.

This was a modest goal by today’s numbers of 3,000 + members, but ambitious in that day, considering the available pool of music teachers.

To stir up more interest in music, the GMEA officers hit upon another great idea. GMEA would set up a school music festival in each of the 12 congressional districts. This would give local young musicians the opportunity to display their talents and encourage more support for music in our schools. And, to take it a step further, GMEA would sponsor a state festival (The Georgia State School Music Festival) for individuals and groups that received a rating of superior or excellent at their district festival. And the idea worked! The district festivals were very successful in drawing attention to the growing musical interest in local communities. In addition, the thought of local students and groups being selected to advance to the state festival drew even more attention to the idea that maybe music training should be included in all public schools so that every child could have this wonderful opportunity.

Hosting a district music festival was fairly easy. Most of the participants were usually within an hour or so drive of the event site, so students did not require overnight accommodations. Hosting the State Music Festival, on the other hand, would be a different matter, as this would be a several day event that would require overnight accommodations for instructors and students. The first State Music Festival was held in Savannah in April 14-17, 1937, in conjunction with the Georgia Educators Association State Convention. It was a tremendous success! Based on this great start, the GMEA board decided to continue the State Music Festival on an annual basis, but at a site that would be more centrally located in the state and less expensive to use.

Who in their right mind would step up to handle the logistics of finding overnight accommodations for 2,000+ students and their instructors, plus finding local free performance facilities, and scheduling such a huge undertaking? To everyone’s amazement, Max Noah and Maggie Jenkins offered to host the event in Milledgeville. They utilized the GSCW facilities, Georgia Military College, and private homes to

house the participants. They also lined up performance venues and scheduled the events so that, for one week every spring, Milledgeville became a beehive of musical activity. Eventually, the State Festival grew too large for anyone to host, and GMEA went first to a regional format to avoid overnight hosting. Finally, GMEA evolved their policy to use just the district festival format, which still exists today as the Large Group Performance Evaluations and the Solo & Ensemble Evaluations.

An educational festival for elementary, middle, and high school students in band, choir, and orchestra

During the 50’s and 60’s, music education was adopted by more and more school systems. And, as the number of music teachers increased, GMEA grew rapidly. Max and then, later, Maggie eventually passed the leadership mantle on to younger leaders and retired from the GMEA, at about the same time they retired from their college positions. But, they stood tall for the children of Georgia, when it counted.

2019: April 12 April 26 May 3

In true servant form, Max gave all his GMEA files, newsletters, and correspondence to the Georgia College and State University Library at Milledgeville. His donations became the core of what is now the GMEA Archives.

So, standing tall on Max and Maggie’s shoulders, we now launch into another bright new year. Let’s make it the best year ever!

2020: April 3 April 7 April 24

www.SMMFestival.com or call:1-855-766-3008

AT YOUNG HARRIS COLLEGE, WE BELIEVE THE GREATEST RISK IS LETTING TRUE POTENTIAL REMAIN UNREALIZED. Our campus is filled with endless opportunities to be bold and dare to be great. This is where young artists can venture to be original, inspire others and do more than they ever imagined.

FOR SCHOLARSHIPS AND PROGRAM I N F O R M A T I O N , C O N T A C T:

Musically inclined students can choose from programs of study in Music, Music Education and Musical Theatre.

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DIVISION NEWS BAND DIVISION Dr. Matt Koperniak Fall is an exciting and busy time, filled with the sounds of marching bands, fall concerts, beginning band students, and more. January will be here before we know it. Have you registered yet for our In-Service Conference? We have an outstanding program of clinics, concerts, and exhibitors in Athens, January 24-26, 2019, and hope to see you there!

Congratulations to the following schools and directors for receiving the GMEA Exemplary Program Award for the 2017-2018 school year: • Malcom Bridge Middle School Band Wes York, director • Pinckneyville Middle School Symphonic Winds Roland Ventura, director • River Trail Middle School Symphonic Band Jennifer Compton Lambert, director • Heritage High School Wind Ensemble Blair Callaway, director • Martin Luther King, Jr. High School Wind Ensemble Travis Kimber, director • South Paulding High School Band DJ McConnell, director The Exemplary Program Award recognizes bands for excellence in all areas of GMEA-sponsored events, including LGPE, All-State Band, District Honor Band, and Solo & Ensemble festival. The application for this year is available on OPUS under Applications and Forms.

By now, the day-to-day routine of the school year has settled in for both teachers and students. Good routines are crucial in band. Regular, daily warm-up routines provide foundations for individual and ensemble growth. Logistical routines prevent chaos and damage to instruments, while maximizing rehearsal time. Consider examining your daily routines in band rehearsals. Are you, the teacher, getting bored?

If so, your students have probably been bored for quite a while. Mixing up your rehearsal routine adds variety, creativity, and spontaneity for the students in your class. Invite a student to conduct the warm-ups or allow students to have "free seating" for a rehearsal. Have a silent rehearsal, where you (the director) teaches without speaking. Or, only speak in the form of a question while rehearsing that day. Invite a composer to work with your students over a Skype session. Broadcast a livestream of a band class to your student’s parents and relatives (with your principal’s permission, of course!) If we do these types of activities all the time, there is no routine from which to develop individual and ensemble growth. But, occasional and purposeful deviations within a consistent routine are essential to developing thoughtful, engaged musicians.

Another school year brings another crop of excited, energetic firstyear band directors. I close this column by highlighting first-year teacher, Sable Thompson, assistant band director at South Effingham Middle School in Effingham County (District I). Like other first-year teachers, Sable is full of energy, and that is an essential part of a busy band director. She teaches nearly 300 sixth, seventh, and eighth grade band students all day, then heads to South Effingham High School where she assists with the marching band program. Sable is thankful to have a position where she can be part of a team that works to bridge the gap between middle and high school, making it into one big family.

Let us continue to support and mentor all new teachers throughout this school year. Support them in their challenges and celebrate their successes. Best wishes to all for a wonderful year!

BOOK YOUR

2018-2019 GMEA EVENTS VISIT THE EVENT PAGES ON WWW.GMEA.ORG FOR LINKS TO

THE ATHENS CONVENTION & VISITORS BUREAU'S BRAND NEW HOTEL RESERVATION SYSTEM!

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DR. MARY LAND CONDUCTING ONE OF THE 2018 ALL-STATE MIDDLE SCHOOL BANDS

CNAfME

STATE ADVISOR

Dr. Richard Bell

When I make visits to high schools I always ask what careers the students are thinking of pursuing. Sadly, the vast majority of these music students are not thinking of making music education (or a teaching career in any subject) a career option. Of those that do become educators, too many of them are leaving the profession after teaching only a few years. This is not surprising with the public’s current attitudes toward teaching. A recent Time magazine article was titled “I Work 3 Jobs And Donate Blood Plasma to Pay the Bills.' This Is What It’s Like to Be a Teacher in America.” The 2018 PDK Poll of the Publlc’s Attitudes Toward the Public Schools found that the majority of the nation’s parents would discourage their children from becoming teachers.

With a current shortage of music teachers in our schools, what are we as music educators and future music educators to do to counter these attitudes and nurture the next generation of career teachers?

Here are a few ideas: 1. Give high school students leadership and teaching opportunities so they can begin to identify themselves as possible educators. 2. Voice the rewards and positive aspects of teaching to your students and parents. Avoid sharing the inevitable frustrations. 3.

Be proactive in connecting your juniors and seniors with universities with music education programs. 4. Find a mentor and/or be a mentor to provide encouragement and accountability to stay in the profession for a full career.

PHOTO PROVIDED BY ANDY EDWARDS OF ACE OF PHOTOS

COLLEGE DIVISION Dr. Keith Matthews Greetings and welcome to a new academic year. Hopefully by now, the summer temperatures are beginning to fade as the fall schedule is heating up. It is hard to believe we are already preparing for another In-Service Conference. In a few short months, the College Division will be hosting a terrific variety of sessions presented by colleagues from institutions in and out of the state of Georgia. Make sure you and your pre-service music education students are making preparations to attend January 2019!

With GMEA recognition and award nominations on the brain (October 16 deadline), I thought it appropriate to mention some news that is worth recognition. Friend and colleague, Dr. Matthew Koperniak, has recently been appointed Professor of Music Education at Georgia Southern University-Armstrong Savannah Campus. There is so much value for pre-service music teachers to learn from those who have public school teaching experience. Dr. Koperniak not only has a wealth of experience, he has been tremendously successful as a middle and high school band director. He has so much to offer the next generation of music teachers, and I know that the Music Education community is lucky to have him in that new role. Congratulations!

I wish the best of luck to everyone this year. I look forward to seeing everyone in January. And please let me know if I can help you in any way.

The future of music education lies in preparing in both quality and quantity the next generation of music educators. Make sure you are doing your part in this important endeavor! Let’s continue this conversation. Please share your thoughts and ideas on the future of music education – RichardBell@clayton.edu

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DIVISIONNEWS ELEMENTARY DIVISION Emily Threlkeld By now I am sure that many of you are in full swing at your schools. As you well know, the elementary music teacher’s schedule is so busy! Many times I start the week with a jam-packed calendar only to be greeted with more tasks that are unplanned and urgent. I know that I can always count on extra forms that need to be collected from students for various events, (Statewide Elementary Honor Chorus for example), ukuleles that need to be tuned, recorders that need to be assigned, and technology that stops working.

Throw in a couple students who are having a bad day and need extra attention, the faculty meetings, the hall duty, etc, etc, etc... In spite of all of this, we have the privilege of spending countless hours making music with so many children. The impact on their young lives cannot often be immediately recognized, but it is there and it is great.

How do we find the fuel for such busy schedules? We are often the lone teacher in our area for our expertise and quality opportunities to gather with our music colleagues can be rare. The GMEA In-service in January (1/24-1/26) will be an event that will certainly inspire veteran and new teachers alike while giving all a chance to spend time with other gifted elementary music teachers. This year’s presenters offer many exciting sessions! Dr. Robert Amchin, is a sought-after clinician who has presented at many AOSA conferences and workshops all over the world, including the USA, Russia, Poland, Singapore, Austria, China, Canada, and Israel. He will present sessions on movement, recorders, and ukulele. There will be drumming sessions with Dave Holland, of Beatin’ Path Rhythm Events. You will not want to miss his infectiously energetic evening drum circle- invite everyone you know to attend! There will be more ukulele with Rob Lyda, folk song sessions with Quaver Music, and so much more. You also don’t want to miss the elementary choral performances by the Suwanee Singers led by Marti Parker and the Cheatham Hill Elementary School Fifth Grade Chorus led by Margaret Grayburn.

We are also excited about our Statewide Elementary Honor Chorus event, which will take place February 22 and 23rd. Melissa Keylock and Craig Hurley are conducting the choirs. The music selections are wonderful, and I for one am looking forward to improving as a choral educator by watching them work with my students.

As you make your preparations to attend our in-service and our honor chorus event, remember to go to the GMEA website to book your hotel rooms. There are many choices, and the rates are very reasonable. I can’t wait to see all of you in January and February!

ORCHESTRA DIVISION Dr. Bernadette Scruggs My first teaching job began in the fall of 1983 and, since I really did not start teaching until September, I can verify it was actually the fall season. Now, with all school systems back in action by late summer, some as early as mid-summer, the first days of school have a completely different feeling. School buses provide another layer of smoke in the already hazy atmosphere, and students arrive still dressed for summer. You walk to your car, at the end of a long day, and it’s 135 degrees inside. Still, schools are slow to change so we still arrive to “fall” planning meetings and “fall” semester rather than what could be labeled more correctly as “summer” events, likely because the word “summer” evokes an entirely different feeling for teachers.

As you walk into school during the coolest part of the day, take a few moments to reflect on the most stressful situations from your last school year and consider how to combat the anxiety before the year gets out of hand. Once October begins, it often feels as though you have hopped upon a giant treadmill that keeps propelling you forward long after you would have chosen to jump off. If GMEA deadlines cause you stress, mark a date on your calendar to log onto OPUS and register at least a month in advance of the deadline. That way, there is ample time to solve any issues that may arise. Put the onus on your students to be responsible for their All-State audition downloads, to check the All-State registration list you have printed off and posted, to check for a missed or misspelled name in your concert program so that any mistakes can be rectified in plenty of time. If discipline matters plague your teaching, ask a mentor for advice in restructuring your current behavior management system. As a reminder, on our “Ask a Veteran” page (on the OPUS Home pull down menu, under the heading Applications and Forms), we have a number of musical experts available who have valuable information to share with our membership.

One of my favorite things about the GMEA Orchestra Division is the evident cooperation between the directors. Send out an email to the colleagues in your system asking for assistance and count the number of responses you receive because the volume of ready assistance and helpful hints will likely astound you. Take advantage of this wealth of knowledge that can be shared by your fellow orchestra directors. At the same time, make sure you build and preserve relationships within your school with your fellow fine arts teachers so that you have support close by all of the time- especially when needing immediate aid. Working in a friendly school environment offers more opportunity for schoolwide collaboration and creativity, the results of which will give your students a boost in the excellence of the program provided.

On a final note, most teachers may have to be reminded that our job is supposed to support our life, not the reverse. I firmly believe that we are not as indispensable as it may seem when we are in our work situation, but we certainly are when with our family. Make a mental note to leave work at school and to get enough sleep every night. Your family and friends should provide inspiration to your life and that, in turn, should pay off with your students while you are with them in your classroom. Ponder on your priorities- work time versus fun time- and, if you find them lacking, make today the day you change that.

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RESEARCH Dr. Martin Norgaard I am excited to be the new Research Chair and would like to thank GMEA president, Evelyn Champion, for the appointment. As noted in my column in the summer issue, my main goal is to encourage and facilitate communication between practitioners and researchers. I feel strongly that research in music perception, cognition, pedagogy, and learning has the potential to influence the way we teach music. General discourse these days often blurs the line between opinion and research. Researchers try very hard to eliminate personal opinions and bias through the design of studies. Furthermore, after the completion of a study outside reviewers evaluate the entire design before the study is published. Many studies are never published because the data and analysis do not effectively support purported conclusions. And yet after this arduous process some may still doubt the conclusions of research reports because of the typical language used.

I often tell students that “research never proves anything” because all sampled data always include some small amount of error. Therefore researchers use language like “it appears that” or “the current data supports.”

I strongly believe the solution is dialogue between researchers and practitioners. In music education, researchers are typically graduate students or university faculty who themselves recently were or still are practitioners. The dialogue between researcher and practitioner serves both parties. As the profession progresses, researchers not still teaching in K-12 settings need to continue to keep abreast of new challenges and opportunities experienced by music teachers. I am excited to report that a great opportunity for dialogue, the GMEA research poster session, will have significant increased visibility at the 2019 GMEA conference. Thanks to the commitment of Evelyn Champion and the GMEA staff, the event will be moved to the Classic Center Atrium and the posters will be displayed on large dedicated poster boards. They will be up all day on Friday, January 25, and researchers will stand by their posters from 11:15am-12:15pm. Please come by and hear about the outstanding research taking place in Georgia and beyond.

Another way to keep abreast of outstanding research conducted in our state is to review exemplary dissertations recently published. In each of these columns, I will highlight one outstanding dissertation based on recommendations from university faculty. This fall I’m highlighting a dissertation recently completed at the University of Georgia by Dorothy Musselwhite under the direction of Associate Professor Brian Wesolowski. The dissertation investigates assessment of instrumental pre-service teachers and includes three related studies. Specifically, Dr. Musselwhite developed and tested an assessment of lesson plans.

As we all know, lesson plans reveal much about the thinking of new teachers. We also know that all students shape their work according to how that work is evaluated (at least that is my opinion…). Therefore, valid and transparent assessment is essential. According to the author, “the studies [in this dissertation] are essential to the development of pre-service teachers because the expectations of performance at the undergraduate level are being aligned to those of an in-service teacher.

In addition, I have developed a step-by-step method for developing and maintaining rubrics and rating scales that could be immediately

implemented in music classrooms. It is my hope that these studies will allow for better feedback to be given to undergraduate students and will allow us to improve pre-service teacher training.” I encourage everyone to download and read this outstanding research. It is freely available here: https://athenaeum.libs.uga.edu/handle/10724/3

RETIRED MEMBERS Jay Wucher I came across an article recently in a publication from Sun Trust Bank entitled 7 Tips to an Active Retirement. It was very useful to me as a way to see which boxes I was checking and which one I was not. From financial advice to ways to shape a fulfilling retirement experience, the information in this short article makes it worth the few minutes it will take to peruse. After reading it through, I thought it might be worth sharing with not only our retired membership, but also those who are still in their careers as I firmly believe planning for retirement is like rehearsing a piece of music. It is a “process not an event.” (Credit Dr. David Gregory for that insight). You can view the article at https://www. suntrust.com/resource-center/investing-retirement/article/7-tipsto-live-an-active-retirement#.W6-j_J_25PY. GMEA News There will be two sessions at GMEA that should prove useful to both retired members and those who wish they were. One is “Social Security 101” and the other is “Pre-Retirement Planning with TRS.” Please try to attend these sessions not just as an audience but also as someone who has already taken that big step to the next part of your life. In addition, we are all invited to a reception hosted by our Student NAfME chapter. Please try to attend so that you can not only enjoy the reception as a guest but also to mingle with our soon to be music educators.

CODA In my last article I asked that you contact me so that I could share your stories about life after the classroom. Please consider doing this as it could serve as both an inspiration as well as a resource for both active and retired members.

My contact information is as follows: jswucher@gmail.com cell: 404.388.2994

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CALL FOR

BOOK

REVIEWS Help other music educators build their learning libraries! Submit your review of a recently published book at GMEA.org. There is no length requirement and submissions will be accepted throughout the year.

Questions?

EMAIL GMNEDITOR@GMAIL.COM

Music Awards, Apparel, and Branding georgia@neffco.com 470-423-8689 www.neffco.com Proud apparel provider for the Cobb Wind Symphony and Woodland High School Band. Congratulations for being selected to perform at the 2018 Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic and the 2018 Macy’s Day Parade.

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A Brief Interview with Composer

Steven Bryant

By Dr. Lauren Denney Wright

In the wind band world, it does not get much bigger than Steven Bryant.

This interview took place on April 4, 2018.

“His compositional virtuosity is evident in every bar.�

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Where does your inspiration come from?

Do you have any projects you are currently working on?

Who was your favorite composer growing up? What types of music did you listen to?

What is your favorite piece of music from any composer, alive or dead?

Coffee and desperation. Seriously, this is a huge question that has a different answer for each piece, and sometimes I never feel “inspired” so much as on a hunt to discover sounds and experiences that move me, so it can be as simple as the opening ride cymbal sound from Björk’s Hyperballad that led to the just-premiered piece by the Detroit Symphony.

I listened to Pink Floyd, Tangerine Dream, Chicago, Yes, and Francis McBeth. I did not know much about the big classical composers until I got to college, at least as far as I can recall.

What advice would you tell your college self ?

Write more music. Don’t waste time.

If you were able to go back in time, would you do High School the same way?

I would not do much differently. I was mostly oblivious to my surroundings and complete lack of fashion, but that was probably just as well. Should’ve written more music.

What is your favorite instrument and why?

Horn section. It’s the powerful heart of large ensemble, and many of my pieces are in part an excuse to write a soaring Horn line.

Just finished a commission for the Detroit Symphony, which premiered April 6-7th. Writing a large work for the University of Illinois Bands, another for the Arizona State Univ. Wind Ensemble, a Euphonium quartet + Winds for the Five Quartet out of Austin, TX (premieres in Sydney, Australia in 2019), a long-term work for the Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble, a percussion ensemble work, and a work for young bands (grade 2 or 3).

Can’t pick just one. Even if I pick one (say, The Rite of Spring), it might change based on the day you ask, etc.

What is one thing you would like everyone to know about yourself ?

My website is www.stevenbryant.com and you can buy all my music there.

What is your favorite thing about collaborating with conductors?

When they surprise me by understanding the score and the big picture of the piece as well as I do. Learning how a piece comes together in rehearsal, and seeing and hearing things I can do better in the next piece.

What is your favorite thing about onsite visits to schools and college/university campuses?

Interacting with the students and hopefully giving them some spark of motivation or inspiration for their own paths.

Steven Bryant’s music is chiseled in its structure and intent, fusing lyricism, dissonance, silence, technology, and humor into lean, skillfully-crafted works that enthrall listeners and performers alike. Winner of the ABA Ostwald award and three-time winner of the NBA Revelli Award, Steven Bryant’s music for wind ensemble has reshaped the genre. A prolific composer, his substantial catalogue of music is regularly performed throughout the world. Recently, his Ecstatic Waters was premiered by the Minnesota Orchestra to unanimous, rapturous acclaim. The son of a professional trumpeter and music educator, he strongly values music education, and his creative output includes a number of works for young and developing musicians.

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Photo provided by Thomas Bennie

VITALIT Y R E V I V I N G

T H E

L I F E

I N

Y O U R

T E A C H I N G

PEGGY D. BENNET & VICKY SUAREZ Reprinted from Southwestern Musician with permission by Texas Music Educators Association.

W

e love teaching!

Yet, being a teacher can deplete us by degrees. The highs are so high, and the lows are so low. Managing to stay emotionally afloat as we interact with students, coworkers, administrators, and parents is no easy task.

Schools are ecosystems and any highs or lows, celebrations or tensions, tend to seep through the fabric of our daily teaching lives—and then they follow us home.

Because teaching is such a personal act, we often internalize the ups and downs as if they reflect our character, knowledge, skill, and potential for success. Our responsibilities seem overwhelming and unrealistic, and we often become envious of others’ achievements and accolades.

We can feel hurt by overt or covert treatment that we believe is unfair. We can interpret words and behaviors as criticism, even when they are not intended that way. We can feel untethered and out of balance as we vacillate between I can do this! and I can’t do this!

The following are five ideas for regaining equilibrium and being the teacher and col-

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league we want to be. For each topic we examine attitudes and behaviors that could help you regain your vitality for teaching. We encourage you to incorporate these ideas as experiments in a quest to regain your spirit for teaching and a vitality for healthy interactions with everyone in your schools. Try them and see what happens!

INTERPRET MISBEHAVIOR AS SIMPLY BEHAVIOR One of the most profound changes we can make in our teaching comes from a unique definition of misbehavior offered by C. M. Charles: misbehavior is knowingly and willingly obstructing, disrupting, or interrupting (1985, p. 4).

What would change if we adopted this definition for interpreting students’ behaviors? What would happen if we applied this filter to adults in our schools? If there is no intention to misbehave, should that warrant a different response?

Behavior problems often cause us to become hypervigilant; we pounce on any behavior we see as directly opposing our rules or potentially becoming a problem. Shifting and restricting what constitutes misbehavior alters what we say and what we feel about the behavior challenge confronting us.

Can we fathom that students or adults who annoy us may not be intentionally annoying?

Feeling insulted does not necessarily mean someone is knowingly insulting. Feeling a specific emotion does not mean another is guilty of causing it.

What could happen if we changed how we interpreted others’ behaviors? We could more often retain a calm internal and external countenance, allowing us to address the behavior and the consequence matter-of-factly, clearly, and without accusation. Consider this: Sometimes we adults are rude, annoying, unfair, rough, vulgar, or imposing, according to other adults.

Does that mean we are misbehaving? When we give up assuming intent, it changes us: we respond differently internally and externally (Ruiz, 1997). We do not necessarily ignore the behavior, but we also do not presume malicious or disrespectful intent. Just as adults have wide ranges of normal behaviors, so do students. Embracing this simple habit of taking a second look can save us from frustration, tension, and heartache.

Redefining misbehavior can allow us these opportunities: we can respond with the appropriate level of assertiveness, give the benefit of the doubt or a moment of grace, identify neu-

trally what we see and hear, and explain why something needs to change (Bennett & Bartholomew, 1997, pp. 204–213). Consider neutral directives that are informative: •The noise level is way too high right now.

How fast will you fix it?

•I see your hand, Toby, but I’m listening for Jamey’s answer.

•If your voice/instrument is too loud right now, I’m going to assume you are not listening as you sing/play. Let’s see what it sounds like if each of you listens to others as you sing/play.

AIM TO UNDERSTAND RATHER THAN AGREE When someone agrees with us, we can feel validated and relieved. When someone disagrees with us, we can conjure all sorts of negative reactions. Conflict has the reputation of producing stress, fatigue, paranoia, short-sightedness, and many other dis-eases.

Thankfully, we have more power than we may realize to manage those inevitable tensions.

A simple antidote to fear and anger during conflict is easily within reach: aim to understand rather than agree (Rusk, 1993).

With conflict, we often jump immediately to conclusions, not only about the action but also about its underlying reasons. That is why we suffer—we think we know the intent of another’s choices (Ruiz, 1997). But if we momentarily suspend our assumptions, we can pursue a path of understanding. Then, we have a broader palette for interpreting disagreement.

Spoken with calm curiosity, not sarcasm, aggression, or confrontation, simple questions and statements like these can pave the path to understanding.

•Can you tell me a little more about what led you to that decision?

•Why do you think that?

•Interesting. I had a very different reaction. Tell me how you interpreted that.

•What can you tell me that will help me understand what just happened?

Conflicts, large and small, can be reframed by shifting from agreement to understanding.

Even if you leave a conflict in disagreement, sharing perspectives with civility and intent to understand will serve you well. If the other person happens to explain without asking your opinion, simply say, “I think I understand your position on this better. Now I’ll tell you my thoughts, so you can understand my perspective as well.” Releasing the pressure valve of conflict in this simple way can refuel each party’s vitality.

RELEARN HOW TO BE PLAYFUL No matter how many years you’ve been teaching or what ages you teach, an attitude of playfulness can help rebalance a pattern of discouragement. Playfulness steers us toward replacing harsh criticisms or quick judgments with lighthearted responses. (Bennett, 2014) Adopting playful responsiveness may seem like letting people off the hook for their annoying behaviors. Yet it may also be crafting a quality of interaction that serves both the sender and receiver. Examples of playful commentary could be: •That wasn’t quite what I had in mind when I said “Grab your folders.”

•Okay, your giggles are interrupting our study. Let’s take five seconds to get the giggles out so we can study the sounds in that piece.

•This lunchroom talk is a little tough on my digestion.

•The students are so fortunate to have such an array of teachers as us!

Important here is to stress what playfulness is not. It is not the teacher telling jokes, entertaining, dominating the lesson, or using sarcasm as humor (Bennett & Bartholomew, 1997, pp. 155–158). Playfulness is instead an eagerness to teach and engage with curiosity, suspended judgment, lighthearted banter, and genuine puzzlement. Beware that if playfulness becomes too clever or too showy, students’ behaviors may escalate rather than comply.

PRESERVING MUSICALITY Our passion for music and our desire to share music likely motivated us to become music teachers. It should be no surprise, then, that the quality of the music in our classrooms

and rehearsals can influence our vitality for teaching!

Musicality, the quality of expression, fluency, and nuance that makes music musical, is at the heart of our passion for music. Yet sometimes it is our quest to teach the intricacy and accuracy of music notation that diminishes the very thing that inspires our passion for music (Bennett, 2016). What a paradox to consider that teaching music can cause us to lose our musicality!

How does this happen?

When we turn music reading into an arithmetic drill (beats, note values, measures) and let the notation of music rule its performance, we may be strangling the aesthetics for our students and for ourselves. If this sounds familiar, it may be time to reconnect to musicality in all music classes, for all ages.

Do you teach rhythms and intervals out of context and use arithmetic relationships, rather than sounds that musically and linguistically cluster together, to define patterns to study? Are ensemble warm-ups more routine than musical, more habitual than aesthetic? Are students encouraged to be expressive and nuanced in even the simplest patterns as they sing and play?

•Watch my hands as I conduct your scales. You’ll notice some nuances. Will I hear you match my expressions?

•Sing the song like you’re telling the story.

That’s what anyone listening wants to hear: your expressiveness.

•Let’s sing/play the fourth phrase. Disregard the bar lines, because I want you to shape the sound for that cluster of notes.

And the cluster doesn’t fit within the bar lines.

•How will you make your hand signs as musical as your singing while you perform that pattern?

Teaching music in lifeless and unmusical ways can wear on our spirits. Prioritizing musicality and expressiveness can revitalize us. We can give ourselves permission to choose music we enjoy and to preserve its musical integrity in our teaching. When we teach what we love, we are passionate about it, and our teaching will reflect that vibrancy.

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VITALITY: REVIVINGTHE LIFE IN YOUR TEACHING

TAKE YOUR BEST SELF TO SCHOOL Too easily and too frequently, we can adopt a habit of being in perpetual fight-or-flight mode at school. The stress caused by living in constant anxiety can interfere with sleep, mood, digestion, resilience, and, of course, good teaching.

We can all-too-easily slide into a pattern of seeking (and finding!) behaviors that rile us, people who threaten us, and conflicts that make us want to fight or flee. When we consciously choose the intention to be our best, all sorts of interactions, big and small, shift our focus and recast our feelings. Manifesting our intent each morning can powerfully frame the way we want to behave, react, comment, and care.

The simple yet powerful attitudes and behaviors described here will not eliminate the hard, sometimes wearisome work required of all educators. These ideas can, however, revive you in moments of doubt and vitalize you in

the midst of myriad emotional challenges every teaching assignment presents. Regaining the life in your teaching may require the baby steps of experimenting with these dimensions of playfulness, understanding, musicality, behavior, and your best self, but your mental, physical, and social health is worth every step!

Peggy D. Bennett is Professor Emerita of Music Education at Oberlin Conservatory of Music and is a certified mediator and life coach. Vicky Suarez is an Elementary Music Specialist at Prairie Creek Elementary (Richardson ISD).

REFERENCES Bennett, Peggy D. (2017). Teaching with vitality: Pathways to health and wellness for teachers and schools. New York: Oxford University Press.

Brent Gault. New York: Oxford University Press.

Bennett, P. D. (2014). Playfulness is an attitude: A practice that revitalizes teaching and learning. Alfred Music. Ledger Lines email blast.

Bennett, P. D. & Bartholomew, D. R. (1997).

SongWorks 1: Singing in the education of children. Van Nuys, California: Wadsworth.

2014 republished by SongWorks Press.

Charles, C. M. (1985). Building classroom discipline: From models to practice. New York: Longman.

Ruiz, D. M. (1997). The four agreements: A practical guide to personal freedom. San Rafael, California: Amber-Allen Publishing.

Rusk, T. (1993). The power of ethical persuasion. New York: Penguin.

Bennett, P. D. (2016). Questioning the unmusical ways we teach children music (286– 307), Teaching general music: Approaches, issues, and viewpoints. Eds. Carlos Abril &

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MUSIC AND SENIOR CITIZENS RE SE A RC H F IN D I NG S A N D CO N S I D ER AT I O NS F O R M US I C ED UCAT I O N

This article is reprinted from the October/November 2016 Ala Breve. published by the Alabama Music Educators Association.

BY LISA J. LEHMBERG, PH.D.

F

or many in the United States, the term muing to participate in alternative types of music-making sic participation brings to mind music makopportunities that revolve around popular music, such ing during the K–12 schooling years, in as bluegrass or rock groups and karaoke, as well as para variety of settings inside and outside of ticipatory music-making opportunities, such as circle schools. However, most people spend more singing or drum circles, in which everyone present paryears out of school than in school. What can the music ticipates and there are no performer/audience distincparticipation of adults – particularly older adults – tell tions. In addition, seniors enjoy engaged music listening us about scaffolding musical involvement throughout activities, dancing to music, and/or serving as support life? Research shows that as life expectancy increases, personnel for musical groups, and consider these to be accompanied by an increased capability to maintain active forms of music participation even though they do robust health well into older adulthood, many individnot involve music making per se. Most importantly, reuals choose to con- tinue music participation through search shows that senior citizens desire the opportunity adulthood or even become involved in music for the first to take music into their own hands by hav- ing many time as senior citizens (Fung different choices avail able & Lehmberg, 2016). The for music participation (Fung relatively new and growing & Lehmberg, 2016). body of research on the muA second, even larger Looking at how people sic participa- tion of healthy, group of findings (also from independent older adults access music in older the field of music education) (most of which has been adulthood can provide food relates to why senior citizens conducted in the last twenty choose to participate in muyears) has already uncovered for thought about the role of sic. It is logical that music much about the role of mumusic throughout life and how plays a positive role in the sic participation throughout quality of life of senior citthe profession of music life. Some findings are what izens who participate in it, might be expected, but otheducation might provide and research clearly points ers are a bit surprising! scaffolding for lifelong out the enormous breadth and depth of its impact. Semusic participation.

One major group of reniors who choose to involve search findings from the field themselves in music reap of music education concerns multiple physical, psychohow senior citizens particlogical, and social benefits ipate in music. As might be on many levels, ranging from superficial (enjoyment of expected, research illuminates a strong relationship bemaking music) to profound (music serving as a lifeline in tween music participation in earlier years and music partimes of adversity) (Fung & Lehmberg, 2016). Positive ticipation later in life. A large majority of senior citizens physical/psychological impacts of music participation who participate in music also did so in younger years. It that frequently surface in research include (but are not also may not be surprising to learn that most participate limited to) the following: (Note: though these findings are in the same types of ensembles as in their earlier years: supported in multiple research studies, only one citation primarily church and community choirs and bands (now is provided for each in the interest of brevity) via New Horizons ensembles for many), with choral • feelings of empowerment (Fung & Lehmberg, 2016) groups being by far the most popular with the greatest • brighter moods (Hays & Michiello, 2005) ease of entry. Additionally, research shows that individu• enhanced cognitive functioning (Coffman & als who begin music participation for the first time as seAdamek, 1999) nior citizens tend to choose musical activi- ties that have • enjoyment of making music (Roulston, Jutras & fluid entry points (welcome to join at any time; formal Kim, 2015) musical training not required), with cho- ral ensembles • improved overall health (Gembris, 2008) again being the most popular. A perhaps more unexpect• improvement of musical skills (Coffman & Adamek, ed finding is that today’s senior citizens are also choos1999) FA L L 2018 | G E O RG I A M U S I C N E W S

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• increased energy (Gembris, 2008) • increased self-esteem (Clift & Hancox, 2010) • increased sense of wellbeing (Coffman, 1996) • more meaningful life (Fung & Lehmberg, 2016) • reduced stress (Lehmberg & Fung, 2010) Likewise, positive social impacts mentioned frequently in research include (but are not limited to) the following: • decreased feelings of isolation (Hays & Minchiello, 2005) • feeling needed as a part of a group (Clift & Hancox, 2010) • having the social support of the group in times of adversity (Gembris, 2008) • opportunity to make friends and bond with others (Coffman, 1996) The few reported negative impacts of music participation tend to be on a more superficial level, such as having negative feelings about carrying instruments, the capabilities of conductors, the cost of band membership, or individuals’ own personal progress (Coffman, 1996). For more in-depth information on research on these areas and senior citizens’ music participation in general, please see the References/Suggested Reading List at the end of this article.

So, what do these findings mean for the profession of music education? Looking at how people access music in older adulthood can provide food for thought about the role of music throughout life and how the profession of music education might provide scaffolding for lifelong music participation. Taking into account what research tells us about how senior citizens choose to participate in music, music educators might consider expanding school music curricula to include more learning experiences based on popular music across different levels of schooling, so that music can be picked up at any time and carried through a lifetime. Considering what research shows about why senior citizens choose to participate in music, it is easy to see that music can and does have a profound effect on the quality of life of those who participate. Offering a broader palette of school music experiences that have fluid entry points (including both performance-based and non-performance-based musical opportunities) could encourage more individuals to

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participate in a variety of musical experiences earlier in life and perhaps continue independently for a lifetime; thus accessing the multiple benefits that come from taking music into one’s own hands.

REFERENCES/SUGGESTED READING LIST

Clift, S., & Hancox, G. (2010). The significance of choral singing for sustaining psychological wellbeing.

Music and Health, 3(1), 79-96.

Coffman, D. D. (1996). Musical backgrounds and interests of active older band members. Dialogue in Instrumental Music Education, 20(1), 25-34.

Coffman, D. D., & Adamek, M. S. (1999). Perceived social support of New Horizons band members. Contributions to Music Education, 28(1), 27-40.

Fung, C. V., & Lehmberg, L. J. (2016). Music for life: Music participation and quality of life of senior citizens. New York: Oxford University Press.

Gembris, H. (2008). Musical activities in the third age: An empirical study with amateur musicians. In A. Daubney, E. Longhi, A. Lamont, & D. Hargreaves (Eds.) Musical development and learning (pp. 103108). Hull, Germany: GK Publishing.

Hays, T., & Minchiello, V. (2005). The meaning of music in the lives of older people: A qualitative study. Aging & Society, 25, 261-278.

Lehmberg, L. J., & Fung, C. V. (2010). Benefits of music participation for senior citizens: A review of the literature. Music Education Research International, 4, 19-30.

Roulston, K., Jutras, P., & Kim, S. (2015). Adult perspectives of learning musical instruments. International Journal of Music Education, 33(3), 325-335.

Dr. Lisa J. Lehmberg, lehmberg@umass.edu, is an Associate Professor/Coordinator of Music Education and Innovative Teaching Fellow at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.

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LISTEN WITH YOUR EYES U S I N G S C O R E S T U D Y T O P R E D I C T A N D C O N T R O L R E H E A R S A L F LO W

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ike a Medieval monk’s head buried in a desk, so too are young teachers’ faces in a score. While this can be dangerous during rehearsal—keeping your eyes up not only helps with focus and behavior, it can help you identify the cause of performance errors much, much more quickly—score study is an invaluable tool towards becoming a “rehearsal psychic.” We have all had mentors who appear to be wizards on the podium.

They know what’s going to happen; they stand there ready to address anything and everything the ensemble throws their way. How do they get to this point? I believe it’s two things: 1) over-preparation using the scores and 2) experience gained using said approach.

Let’s face it: at some point during your career someone in the trumpet section is going to play a B-natural instead of B-flat, at least one trombone player will choose to ignore a tie, one of your flutes isn’t going to play a tremolo correctly, and a percussionist is going to misinterpret a timpani roll at some point. Rehearsal stereotypes exist for a reason, as there is a grain of truth to all of them. If this is the case,

why are so many young teachers blindsided by these rehearsal and performance errors that have been around for so long? Chances are that a young teacher just left an ensemble that functions at a very high level of performance, a group devoid of novice mistakes. There is also a strong chance that said teacher didn’t make these kinds of errors in middle and high school. In short, it is often difficult for younger teachers not only to comprehend that these types of errors happen, but that they will take place more than once, during the same rehearsal, by five different students.

How can we “listen with our eyes” to prepare ourselves for problems in advance, problems that, without preparation, can take 20 minutes (and a brief cry on the drive home) or 20 seconds with a bit of planning? The answer is score study. We all come from different backgrounds, some of which require a score to be marked up a great deal, others not so much. No matter where you studied, I would strongly suggest marking your scores up with pedagogical information alongside the musical that so many of us learned in college. Take a look at the following piece, “Slow Jam in B-flat Minor.”

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LISTEN WITH YOUR EYES

What first pops into your head after looking at the score? What would you address with your band on the first/second/third read of the piece? Are there any issues that you feel will happen with 99100% certainty?

Take time to go through the score, marking as many problems AND SOLUTIONS as possible.

Are you uncomfortable with clarinet fingerings or trombone positions? Write them in! Can you hear your average student playing the piece in your head?

If so, what stylistic, dynamic, or note issues can you foresee? Marking these items ahead of time accomplishes a number of things: 1. You become hyperaware of the problems; your ears will be listening to them as they happen.

2. You have the answers to questions you’ve yet to ask the students. “Sally, what position is D-flat?”

3. You can have solutions ready to go before the student knows they even have a problem.

Let’s dive back into the score, this time “marked” for pedagogical preparation, in an item-by-item fashion: 1. Should you start with B-flat minor or D-flat major? How can you incorporate these scales (and chords) into your warmups?

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2. Draw out the fingering for chalumeau E-flat 3. I’d bet a dollar at least 1 clarinet will want to breathe after the quarter note in measure 1; make sure that is addressed.

4. Be prepared to show the students the right and left pinkie approaches to the B-natural and E-flat at the end of measure 2. Make sure they write them in!

5. While the dynamics make it obvious that the clarinet has the melody, the throat tones in measure 3 are going to make this difficult (not to mention the fact that the alto saxophones are probably going to be a bit too loud here as they got to start the piece at mezzo forte.

6. Should the saxophones use “bis” B-flat in measure 2?

7. The low D in the saxophone is going to come out really strongly; address this after the first read and make sure the students understand the importance of getting softer at the end of this bar.

8. If I teach “bis” in measure 2, I have to make sure that the saxophones don't “slide” from bis to “side” B-flat in measure 3.

9. Good gravy, the Ds, Cs, and E-flats are going to be all over the place for the saxophones in measure 3. I need to have them mark in the pitch tendencies using arrows (the softer dynamic isn’t going to help this, either).

10. The composer chose to have the trumpets playing quite low on a bouncy, articulate part. The instrument is going to fight them a bit. We should probably address this in warmups.

11. E-flat is 2nd and 3rd valve…

12. Should the end of measure 2 start legato in the trumpet part? The trombone is molto legato and there is an obvious part change; the students need to be aware of this.

13. The low D is going to be so sharp (it’s even the third of a major chord); students must use their 3rd valve slides here.

14. With the part marked molto legato, should the students use the trigger or sixth position for F? I know the 6th position will sound more resonant, but will it affect the overall style?

15. I need to ask the trombones to write in a breath after beat 3 in the second bar; beat four needs to connect to the next measure.

16. D-flat is 5th position. A-flat is 3rd position.

17. That dynamic for tuba might result in a pinched sound to start the piece; we will need to consider warming up at pianissimo in order to address any tone production problems.

18. The tuba’s D-flat is 2nd valve.

19. Add the breath to mirror the trombones in measure 2.

20. We’re going to need to work that leap at the end of 2 a few times… yikes.

21. What is the roll base for the snare? I’m going to guess sextuplets will work, but we might need to use 32nd notes in case it sounds too chunky.

22. That is a soft dynamic for snare; how can you get them to play with a good sound quality without a weak tap stroke?

23. The snare player needs to remember to connect the rolls (even though it’s not marked).

24. LRL is best for flow in the last bar.

25. I should work with the snare on the decrescendo at the end; they’re the most important part and close out the piece. I should probably talk to them about possibly “zoning” the roll to the edge for even more dynamic contrast.

While coming up with 25 items might seem a bit excessive, this type of approach prepares you for virtually anything and everything that might happen in rehearsal. It also helps to cement concepts

that might have previously required a textbook or asking your first chair player. After writing in “5” a few times, the teacher will start to remember 5th position notes and the need to write them gradually disappears. In essence, the score becomes a combination of your methods classes from your undergrad days. Be more thorough: so many young teachers open up a score and top at “can my trumpets play these notes?” or “do my flutes have enough technique to pull this off ?” While that’s a fine place to start, there is so much more that should go into rehearsal and score preparation.

Remember that you are the only person in the room with a map, serving as a sort of “tour guide” to the music. So many elements of music can cause students to play timidly, including thin texture, a lack of tutti rhythms, and even new notes. It’s your job to steer students in the right direction; if you know that an E-sharp is going to throw off your rehearsal, introduce it on the board, pass out a worksheet, or just isolate it before playing that passage. It will save a lot of time and headaches for everyone involved. As the conductor, you can also identify dissonance and dynamic problems well in advance. A minor second is something that should be embraced, but students often back off (or stop playing altogether) during the sight-reading as they assume they are wrong. Empower the musician with knowledge in advance to give them the confidence to play through the line.

Something as simple as showing the percussion section what a chime scrape is before rehearsal can save so much time in the long run.

Knowing the concepts involved in a piece of music allows lesson plans to be built from the group up instead of an overview approach. Coming up with a good plan requires time and effort. It is rare that teachers can create an effective rehearsal approach off the top of their head, and even when those work, most know that some aspects could have been much better should the preparation level have been higher.

Use your eyes to hear the problems before they happen and go into the rehearsal armed with as much knowledge as possible; I think you’ll find your psychic powers appearing sooner rather than later.

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REHEARSAL FRAMES and MUSIC TEACHER EVALUATIONS HIGHLIGHTING THE LOOK-FORS FOR YOUR ADMINISTRATORS

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Reprinted with permission from "Rehearsal Frames and Music Teacher Evaluations: Highlighting the Look-Fors for Your Administrators"

by DeLaine Chapman from the August 2018 Florida Music Director.

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eachers in primary and secondary schools routinely undergo systematic evaluations in an effort to improve instruction. Many of these evaluations include live observations of classroom instruction by administrators and other trained professionals (Danielson, 2001; Ovando & Ramirez, 2007). The evaluation processes for teachers vary from state to state, but most often include a pre-observation conference and one or two full in-class observations, followed by a post-observation conference (Clements-Cortès, 2011). These evaluations typically lead to formal assessment reports delivered to the teachers by the evaluators.

Most current evaluation systems are designed not only to document the competence of teaching faculty, but also to provide individual feedback that may be used to improve a teacher’s skills; however, it remains to be determined whether the feedback conveyed in formal teacher evaluations contributes to increasing a teacher’s effectiveness (Croft et al., 2011; Darling-Hammond et al., 2012).

When evaluators are attempting to determine the level of expertise of a teacher, there are certain skills they wish to observe. Many districts statewide have termed these skills look-fors, meaning what the evaluator is looking for during an observation. Look-fors are particularly important if the skills are listed on an observation form/checklist; however, music teaching/learning skills (i.e., music skill building) are not typically found on observation tools.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS Efforts to optimize the quality and effectiveness of teacher evaluations raise questions about the nature of the assessment procedures and the means of conveying their results. Current debates surrounding the improvement of teaching assessments often center on the who, what and how of teacher evaluations. Who evaluates? What are we evaluating? How often should we evaluate? And finally, what are the intended consequences of the evaluation?

Who should conduct evaluations? Typically, principals and assistant principals serve as the primary evaluators of teachers in public schools (Danielson, 2001; Darling-Hammond et al., 2012; Ovando, 2001; Papay, 2012). Although there are cases in which district personnel assist principals and assistant principals, most often it is the responsibility of the school-level administrators to evaluate the teachers under their supervision.

What should be evaluated? Evaluators need to know where to look and what to assess when they observe teachers at work. Often evaluators use assessment tools adopted by state and local boards of education that comprise a great many individual indicators of effective teaching. As such, they define which aspects of teaching should be examined and where evaluators should focus their attention. This is typically a “one size fits all” evaluation tool, and as is often the case, evaluators do their best trying to align the indicators with what they are observing in a music classroom.

How often should teacher evaluations be conducted? The most widely accepted practice is to evaluate teachers twice yearly; once during a full class session during the first semester (formative observation) and once during the second semester (summative observation). Schedules may vary among districts (Darling-Hammond et al., 2012), and the timing and frequency of evaluations vary with the teacher’s experience and expertise. For example, some districts evaluate inexperienced teachers, and teachers whose performance in the past has been deemed unsatisfactory, more frequently than they evaluate more experienced and successful teachers.

What should be the consequences of teacher evaluations? Although the stated goal of teacher evaluations is to improve students’ instruction, there is little research to support this premise. Instead, it is often the case that evaluations merely serve to classify teachers according to their levels of perceived competence. In many districts, evaluation results are linked to decisions about teacher salary, tenure, remedial programs and termination.

STUDENT ACCOMPLISHMENT When student accomplishment is taken into account as a component of teacher evaluation, accomplishment is most often defined in terms of scores on annually administered standardized tests, even though the connections between specific teacher behaviors and student test scores have yet to be clearly defined. In fact, assessments of student progress are often far removed from the act of teaching itself, and there are innumerable variables that affect student progress in school, many of which exist quite apart from the behavior of teachers.

Teachers of art, music, physical education and other elective areas undergo the same evaluations as their colleagues. This common approach to evaluations is important to note since elective areas typically do not have standardized tests, and school districts have yet to determine how best to handle the absence of these data in their evaluations for elective teachers. As a substitute for standardized test scores in elective areas, schools sometimes use an average of the school’s reading scores for the elective teachers’ standardized test score portion of their evaluations. Few people think this is a good idea.

RECOGNIZING EFFECTIVE INSTRUCTION It is important to be able to recognize effective teaching in every academic domain, from physics to physical education, anatomy to art, mathematics to music. Evaluators of music teachers sometimes evaluate only behaviors they understand, such as classroom management and organization; however, these aspects of teaching have little to do with music making. Behaviors such as classroom management and organization are very important to effective teaching, but typically do not demonstrate the teacher’s skill level of error correction in music.

Defining the attributes of good teaching in any domain is often a difficult process. School districts nationwide have employed the use of evaluation forms that often have a multitude of individual components (sometimes as many

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as 60) for evaluators to mark when attempting to determine a teacher’s effectiveness; however, the ability to demonstrate individual components of effective teaching may not necessarily be a reliable predictor of successful learning in the classroom, particularly the music classroom. It is the effective combination of the components, applied at the appropriate time and in the appropriate contexts, that lead to changes in student behavior. When thinking about the complexities of music teaching, being able to recognize and articulate the interdependencies among the components of effective teaching is necessary for evaluators to provide accurate and meaningful feedback that leads to improvements in teaching.

When music teachers are observed, evaluators may become overloaded by the number of variables they are expected to assess on the required form and, as a result, may miss important aspects of a teacher’s behavior. Not all moments in a class or a rehearsal are equally informative. In fact, it is likely that the quality of teaching varies from moment to moment in every classroom every day. Music teachers produce instances of high information intermittently throughout a class period, and it may be that effective teachers evidence more of these high-information intervals than do their less effective colleagues.

Instances that are devoted to bringing about changes in student behavior in the moment provide much more information about student learning than do other instances when students engage in an ongoing activity, such as playing or singing through a piece with no stops for error correction. While rehearsing a piece of music in its entirety is important, these instances elicit no behavior change that would be discernible to an observer. We are fortunate that in music, a subject in which students are engaged in observable behaviors nearly all the time, there are potentially many instances that elicit a change in academic behavior. An observer may see a music teacher changing an embouchure of a wind player, correcting a bow hold of a string student or addressing vowel placements in a choral class, all of which are readily observable in the moment.

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High-information intervals that reveal evidence of successful behavior change may assist evaluators with their focus of attention during an evaluation. It may also be that these instances best exemplify aspects of teaching that differentiate levels of teaching effectiveness. Is it possible to increase the incisiveness and efficiency of music teacher evaluation by focusing on intervals of instructional time?

REHEARSAL FRAMES To facilitate the observation of teaching and learning in music, Robert Duke (1994) devised an approach to assessment that focuses on intervals of instructional time devoted to identifiable proximal learning goals, which he labeled rehearsal frames. A rehearsal frame is a brief interval of instructional time devoted to the accomplishment of a proximal performance goal (target), and typically ranges in duration from several seconds to several minutes. The frame begins when a target goal is identified (either explicitly or implicitly) by the teacher and ends when the goal is either successfully accomplished or abandoned. Observing rehearsal frames of teaching reduces the number of variables viewed by an observer and focuses on the extent to which teachers bring about changes in student performance in the moment. Rehearsal frames have been applied in different contexts of music teaching, such as observing error correction in band rehearsals (Cavitt, 2003) and determining the level of expertise of wind conductors (Worthy, 2006).

Given the importance and sometimes difficulty of recognizing effective instruction during an evaluation of a music teacher, it seems appropriate to begin using rehearsal frames during the teacher evaluation process.

Rehearsal frames for teacher evaluation purposes are video recorded, and it is important to remember that they would not be the only aspect of a teacher’s work that is being evaluated. Evaluators would still make classroom visits to document relevant concerns, such as the physical environment of the classroom, how students interact with one another during an extended period of time and classroom management (although one could argue that in a successful rehearsal frame a teacher could not accomplish targeted goals if it were not for positive classroom management skills).

People who are unsure of what rehearsal frames are sometimes compare them to classroom walkthroughs. There is one distinct difference: unlike a classroom walkthrough, rehearsal frames are not chosen arbitrarily.

During classroom walkthroughs, administrators observe teachers in their classrooms in brief, random selections of time. While rehearsal frames and classroom walkthroughs are both brief, rehearsal frames are not random and are purposely selected to highlight evidence of the intermittently high information moments that show the teacher making positive changes in student behavior.

LOOK WHAT I CAN DO Music education provides important opportunities for teacher assessment because evaluators can observe, in the moment, teachers effecting productive changes in student behavior: reshaping an embouchure, refining tone production or correcting a rhythm. It could be argued that a teacher who cannot successfully change student performance in the short term (i.e., in a two-minute rehearsal frame) is unlikely to effectively change student behavior over the course of a school year; although this assertion has yet to undergo empirical scrutiny.

Again, one of the advantages we have in music over other subjects is that we can hear changes taking place throughout an entire class session, moment to moment. Therefore, it is likely that a teacher could show an evaluator look-fors using video-recorded rehearsal frames because, by their definition, rehearsal frames are devoted to target goals. The logistics of using rehearsal frames during the evaluation process may look something like this: 1. Video record a class session of your choice.

2. Watch the video (multiple times) to locate rehearsal frames.

3. Extract excerpts where goals are identified and positive changes are observed.

During the pre-observation conference, the teacher would sit with the evaluator and use the rehearsal frames to demonstrate where to focus attention during an evaluation. This conversation can be used to alert the evaluator

to what positive changes look and sound like during an observation in a music classroom.

If rehearsal frames are not used during the pre-observation conference, a teacher may follow the steps above for the post-evaluation conference and record the class that the administrator is evaluating. During the post-observation conference the teacher could explain to the evaluator exactly what she was doing when making changes in the individual sound of a student or an ensemble; how she changed the bow hold and why it is important; or the difference in the sound of a vocal student when correct vowels are employed. All of these conversations allow the teacher to have an active voice in the evaluation. These conferences now have the potential to become a two-sided conversation, as opposed to a “yousaw-me-teach-now-tell-me-how-I-did” conference.

CONVINCING YOUR EVALUATOR It is important to remember that the salient point of this procedure is that it may be unnecessary for evaluators to observe music teachers for longer periods of time, when they can acquire much of the same information about the teacher’s effectiveness in a shorter amount of observation time. In a study comparing observations of rehearsal frames to full video recordings (Chapman, 2014), evaluators (n = 10) were asked if they could imagine using brief video recordings in the formal evaluations of teachers (n = 12). No evaluator stated that it should be the sole source of evaluation; however, all stated that they would like to see it as a complement to live observations.

It may take some convincing before you are able to persuade your evaluator to think that using recorded samples of your best teaching is a viable procedure for an evaluation. Here are two talking points to consider: (1) There is no inherent bias in selecting your own best work to be evaluated. During a full class session there will be many moments when effective teachers set goals; some goals will get accomplished and some will not. All teachers have good days and bad days of teaching, but it is unlikely that an ineffective teacher can suddenly, for the brief length of a rehearsal

frame, become effective and make an accomplished, goal-directed sample of work. (2) An important aspect to convey is that evaluating selected rehearsal frames does not differ substantially from evaluating entire rehearsals; however, evaluating rehearsal frames may provide a more succinct and meaningful view of a teacher’s skills.

An unintended, yet positive implication of this process happens when the teacher is watching the video multiple times searching for rehearsal frames. During this time, a good amount of reflection and self-assessment likely takes place. When engaged in any type of skill building (e.g., music, sports or teaching), it is necessary to watch or listen to recordings of our own work. Self-reflection is an important tool for self-improvement.

Evaluating music teacher effectiveness by observing brief excerpts of instruction may be a way to create an evaluation system for music teachers that will be meaningful and efficient. As a result, observing recorded rehearsal frames as a portion of teacher evaluations may ensure that evaluators are not only seeing what they are required to observe, but also what is important to observe.

If you would like to gain a better understanding of how rehearsal frames have been used in different contexts, please consider reading the articles listed below. Although none make a connection to music teacher evaluation, these articles provide opportunities to better understand rehearsal frames and their value to music education.

RESOURCES

Cavitt, M. E. (2003). A descriptive analysis of error correction in instrumental music rehearsals. Journal of Research in Music Education, 51(3), 218. doi: 10.2307/3345375

Duke, R. A. (1994). Bringing the art of rehearsing into focus: The rehearsal frame as a model for prescriptive analysis. Journal of Band Research, 30(1), 78–95.

Duke, R. A., & Simmons, A. L. (2006). The nature of expertise: Narrative descriptions of 19 common elements observed in the lessons of three renowned artist-teachers. Bulletin of the Council for Research in Music Education, 170, 7–19.

Worthy, M. D. (2003). Rehearsal frame analysis of an expert wind conductor in high school vs. college band rehearsals. Bulletin of the Council for Research in Music Education, 156, 11–19.

Worthy, M. D. (2006). Observations of three expert wind conductors in college rehearsals. Bulletin of the Council for Research in Music Education, 168, 51–61.

REFERENCES

Cavitt, M. E. (2003). A descriptive analysis of error correction in instrumental music rehearsals. Journal of Research in Music Education, 51(3), 218. doi: 10.2307/3345375 Chapman, D. (2014). Effects of Observation Duration on Evaluations of Teaching in Secondary School Band and Choir Rehearsals (doctoral dissertation). The University of Texas, Austin, Texas.

Clements-Cortès, A. (2011). Designing an effective music teacher evaluation system (part one). The Canadian Music Educator, 53(1), 13.

Croft, M., Glazerman, S., Goldhaber, D., Loeb, S., Raudenbush, S., Staiger, D., & Whitehurst, G. J. (2011).

Passing muster: Evaluating teacher evaluation systems.

The Brookings Institution. Retrieved from http://www. brookings.edu/ Danielson, C. (2001). New trends in teacher evaluation.

Educational Leadership, 58(5), 12–15.

Darling-Hammond, L., Amrein-Beardsley, A., Haertel, E., & Rothstein, J. (2012). Evaluating teacher evaluation. Phi Delta Kappan, 93(6), 8–15.

Duke, R. A. (1994). Bringing the art of rehearsing into focus: The rehearsal frame as a model for prescriptive analysis. Journal of Band Research, 30(1), 78–95.

Ovando, M. N. (2001). Teachers’ perceptions of a learner-centered teacher evaluation system. Journal of Personnel Evaluation in Education, 15(3), 213–231.

Ovando, M. N., & Ramirez, A. (2007). Principals’ instructional leadership within a teacher performance appraisal system: Enhancing students’ academic success.

Journal of Personnel Evaluation in Education, 20(1), 85–110.

Papay, J. P. (2012). Refocusing the debate: Assessing the purposes and tools of teacher evaluation. Harvard Educational Review, 82(1), 123–141. https://doi. org/10.17763/haer.82.1.v40p0833345w6384 Worthy, M. D. (2006). Observations of three expert wind conductors in college rehearsals. Bulletin of the Council for Research in Music Education, (168), 51–61.

Dr. DaLaine Chapman is an assistant professor of music education at Florida Atlantic

University. Her research interests are music teacher evaluation and assessment, as well as the supervision of student teachers. Dr. Chapman is an active conductor/clinician, presenting at numerous clinics and conferences nationwide. Her professional affiliations include Florida Music Education Association, Florida Bandmasters Association, Texas Music Educators Association and the National Association for Music Education. She is a member of the Omega chapter of Phi Beta Mu. She holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Florida State University and the PhD from the University of Texas at Austin.

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Photo provided by Bernard Hermant

AUTISM AND THE MUSIC CLASSROOM by

Denise Wilkinson

Reprinted with permission from the 2018 Summer Issue of the Michigan Music Educator.

A

utistic students live in a different world with a different perspective. Any type of change during the day can cause autistic students to feel confusion and chaos.

These students need predictability, sameness and routine. This article offers a variety of strategies music teachers can incorporate into their classrooms.

Strategies range from utilizing visual tools to working with other students and include links to additional resources. These ideas should help you create a classroom environment in which your autistic students feel safe and comfortable and where music learning thrives.

V I SUA L SCH E D U LE A visual schedule allows the autistic student to see what they need to accomplish during the lesson for the day. A schedule should be pictures that the aide or teacher can mark off as they accomplish each activity. The pictures do not have to be fancy. A simple hand drawing with icons can be used. The autistic student needs the visual to see how the lesson begins, what is expected of them in the middle of the lesson and it also needs to show when they will be finished and the lesson is completed.

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V I S UA L CA R DS Visual cards show the autistic student the expected behavior that is needed during a music lesson. The cards can even be used during a music performance to remind

Hello Song

Listening

Rhythm Game

Singing

Dance

Figure 1: Visual Schedule

a student to sing, clap or play an instrument. An aide can show the student these cards. Even student helpers can hold cards and point to the pictures when necessary.

The music teacher can also use the cards to prompt a student during a lesson or performance. Picture cards can be kept on a key ring or can be put on a small bookmark which is called a visual sequence strip. Pictures for visual cards can be found on the internet. Your special education teacher or coordinator should have access to these types of pictures and be able to provide the needed pictures. Some important picture cards are: A picture of the music teacher, singing, playing instruments, clapping, working or dancing with a partner, sitting in a chair, sitting correctly on the floor and most of all pictures for being quiet and listening.

read him a social story before he entered the classroom about leaving at the end of the lesson. She also quietly read him the story (see below) in the music room as the class was finishing the lesson. This story was used once at the beginning and end of class. The following two class periods, the story was read just before the student came to music. It took three class periods to extinguish the inappropriate behavior.

Today, when the music lesson is done, I will stand in line like the other second grade students. Second grade students do not cry or fall on the floor when it is time to leave music. Second grade students stand quietly in line. Second grade students quietly walk and follow the line into the hallway.

Example: Social Story

Hello

Goodbye

Sing

Fast Song

Dance

Slow Song

T RA N S I T I O N S

I need help

Quiet

Figure 2: Visual Cards

SO CIA L STO RIE S Children with autism experience difficulties mastering social skills as well as communicating with others.

Social stories are used to model appropriate behavior and responses for autistic children. Typically a Social Story describes various social interactions, situations, behaviours, and skills or concepts. Stories are usually written in sentence format and often are accompanied by visual pictures. The concept of social stories was introduced and described by Gray and Garand (1993).

The following case study illustrates how a social story helped an autistic student in music class. An autistic student had trouble leaving the music classroom. He would stand in line and then cry and lay on the floor. The aide

and

TIMERS

If a student is struggling to come into the music room they may be struggling with transitions. Many times people think the student doesn’t want to come to music because it is noisy. Most of the time that is not the case.

It is just a transition issue. The student is nervous or scared to go into a new situation. A social story before the transition can help in this situation. A visual schedule can help the child see what subjects or classes are coming during the day. Timers have been very helpful for ASD students. Bring the timer with the student. Start with five minutes. Then let the student take a break. Each class period following, the timer should be extended an additional five minutes until the student can stay in the classroom. The visual of the timer helps the student feel comfort in knowing they have control of their time.

POW E R PO I N TS Autistic students are very visual. Powerpoints give them a focus and a purpose to accomplish the activities the teacher has prepared. If the student has an aide, the aide can be given a copy of the powerpoint so the student can have the visual in front of them. The copy of the powerpoint can also be used as a visual schedule.

When you are done reading the powerpoint, the lesson has been completed.

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AUTISM AND THE MUSIC CLASSROOM

LINKS P RO G RAM

(LOYAL INTERESTED NURTURING KIND STUDENT)

and

F RIEN D FO R TH E DAY

Schools with Autism programs may have the LINKS program. The LINKS program allows regular education students to sign up, with parent permission, and learn how to be a helper with an autistic student. This program is at the elementary, middle school and high school levels. The LINKS program will usually be run by your special education teacher or coordinator for your school.

The LINK student will have training sessions on how to be a friend and strategies to help their autistic friend.

They may be assigned to eat lunch with them, play with them at recess and other such duties. In the music classroom the music teacher should know the LINKS students. These students can sit by their assigned student and help them be successful during the lesson by using sign language when necessary, point to visual strips and invite the student to participate in activities such as dancing with a partner. Autistic students may not know how to hold or play an instrument properly even after the teacher gives the instructions. LINKS students will quickly show their assigned student how to play quickly and quietly without interruption to the lesson. If your school does not have the LINKS program, the music teacher can still assign a Friend for the Day. Find student volunteers that would like to help. Rotate the friends periodically so that the autistic student can have a variety of friends helping them. Let the Friend for the Day sit with the student and help the student with any of their needs.

CA RP E T S Q UARE S f o r t h e FLOO R OR ASS IGNE D CH A I R S The floor is a vast space for an autistic student. If they have trouble sitting on the floor the teacher will need to give them a designated spot. Poly spots, can be found in PE catalogs or from your gym teacher, and they can help students. Carpet squares are a little bigger and give the student more space to sit cross legged on the floor.

Assigned chairs seems to be the best for an autistic student. The comfort of knowing they have a chair helps them transition into the music room. It is also a comfort 40

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to the autistic student to not look different from their peers. Chairs should be provided for all of the students in your classroom with a seating chart. Chairs used for all students will not make the autistic student stand out or look different. Many times a new student will want to observe from their chair as other students move to the floor for movement activities or singing games. As the student becomes comfortable with the music room and music lessons, they should be given visuals to help them transition to other activities that may be on the floor.

Going back to the chair is a good idea at the end of the lesson. It helps to refocus the student that the lesson is ending. It helps the autistic student get ready to leave when they can just stand up in front of their chair and file out in line order.

S M A L L G R O U PS a n d I N DI VI DUAL H E L P F O R S U CC E SS F U L I N C LU S I O N If a student is having trouble participating in music with their peers from their classroom, they may need a few lessons by themselves or with a small group. If you can provide this service for a student who is struggling, it is well worth it. Do not give them a new lesson but let them practice with the lesson you will be teaching their classroom peers. When they come to music with their class, they can accomplish so much more because they have already practiced the skills being taught.

G I V E WA R N I N G S W H E N CO M PL E T I N G WO R K Some autistic students need warnings to know when work must be completed. Always give a five minute and a one minute warning. Timers can also be helpful. It can also be helpful to the student if you say at the one minute warning, “It is okay if you are not done with your work.�

These work time warnings can be given orally and are good for all students to hear in your classroom.

H E A D PH O N E S If noise seems to be the issue, have students wear headphones. Older students may prefer ear plugs. I have found that most of the time they take them off. Sound

may be an issue but most of the time it is just anxiety usually coming from the fear of the unknown, fear of transitions. Use visual schedules to help a student if they are taking off the headphones after wearing them.

Hot Cross Buns

# 4 & 4 œ œ ˙

œ œ ˙

# & œœœœœœœœ œ œ ˙

3

AIDES Aides need to model the behaviors for the student they are helping. If the class is singing, playing instruments, or moving, the aide should also be participating. If you have more than one aide, they should also be focusing on their assigned student/s. Aides should not be conversing with the other aides, just as it would not be appropriate for students to be talking during your lesson. Always provide written guidelines for your aides. Written expectations will let the aide know upfront what you expect and that can include no phones or texting during your lessons. Always have an open communication with your aide. Brainstorm with them when a student is struggling.

They are with the student all day and they can sometimes provide insight into what the student is capable of doing.

PLAYING THE RECORDER and the UKULELE The aide will need to help the student with the recorder as the teacher will be busy working and checking the rest of the class. The aide can sit behind the student and put their hands over the hands of the student to help them hold and play the recorder. Aides can also sit next to their student and model the fingerings by holding a recorder next to the students recorder. The music teacher can draw fingerings above the notes for visual help. The music teacher can also provide the aide with an enlarged fingering chart. The aide can point to the fingering for each note in the song. Sometimes the aide will need to track the music notes, or point to the notes on the music page. When beginning recorder, it is sometimes helpful to put a paper ring reinforcement label around the thumb hold so the student can feel the hole. Sometimes it will help a beginner student if masking tape is put around the thumb hole and the B hole. A social story can be used to remind the student of the rules for recorder: 1) Blow lightly, like blowing out one small birthday candle, 2) All water stays inside your mouth, 3)

B

A

G

©

Figure 3: Color Coding for Recorder and Ukulele Coloring coding may help a beginner student. The music notes can be color coded to match the color coding on the recorder. The fingering chart can be colored coded to match the color coding on the recorder. The same can be done for the ukulele using the ukulele chord changer device.

Move your fingers for the notes and cover the holes when playing, 4) Look at the fingering chart if you need help.

PERFORMANCES The music teacher may need to make accommodations for the student. If a student cannot stand for a long period of time, the teacher may need to provide a chair for the student to sit on. Risers can sometimes be hard for a student to stand still. Provide a row of chairs for several students to sit together in front of your risers. If your autistic students needs reminders to sing, clap or not talk, have a helper student hold visual cards to cue the student. The music teacher can also flashcards to the student during the performance. Use student helpers to guide the autistic student to the risers, the stage or to participate in a dance or playing of instruments. If student helpers will not work, have the aide sit and help the student.

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AUTISM AND THE MUSIC CLASSROOM

Sometimes a performance may be overstimulating and the student will not be able to participate. The music teacher will need to have a conversation with the parents so they understand that the student will not be successful and that you don’t want them to be embarrassed because they are struggling during the performance practices.

Coast Music Therapy is a music therapy agency located in San Diego, CA, co-founded by Michigander Michelle Lazar, a graduate of Western Michigan University. This link takes you to a page featuring summaries of research on music and autism with links to pdf articles. http:// www.coastmusictherapy.com/how-music-helps/autism-research/

CONCLUSION

Nurse Journal: Social Community for Nurses Worldwide.

Includes the article “The Benefits of Therapy for Autistic Children” along with links to related web sites. https:// nursejournal.org/community/the-benefits-of-music-therapy-for-autistic-children/

It is rewarding when: 1) Someone comes to observe your classroom and they cannot identify the autistic student from the other students in your room.

2) When students are empathetic to the autistic student and willingly help and include that student in activities.

3) Parents can see their child on stage during a performance and they are performing to the best of their ability. The student can be successful during a performance with the help of other students, a classroom aide or visuals used by the music teacher during the performance.

4) A student you have worked with in a preschool setting who is nonverbal until second grade begins singing his first song, This Land Is Your Land, in fourth grade with his class and the class claps for them because we all know that is quite an accomplishment!

Some of your best teaching moments and memories will come from working with these students and their families.

RESOURCES START Training The Statewide Autism Resources and Training Project (START) is worthwhile for all teachers to take.

Your ISD’s will provide this training throughout the year. The training will cover the above topics more in depth and give you tools to use with your autistic students. Here is a link for START training: https:// www.google.com/search?q=LINKS+autism+support&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8#q=START+training Websites Alice Hammel Website. Dr. Hammel is the author of Special Learner’s in Music and a recognized expert on teaching children with special needs. http://www.people. vcu.edu/~bhammel/special/types/autism/ 42

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Pinterest Pages for Special Learners Links to the MMEA pinterest page for special needs resources. https://www.pinterest.com/MIMUSICED/ special-needs-resources/ Tuned in to Learning® is a music therapist designed curriculum developed by Coast Music Therapy. The web site provides information about autism along with information about their curriculum. http://www.tunedintolearning.com/music-and-autism/ Articles Brownell, M. D. (2002). Musically adapted social stories to modify behaviors in students with autism. Journal of Music Therapy, 39(2), 117-144. http://dx.doi. org/10.1093/jmt/39.2.117 Gray, C. A. and Garand, J. D. (1993). Social stories: Improving responses of students with autism with accurate social information. Focus on Autistic Behavior, 8(1), 1-10. https://doi.org/10.1177/108835769300800101 Wiseman, S. (2015). The use of music as an educational intervention for children with autistic spectrum disorder (ASD). Research in Teacher Education, 5(1), 7-14.

Denise Wilkinson

Denise Wilkinson is the Michigan Music Education Professional Programs and Outreach Chair. She is the current President of Mid Michigan Orff Schulwerk Association.

Denise teaches music for grades 1st-6th in Grand Ledge Public Schools. She has been in her current position for 20 years and has worked with students on the Spectrum during her entire tenure at this position. She has a BMEV from Eastern Michigan University and a Masters of Arts in Teaching from Olivet College.

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Photo provided by Andy Edwards of Ace of Photos

TOWARD A MORE

STUDENTCENTERED PEDAGOGY IN THE

INSTRUMENTAL REHEARSAL RICHARD S. WEBB, PH.D.

STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK AT FREDONIA

© 2018 by the New York State School Music Association (NYSSMA). One time permission to reprint is granted by NYSSMA to the Georgia Music Educators Association for publication in the Georgia Music News.

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D

uring an evening rehearsal, the high school chamber orchestra approaches the final measures of the fourth movement of Tchaikovsky’s Serenade for Strings. The director stops the ensemble to drill an accented chord passage in the violas and cellos: Orchestra Director: “Let’s divide those three-note chords. Inside celli, play the bottom two notes, outside, the top two. Let’s hear that.” [the section drills the four-measure passage several times, until the orchestra director is satisfied].

Robert: [the principal cellist, raises his bow]: “Could we try rolling the chords like this?” [A fine performer, Robert demonstrates, producing solid intonation and beautifully balanced, resonant triple-stops].

Orchestra Director: “No, I think we need to play these as chords, divided as we just did. It will sound more accurate this way. Go ahead and mark that in, we need to move on.” [Robert nods, dutifully pencils it into his part, the section cellists follow, and the rehearsal continues].

Full confession: I was the orchestra director, in my last year of 13 in the public school music classroom. In my current position observing and working with school orchestras, and having contributed to the research and practitioner literature, I keep returning to this classroom memory. While I believe that my “no” wasn’t mean-spirited, and don’t feel my students were particularly bothered by my executive decision, recollections of that rehearsal segment have produced questions: Do we as educators assume that most decisions in the rehearsal need to come from the podium?

Could we provide students more opportunities to make musical choices, and engage in a more reflective experience, in the traditional band and orchestra? What does the research say about how young ensemble musicians most effectively learn? How can we continue to reach, maintain interest on the part of, and retain, more students in the instrumental music program?

A MORE STUDENT-CENTERED APPROACH Informed by current research and theory into how learners construct ksnowledge, music educators are becoming less reliant on the

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TOWARD A MORE STUDENT-CENTERED PEDAGOGY...

role of conductor as their sole “signature pedagogy” (Shulman, 2005) in the instrumental music classroom.

Instead, educators are increasingly developing the flexibility–and indeed, the confidence to be flexible– to engage students in learning experiences tailored to the strength and interests of the individual. The term student-centered learning refers to an instructional approach that “take[s] students seriously as active participants in their own learning, fostering transferable skills such as problem-solving, critical thinking and reflective thinking” (Välimaa, 2012, online). In the school band and orchestra rehearsal, a more student-centered pedagogy might necessitate a re-thinking of the music educator’s traditional role.

THE TRADITIONAL MODEL AND CONVERGENT THINKING For over a century, our music education profession, specifically that of the large ensemble, has been dominated by a teacher-directed, or “teacher/curriculum-centered” (Cleaver & Ballantyne, 2013, p. 11) model of instruction. The orchestra or band director, functioning in the role of the conductor, has been responsible for most if not all decision-making in the rehearsal. As Figure 1 illustrates, the music educator, using her/his content and pedagogical knowledge, puts the central focus of the rehearsal on the musical work being prepared.

FIGURE 1.

THE TRADITIONAL, TEACHER-DIRECTED MODEL

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This model necessitates convergent thinking on the part of the ensemble. There is one decision reached, usually the educator-as-conductor’s, on which the ensemble members must arrive.

Although there are most certainly small moments where student input and problem-solving might be valued, the traditional role of conductor is maintained. But with current research suggesting that this “top down” approach might not be the most effective way of fostering meaningful individual musical understandings on the part of students (Allsup & Benedict, 2008; Webster, 2011), and specific to New York State, pre-service educator performance assessments like the edTPA that move toward a more constructivist approach to the classroom (Sato, 2014), an evolution in the traditional pedagogy of the large ensemble might warrant consideration.

STUDENT-CENTERED LEARNING: FOUNDATIONS AND RESEARCH A more student-centered approach to curriculum and instruction is informed by theories of constructivist learning (Vygotsky, 1978; Bruner, 1996). These theories posit that students build subjective knowledge through active learning experiences, guidance through scaffolding interactions with teachers and peers, reflecting on the learning process, and by assuming multiple roles within a learning domain. Student ownership over their learning is fostered through more

FIGURE 2.

THE STUDENT-CENTERED MODEL.

divergent thinking activities that value and builds upon a student’s prior knowledge and experiences.

Despite the increased call for more student-centered practices in the classroom, there continues to be a small pool of research studies in music devoted to the topic.

Scruggs (2008) compared and contrasted what she termed “teacher-centered” and “learner-centered” approaches in the middle school orchestra. Through composition, improvisation, decision-making, and peer critique, Scruggs’ findings suggested an increased sense of self-esteem and musical growth on the part of students. Allsup (2003) explored a more democratic approach in the high school jazz ensemble, finding that shared knowledge construction resulted from small group interactions and peer teaching. Holsberg (2009) engaged students in small-group composition, improvisation, and self-assessment in the concert band, discovering an increased sense of ownership that allowed students to “discover music in ways that they could never have done sitting in a traditional setting . . . this environment becomes a less restrictive environment where their artistic sensibilities were allowed to flourish” (p. 187). Holsberg also cautioned readers that role confusion might initially result from this approach, as the students had sense of space and freedom with which they were unfamiliar. As I detail in a later section, the educator maintains an important role in the classroom, in this case, to step in and clarify roles if needed. In these studies and others, the research suggested that “opening up” the traditional ensemble setting to more student input, creativity, decision-making, and assessment, while not without its challenges, fostered more individually meaningful music learning.

The student-centered model (Figure 2) places the individual student at the center of the classroom pedagogy. The musical works and concepts (standard repertoire and skills necessary to perform) remain important, but they are strengthened by opportunities for creative thinking such as composing, improvising,

and creative listening. The students and their peers share in creating, and in the assessment and feedback processes. The music educator maintains an important role, both as a necessary classroom authority figure, but also in working with the student and peers in preparing the musical works, creating, assessing, and offering feedback to facilitate learning. This model is not prescriptive in the sense that every rehearsal must contain all components. It is designed to illustrate how this approach might be considered on a “meta” level.

SUGGESTIONS FOR THE REHEARSAL AND PROGRAM A student-centered approach in the school band or orchestra does not require a disposing of the long and proud performance tradition of these ensembles.

It simply asks the educator to have the flexibility to depart from the traditional role of conductor, and to engage students in more opportunities to create, assess, and interact with music and peers on several levels. This approach promotes student ownership more

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than simply having ensemble members select some of the repertoire for a concert, offer one or two the opportunity to conduct, occasionally rehearse a trio on their own, write program notes, or decorate the stage (valuable as all of these might be): it encourages meaningful musical reflection and learning on the part of all students. Some suggestions for moving the individual student to the center of the teaching and learning process: • Take a “detour” from the rehearsal lesson plan. Ask students for input into issues of tempo, articulations, phrasings, and other aspects when appropriate. Have them break into small groups, or chat with their stand partner, solicit their ideas, and have the groups or individuals demonstrate their musical choices.

• Have the orchestra play a passage in different styles.

Have the group “vote” on what they feel works best, and engage them in a short discussion as to why they feel one way might be more appropriate/effective?

• Engage your students in not only problem-solving activities, but having the students themselves engage in problem-finding by working with stand partners, small groups, or in sections. Have your students not only reflect on their performances, picking out “wrong notes” to be fixed, but to offer rehearsal strategies for addressing issues of tone, intonation, rhythm, or expression.

• Supplement the daily scale, rhythmic, chorale, or repertoire warm-ups and have the students create their own improvisation warmups. Have them turn their improvisations into a notated compositions.

• Turn the week after a concert into a “create” week.

Assign students small ensembles, and have them generate their own musical work from a single line melody, a pop/classic rock song, or a fiddle tune. The teacher might provide a musical prompt if the students need assistance “getting going,” or the students may suggest a notated or non-notated tune on their own. For composition/improvisation lesson ideas, I would recommend the following texts: Music Outside the Lines

by Maud Hickey (Oxford), Minds on Music: Composition for Creative and Critical Thinking by Michele Kaschub and Janice Smith (R&L), and Musicianship: Composing in Band & Orchestra, edited by David Stringham and Clint Randles (GIA).

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• Avoid anchoring yourself at the podium. Sit amongst the students on occasion, encouraging the ensemble to “go conductorless” and listen to each other on a deep level. Engage the students on a reflective discussion on what they hear.

• Have students video-record each other performing their playing quizzes and offer feedback. Set up a schedule for these peer assessments, and have the students detail their own progress over the school year by returning to their original video(s).

• With a smaller group, literally sit to the side and monitor the rehearsal, but have the students prepare a standard repertoire work on their own. Encourage the students to use internet resources (recordings, sheet music, articles) to inform their musical choices/interpretation. Step in, as needed, to facilitate the process, then step back.

• Vary the ensemble seating. Establish expectations that value leadership and input from every member of the group. Rotate seating frequently, to provide opportunities for the students to learn from different peers, and to hear different things.

• Encourage peer tutoring, one in which students teach private/group lessons to their younger or less-experienced peers. Beyond simply the private lesson, set up periodic meetings with your tutors, have them model lessons to receive feedback. Ask them to reflect on the teaching process.

• Have the students design their own playing quizzes and other assessments, when practical. Give them choices as to which excerpts they feel would demonstrate musical growth on the part of the ensemble members.

THE “TIME THING” A teaching colleague leaned over to me several years ago, during a clinic on improvising in the classroom: “I just don’t have time for all of this. We have concerts we need to get ready for.” The more we encounter the time pushback, the more the research suggests this might be a bit of the proverbial “red herring.” Students who are able to take ownership over their learning, and are provided different musical roles and experiences may

become more energized to develop their independent musicianship. Opportunities to create music, instead of exclusively recreating, may contribute to more enjoyment and an increased interest on the part of the student (Menard, 2015). Peer teaching and learning, when peers are engaged in questioning and reflection, has been found to be an enjoyable, valuable, and motivating learning experience (Roscoe & Chi, 2007; Webb, 2015). Far from having a negative effect on ensemble achievement, more student-centered learning experiences may actually promote an equal or even higher level of performance (Hamann, Mills, Bell, Daugherty, & Koozer, 1990; Scruggs, 2008). A more student-centered approach could result in an ensemble less in need of repetitive drill time.

CONCLUSION The term “student-centered” should not be confused with “students first.” Surely, music educators should have the best interests of their students’ learning as their first priority. It is more an issue of how the classroom functions to maximize the individual knowledge construction on the part of each student. Furthermore, a student-centered approach does not mean “teacher- abdicated:” a music educator’s pedagogical knowledge may be even more important, having the knowledge and flexibility to know when to have the students’ “take charge,” when to take the aforementioned detour from the rehearsal lesson plan, how to facilitate creative thinking and peer learning, and when to step back into the conductor role. The conductor role, and the preparation for this role, remains important for the school band and orchestra teacher. But when time and opportunity allow, we might move beyond this tradition to provide for more student-directed input and creativity. If the goal of the performance ensemble educator is to promote a learning environment that creates independent, reflective musicians, then the individual students would be well-served to be given a central voice in the process.

REFERENCES

Allsup, R. (2003). Mutual learning and democratic action in instrumental music education. Journal of Research in Music Education, 51(1), 24-37.

Allsup, R. E., & Benedict, C. (2008). The problems of band: An inquiry into the future of instrumental music education. Philosophy of Music Education Review, 16(2), 156-173.

Bruner, J. S. (1996). The culture of education. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

Cleaver, D., & Ballantyne, J. (2013). Teachers’ views of constructivist theory: A qualitative study illuminating relationships between epistemological understanding and music teaching practice. International Journal of Music Education, 0(0), 1-14.

Hamann, D. L., Mills, C., Bell, J., Daugherty, E., & Koozer, R. (1990). Classroom environment as related to contest ratings among high school performing ensembles. Journal of Research in Music Education, 38(3), 215-224.

Holsberg, P. (2009). Constructivism and band: New approaches for instrumental music (Doctoral dissertation). Available from ProQuest Dissertations and Theses database. (AAT 3388717) Menard, E. A. (2015). Music composition in the high school curriculum: A multiple case study. Journal of Research in Music Education, 63(1), 114-136.

Roscoe, R. D., & Chi, M. T. H. (2007). Understanding tutor learning: Knowledge-building and knowledge-telling in peer tutors’ explanations and questions. Review of Educational Research, 77(4), 534-574.

Sato, M. (2014). What is the underlying conception of teaching of the edTPA? Journal of Teacher Education, 65(5), 421-434.

Scruggs, B. B. (2008). Learning outcomes in two divergent middle school string orchestra classroom environments: A comparison of a learner-centered and a teacher-centered approach (Doctoral dissertation). Available from ProQuest Dissertations and Theses database. (AAT 3371516) Shulman, L. S. (2005). Signature pedagogies in the professions.

Daedalus, 134(3), 52-59.

Välimaa, J. (2012). Student-centered learning and its challenges in Europe. Retrieved February 1, 2014 from http://www. esu-online.org/resources/6068 Vygotsky, L. S. (1978). Mind in society: The development of higher psychological processes. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

Webb, R. S. (2015). An exploration of three peer tutoring cases in the school orchestra program. Bulletin of the Council for Research in Music Education, 203, 63-80.

Webster, P. R. (2011). Construction of music learning. In R. Colwell & P. R. Webster (Eds.), MENC handbook of research on music learning. Volume 1: Strategies (pp. 35-83).

New York, NY: Oxford University Press.

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