August 2022 Southwestern Musician

SOUTHWESTERN MUSICIAN

AUGUST 2022

AUGUST 2022

CONTENTS

VOLUME 91 ■ ISSUE 1 AUGUST 2022

FEATURES Helping Today’s Students Envision a Future in Music Education . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14 b y c l o r e s e p o r t e r , b r ya n b u f f a l o e , k at i e l e w i s , and mark rohwer

Learn how these educators encourage and equip their students to envision a future in this profession.

This Is Lifelong Learning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 by k aren cross

After years of supporting music educators and students, this principal decided to find out exactly what it’s like to be a beginner.

Q&A for Music Teachers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 by tmea members

Gain valuable strategies for effective classroom management and advice about how to improve your work-life balance.

8 Keys to Successfully Build Culture Through Strategic Planning . . . . . . . . . . 37

22 COLUMNS President Michael Stringer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

b y n at h a n d a m e

Consider how incorporating a strategic plan can help shape the future success of your music program.

It Works for Me: My Musical Autobiography . . . 45 by beth shier

In this project, students express themselves through music, and you to get to know them in a more meaningful way.

UPDATES

Executive Director Robert Floyd . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Band Vice-President Shane Goforth . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Orchestra Vice-President Ann G. Smith. . . . . . . . . . 26 Vocal Vice-President Jesse Cannon II. . . . . . . . . . . . 34 Elementary Vice-President Katherine Johns . . . . .40 College Vice-President Matthew McInturf . . . . . . .46

Attend Your Fall Region Meeting. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Time to Renew Your TMEA Membership . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 Music Education in the Law . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12 Invest in Our Future: Start a TFME Chapter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Keep Your Membership Information Current. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 Texas Arts Education Campaign . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

ON THE COVER: Mackenzie Clardy, now a sophomore at Marcus HS (Lewisville ISD), rehearses with the 2022 TMEA All-State Symphony Orchestra.

Photo by Karen Cross.

2022 College Division Fall Conference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 Southwestern Musician | August 2022

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Attend Your Fall Region Meeting OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF TEXAS MUSIC EDUCATORS ASSOCIATION

Editor-in-Chief: Robert Floyd

rfloyd@tmea.org | 512-452-0710, ext. 101

Managing Editor: Karen Cross

kcross@tmea.org | 512-452-0710, ext. 107

TMEA Executive Board President: Michael Stringer, Mesquite ISD

mstringer@mesquiteisd.org | 972-882-7300 3511 Lake Champlain Drive, Arlington, 76016

President-Elect: Dana Pradervand-Sedatole, University of Houston pradervandd@yahoo.com | 713-743-3627 3606 Glenwood Springs, Kingwood, 77345

Past-President: John Carroll, Monahans HS

johnwoodromecarroll@gmail.com | 432-553-2780 809 South Betty, Monahans, 79756

Band Vice-President: Shane Goforth, North Shore Senior HS

For online meetings, go to www.tmea.org/regionmeeting to access the login.

Region Date 1

Aug 6

Time

Location

10:00 a.m. mtg,

Amarillo HS Cafeteria

9:30 a.m. food

2

Aug 13

10:00 a.m.

Guyer HS, Denton

3

Aug 6

10:00 a.m.

Sachse HS

4

Aug 19

5:30 p.m.

Region 8 ESC, Pittsburg

5

Aug 13

9:00 a.m.

I.M. Terrell Academy

6

Aug 13

1:00 p.m.

Permian HS

7

Aug 6

10:00 a.m.

Graham HS

8

Aug 6

10:00 a.m. mtg,

Temple College PAC

9:30 a.m. food

9

Aug 6

9:00 a.m.

Tomball Memorial HS

10

Aug 8

6:30 p.m.

Lamar Univ Music Bldg

sgoforth@galenaparkisd.com | 713-516-7158 14122 Wadebridge Way, Houston, 77015

11

Aug 13

12:00 p.m.

Wagner HS

12

Aug 6

10:00 a.m.

Madison HS

Orchestra Vice-President: Ann G. Smith, Plano East Senior HS

13

Aug 6

10:00 a.m.

Foster HS, LCISD

14

Aug 6

9:00 a.m.

Del Mar College/Online

ann.smith@pisd.edu | 469-752-9237 3000 Los Rios Boulevard, Plano, 75074

15

Aug 6

10:00 a.m.

Pioneer HS

vocalvp@tmea.org | 817-814-2635 1407 I.M. Terrell Circle S., Ste. 2203-Room 02, Fort Worth, 76102

16

Aug 6

10:00 a.m.

Frenship HS

17

Aug 13

10:00 a.m.

Online

Elementary Vice-President: Katherine Johns, Floresville South Elementary kjohns@fisd.us | 830-393-5325 116 Oaklawn Drive, Floresville, 78114

18

Aug 13

10:00 a.m.

Austin HS

19

Aug 6

10:00 a.m.

Sam Rayburn HS

College Vice-President: Matthew McInturf, Sam Houston State University

20

Aug 6

9:00 a.m.

Adamson HS

21

Aug 6

10:00 a.m.

Panola College/Carthage

22

Aug 6

9:00 a.m.

Hanks HS

23

Aug 13

9:00 a.m.

Paetow HS

24

Aug 13

10:00 a.m.

Wakeland HS

Deputy Director: Frank Coachman | fcoachman@tmea.org

25

Aug 13

10:00 a.m.

Lowery Freshman Center

Administrative Director: Kay Vanlandingham | kvanlandingham@tmea.org

26

Aug 16

10:00 a.m.

McNeil HS

Advertising/Exhibits Manager: Zachary Gersch | zgersch@tmea.org

27

Aug 6

9:00 a.m.

Cypress Creek HS

28

Aug 13

10:00 a.m. mtg,

Harlingen CISD PAC

Vocal Vice-President: Jesse Cannon II, Fort Worth ISD

mcinturf@shsu.edu | 832-515-8724 17 Hornsilver Place, The Woodlands, 77381

TMEA Staff Executive Director: Robert Floyd | rfloyd@tmea.org

Membership Manager: Susan Daugherty | susand@tmea.org Communications Manager: Karen Cross | kcross@tmea.org Financial Manager: Cristin Gaffney | cgaffney@tmea.org Information Technologist: Andrew Denman-Tidline | adenman@tmea.org Administrative Assistant: Rita Ellinger | rellinger@tmea.org

TMEA Office Mailing Address: P.O. Box 140465, Austin, 78714-0465 Physical Address: 7900 Centre Park Drive, Austin, 78754 Website: www.tmea.org | Phone: 512-452-0710 Office Hours: Monday–Friday, 8:30 a .m.– 4:30 p.m.

9:30 a.m. food

29

Aug 6

10:00 a.m.

Warren HS

30

Aug 13

10:00 a.m.

Chisholm Trail HS

31

Aug 6

10:00 a.m.

Newman Smith HS

32

Aug 14

3:00 p.m.

Vista Ridge HS

33

Aug 13

10:00 a.m.

Summer Creek HS

Southwestern Musician (ISSN 0162-380X) (USPS 508-340) is published monthly except March, June, and July by Texas Music Educators Association, 7900 Centre Park Drive, Austin, TX 78754.

Subscription rates: One Year – $20; Single copies $3.00. Periodical postage paid at Austin, TX, and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Southwestern Musician, P.O. Box 140465, Austin, TX 78714-0465. Southwestern Musician was founded in 1915 by A.L. Harper. Renamed in 1934 and published by Dr. Clyde Jay Garrett. Published 1941–47 by Dr. Stella Owsley.

Incorporated in 1948 as National by Harlan-Bell P ­ ublishers, Inc. Published 1947–54 by Dr. H. Grady Harlan. Purchased in 1954 by D.O. Wiley. Texas Music Educator was founded in 1936 by Richard J. Dunn and given to the Texas Music Educators Association, whose official publication it has been since 1938. In 1954, the two magazines were merged using the name Southwestern Musician combined with the Texas Music Educator under the editorship of D.O. Wiley, who continued to serve as editor until his retirement in 1963. At that time ownership of both magazines was assumed by TMEA. In August 2004 the TMEA Executive Board changed the name of the publication to Southwestern Musician.

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TMEA President MICHAEL STRINGER

A Wonderful Profession It is up to us to show our students how special this profession is and allow them to experience the amazing world that we live in each day.

In Memoriam Dan Hood August 12, 1943–July 9, 2022

R

egardless of how many school years have come and gone, the excitement we experience as a new year begins always returns.

From all the work that goes into getting the classroom set up perfectly for the first day, to the anticipation of welcoming a new group of students, nothing compares to when the students walk through the door on that first day. That moment always makes the stress just prior to the school year worth it. I can’t help but smile when they enter the room and discover that this subject is completely different from anything else they will do during the rest of their school day.

Music Is Special Often, subjects like music and visual arts get labeled as “specials” by our peers. There were many times when I would fight against this label, as it seemed to make our class sound less important than the other subjects the students studied in the day. However, when we really break it down, our class is special. Our students are welcomed into a whole new universe when they step into the music classroom. To them, music is special and the instruction we offer them is a bridge to a world that they never dreamed existed. We encourage them to use their imaginations, teach them about hard work and dedication, show them how teamwork and group projects can pay off, and teach them how some very dedicated professionals can motivate people to achieve something that they never dreamed possible.

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Southwestern Musician | August 2022

TMEA President, 1994–1995

MARK YOUR CALENDAR check www.tmea .org for updates

August—Attend your Region meeting (see page 2 for details).

August—Renew your membership and register for the convention.

August 20—Liability insurance purchased last year through TMEA expires.

November 1—TMEA scholarship online application deadline.

January 19—TMEA convention early registration deadline.

February 8–11—TMEA Clinic/Convention in San Antonio.

Music Is Community Once our students become immersed in our class, they realize they are now a part of a great community. Every year, previous students come back to visit and tell me how connected they still are to other members of the ensemble and fill me in on everything they have been through together. In sharing stories with other music educators, I know this creation of a musical community was not limited to my program but created in music classrooms everywhere. We teach them that when you work hard together toward a common goal, you can’t help but become connected to those who have taken the journey with you. This allows our students to learn how to interact and become an integral part of our society as well as how to communicate clearly and overcome differences to achieve common goals.

Music Is Work It’s not unusual to encounter someone talking about the declining work ethic among our youth today, and if we are hearing it, you can most assuredly know that our students are as well. Each time I am fortunate enough to conduct a Region ensemble, I unequivocally know these reports are simply untrue. It doesn’t take more than a simple look at a music program’s calendar to realize the extra time and effort put in outside the school day by our students. It is because of our subject that they give of themselves so freely. It is because of our subject that they hold each other accountable for the final product.

It is because of our subject that they will carry these important lessons through the rest of their lives.

Share What’s Special All the characteristics I’ve mentioned create the special subject we get to teach.

When we step back from it all, we can easily remember why we chose a career that would allow us to share music with young people every day. For us to continue in this profession, we must show others how it enriches our lives every day. While we all have bad days and seasons when we aren’t sure if we are going to continue, it is vitally important that we show our students the best parts of our profession.

I was fortunate as a young musician to be allowed to experience the joy that music brought to my teachers, and their joy intrigued me and inspired me to explore

this career. As I expressed curiosity with my teachers, they allowed me to have experiences that would ultimately convince me I could do nothing else. Just as if we listened to the outside world regarding our students, if our students listened to the same people about education, they may never want to become educators.

It is up to us to show our students how special this profession is and allow them to experience the amazing world that we live in each day. Be sure to read the article on page 14 that includes reflections from multiple music educators on this important topic.

TFME The Texas Future Music Educators is a wonderful way to allow your students to experience what it is like inside our classrooms every day. I encourage you and your campus or district colleagues to look into forming a chapter if you don’t already have one. Got to www.tmea.org/tfme to learn more. For students to have the best experience possible, begin the chapter early in the year and allow your students to learn what our wonderful profession is all about.

Mentoring Network The TMEA Mentoring Network is a wonderful way to connect with other musicians at different points in their careers and can offer both mentors and protégés so much. Serving as a mentor often gives more experienced educators the opportu-

nity to share their knowledge and allow another educator the ability to grow faster.

Registering as a protégé means you’ll have a safe space to grow and learn how to improve multiple aspects of your teaching.

Sign up at www.tmea.org/mentor.

TMEA Membership If you haven’t yet, please renew your TMEA membership today at www.tmea.org/renew, and take the opportunity to register for the 2023 TMEA Clinic/Convention. This will be an event you simply cannot miss!

While online, go to the Region meeting webpage for more information about your fall meeting time and place (also on page 2 of this issue). Important business is always carried out at our Region meetings, and attending is the only way to ensure you have a voice in the decisions being made.

Volunteer to Help TMEA relies on volunteers from the membership to carry out much of its business throughout the year. Please visit www.tmea.org/volunteer to register to help in these awesome and worthwhile endeavors.

In closing, our profession is exceptional because of the wonderful educators who continue passing on the joy of music to the next generation. I wish you the most blessed and wonderful 2022–2023 school year.

Choose joy each day and allow your students 0 to share in the joy of music with you!

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TIME TO RENEW 2021–2022 Memberships Have Expired!

All TMEA memberships expired June 30. Also, if covered, liability insurance expires August 20.

Renew now to ensure you receive the benefits of your TMEA membership for the entire year.

O

ur association continues to be the largest state music educators association in the country, and for that we are

justly proud.

The strength of TMEA, however, is not only in its size but in the quality of its membership. The strength of music programs in our schools is rooted in the dedication of its teachers, united in a mission to provide the best music education for all Texas schoolchildren.

Membership in an organization of over 13,000 music educators carries with it benefits inherent from this strength in numbers. TMEA is your voice to the Texas Legislature and the State Board of Education. In addition to representation by TMEA leaders, members enjoy a myriad of

benefits, including access to group health insurance, low-cost liability insurance, professional development opportunities, online and printed pedagogical and advocacy resources, and more.

TMEA strives to provide meaningful professional development for our members and wonderful opportunities for our high school students through the audition process and through Texas Future Music Educators.

Renew today to continue supporting the future of music education in Texas.

If you have any questions about renewing or about TMEA programs available to members, contact Membership Manager Susan Daugherty at susand@tmea.org or call TMEA at 888-318-8632, ext 105.

Renewing annually shows you support music education for all Texas students!

Receiving this issue of the magazine does not mean your membership is active.

When You Renew: Verify and update your email, phone, and mailing addresses.

Verify and update your school information.

Set your privacy options.

Thank you forip! h s r e b m e m r ou y

Renew now, and remind your colleagues to do the same!

www.tmea.org/renew

Southwestern Musician | August 2022

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TMEA Executive Director

ROBERT FLOYD

Music Education in the Law A priority of TMEA leadership is to make sure fine arts education is supported in state law and State Board of Education rule, assuring that the arts are a part of a well-rounded education for all students.

I

MARK YOUR CALENDAR check www.tmea .org for updates

August—Attend your Region meeting (see page 2 for details).

August—Renew your membership and register for the convention.

August 20—Liability insurance purchased last year through TMEA expires.

November 1—TMEA scholarship online application deadline.

January 19—TMEA convention early registration deadline.

February 8–11—TMEA Clinic/Convention in San Antonio.

must open my column of the new school year by extending thanks and appreciation to each of you who are soon to enter the music classroom, after persevering through what history will show to be the most difficult period faced in education in this country. With the teacher shortage in our state at an all-time high, your presence and commitment to serving the 5.4 million Texas students has never been more important. Only three weeks ago, we still had over 800 job vacancy posts on our website, and it was common for up to 40 new positions to be added daily. The unfortunate reality is that school will open with more positions unfilled by a certified music educator than ever before, if filled at all.

For many the decision to return was a difficult one after the challenges experienced the last 28 months. For those difficult decisions we have to make in our lives, wouldn’t it be nice to have a GPS to guide us?

Unfortunately, such decisions are too complex. I recently read what sets us apart from other creatures on this planet is our capability to both create and recognize beauty as a part of our existence, embedded in the DNA of our soul. It could be, then, that the joy of listening to, sharing, and making music has kept you in the profession. Perhaps even more it was the nurturing of the human spirit for both you and your students that has motivated you to return. Whatever your inspiration, your decision speaks to the depth of passion and commitment you have to touch children’s lives in your classroom in a way like no other subject can, even at every grade level. Regardless of your motive, we thank you!

It seems like the 2020 Clinic/Convention, where we celebrated our centennial, was eons ago. Less than four weeks after that event our lives

Southwestern Musician | August 2022

9

and the lives of our students changed in unimaginable ways.

On July 1, TMEA began its 2022–2023 fiscal year, and in our new-year planning, the staff and Executive Board’s goal was for our association business to be fully recovered from the pandemic’s impact. The cornerstone of our planning, especially as we were projecting budget, was that we will return to the attendance level of that glorious 2020 convention. We hope you are already planning to be with us in 2023!

In our financial planning, the columns in the spreadsheet comparing the last three years’ budgets were labeled “Centennial,” “Pandemic (Virtual),” and “Recovery,” with a fourth column for 2022–2023 labeled “New Normal.” The Recovery year certainly saw amazing gains despite continued challenges from COVID, a testimony to the grit, determination, and talents of music educators across this state. We hope the New Normal tag defines a restored emphasis on teaching and learning in our classrooms as well as reflects a rebuilding of programs that suffered student participation loss over the past two years. We are definitely on the way back!

Omnipresent on the minds of the Executive Board and staff is what we can do to better serve you as we return to a new level of normal. Convention-related, restoring the Honor Band and Honor Orchestra Competitions for 2023 and continued planning for an inaugural invited process for band and orchestra for 2024 come to mind.

Music Education in the Law At a different level, a priority of TMEA leadership is to make sure fine arts education is supported in state law and State Board of

Education rule, assuring that the arts are a part of a well-rounded education and that students have ample elective opportunities to take fine arts courses throughout secondary school.

The good news is that we have never been better protected in law and rule; however, no matter what policy requires, we live, work, and send our children to school in a state in which education policy is anchored in local control. With no assessment and accountability system that documents state policy being followed, opportunities and experiences in fine arts education can vary from district to district and campus to campus.

On page 12 is a current overview of Music Education in the Law. I encourage you to familiarize yourself with it and call me if you have questions. You can download a PDF of that page at www.tmea.org/inthelaw.

In our history, we have learned that if fine arts education is not protected in law and state board rule, winning the advocacy battles at home is much more challenging. We are indebted to our leaders of the past for making the protection of fine arts in state policy such a priority.

I have included responses below to the inquiries I receive most on this topic.

What are the elementary school fine arts requirements?

Fine arts at the elementary level includes TEKS for art, music, and theatre.

• Elementary schools must provide TEKS-based instruction to all students in art, music, and theatre at each grade level (kindergarten–grade 5).

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• Elementary students are required to demonstrate proficiency in all fine arts disciplines at each grade level.

• School districts must ensure that sufficient time is provided for teachers to teach and for students to learn all the required grade-level student expectations (SEs).

• While all fine arts TEKS are part of the required curriculum, districts have the flexibility to implement instruction in a variety of arrangements according to their resources.

The instructional arrangements (class size) and scheduling of instruction (minutes) are local district decisions.

The requirement in the preceding bullet has proved to be an effective argument against overloaded classes and insufficient instructional time allowed.

What are the middle school fine arts requirements?

Fine arts at the middle school level includes dance, music, theatre, and visual arts.

• Districts must ensure that students have the opportunity to take courses in at least three of the four available disciplines.

• The requirement to offer three of the four disciplines in fine arts may be reduced to two by the commissioner of education if a school district with a total middle school enrollment of fewer than 250 students applies to do so with the Texas Education Agency.

• Middle school students must complete one fine arts course (e.g., Music, Middle School 1) during grades 6, 7, or 8, and students are required to demonstrate proficiency in the course.

• School districts must ensure that sufficient time is provided for teachers to teach and for students to learn the required standards for at least one fine arts course.

What are the high school fine arts requirements?

Fine arts at the high school level includes courses in visual arts, dance, music, music studies, theatre, musical theatre, technical theatre, and film.

• Districts must ensure that students have the opportunity to take courses in at least two of four disciplines: art, music, theatre, or dance.

• Credit may be earned through the successful completion of any TEKS-based fine arts high school course.

• Every high school student must complete one credit of fine arts to graduate under the Foundation High School Program.

• School districts must ensure that sufficient time is provided for teachers to teach and for students to learn the required standards for at least one fine arts course.

Learn More For more information on requirements in law that affect music education, go to:

www.tmea.org/music-education-in-the-law

May a school district remove students from a fine arts class for remedial tutoring or test preparation?

They can, but for a limited time. The district must adopt and strictly enforce a policy that limits the removal of students from class for remedial tutoring or test preparation. A district may not remove a student from a regularly scheduled class for more than 10% of the school days on which the class is offered unless a parent provides written consent to the district. Further, a K–12 student may not be given credit or a final grade for a class unless the student is in attendance for at least 90% of the days the class is offered.

Additionally, HB 4545, which passed during the 87th legislative session, requires districts to provide accelerated learning (i.e., tutoring) for students who performed below an acceptable level on STAAR in grades 3–8 or any required high school end-of-course assessment. However, the law states districts may not remove students for that tutoring from instruction in the foundation curriculum and enrichment curriculum, which includes music.

For more information go to www.tmea.org/studentpullout.

May a student who is ineligible to participate in an extracurricular activity due to a failing grade participate in UIL Concert and Sightreading Evaluation?

Yes, a student who is ineligible to participate in an extracurricular activity, but who is enrolled in a state-approved music course that participates in University Interscholastic League (UIL) Concert and Sightreading Evaluation, may perform with the ensemble during the UIL evaluation performance.

May a student meet the requirements of STEM or any other endorsement while participating in music all four years of high school?

Yes, the Foundation High School program was designed to offer the flexibility for students to earn any endorsement and participate in music throughout high school.

Is it permissible to substitute an additional arts and humanities course for the fourth science requirement if the student is pursuing an arts and humanities endorsement?

Yes, a student pursuing an arts and humanities endorsement who has the written permission of the student’s parent may substitute an English language arts course, a social studies course, a languages other than English (LOTE) course, or a fine arts course for the additional science credit required to earn an endorsement.

TEA published answers to frequently asked questions about fine arts, accessible at www.tmea.org/fineartsfaq. Topics not mentioned above that are covered in TEA’s document include fine arts definitions, fine arts requirements, TEKS requirements, communitybased fine arts, and fine arts substitutions for physical education.

As we begin the school year, I encourage you to reach out to staff so that we can be of service. I want to make you aware that the fine arts education community, guided by the Texas Arts Education Campaign and led by TMEA and TMAC, will take its most aggressive stand on improving our position in the law in the areas of accountability, funding, and teacher support (including the Teacher Incentive Allotment) as we approach the 88th legislative session. We need your help beginning this month. Stay tuned and have a rejuvenated and successful start to the new school year.

0 Southwestern Musician | August 2022 11

Music Education in the Law Fine arts education requirements are defined in the Texas Education Code (TEC) passed by the Texas Legislature. Below is an outline of requirements in law that affect music education which, along with art, theatre, and dance make up the fine arts.

Texas Education Code Mission & Objectives A well-balanced and appropriate curriculum will be provided to all students. — TEC, Objective 4.

Each district shall ensure all children in the district participate actively in a balanced curriculum designed to meet individual needs. — TEC, Chapter 28.002

Required Curriculum and Skills The TEC directs school districts with kindergarten through grade 12 to offer the Required Curriculum.

The TEC segments the Required Curriculum into Foundation and Enrichment subjects. Fine arts is part of the Enrichment Curriculum and thus must be taught.

The State Board of Education adopts the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) for all subjects of the Required Curriculum. Music TEKS are defined for every level, and instruction must cover 100% of these TEKS as a condition of accreditation. Districts must provide instructional materials that cover 100% of the TEKS in all fine arts courses.

Requirements at the Grade Level Elementary

State Board rule mandates that school districts provide TEKS-based instruction in all subjects/ courses of the Required Curriculum in grades K–5, including music.

Middle School

State Board rule mandates that each student complete one fine arts course in grades 6–8, and the district must offer courses in three of the four fine arts disciplines (or two, if reduced by the Commissioner of Education based on school size).

Pull-out Limitations

The TEC directs school districts to establish policies that limit the pull-out of students from a regularly scheduled class for remedial tutoring or test preparation. The policy limits pull-out to 10% of the school days on which the class is offered (unless authorized to extend to 25% by a parent/guardian).

Additionally, students may not be removed from a music class to receive the tutoring districts are required to provide them if they performed below an acceptable level on STAAR in grades 3–8 or on a required high school end-of-course assessment.

12 Southwestern Musician | August 2022

High School

High schools must offer at least two of the four stateapproved fine arts subjects. Every high school student must successfully complete one fine arts credit to graduate.

Foundation High School Program

The Foundation HS Program allows the serious music student the opportunity to pursue an Arts and Humanities endorsement that includes multiple fine arts courses.

State Board rule also protects the opportunity for continuous arts study throughout high school within any of the five endorsements: STEM, Business & Industry, Public Service, Arts & Humanities, and Multidisciplinary Studies.

Texas Tech University School of Music Introducing Our Newest Faculty Members

Lanfranco Marcelletti Jr. | Associate Professor of Music and Director of Orchestral Studies Maestro Lanfranco Marcelletti joined the TTU School of Music faculty as Associate

Professor of Music and Director of Orchestral Studies in January 2022. The Brazilian conductor and music pedagogue began his musical studies in Recife, Brazil, at

the Conservatório Pernambuco de Música. He continued his piano studies at the

Musik Akademie (Zürich), piano and composition at the Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst (Vienna), and orchestral conducting at Yale University.

Se-Hee Jin | Assistant Professor of Piano Dr. Se-Hee Jin is acclaimed for her keen musical intelligence and exquisite sensitivity.

Dr. Jin joined the faculty as Assistant Professor of Piano at TTU in January 2022. She has concertized and taught throughout the United States, Canada, Italy, China, and Korea. As a solo pianist, Dr. Jin has been featured in concerts at Weill-Carnegie Hall,

Kaufman Music Center, Bentley Recital Hall, and Seiji Ozawa Hall. She holds the Master of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees in Piano Performance and Literature from the Eastman School of Music. She graduated from Ewha Womans University (Seoul, Korea) with a Bachelor of Music degree.

Fabio Augustinis | Assistant Professor of Practice in Commercial Music Drummer, percussionist, educator, composer, and producer Dr. Fabio Augustinis is

Assistant Professor of Practice in Commercial Music at TTU. He has maintained an

active schedule of performances and recordings in the United States and abroad, with

over 30 album releases and musical performances including projects with Steve Davis, Joe Lovano, Ernie Watts, Brian Lynch, The Des Moines Big Band, Andre Hayward,

Steven Feifke, Nailor Azevedo, Léa Freire, and many others. He is a featured artist for Canopus Drums and Bosphorus Cymbals.

ttu.edu/Music |

@ttuschoolofmusic | schoolofmusic@ttu.edu | 806.742.2270

Helping Today’s Students Envision a Future in Music Education

W

hen music educators are asked what led them to this profession, their answers often include stories about their former music educators. As you begin this school year, consider the many ways you influence your students and the many opportunities you have to encourage and equip them to envision a future in this profession.

Thanks go to the following music educators who we invited to offer their perspectives on this important topic: Clorese Porter, Bryan Buffaloe, and Katie Lewis. Additionally, we’re pleased to highlight how our Texas Future Music Educators chapters can be an effective part of this mission of encouraging tomorrow’s music educators through the reflections of chapter sponsor Mark Rohwer.

Clorese Porter Plano Senior HS Head Choir Director

At a time when many are leaving the teaching profession, we as educators must find a way to help students envision this as a viable future career. We must model what it is to be a music educator through building relationships with students and through creating a safe environment for our students to grow musically. It is important for our students to know that we see them as human 14 Southwestern Musician | August 2022

beings first and students second.

I include relationship-building procedures and activities in our daily and weekly structure. This includes greeting every student when they walk into the classroom to gauge the emotional temperature of the group. It helps me know whether to expect a high energy or low energy start to the class. I also take this time to ask students about their interests and what is going on in their lives.

We also do Friday check-ins where students get to share something that went well or didn’t go so well in their week. This gives them the opportunity to share, be connected, and feel seen by the students they sing with every day.

One of my goals for our department is to offer exposure to multiple aspects of music performance and education. This has included taking students to participate in joint concerts with local universities, attending a Dallas Opera dress rehearsal, or inviting out-of-state universities who are on tour to offer an in-class performance. We have even had a member of a military music ensemble come and perform and talk with students about being a performer in the military and what that could be like after graduation.

Exposure to the field of music education can also happen through opportunities to lead in their choir. Our choir department has a group of officers who take on a variety of leadership roles. They get the opportunity to lead sectionals, teach choreography, organize/maintain the choir library, help create content for

our department’s social media platforms, plan social and community events, and even act as student directors.

Once a student shows interest in becoming a music educator or performance major, we give them opportunities to evaluate where they are and to create a plan for developing even further. This is all funneled through many conversations and exposure to the behind-the-scenes work of running a choir program. My students are involved in the selection of literature and are a part of the overall vision for individual concerts. That is done by giving them the tools and criteria needed to select and suggest quality literature for their ensembles. This increases the buy-in on specific songs and the overall vision for our concerts.

It is often a challenge to encourage a student to aspire to a specific profession when they don’t see themselves in the field.

Students who are underrepresented in our field can be guided to this amazing profession through exposure and connections with directors who have a shared experience.

It is very important for my students to work with directors from diverse backgrounds. To do that, I invite a diverse group of clinicians to work with our students and choose literature from a diverse range of composers and arrangers. I know firsthand that as an African American female choir director, I was truly inspired by seeing another dynamic choral director who looked like me conducting a Region Choir my very first year of teaching. She was everything I wanted to be, and she showed me what was possible.

Not only was she an amazing teacher, but she was also an incredibly kind person who took the time to talk with me and encourage me.

The most important way to help students envision music education as a career is to be the type of music educator a student will want to be someday. Build relationships, create opportunities for leadership, and if you see potential in a student, tell them. You will never know the impact one conversation can make.

Bryan Buffaloe Clear Lake HS Director of Orchestras

When I look back on my career, it isn’t trophies, honors, or recognitions that I consider my greatest success. It is instead the number of students who chose to make music education their career path. Most of them overcame their parents’ preferences that they become doctors or engineers rather than teachers.

We aren’t always aware of the influence we have on our students.

We are role models, and we shape their perception of what being a music educator entails. We must remember that our students develop deeper relationships with their music directors than they do with their other classroom teachers. Through that relationship, they develop their understanding of our profession.

It is difficult for any music teacher to maintain a well-balanced lifestyle between work and personal time, and our students see this as they watch us daily over the course of multiple years. They notice the late hours we spend at school, our struggles to keep up with daily tasks, the way we discipline and handle classroom management, our physical health, and most importantly, how we respond to and manage the stress that comes with the lofty expectations and demands of this profession. This can either open doors for us to make a significant impact on their discernment of

music education or close those doors, leaving students indifferent to music as a career path. Our students must see the possibilities of a successful career that doesn’t sacrifice their ability to live a life outside their classroom walls. Let them see that success comes from investing in relationships and not just in the hours you put in every day.

While I am transparent with my students about my job, it’s always easier to celebrate the victories with them than it is to share the struggles. Although we may want our students to view us as superheroes, the reality is that we cannot do it all. I have found that when I am honest with my students about this, they have taken the opportunity to step up and take some ownership in their program.

In many cases, their ideas motivate their peers and allow them the opportunity to redirect their efforts and produce greater outcomes more effectively than I could have as the director.

Leadership opportunities, such as intentional officer positions and student-planned activities, often inspire students to see themselves in the educator role. Another way to give students opportunities is to let them teach in group settings such as sectionals or small group tutoring. For Type A directors like me, this delegation can present a challenge. Still, I have found that peer-leading is often more productive and that it should not always be the best player in the section who is leading. I provide the designated leader a specific lesson plan and allow them to initiate the process of accomplishing it. Again, this gives students the opportunity to explore music education from the teaching perspective.

Many years ago, I moved away from the mindset that the best players in our programs will make the best music educators. I know several successful orchestra directors who never made an All-State Orchestra (myself included). Seek out those students who show excitement, those with outgoing personalities, those who always hang out in your office or in the rehearsal hall, those who genuinely love being in your program. Talk with them about music education as a viable career option. Share with them the characteristics you see in them that would make them an excellent music educator. Strive to build on their strengths and remind them you will be there to support them on their journey down this career path. Ask them questions that open communication to discuss their concerns, fears, and self-confidence about becoming a music educator.

Remember to be transparent and honest about the realities of this career while also sharing your story and selling them on the principles that make music education a rewarding and life-changing profession.

Katie Lewis Maus MS Band Director (Frisco ISD)

Each year, I teach middle school students who mention that they are interested in becoming a band director or instrumental performer when they grow up. When I hear that, I work to ensure that I am modeling the sincerest portrayal of my job for them to observe. I try to show a true desire for a great experience, both musically and socially. Once they leave me to go to high school, I continue to talk with them and show up to encourage and support them.

In high school, the rigor sets in, and their schedules become Southwestern Musician | August 2022 15

introducing our new band faculty: DR. andrew hunter

Interim Director of Bands

DR. Brandon Houghtalen Associate Director of Bands

DR. DON SCHOFIELD

Affiliate Graduate Faculty

Offering an Online Conducting Masters Degree

For information about any graduate program contact dr. dominic dousa ddousa@utep.edu

visit music.utep.edu

more demanding. With band class now more focused on refining skills, I believe some of their initial spark and allure with the music education field can dim. It’s easier to be excited about music education as a profession in middle school because it’s the beginning of something new—they are full of wonder every single time they learn something!

In middle school, we work to instill the thrill and joy of teaching through our Band Buddy program. Seventh and eighth graders mentor beginner students a couple of times a month. Band Buddy sessions are so rewarding because all students see they can truly make a difference in someone’s life. They are responsible for teaching new material and get to see that light-bulb moment in a peer. Our program also utilizes section leaders to help teach their sections during class or, at times, before or after school. This is another way to give students a taste of teaching and even evaluating others in a positive way!

Our Band Leadership Team provides valuable input to our program and the students involved get a chance to peek behind the curtain of being a band director. These are students who tend to stay outside school hours to assist and in the process see some of the extra duties of our profession. My hope is that these extra programs help generate the wonder and excitement in considering a future as a music educator.

In Frisco ISD, we have a program called Independent Study and Mentorship, where juniors and seniors can take a class dedicated to learning more about a field they want to pursue. I have been fortunate enough to mentor two students, and each still loves music and teaching! They see the benefits that come with encouraging others and making an impact on young students.

These opportunities are critical and hopefully can become more prevalent in other parts of the state.

Recently, a friend and I presented to a group of music education majors at Texas A&M University–Commerce, and one of my former students was in attendance. She messaged me afterward, saying she truly did not realize how hard I worked and how much I knew when she was in middle school. Now as a college student, she sees that and appreciates it so much more. This is a struggle because it’s difficult to be forthright with younger students about the amount of time invested and the limited financial return.

My hope is that the joy that comes from teaching shines through brighter than the deterrents.

When former students graduate, I make a point to stay in contact. I recently began a Facebook group message chat with former students who are now in a music degree program or career. I am hoping to gain advice for future students based on their experiences.

I believe our profession is going through a shift right now, and the more we can do to support young musicians, the better. I hope to create a space in the next year where students can openly discuss college auditions, degree plans, advice, and next steps when they are in high school and looking at music education or performance as a profession.

When one of my “band babies” becomes a music performer, educator, or recording engineer because of their love of music, there is no greater gift to me. I hope our passion for what we do is portrayed in a very real way that creates the next generation of excited music educators.

0

TFME Helps Students Prepare for their Future Mark Rohwer, Fine Arts Director Carrollton-Farmers Branch ISD

In my previous job, I was the sponsor of the Flower Mound HS chapter of Texas Future Music Educators (TFME). I believe our chapter helped students see the potential of a career in music education, or music in general, or even education in general. To accomplish this, I encouraged a wide array of students to participate and then gave those students opportunities for success they may not otherwise have.

While some of our TFME chapter members were interested in music education, not all who joined did so with music education in mind. Some were interested in music performance or other kinds of educational paths (theater education, elementary classroom education, etc.). While the TFME membership fee is only $15 annually, our booster club always agreed to pay for our members so the students’ only obligation was to show interest and enter some information on a Google Form. I took care of the rest.

Chapter members enjoyed opportunities to engage in activities that allowed them to dip their toes in the music education waters. Our TFME students led warmups, taught short holiday carols, and served as volunteers for UIL and TMEA activities on our campus. In addition, they attended breakfast or lunch meetings with guest clinicians, composers, etc. Finally, we worked to create a special opportunity or two each year for these students.

This past year, we hosted a conducting master class open only to TFME members.

All these experiences were designed to help high school students approach their music classes in a way that they think, “How would I plan and lead this?” rather than just, “What music am I learning today?” Members got opportunities to ask questions of other music educators and genuinely consider what a day in the life of a music teacher is really all about.

TMEA invites active TFME members to attend the annual convention for free—a truly wonderful offer! While only a few of our chapter members could attend, they found the experience energizing and inspiring—just like many of us do!

Sponsoring a TFME chapter doesn’t have to be extremely time-consuming, but I’ll confess that our chapter hosted fewer activities than other chapters around the state do—several of my peers could add a myriad of opportunities to those I’ve listed.

You tailor your chapter to your school environment. Regardless, every TFME chapter can serve to provide great insight and light a fire in students that could burn for a lifetime!

In 2021–2022, almost 1,000 students were active members in 40 TFME chapters across the state and 637 attended our 2022 TMEA Clinic/Convention. To start a TFME chapter for your campus or district, go to www.tmea.org/tfme. TMEA supports the mission of TFME through grant funding for chapter events and for convention attendance.

Southwestern Musician | August 2022 17

TEXAS LUTHERAN UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MUSIC

SCHOLARSHIP AUDITIONS Scholarships are available for both music and non-music majors.

These awards are intended to provide recognition for scholarship and talent in the study of music.

SCHOLARSHIP AUDITION DATES: Saturday, November 12, 2022 | 1-3 p.m.

Saturday, January 21, 2023 | 1-3 p.m.

Friday, February 17, 2023 | 1-3 p.m.

Saturday, March 25, 2023 | 1-3 p.m.

Saturday, April 15, 2023 | 1 - 3 p.m.

Individual audition dates may be requested if necessary.

For specific qualifications for each award, visit

www.tlu.edu/music-scholarships.

BACHELOR OF MUSIC IN ALL-LEVEL MUSIC EDUCATION BACHELOR OF MUSIC IN PERFORMANCE BACHELOR OF ARTS IN MUSIC

SCHOOL OF MUSIC DEPARTMENT HEADS

Elizabeth Lee Asst. Professor, Cello

Douglas R. Boyer Director, School of Music and Director of Choral Activities dboyer@tlu.edu 830-372-6869 or 800-771-8521

Ingram Lee, IV Instructor, Trombone & Euphonium

Eric Daub Director of Piano Studies edaub@tlu.edu Liliana Guerrero Director of Vocal Studies lguerrero@tlu.edu Richard Herrera Interim Director of Bands rherrera@tlu.edu Eliza Jeffords Director of Strings ejeffords@tlu.edu

Deborah Mayes Choral Accompanist Scott McDonald Instructor, Saxophone, Jazz Band & Music Education Carla McElhaney Asst. Professor, General Music David Milburn Instructor, Double Bass Angela Moretti Instructor, Bassoon Nicole Narboni Asst. Professor, Piano Daniel Orban Instructor, Trumpet Sung-Eun Park Asst. Professor, Collaborative Pianist

FACULTY Adam Bedell Instructor, Percussion Carol Brittin Chambers Composer in Residence & Composition

Keith Robinson Instructor, Tuba & Music Education

Jill Rodriguez Instructor, General Music William Hayter Eric Siu Asst. Professor, Clarinet & Music Asst. Professor, Violin Education Shareen Vader Sean Holmes Instructor, Piano & Music Education Asst. Professor, Horn & Music Mika Valenzuela History Instructor, Oboe Hilary Janysek Yvonne Vasquez Asst. Professor, Flute & Music Instructor, Mariachi History Michael Keplinger Instructor, Guitar

www.tlu.edu/music

TMEA Band Vice-President SHANE GOFORTH

Activating Our Students’ Musical Intuition We are always successful if we use our teaching and training to inform and activate our musical intuition and play beautiful, powerful, musically moving performances.

In Memoriam James Frederick Keene August 19, 1948–June 27, 2022

MARK YOUR CALENDAR check www.tmea .org for updates

August—Attend your Region meeting (see page 2 for details).

August—Renew your membership and register for the convention.

August 1—Deadline for waivers to the audition process.

August 20—Liability insurance purchased through TMEA last year expires.

September 1—All-State etude errata submission deadline.

October 6—TMEA convention housing reservation system opens.

November 1—TMEA scholarship online application deadline.

January 19—TMEA convention early registration deadline.

February 8–11—TMEA Clinic/Convention in San Antonio.

W

hen Albert Einstein discussed how he discovered his theory of relativity, he noted that he came about the discovery intuitively and that his intuition was often motivated by his musical perception. If you aren’t familiar with the significance of Einstein’s theory of relativity, I encourage you to do some research.

For the purposes of this column, suffice it to say that his theory offered answers to significant questions that scientists pondered at the time Einstein published it as well as others that hadn’t yet been considered. Additionally, it has motivated generations of scientists to execute empirical research and ask questions that were previously unimaginable.

Albert Einstein’s process to tackle “unsolvable” problems of science was to perform thought experiments. He sought to examine the problem from as many perspectives as possible, allowing his mind to access existing knowledge and to consider solutions and outcomes he and others might have previously thought impossible. As an educator, I have always had a real desire to teach students to think like that—to care about the problems they encounter and use their incredible intelligence and talent to think about and seek solutions to those problems.

Einstein received training on the violin and practiced his instrument every day. He traveled with his violin and constantly sought out other musicians to perform with in chamber music groups and community orchestras. Whenever he encountered a stumbling block, Einstein wrote that he turned to the performance of music to inform and activate his intuition, allowing his mind to operate in the perceptive manner he found so successful. I think Einstein, through his writing and actions, provides us a blueprint to help create the next generation of great thinkers. We must educate and train our students’ musical intelligences to inform and activate their musical intuition.

Southwestern Musician | August 2022 19

Teaching and Training To accomplish the task of educating and training musical intelligences, we must possess two things. The first is to understand the differences between teaching and training. The second is the ability to define the musical intelligences that we seek to augment.

We commonly label the adult in a classroom as a teacher, but they are really an educational leader charged with many tasks, one of which is teaching. As defined in the Oxford English Dictionary, to teach is to “show or explain to (someone) how to do something.” More specifically it is the ability to communicate—audibly, visually, or kinesthetically—a task or concept so a student can intellectualize the information.

I think most would agree that good teaching is the delivery of information to the students in a manner that they can all understand it. As important as teaching is, I think we would also agree that just because a student may understand intellectually how to do something, it does not mean that they can do it even once, much less perform the task accurately every time they are called upon to execute it. This is of course where the training of the intel-

20 Southwestern Musician | August 2022

ligences plays such a vital role.

Training is the process of using targeted and repeated processes and procedures to support the successful execution of a given task. We used to refer to the results of training as “muscle memory,” but through the incredible advances in brain research we understand that our synapses and axons are undergoing a process known as myelination. Through effective and targeted training, our brains myelinate our axon pathways to create superhighways of effective and efficient operation, resulting in performance that seems intuitive.

Einstein said that music was sometimes a chore until he began to play Mozart’s sonatas and string quartets six years into his musical training. After Mozart, he never again lacked for musical motivation.

Mozart’s unquestioned musical genius notwithstanding, Einstein clearly would have gained little joy or motivation from Mozart’s work without the teaching and training of his musical intelligences that allowed him to realize the musical masterpieces from the notation provided.

It becomes immediately apparent that the teaching and training of the various musical intelligences will be neither effec-

tive nor efficient if those intelligences are not clearly defined. The musical intelligences can be broken down into macro categories that include, but are certainly not limited to, tone, pitch, harmony, rhythm, and instrumental/kinesthetic. I do not have the space here to elaborate on even one of these categories, but I urge you to consider each and define clearly what it is you desire for your students to learn. As you start your new school year, I challenge you to use processes, procedures, and practices that will teach and train each of the musical intelligences that you define specifically and methodically.

We have many goals in our band hall, but every student in our program will tell you that our primary focus is always to give “Beautiful, Powerful, Musically Moving Performances,” whether that be on the marching field, the concert stage, or in a gymnasium. To achieve that level of performance, an incalculable number of things must happen consistently and simultaneously. Every student must adapt to their current musical environment, execute countless skills, and solve a myriad of problems accurately and in real time.

The conscious, analytical part of our mind

is woefully inadequate to perform those tasks, but with proper teaching and training, the intuitive part of our mind can handle the demand and make the process incredibly enjoyable for the performer and the audience, creating musical moments that last a lifetime.

So, if great teaching and training will inform our musical intuition, how then do we consistently activate that intuition to give inspirational performances? I pondered this question for years and then in a clinic at a TMEA convention, I heard Dr. Tim Lautzenheizer say, “Do you speak to your students like musicians?” This simple yet profound question sent me on a quest to reevaluate my processes and procedures and to view everything through a musical lens. My journey to find the secret to activating my students’ musical intuition finally led me to ask another question, “Do you have a musical focus for everything your students do?” I have found that the more often I answer yes to that question, the more often I find my students giving performances that are enjoyable and fulfilling. The scores we receive from judges vary from contest to contest, but we know that we are always successful if we use

our teaching and training to inform and activate our musical intuition and play beautiful, powerful, musically moving performances. I also find great fulfillment knowing that we might have played some small part in nurturing the next generation of great thinkers and problem solvers.

Fall Region Meetings Your input and active participation in Region meetings is crucial to running a successful organization. Decisions made at the Region level directly impact your students. Attend and voice your opinions.

Convention Volunteers Please consider volunteering for one of the many roles essential to producing our incredible convention. You can register at www.tmea.org/bandvolunteer.

All-State Audition Etudes All-State audition etudes and performance guides are available at www.tmea.org/band/audition-material.

The website is the official source for AllState audition materials and the deadline for errata is September 1. Special thanks go to the etude selectors for selecting etudes,

in

producing videos, and presenting at TBA’s convention!

All-State Chair Auditions We will continue our process of recorded All-State chair auditions for students who are named to a 2023 AllState Band. The process is defined in the Band Appendix, which will be available to download from the online audition entry.

This is a summary of that chair audition schedule: • January 7–8: Students are named to All-State at Area auditions.

• January 9–12: All-State students record Area cuts for the chair audition.

• January 12 (11:59 p.m. CT): Deadline to upload all audition recordings.

• January 13: TMEA verifies recordings.

• January 14: Auditions are adjudicated virtually.

• January 15: Online meeting for results and ensemble preference.

Please contact me if you have questions about this process. I look forward to this audition season presenting our students the opportunity to strive for excellence. 0

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ou

at Samford’s School of the Arts Division of Music Samford University offers degrees in composition, commercial music, music education, music and worship, instrumental, piano, and voice performance, and piano performance and pedagogy.

Visit our website to learn more about the Division of Music.

arts@samford.edu • 205-726-4111 • samford.edu/arts Samford University is an Equal Opportunity Educational Institution/Employer.

Southwestern Musician | August 2022 21

This Is Lifelong Learning

by Karen Cross

F

or years, Principal Robin Scott has watched through her office window as eager sixth graders met outside in the early days of school, showing off their first sounds on new instrument mouthpieces. Then—just months later—she marveled at those same students as they confidently performed full pieces of music. She’s always been intrigued by the exponential growth that beginners display over the span of one school year.

Unlike her students at Stafford MS, Principal Scott didn’t grow up with a strong music education. Back then, she simply didn’t have much interest in it. However, after working as an administrator in schools with excellent music educators and programs, her appreciation and respect for music education quickly grew.

Since opening Stafford MS in 2008, she says she came to realize that it’s not just a music program; it’s where these students fit— it’s their home.

Those of us who work for TMEA always get excited to learn about school administrators who champion the value of music education and support music educators in their important work.

Until this spring though, we had never heard of an administrator who acted on their appreciation quite as wholeheartedly as Principal Scott. For years, she has strongly supported music students, but last year, she became one.

From Principal to Beginner Last summer, Principal Scott told Stafford MS Band Directors Laura Bell and Chase Rogers that she wanted to learn about music and how to play an instrument. “I was just so intrigued by our kids and admired the program so much that I wanted to learn and be part of it. And I knew from the minute I said something that I was committed,” Scott explained.

The directors informed her right away that she would play the clarinet. “At first I was surprised by their quick decision, but I’ve been through this enough—watching them help students 22 Southwestern Musician | August 2022

choose—and I was certain they knew what was right for me.” As a clarinetist, she was set to join the sixth graders in Laura Bell’s second-period class.

As the first day of school neared, Scott was both excited and anxious to start. “Even though your new peers are 11 years old, you still feel the stress to perform well,” she explained. “I thought—I’m 53 and these kids are 11—surely I can do something they can do, but I also knew there are a lot of things they can do that I can’t!”

Like the sixth graders seated next to her, Scott showed up daily, followed the directions of their teacher Ms. Bell, and quickly shed that initial stress. She knew that to succeed, she would need to make a commitment to do the required work, and commit is precisely what she did.

Scott arrived at her office early to practice. She joined the class every day she was on campus. She completed every assessment.

She took her turn when it was time for the dreaded down the row.

She got tutoring from an eighth grader when she needed to catch up. “She was more devoted and committed to the class than I could have ever imagined,” said Bell. On some Fridays, Scott missed school to travel with her husband to Arkansas to watch their son’s college football game. With her husband behind the wheel and her in the passenger seat, Scott set her music on the dash, connected with the second-period class over Google Meet on her phone, and played along with her sixth-grade classmates. “We got some strange looks along those trips!”

Learning Made Easier When discussing what it was like to be an adult beginner, Scott quickly responded that her challenges weren’t as much about learning music or the instrument as they were with being a student and a principal. “I told the other students my principal job sometimes gets in the way of my band class!” She said that because her teacher was so good at her job—breaking the learning process down so

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The whole environment was a safe space where we could fail, and boy did we fail sometimes! It was always clear that it was okay, and that this is what we do in life— we fail and we learn. they could experience success along the way—it never seemed difficult. “She also put us at ease by conveying her own experiences and reminding us that she, too, was once a student. She tied our learning to other subjects, and she celebrated success so well. We might totally mess something up, and she would critique it, but she did so in a way that felt good and was motivating.

She was always so affirming!”

Instead of being the only one to offer students feedback, Bell taught them how to critique each other. At first, though, no one wanted to criticize their principal. Scott said, “After I played, the other students would just tell me I sounded good, but I knew it wasn’t good and reminded them I needed their honest feedback. Eventually, they got comfortable giving it.” Scott emphasized how this is a valuable aspect of music education—students gain the life lessons of being vulnerable, willing to fail, and learning from the process. “The whole environment was a safe space where we could fail, and boy did we fail sometimes!

It was always clear that it was okay, and that this is what we do in life—we fail and we learn.”

Unlike the limited observations typically afforded an administrator, as a student, Scott had the unique opportunity to witness great teaching in action every day. “Laura took herself and her job seriously, but she also knew she was working with sixth graders, and they need someone who can be goofy and silly at times.

Her patience was incredible, and she was assertive when she needed to be,” Scott explained. “She treated me like any other kid. If my embouchure wasn’t right or if I wasn’t tapping my foot in tempo, she’d point it out. I didn’t get a pass because I was the principal.”

Music Education Unlocks a Whole New World After just one year in the clarinet class, Scott says she now hears music differently—in a more informed and curious way. She seeks to learn more about com-

Nominate Your Administrator for a Distinguished Administrator Award Do you work with a school administrator who has been especially supportive of music education and is continuing that support in this new school year?

Submit a nomination! TMEA has the opportunity at the state level to thank these individuals for their dedication and support. At the local level, this offers you another opportunity to share your success story with the community.

WWW.TMEA.ORG/ADMINAWARD 24 Southwestern Musician | August 2022

posers and the music’s history. “It gave me a greater appreciation for all fine arts and what it takes.” The experience has also deepened her perspective about the importance of music education in her students’ lives. “This is unlocking a whole new world for these students, and it’s helping them be ready for life—whether it’s a job, marriage, or anything else, they’re learning valuable how-to-succeed skills.”

As important as she knows music education is, Scott emphasizes that teachers must remember that music study is a choice. “Your students are electing to come to you, so your job is to make them want to continue wanting to be there. With so many choices, you need to make sure your environment is welcoming and balance your high expectations with fun.”

She also believes no middle schooler should be forced to choose one interest over another, and that means teachers in all the fine arts, other electives, and sports must work together. “Middle school is not the time to make students make those choices,” she stated. Similarly, Scott doesn’t want to see students removed from a music class for remediation. “Don’t pull a kid for remediation from music class just because it’s an elective. You might change the course of their life or alter their future—while not on purpose, it can still be the result. There are often other ways.”

The Joy of Making Music From that first day of creating sounds on a mouthpiece, through each week of incrementally building skills, to the point when she was able to play a full piece of music, Scott explains that she experienced true joy. “It was just so much fun!” And just like it is for young music students, she loved being part of the group. “I always admired how these kids had a group they belonged to, and now I was one of them.

These are my people!”

Scott did become one of them, but she also became their role model—demonstrating to them that no matter your age, you can keep challenging yourself to learn new skills.

Reflecting on her experience from last year, Scott shared, “Being in that class was definitely the highlight of my year, and it’s in the top five in my 28 years in education. I was surprised at how quickly the year went, and I was so disappointed it was over. I realized that going to that class is what I looked forward to every day!”

What It’s Like to Teach Your Principal Principal Robin Scott is quick to praise music educators for their dedication, passion, and hard work, especially her clarinet teacher, Laura Bell. We asked Bell to offer her reflections about teaching her administrator in the beginner clarinet class last year.

How did your students benefit from having their principal as a fellow student in their class?

One of the most valuable takeaways for my students (and for the directors, too) is that it’s never too late to learn something new!

Rather than closing the door on what felt like a missed opportunity, Robin stepped out of her comfort zone and swung a door wide open! It was inspiring!

I also believe my students benefited greatly from having an adult sit alongside them every day, making the same mistakes they were making, learning from them, and getting better. They learned quickly that it was a safe space and felt comfortable taking risks.

She modeled that for them daily.

What’s been most satisfying about teaching an adult, especially your principal, to play an instrument?

It was a blast having an administrator in my class every day! As a music educator, we know the importance and the value of what we do. We see the light-bulb moments that happen regularly, we see students embrace challenges and learn to work through them, and we see kids’ confidence soar because of it. Robin has always been an incredible supporter of the fine arts on our campus, but for her to have had the opportunity to truly experience the class from a student’s perspective is something I will treasure forever.

Was there anything surprising about having your principal in the beginner class?

I was surprised by so many things along the way! Robin took her role as a clarinet student very seriously. She was more devoted and committed to the class than I could have ever imagined.

Our varsity group performs for our staff before UIL every year, and Robin has always been front and center for it, but this year was even more special. She stood next to the clarinet section, followed along in the music while they played, and was moved to tears because she could connect to the music in a way she had never been able to before. She told the students and staff how impactful it was after we played, because she finally understood. That’s an experience I will always remember and be grateful for.

How has this become an advocacy opportunity in your community?

I have no doubt her participation in our band class has had a huge impact on advocacy across the state! The publicity her story has received around our district and throughout the DFW Metroplex has been amazing and it has gone viral around the state!

It has everyone talking about music education and its importance in our schools. It has administrators asking themselves what they can do to have an impact with their students in a similar way.

Robin has always been a servant-leader. She has the biggest heart for serving students, and I know that her experience has the potential to shape administrators’ opinions regarding the importance of fine arts education. What a powerful opportunity!

0 Karen Cross is TMEA Communications Manager.

Images courtesy of Frisco ISD Communications.

Invest in Our Future Texas Future Music Educators offers students who have an interest in a music education career the support and information they need to help them prepare for their future. TFME members who preregister may attend the annual TMEA Clinic/Convention on Friday and Saturday.

For more information, email kvanlandingham@tmea.org

Go to www.tmea.org/tfme to create a chapter—it’s easy!

Check out the article on page 14 about how you can help students envision a future in music education, including reflections from a TFME sponsor on page 17.

S ta r t a er chapt l! l this fa

Grant Funding TFME chapters can apply for up to $300 annually to pay for clinicians and their travel.

Southwestern Musician | August 2022 25

TMEA Orchestra Vice-President ANN G. SMITH

Fulfilling Our Purpose Our purpose defines our responsibility, and it can be articulated in three areas: being the expert for our students, being our best selves for our students, and loving each student unconditionally.

W

elcome back! There are several things I hope for each one of you as you embark on this new school year. The first is that you were able to rest and rejuvenate during your summer break. My second is that the 2022–2023 school year brings you a tremendous amount of joy and growth.

Look for joy in the little things as well as in making music. Get outside your comfort zone, because the greatest opportunity for growth comes when we move beyond what we are comfortable with. I know many are preparing and planning for the new school year. Many are looking for ways to be the best director possible for our programs and our students. As we do this, are we considering what our responsibility is toward our programs and our students?

People outside education, the media, and social media commenters regularly try to define what our responsibility is as a teacher. Focusing on others’ delineation of our responsibility will lead us away from what that responsibility truly is.

Our Responsibility By looking at our responsibility as teachers of our students, we can better define our scope and mission, ultimately allowing us to be better teachers and have a deeper and broader connection with our students. I am willing to assume that one of the main reasons many of us became orchestra directors is to have an impact on young people through music.

This purpose defines our responsibility, and it can be articulated in three

26 Southwestern Musician | August 2022

MARK YOUR CALENDAR check www.tmea .org for updates

August—Attend your Region meeting (see page 2 for details).

August—Renew your membership and register for the convention.

August 1—Deadline for waivers to the audition process.

August 20—Liability insurance purchased through TMEA last year expires.

September 1—All-State etude errata submission deadline.

September 15—Honor Orchestra Part A online entry deadline for HS String.

October 6—TMEA convention housing reservation system opens.

October 15—Honor Orchestra Parts B & C due for HS String.

November 1—TMEA scholarship online application deadline.

January 19—TMEA convention early registration deadline.

February 8–11—TMEA Clinic/Convention in San Antonio.

best selves for our student population.

What does it mean to be our best selves?

We could all likely recite the airplane safety guidelines covered by the flight attendant. After directions about how to fasten a seatbelt, we’re instructed that if the oxygen masks deploy, we should put ours on before assisting anyone else. This is being our best self. We cannot teach our students and make an impact on them if we haven’t first taken care of ourselves.

Life coach Kristin Glosserman defines our best self as “This self within all of us that we want to be. It’s a combination of all of our goals and purposes. We are our best version of ourselves when we can feel that sense of light and purpose.”

Our best self comes from remembering our purpose for becoming an orchestra director, having integrity, setting realistic expectations, and loving ourselves for who we are and who we can become. Each person’s path to their best self is different, and the path itself doesn’t matter as long as we are bringing our best self to our students every day.

As teachers we are responsible for loving our students unconditionally. I had an experience a few years ago that caused me

areas: being the expert for our students, being our best selves for our students, and loving each student unconditionally.

We are the experts. We need to have the training and expertise to convey the authenticity of the music and to teach the technique for growth and successful performance. That said, we are extremely busy with the non-teaching and non-musical aspects of our job. Do we take the time to study our scores, even the grade one scores or the scores with which we are already familiar? Make a daily standing appointment for score study. Make this time sacred and do not allow anything to interrupt or take away from it. This time will become meditative and restorative in quality, having an impact beyond the score.

How do we approach learning and strengthening our understanding of technique? Is our perspective one of continual learning or a perspective of knowing it all? We should be taking opportunities to attend professional development workshops. Attend all professional development from the perspective of learning something new that we can take back to our students.

Our second responsibility is to be our

to recognize the need as a teacher to love each student unconditionally regardless of my personal beliefs. That it is my primary job: to teach to the best of my ability and to love each student for who they are and for what they bring to the classroom. How many times have we heard a student say that their teacher doesn’t like them? Whenever I hear this from a student, regardless of whether it’s about me or another teacher, it bothers me. I think back on what I may have done or not done for this student to develop that perspective.

It breaks my heart to think there may be students out there who don’t know the love and care that I have for them. I realize there may always be students who feel this way, but that shouldn’t stop me from loving and being an advocate for each student and making sure they have a safe place to belong. Do we make an effort to extend a smile to our students? Do we take the time to say good morning or ask students how they are doing, especially the ones who need extra conversation? Do we show interest in our students’ other activities even if they aren’t a direct interest of ours? It is the little sayings and gestures that shine light on the love and care that we have for our

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Southwestern Musician | August 2022 27

students. Take this responsibility as one of our most important and strive to love each student unconditionally. Make it a goal to show every student they have value and are important. The impact you will have on even just one student will resonate for many years.

With the start of the school year, make it your goal to strengthen your responsibility toward your expertise. Be responsible for bringing your best self to the classroom every day. Most importantly, work to extend love and care to each student who crosses your path—this is our greatest responsibility.

Summer Convention While I wrote this column before attending the Texas Orchestra Directors Association convention, I am confident that we all will have enjoyed the learning provided by the featured clinicians and the new music reading sessions. This convention is invaluable and sets the tone for an energized return to the new school year. The TODA leadership spent countless hours planning and preparing for a convention experience, and I would like to extend my gratitude to the leadership of TODA for their time and dedication to our profession.

Honor Orchestra Competition A return to the TMEA Honor Orchestra competition at the end of the school year brought about a sense of comfort and nor-

malcy. After a two-year suspension, Honor Orchestra brought us a “business as usual” feeling. I was impressed by the high-quality musical performances that were excellent in every way, and the judging panels echoed this as they listened to each performance. The TMEA Honor Orchestra Competition could not have been successful without the wonderful hosts, judges, and volunteers who helped make this extraordinary event happen. Orchestra education continues to be strong in the state of Texas! By the time you receive this issue, all Honor Orchestras except for HS String will have been announced online, with HS String Honor Orchestra being announced in October.

Invited Orchestra I am excited to announce that the TMEA Executive Board has approved moving forward with an Invited Orchestra program for 2024. Thanks go to the Invited Orchestra committee for their time in establishing a framework for this new program. To continue moving forward, the invited ensemble committees from the Band and Orchestra Divisions will be meeting together to work toward a streamlined entry process for the new program. I am excited for the implementation of this program and the impact it will have on orchestra education in Texas.

Mentoring Network Everyone needs a mentor! Regardless of

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the number of years you have been teaching, having a mentor is essential to feeling supported and experiencing growth as a music educator. Now more than ever our young teachers need mentors. Teachers in their first years need the experience and encouragement that can come from highquality veteran teachers. Knowing how to navigate the first years of teaching and avoiding burnout is essential to our young teachers.

TMEA has a strong mentoring network for teachers in their first years and those new to Texas. This program cannot be successful without veteran teachers serving as mentors to our newest teachers. Please encourage any young music educator to join TMEA and enroll in the Mentoring Network. It can be an invaluable resource to the future of music education. If you are an experienced teacher, please register to be a mentor to those who are the future of music education. To register to be a mentor or to get a mentor, go to www.tmea.org/ mentor.

Fall Region Meetings Make sure you attend your fall Region meeting. This meeting is critical for the TMEA membership in several ways. Your Region and TMEA will be strengthened through your conversations with new and current members of your Region. Ideas can be shared, and members can serve in the inner workings of the Region. Don’t forget that nominations for state officials will occur in this meeting and your vote and support is vital.

Renew Your Membership and Liability Insurance If you haven’t renewed your TMEA membership, be sure to do that now (all 2021–2022 memberships expired June 30).

TMEA provides its members the opportunity to purchase low-cost liability insurance. I encourage all TMEA members to take advantage and purchase liability insurance through TMEA. Go to www.tmea.org/renew today to renew and purchase the insurance coverage. Even though you are receiving this issue of Southwestern Musician, your TMEA membership expired on June 30, and 2021–2022 liability insurance policies 0 expire August 20.

Thanks go to TMEA members who offered responses to the following questions. Go to www.tmea.org/q&a to view additional answers to these and other questions or to suggest a question for a future issue.

What are the most important procedures that have helped support positive classroom management and discipline?

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Behavior skills must be taught with the same priority as musical skills. Students should learn this is a special place for making music and is different from a traditional classroom.

Directors should teach, model, and give feedback on the specific way they want their students to enter from the hallway, go to their locker, warm up, pass out new music, and leave the room. Students need to understand the director’s expectations from the beginning. —Chris Pulley, Belton HS Greet students as they enter the classroom, and encourage them to quickly be seated. When correcting bad behavior, I keep a soft voice, and when addressing a musical or marching problem, I try to use the “sandwich” method of starting with a compliment, then addressing the issue, and concluding with another positive remark. —John Carroll, Monahans HS It is imperative to make students feel challenged, successful, and loved. To balance between challenging students and helping them feel successful, I provide music with a variety of difficulty. To make students feel loved, it is important to build individual relationships outside of class time, and this can also be done with eye contact, interaction, and compliments in class. Consistency and fairness help students feel comfortable and safe even when they decide to push those boundaries.

—Anna Sutton, Pleasant Grove MS To promote excellence in music, first teach students how to be excellent in the details of classroom procedures. Decide what is important before school starts and teach it from the first day. Over the years, your students have had many teach-

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ers with differing expectations, so teach what you expect and explain the reason. When students understand your classroom expectations, more time will be spent making music and less on correcting behaviors. —Brad Smith, Wester MS A simple and effective procedure is displaying a three-minute timer at the start of each rehearsal. Students know they have three minutes from the bell to warm up, get their music in order, and solve any other problems they need to before rehearsal starts. This also gives me time to take attendance and get settled. I always give the downbeat the moment the timer goes off. One thing I’ve implemented is “musician of the week,” where I select one person in each period who went above and beyond musically and recognize them in front of the class the following Monday. This has really helped buy-in, especially when students who weren’t super enthusiastic about band won. —Austin Cunningham, KIPP Austin Brave HS Practicing door-to-door expectations from day one, and implementing them with consistency is critical. Positive reinforcement is also a wonderful motivator: “I love that all the trumpet stands are at the same angle and that all their cases are on the correct side of their chair. Thank you for making us better, trumpets!” I encourage students to be the first to address behavior. It’s okay to hold one’s peers accountable—adults should be comfortable doing this with their peers as well, so it’s good practice. Simple reminders from one to another: “Psst! Get your tuner out before she checks us!” or “Hey—we need to stop talking before we get in trouble!” are appropriate and easy. —Jo Ann Champion, Hutto MS Band I try to learn all student names by the end of August (they wear name tags the first six weeks). Learning and games are more fun when students are called by name. I make my classroom rules known at the beginning of the year, and we Southwestern Musician | August 2022 29

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review them throughout. If a student isn’t following the rules, I ask them to take a watching turn to refocus and then invite them to join back in. I reward positive behavior each class.

One student is chosen as “star student.” That student is then celebrated by classmates and can choose a positive contact home, sitting in a comfy chair, or getting a sticker. All students love being recognized! —Susanne Zoch, Global Leadership Academy With lower-grade level students, I introduce a routine called the “choo-choo train.” When they enter the classroom, they make a straight line across the room to begin marching toward the “circle time” area. I use a tlapitzalli (an ocarina-like Mexican instrument) to play the steady beat as they march toward the carpet. After they sit, we begin our regular lessons.

Just before dismissal, when students hear the tlapitzalli, they know it’s dismissal time. They love this activity because they see it as a game rather than a routine. They learn a classroom routine and a music concept. —Rocio Rodriguez, Reyes Elementary School I start every class the same way—students sing a song and then chant our classroom rules, ending with our school pledge of “I am always respectful, responsible, safe, and kind.” This reminds all students of the expectations for music class. If students need to be redirected later during the class period, I use the same language we chanted earlier. This simple procedure paves the way for success! —Jennifer Patterson, Williams Elementary School Our school uses ClassDojo. They can earn or lose dojos

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according to their behavior. The dojo points are tied to a reward party they have at the end of the six weeks. They don’t want to miss that! We also have classroom jobs. One of those jobs is the compliment team. They get to compliment someone who is participating well. That person gets a coupon to turn in later for a prize. —Carla Lowery, Clyde Intermediate School I set three main expectations that cover most situations or disruptive behaviors in the classroom. Accountability is also key; students should be held accountable for their choices and their behavior based on the expectations. I also believe in using class-building and team-building exercises to foster positive student interactions and to build relationships. Students who feel safe and seen by their peers are more likely to work cooperatively and give their best effort. —Teri Arruda, Perryton ISD I have parents and students agree to and sign three forms: (1) Varsity Acceptance Agreement, which outlines their responsibilities in terms of performances, UIL, and TMEA as well as my responsibility to them to prepare them for these events; (2) Expectation for Behavior, which outlines their responsibilities to the orchestra community such as respect, courtesy, and peacemaking; (3) Obscenity Free Zone, which documents their responsibility to communicate in a way that is literate and free of vitriol. —Moises Llanes, Edinburg North HS In the world of middle school choir, having a task displayed on the board when the students walk in has been a game changer.

This gets them started on something right away while I do the other dozen things necessary to start rehearsal on time.

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I find it most effective to have students play for each other and give only positive comments. When I am absent, section leaders run rehearsal and I convey the same policy to the substitute. I also record them frequently and we listen to the rehearsal recording together—the same rule about positive comments applies. We give constructive criticism on a regular basis, which encourages and spurs the kids on to push themselves harder for the right reasons. —Katie James, Vanguard College Preparatory School We utilize a student-led approach to the beginning of class— students are responsible for entering, taking attendance, tuning, and warmups. Placing the responsibility on the students allows them to take ownership of the rehearsal and the environment. When they have that ownership and buy-in, many discipline issues solve themselves. —Louanne Greer, Young JH Building positive relationships is the first and most important element to good classroom management. Students who know that you care and respect them will want to do well in your class. Letting students know they are safe to express themselves without consequence is second. Third is setting clear expectations. If students know what is appropriate and inappropriate, they are more apt to follow directives. Lastly is fairness and consistency in how you follow through on your expectations. —Audrey Escoffery, Roy J. Smith MS As an educator, I don’t hold my students accountable for anything I do not teach them; therefore, I teach them everything: how to come into the room, how to stand on the risers, what to do with their phones, how to mark their music, and more.

I believe that the most important thing is to be consistent and to follow through. Anything else causes chaos. —Erin Scalisi, Nimitz HS For the intermediate-level groups (fifth and sixth grade), we start each new school year by writing a social contract. Each quadrant—student:student, student:teacher, teacher:student, students:environment—is divided among the students, and they brainstorm what each of those relationships or situations should look like. We narrow down their ideas so that each section has 3–4, and then everyone signs, including me. Throughout the year, we review the social contracts as a refresher. This has proven to be a simple and effective method for holding themselves and others accountable. —Sarah Anderson, Gateway College Preparatory School Having a consistent routine and consistent lesson seating have always supported positive classroom management. Students know that when they enter the room, backpacks go on the shelves by the door. They then know to check the board next to the shelf for that day’s needed supplies. Their folder rack is on the other side of the room to prevent a group congregating by the door. Warmups always begin when the bell rings, then we sightread, and then we get to rep. When students know what to expect, and there are no surprises, they tend to act out less.

—Dustin Barksdale, Barack Obama Male Leadership Academy

I’m in my first years as a music teacher—how do others maintain a good work-life balance while trying to prove themselves?

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Put you, your family/significant others first. Find or make time to take care of yourself. Eat a good breakfast with some protein every day to fuel up. Leave work at work; home should be your safe haven. Drink lots of water and exercise routinely—find time to move each day. —Andrew Post, Retired Guard your weekends by having some home project or activity on your calendar. When at work, don’t waste time. Make to-do lists that specify must-do and wish-to items. Volunteer for simple jobs especially for non-band classes. They give you perspective on other educators and make it more palatable when you must turn down volunteer opportunities.

—Anonymous That question made me laugh out loud because balance has always been difficult for me. If you want to get better faster, bring in experienced clinicians to watch you teach, listen to your groups, and then do what they tell you. Do this often.

While no one likes to be told they aren’t doing something right or well, it’s best if we get over that as soon as possible. You will be better and your kids will be better for it.

—Anonymous Get a mentor. Be prepared to make mistakes. Don’t take yourself too seriously. Leave work at work! —Josh King, Beckville ISD While many people discuss work-life balance, I think of it as a pendulum. There are times when you will have many activities and events and you have to spend more time involved with your work than your personal life. Then, just like a pendulum, there will be times when the opposite is true, and you can spend more time on personal matters. I try to make the most of those times when the pendulum has swung away from work so that I am recharged and ready for the times when the work takes priority. —Trevor Ousey, Killian MS I don’t know any other first-year teachers who excel in this regard, including me. That said, these are some things I’m trying: not staying at school past contract hours if possible; using only my work email for school business; taking three mindful breaths as soon as I get to my desk each morning; asking for help frequently and unashamedly. I do think it’s okay to work a little outside the school day to try to have a great music program. I don’t regret the time I spent reading, watching repair and pedagogy videos, preparing lesson materials, analyzing repertoire, and practicing secondary instruments. The extra work to automate processes and establish clear procedures will make my life easier next school year.

—Austin Cunningham, KIPP Austin Brave HS If I started over I would give myself clear parameters.

Stop working, go home and be with family by a certain time. What’s not done will be there to finish tomorrow.

Unfortunately, you don’t realize what you’ve missed until it’s too late. —Michael Powers, Thorndale HS

Southwestern Musician | August 2022 31

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In the last several years, my associate and I have established an incredible working relationship where we take care of each other and acknowledge when the other needs time.

Also, when something works well, we save everything and recycle it for the next time. We have a box for each event with its supplies that use each year: the Instrument Drive box has laminated signs, sharpened pencils, and more; the Instrument Testing box includes pencils, green spray, mouthpieces, reeds, and paper towels. All documents are on our Google Drive and easily updated. This kind of thing has helped tremendously.

—Crystal Hoisager, Santa Fe MS I keep a Google calendar linked with my work calendar, my wife’s work calendar, and our kids’ activities. I make family time a priority, and I’m respectful of my staff’s time and needs. Get involved in a hobby or something else you are passionate about. It’s important to not let your work be the only thing that keeps you going, because sometimes work is what you need a break from. —Russell Balusek, Edna HS Make sure you set a time to turn off your work mode. You do not have to be on 24/7. Join a community or church music group that feeds your musical soul. Find a hobby and make time for it outside of work. Volunteering at conventions and for Region activities is great, but know you don’t have to volunteer for everything. Take time to observe master teachers and ask them how they maintain their work-life balance.

—Louanne Greer, Young JH

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When I started letting students run the procedural processes during the day, my life changed. Anything a student can do in my classroom that makes less work for me, I let them. A lot of your restless students, or students who appear to be a handful simply need a job. It gives them purpose, improves your retention, and makes your life easier. —Dustin Barksdale, Barack Obama Male Leadership Academy On a daily basis, decide where you can be on the spectrum between working only your contract hours to working several hours beyond them. Your place on that spectrum will change depending on where you are in the year. When we are in a less busy time of the year, our team usually stays 45 minutes to an hour after our contract time. As we near a performance or major event, that might be 1–2 hours. —Noel Esquivel, Jr., Kelly Lane MS We maintain balance through planning how to get done what’s required, and we don’t wait until the last minute to achieve those things. We also strive to arrive and depart together; we’re usually in agreement on when it’s time to leave for our mental and emotional health. —Anonymous Make written task lists for the day, focusing on what you can actually accomplish in a day. Once your tasks are done, turn off the computer and put the cellphone away. Intentionally fill your free time, or work will creep in to fill it for you.

Limit who you share your cellphone number with and your social media contacts to protect your time outside of work.

—Eric Branscome, Texas A&M University–Commerce

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Have an outside hobby and make social plans. Be strict about what time you leave your campus. Keep your desk organized so you always feel like you are coming to work with a fresh slate. Keep a file folder of current priorities and use an app to keep a running to-do list. Know that it’s okay to not finish everything. —Rachel Gonzales, Lubbock-Cooper HS The notion that we have to prove something to someone else is what actually gets us in trouble with our work-life balance.

If I start down the comparison game of “this music teacher does this and I’m not doing that,” then I’m going to feel like I have something to prove! Being at peace with where you are in your program, especially if you’re rebuilding it from an age of bareness and chaos, is critical. Be kind to yourself.

—Alison Adkins, Mineola Elementary School For me, the work-life balance was a sliding scale. At the outset, I knew that my career would be a priority, so I focused my energies on that. As my career started bearing fruit, I shifted more attention to my personal life. For me, a true balance didn’t materialize until about 10 years. I know that sounds like a long time, but those years went by really fast. This is my 36th year, and I have zero regrets. I have been pretty successful in my career and I have an amazing wife and two daughters! It was all worth it! —Moises Llanes, Edinburg North HS Do yourself the favor of joining an non-school music group.

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•

It will help you remember why you fell in love with music and you’ll have another connection with your students. (“Hey, the other night at my rehearsal, I thought I’d never get these notes right but I went home and practiced for a while and now I can do it! Have you ever felt that way about something we’ve done in class?”) —Cara Walkup, Copperfield Elementary Delegating tasks to students and parents is a helpful part of maintaining balance, especially if you are the sole director.

Uniforms, library, attendance, room organization, social/ party planning, and more can be handled by them. Also, be sure your communication is organized and predictable to limit the number of emailed questions. Understand that proving yourself does not mean sacrificing your physical, mental, and emotional health. —Tanna Bills, Moe and Gene Johnson HS Set boundaries! It’s possible to do your job well while taking care of you. Know that every educator is different, and what works for one may not work for the other. What you should do as a new teacher is realize that there will always be tasks, so you must keep the bigger picture in mind and focus on priorities. Work hard, go home, and don’t feel that you must rush success. Enjoy the journey of play and failure because our students forgive us each and every day. Have that same grace for yourself. —De’Evin Johnson, Duncanville HS 0

Keep Your Information Current in the Membership System

S

ince all memberships expired June 30, now is the time to renew if you haven’t already! When you renew, or at any time, you can log in to your member record to verify and update your profile. Especially now, it’s important that you maintain accurate contact information so TMEA can communicate with you via email, and if you opt in to the directory, this ensures other TMEA members can access your accurate contact information you choose to share.

Be in the Member Directory!

The TMEA Member Directory is a great member benefit, allowing you to connect with your colleagues locally and around the state. Our membership software gives you more control over what information to show in the Member Directory (you can even add a headshot!). The directory is not public—it requires a TMEA login to access.

If you choose to be included in the TMEA Member Directory, you also get to choose which contact data items you want displayed in the directory. Note that any changes you make to your directory listing take place overnight.

To be included in the Member Directory, go to your member record and update the settings on the Security and Privacy tab. Check Show My Personal Information. Then you will make further selections to choose what displays, especially your email address.

Save those changes.

Accessing Your Record You can access your membership record from the TMEA website under the Membership menu, or go to https://my.tmea.org/account/profile.aspx.

Thank you for your membership and for keeping your member record current!

Southwestern Musician | August 2022 33

TMEA Vocal Vice-President JESSE CANNON II

Double Down on Advocacy As your program’s primary advocate, you have the facts and can present objective arguments, but the most compelling examples and evidence will likely come from your students.

E

arlier this year, Infiniti released a commercial to market the sound proofing of their car by showing a mom parked in the middle of a youth orchestra’s rehearsal of Strauss’s Also sprach Zarathustra. While this commercial likely achieves the goal, it also carries another message that can be perceived as unsupportive of beginning music programs—all of which need support, not ridicule. While I’m sure the commercial was meant to be tongue and cheek, it made me consider the optics of how our communities view our programs. As we begin the year, what are some ways you might increase your program’s visibility and continued advocacy?

As your choral program’s primary advocate, you have the facts and can present objective arguments, but the most compelling examples and evidence will likely come from your students. Examples can be the story of one student’s success after joining choir, or a district’s combined commitment to creating an all-district honor choir that helped raise the profile of each of the schools involved, or your school football team learning the school song, or even getting your superintendent or principal involved in a song during your concert.

The strongest evidence of the importance of choral music is the work you do in your school every day. That work is most often demonstrated in performances throughout the school year, so be deliberate about

34 Southwestern Musician | August 2022

MARK YOUR CALENDAR check www.tmea .org for updates

August—Attend your Region meeting (see page 2 for details).

August—Renew your membership and register for the convention.

August 1—Deadline for waivers to the audition process.

August 20—Liability insurance purchased through TMEA last year expires.

October 6—TMEA convention housing reservation system opens.

November 1—TMEA scholarship online application deadline.

January 19—TMEA convention early registration deadline.

February 8–11—TMEA Clinic/Convention in San Antonio.

making every performance an advocacy opportunity.

Here are a few ideas that could go a long way toward cultivating a culture of proactive advocacy: • At your concerts, introduce your students and tell the audience about what they have accomplished, or ask a student to speak about what singing in your choir means to them.

• Always invite your fellow teachers and school administrators and counselors to attend each concert and acknowledge them when they’re in the audience. Not only will your colleagues see the choral program in action, but your students will also see that their teachers and administrators support them.

• Be sure your administration knows that your choirs are available to sing for school events, district meetings, school board meetings, PTA events, or teacher appreciation events (with advance notice of course).

• Invite concert attendees to share pictures they take on their social media accounts and tag your program, along with comments about how they enjoyed the concert.

• Cultivate an understanding of the importance of choral singing in leading a successful life so that your students become lifelong advocates—and singers.

• Host a campus or district Fine Arts Signing Day event to showcase students continuing music in college.

• Collect hard data:

produced advocacy videos available at www.tmea.org/itstartswithmusic (note that the video entitled “Music Helps Us Believe in Ourselves” is a mother’s moving story about how her son’s life was transformed after he joined choir).

We also strengthen our advocacy when we are clear and confident in our core beliefs and values of music education. With that solid foundation, we become better teachers, leaders, and storytellers. We can explain why it’s important for a student to schedule choir amid increasing numbers of CTE and AP classes, or why a foundation should award our program a grant, or why a school board should support our cause. Many of us created our philosophy of education in college, but it may have been a long time since we checked in with our own why, especially after the last two years.

Consider your answers to the following: • Why do you teach and conduct choirs?

• Why do your singers choose (and continue) to participate?

• Why did you want to become a teacher?

• Why do you stay in the profession?

• Why does singing matter to you?

• Why does singing matter to your students?

These are not easy questions, but the answers will help you shape your everyday advocacy stories. We must continue

championing the value of choral music as an important part of our job. If we don’t advocate for the choral arts, who will?

TCDA Convention Congratulations to Carolyn Cruse and the wonderful TCDA Board and staff for providing another outstanding TCDA convention! This convention was happening when this magazine issue went to print, but I’m fully confident in thanking everyone for providing what I know will have been relevant resources and wonderful repertoire for this school year. I hope you attended this fantastic event and enjoyed reconnecting with colleagues!

All-State Music Resource Committee Thanks go to several of our colleagues for their hard work and dedication in creating resources for our All-State students and teachers. You can download these resources from www.tmea.org/vocal/ audition-material under “LSC and SSC Resources.” Thanks also go to Educational Enterprises Recording Co. for their invaluable support and the resources they provide for this process. The link to their site for purchasing the accompaniment tracks is available from that same audition materials page.

TMEA Invited Choirs Congratulations to the students and their directors who submitted entries

2022-23 Season

▶ The number of valedictorians, salutatorians, top 10, or top 10% students who are in your program. ▶ Scholarship funds offered to your students. Report this to counselors so they can include it with your Career and College Readiness score that impacts your campus rating.

• Document testimony from students who have been in choir since middle school and since high school and why.

Do the same with parents who can articulate the difference choir has made for their children.

• While stories from your community will be most compelling, don’t forget to utilize TMEA’s professionally

After more than two years of pandemic restrictions, The Brazos Valley Chorale embarks on a season of collaboration as we celebrate the return of glorious choral music!

Our program is made possible in part through Hotel Tax Revenue from the City of College Station and the City of Bryan through The Arts Council of the Brazos Valley. This project is also supported in part by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts.

Southwestern Musician | August 2022 35

in the Invited Choir process. The level of musicality was truly extraordinary and inspirational. We greatly appreciate the selection panel for their time and insight. I know everyone will be inspired in February when we hear these groups perform: • A.C. New MS Tenor-Bass Choir, Mesquite ISD, Melody Villegas, director • Grand Prairie Fine Arts Academy MS Tenor-Bass Singers, Grand Prairie ISD, Joel Duarte, director • Kleb Intermediate School Chamber Treble Choir, Klein ISD, Kelly McDonald, director • Trinity Springs MS Varsity Treble Choir, Keller ISD, Clinton Hardy, director • A.C. Jones HS Varsity Mixed Choir, Beeville ISD, Cesar Galaviz, director • Allen HS Varsity Treble Choir, Allen ISD, Kathryn Zetterstrom, director • Hebron HS A Cappella Choir, Lewisville ISD, Alexander Carr, director • Johnson HS Treble Choir “Dolce Sirena,” North East ISD, Christie Brown, director • Kingwood HS Varsity Tenor-Bass Choir, Humble ISD, Jason Watt, director

• Vandergrift HS Chorale Tenor-Bass Choir, Leander ISD, Michael Zook, director • Texas Christian University Concert Chorale, Chris Aspaas, director • Trinity University Chamber Singers, Gary Seighman, director Become a Vocal Division Volunteer Many of us are already looking forward to our in-person convention, which will be in San Antonio, February 8–11. As you anticipate our time together, know there are many fantastic opportunities for you to serve that will ensure our convention is successful and beneficial for all attendees.

These volunteer roles include Clinic Presider, Vocal Division Facilities Member, Invited Ensemble Guide, and Registration volunteer. To indicate your interest and select desired days, go to www.tmea.org/ vocalvolunteer.

TMEA Mentoring Network Are you a new teacher or new to Texas or a veteran teacher who wants to help?

Enroll in the TMEA Mentoring Network at www.tmea.org/mentor to serve as a mentor or to request one. Every new teacher should benefit from the help and support of colleagues during the critical first years of your career.

Attend Your Region Meeting During your fall Region meeting, you’ll receive updates for the upcoming school year, latest information from TMEA, and you will vote. Details can be found on page 2. Go to www.tmea.org/ regionmeeting to confirm the schedule. Be active in TMEA’s future by attending!

Renew Your Membership and Liability Insurance If you haven’t renewed your TMEA membership, do so now and purchase the low-cost liability insurance that TMEA makes available as a benefit to members.

No educator should be without liability insurance, so if you don’t purchase with TMEA, get it somewhere. Go to www.tmea.org/renew today.

Consider the Future When you renew, take that opportunity to increase your donation to the TMEA scholarship fund. You and your fellow TMEA members make it possible for our association to offer high school seniors, undergraduate and graduate students, and student teachers the opportunity to gain valuable scholarship funds that will help them envision their future in this profession. Help TMEA continue to increase the amount of scholarship funds awarded! 0

Attend Your Region Meeting Get Important Updates.

Vote on TMEA Business.

See page 2 for the schedule and locations.

WWW.TMEA.ORG/ REGIONMEETINGS 36 Southwestern Musician | August 2022

8 Keys to Successfully Build Culture Through Strategic Planning

By Nathan Dame Editor’s Note: While this article is based on the author’s experience leading a choral program, the content is certainly relevant for leaders of any music discipline.

H

ard work is an essential component of a thriving program, but your plan for how you strategically achieve it can make all the difference. As a doctoral student, I took some courses in human resource management, educational leadership, and policy studies and learned about the importance of a strategic plan.

I decided to craft and implement a strategic plan when I stepped into my current role as the director of choral activities at Wylie East HS. I was amazed at how easily I incorporated the strategic plan into my program, and I truly believe that this is a fabulous model for music educators to shape their programs.

My model focuses on eight key steps for success, but there are many ways to approach building a program. This is simply what has worked for me, my staff, and my students. I share it with you in hopes that some or all of this can inspire reflection and action for you, your students, and your program.

Be Led from Within to Lead Out—Define, Refine, and Articulate Your Mission The leader must be led from within to effectively lead others. Educators should ask themselves: “Why do I do what I do?”

What propels you to inspire others, gives you the fuel during challenging times, and keeps you coming back to school each day? Strive to define your philosophy of music education, revisit it often (refining as needed), and articulate it into a mission for your program that serves as the foundation for a logical, grounded, and sequential plan.

In the simplest of terms, my philosophy is to inspire all students through a comprehensive choral music program that teaches them to not just be outstanding musicians, but to develop community among one another, all while serving the community in which they live and those with whom they come in contact. This articulated in a mission statement reads: The Wylie East High School Choral Department is an organization that strives to deliver a choral music education to all students through outstanding musicality, career and community development, and service to the school and community.

Build Your Army—Strength, Creativity and Inspiration Through Numbers While building a dynamic program begins with you, your ideas and your mission, one person cannot do it all.

If you’re a proud Type A personality like me, it’s easy to shoulder all the responsibility, take the blame when things come up short, and enjoy the fruits of your labor when things go well. However, there is an unintended consequence of this do-it-yourself tactic—you will burn out.

Trust me, I learned this lesson the hard way. I used my youthful exuberance and energy to teach and grow a middle school choir program, and while success was plentiful, it became unsustainable, and I was exhausted. I was forced into a different approach, which I now see is critical to long-term success: strength in numbers.

Before you dive into the strategic planning process, involve your feeder school directors, student leadership teams, parent boosters and volunteers, and when needed, your campus administration.

Ask the difficult questions. What is going well? What needs refining? What goals and visions do they have for the program?

Dream Big—Needs Assessments Through Optimistic Reality My students know I am unafraid to tell them when we have work to do. I say this because this step can get ugly as it exposes things about your program that are less than desirable. However, approaching this step through optimistic reality can help you frame your thinking away from pure adjudication to that of a dreamer.

Draw two columns in a notebook and look at your program as a whole. Determine what you like about your program and then ask yourself: “If we could only . . . ?” Based on your responses, document in those two columns the ideal needs of your program and your students. Dream big! Some examples I have used include: • Create a new choir logo and branding proposal for marketing • Expand the vocal solo collection library • Inventory equipment for condition, repair, or replacement, and articulation of needs through capital outlay Southwestern Musician | August 2022 37

• Maximize classroom, office, storage, and library • Assess budget spending and fundraising to increase campus activity fund, and involve booster clubs to fund offerings for students • Upgrade and purchase uniforms for all choirs • Imagine, plan, design, and articulate needs for a new facility Think of Big Ideas—Set Overarching Strategic Goals This step takes time to complete. I like using the Goldilocks approach to get it just right. Think of three big ideas to fuel your plan. One way of thinking about this is to go back to your mission. Generally, your mission can be pared down to three or four big ideas. Use those as the backbone for your overarching goals. For me, they are creating great musicians, developing a community within the program and its ensembles, and serving others through what we do. Written as strategic goals, they read: • Strategic Goal 1: Outstanding Musicality—Develop exemplary musical skills at all choral levels, including tone, timbre, dynamics, etc. in both the individual and choral group settings. Demonstrate through performance(s) and participation/success in competitions.

• Strategic Goal 2: Career and Community Development— Establish an inclusive environment for all Wylie East HS students through an aligned program of expectations and traditions that is both sustainable and collaborative.

• Strategic Goal 3: Service to the School and Community— Enhance presence within the school and community through active participation, travel, and the “Wylie Way” district character-building connections.

Set Different Levels of Goals—Strategic Action through Macro- and Micro-Level Goals What does a musician in your program look like after four years? At the end of the year? What do you want your ensemble to sound like? Creating macro-level (four- and one-year) goals along with micro-level goals of how you will achieve the macro will help you craft a logical action plan. Here’s one example of goal setting: • Strategic Goal 1: Outstanding Musicality ■ Subset to Goal 1: Repertoire Selection ▶ Macro-Level Goal 1 (1-Year): Students will perform a diverse and comprehensive set of choral literature that spans different genres, time periods, and languages, as well as incorporates accompanied and a cappella singing. ▶ Micro-Level Goal 1 (Fall Concert): List of chosen repertoire

Start the Avalanche—Achieve Success Through Quick Wins A strategic plan can be incredibly valuable, but it also can bog you down in overly theoretical ideas that get you nowhere. One of the best strategies for finding success is to start the avalanche through quick wins.

Essentially, let your students find success and garner enthusiasm through activities that create excitement within the ensemble. Some of our quick-win first-year activities included creating a new choir logo, developing an overarching theme for the year, reorganizing the choir space, assembling and training a choir leadership team, and reimagining our back-to-school events to be more impactful and involve all students. Build these small wins into larger, more visible wins and watch your program thrive.

Slow and Steady Wins the Race—Attack Macro-Level Goals Through Objectives and Measures Your quick wins give you momentum to attack your macro-level goals through the meat of the strategic plan: your objectives and measures. As a program, we attack our macro-level goals through an overall theme. We have used themes such as “Elevate” for increasing musicianship, “Ignite” to build intrinsic motivation and participation, “Odyssey” for navigating the unknown, and “Breaking Ground” for building new foundations.

Before you set out on your objectives and measures, know this: many music educators are competitive, especially with themselves, but it must be said, there is no perfect plan. You will not hit every goal. You will fall short and that’s okay. Remember to zoom out and look at the progress you are making as a whole rather than the things you miss.

Build an Empire—Expand Your Army Through Specialization One of my favorite parts of this process is the ability to specialize in the things in which I excel and delegate others. Music educators wear many hats, from conductor to accountant, counselor, copier repair technician, and more.

I am a proud analyst. I like multicolored spreadsheets, objectivity, and logistics. Having a clear plan helps me be organized, and then the creativity follows. I am not successful as a “forced creative,” so I have defined my role as the program’s teacher-administrator and have shaped my role to fit my strengths.

At Wylie East HS, we are blessed with three staff members, and in addition to splitting our choral ensembles, we split our administrative duties: • I specialize in communications, financial management, booster club, calendar and facilities, travel arrangements, student leadership, and serving as department chair and vertical team lead.

• My wife and co-director, Ashley Dame, specializes in marketing, social media, service projects, concert logistics and lighting, lesson plan creation, and choreography.

38 Southwestern Musician | August 2022

• Our third director, Cathy Koziatek, plays the role of chameleon and handles a variety of tasks, including solo and ensemble, the annual musical, digital learning platforms, attendance, and uniforms, to name a few.

While I am fortunate to have a threemember staff, I have taught in situations where I was the only director and have worked as a split-campus director, teaching both middle and high school. In these circumstances, it is critical to involve parents and student leadership teams and delegate duties to them, such as taking attendance, organizing music, managing uniforms, and organizing social events.

Being the only director is difficult but getting everything done is possible!

Focus on being an advocate and educating administrators and parents about your program’s mission and needs.

Related Benefits of Strategic Planning—Connecting the Dots One of the best parts of having a strategic plan is seeing its related benefits, particularly in recruitment, retention, leadership, and motivation. When directors set up a strategic plan that is well thought out, contains quick wins, and carefully increases rigor and involvement, students will experience success, which encourages them to remain in the program, and they will be your best recruiters.

My hope is that students are inspired and motivated by your plan. At first, students find extrinsic motivation through you, your lessons, and the plan you have created, but over time, that drive morphs into intrinsic motivation, with students finding value in what they are doing each day. It’s a cycle that is fun to watch and well worth the time and effort spent on the front end of the planning process. Trust me, it works!

0 Nathan Dame is the Director of Choral Activities and the Fine Arts Department Chair at Wylie East HS. This article originally appeared at YamahaEducatorSuite.com and is reprinted with permission.

TEXAS ARTS EDUCATION CAMPAIGN

MISSION Inform Texas voters and state lawmakers about the unique importance of fine arts education in preparing K-12 students for the global workforce and in addressing the social and emotional needs of students.

PURPOSE TAEC was created by the Texas Music Educators Association, in collaboration with Texas Music Administrators Conference, to encourage public and state policymakers to protect and elevate the role of all fine arts programs in Texas public schools.

WHO WE ARE TAEC is supported by a coalition of educators and arts associations committed to ensuring quality arts programs are protected and promoted in K-12 public education.

REGISTER TODAY! Register online today to stay informed and demonstrate your support for high-quality fine arts education for all students! www.txartsed.org/join-us Southwestern Musician | August 2022 39

TMEA Elementary Vice-President KATHERINE JOHNS

Healing Through Music Yours is the classroom where these students find joy and comfort through music. They will learn important skills and they will find a safe space of belonging and support.

O

n Sunday, November 6, 2017, I was in church when my phone began buzzing repeatedly. When the worship service ended, I finally saw the many messages that had been waiting. I’m still not sure it’s possible to describe how I felt in that moment. The messages were from numerous teacher friends about a mass shooting that had just happened during morning worship at a small Baptist church only a few miles away in Sutherland Springs.

Sutherland Springs lies between La Vernia and Floresville school districts, about 30 miles east of San Antonio. Of the many who lost their lives on that horrible day, two were students at Floresville South Elementary where I teach.

The Monday after the shooting, I gathered with other staff members in the library to pray, grieve, and form plans on how to handle the conversations we might face. I must confess I don’t remember crying—I just remember feeling numb.

The staff meeting ended in time for all staff to go to their morning duty stations. We left with no intent of discussing the events in Sutherland Springs—many of our students knew nothing about it. Additional counselors were brought in for those students and staff members who needed their services. I remember watching as students got out of their cars as if it were a regular Monday morning, not understanding or even

40 Southwestern Musician | August 2022

MARK YOUR CALENDAR check www.tmea .org for updates

August—Attend your Region meeting (see page 2 for details).

August—Renew your membership and register for the convention.

August 20—Liability insurance purchased through TMEA last year expires.

October 6—TMEA convention housing reservation system opens.

November 1—TMEA scholarship online application deadline.

January 19—TMEA convention early registration deadline.

February 8–11—TMEA Clinic/Convention in San Antonio.

knowing what had happened less than 24 hours before.

Two months ago, when I learned about the shooting in Uvalde, I flashed back to that Monday. And, while I’m not comparing the two events, they each left their communities and schools devastated.

The reason I’m sharing this is to offer more of the story—the details of what happened in my first class on the day following the Sutherland Springs shooting. The classroom teacher dropped off her students. We exchanged knowing, sympathetic looks as the class quietly entered. As I do with every class, I began with movement. That morning’s lesson started with “Sasha,” a

mixer dance. Since it was a known dance, I only had to briefly review it with the students to get things going.

I turned on the music and still felt a dull ache in my chest. As they began, I stood away from the students and observed.

Watching them dance, I noticed their joy. They were smiling and laughing. As I watched them scramble to find new partners, I could feel the weight of our tragedy lessen, even if just a little. While there would surely be rough days ahead, I knew we were going to be okay. As the music played and the children danced, I was reminded how music has the power to heal.

Welcome Back!

The TMEA Executive Board and staff thank you for all that you do to support your students as they discover the joy of music-making!

Have a great year!

Just like on any other day, when I watched my students, it wasn’t obvious what weighed on each of their minds, yet in that moment, everything outside the room was forgotten. The students were joyful and excited. My classroom became their safe space where they could forget about anything that took place prior to that moment. This always gives me hope.

As you return to school this year, or if you’re starting your very first, remember that yours is the classroom where these students find joy and comfort through music. They will learn important skills and they will find a safe space of belonging and support.

Attend Your Region Meeting Fall Region meetings will be taking place this August and September.

Please attend your Region meetings (if you don’t know which Region meeting to attend, just look up your school district on the Region alignment map available at www.tmea.org/regions/alignment). Your Elementary Region Chair will be reaching out to you regarding information about elementary-specific agendas. You can find the

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It’s Time to Renew Your Membership!

If you haven’t yet, be sure to renew your TMEA membership now—your 2021–2022 membership expired on June 30. When you renew, take advantage of TMEA’s member benefit of access to low-cost liability insurance. This is coverage every music educator needs to maintain, and TMEA offers it to its members for only $30/year. Renew and add liability insurance coverage now at www.tmea.org/renew.

Volunteer with TMEA The 2023 TMEA Clinic/Convention will be in San Antonio, February 8–11, and the Elementary Division will be looking for volunteers to help it run smoothly.

I first volunteered to help with the convention after I became a Region Chair, but anyone can volunteer—you don’t need to be in an elected position. Below are some of the volunteer positions that ensure everyone has a great convention experience!

Clinic Presider: Introduce and assist clinicians. Presiders receive an email from TMEA with a checklist for the clinic and an introduction script. It takes only a little time prior to and following the session, and it’s a fun opportunity to meet our clinicians.

Invited Performing Ensemble Guide: Meet, greet, and guide an ensemble. This position takes most of the day on Thursday or Friday. It’s a great opportunity to support an ensemble and their director and to learn more about the expectations in case you have interest in applying for your

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Convention Registration Volunteer: Help attendees get their badge and more.

In this role, you will help people as they arrive to register and print their badge. It takes just a few hours of your convention, and it’s a fun opportunity to see many attendees as they first arrive!

Gold Star Position: These are superstar volunteers who are willing to work wherever they are needed. This is exactly what it sounds like. You want to help, and you are willing to help in any way. Thank you!

When you register to volunteer, it doesn’t mean you are giving up your convention experience (it’s quite the opposite).

You can choose the days and times you are willing to work, and you will not be assigned a position without your consent.

What are you waiting for? Register now to help the Elementary Division at the 2023 Clinic/Convention. Go to www.tmea.org/ elementaryvolunteer.

Mentoring Network We need experienced teachers to volunteer to be mentors for our new teachers and those new to Texas. This is a very challenging time in education, and we need all music educators to get the support they deserve. Please consider signing up at www.tmea.org/mentor.

TCDA Convention The TMEA Elementary Division was so fortunate to be included in the TCDA Convention again this year. TCDA has been so thoughtful in selecting workshops specifically for the elementary music teacher and elementary choir director.

Thank you TCDA leadership for another 0 wonderful convention!

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It Works for Me

A

new fifth grader joined our music class during the last few weeks of the 2020–2021 school year. To help us all get to know each other better, I implemented an activity I learned from SEL expert Scott Edgar called “My Musical Autobiography.” For this project, students explore music that reflects themselves—their life’s soundtrack. Then they can share their projects, allowing us to get to know each other better (an opportunity for building self-awareness and social awareness).

Students enjoy this project because they have freedom to choose music that describes themselves. They also have freedom in designing their presentations, either utilizing a template I provide or creating their own slideshow. While most of my students’ projects have been upbeat, a few have revealed how hard their lives truly are.

When that new student first arrived, he didn’t talk much, but through this project, I learned a lot about him, and it gave me some context behind his behaviors. While talking with him about his project, we ended up discussing other things going on in his life.

How It Works Because we are a 1:1 Chromebook school, I created a Google Cloud assignment in Canvas for this activity. This made it easy for me to see everyone’s work, and it was simple to grade.

To start this project, we discussed differences between a biography and an autobiography and reviewed what a soundtrack is.

Finally, I announced the project: students would create their musical autobiography—the soundtrack of their life. To accomplish that, each student began by exploring music and selecting a minimum of three songs to represent their life: their past (something they liked to listen to as a child), the present (something that represents them now), and a song that might represent what their future could look like. Each student then created a slideshow, inserting videos of each song to create their soundtrack.

I created a video for the assignment, demonstrating how to insert videos into a Google Slideshow (although most students learned when I showed it to them in class). I also created a Google Slideshow with step-by-step instructions and a grading rubric to explain how I would grade the assignment. The most difficult part for the students was learning to insert a video into their slideshow, but once a few students learned, they helped the others.

Most students found their music on YouTube (with the instruction that songs must be elementary school–appropriate). In addi-

by beth shier tion to inserting videos in their slideshow, students wrote about why they chose each song and what it means to them.

Once I made the Google Cloud assignment in Canvas, it was easy for students to click on the attachment and get their copy of the instructions on a Google Slideshow, along with blank slides they could use if they chose. Their work also immediately uploaded to my Google Drive in a folder, so I could see it in real time.

I gave students three or four music classes to work on this project. In our first class, I explained the project and they began.

Then they had one or two full music classes to work on their project, and on the final class of this For my Present songs I chose: assignment, projects were ● When I hear this song it reminds me to be happy, and to not be sad anymore, and I might presented. Because we dance to it. don’t have enough time for everyone to present, ● This reminds me of the time I we just took a few volunhave to Fake Smile for people I love, when really it’s not a real teers. This actually helps smile.

Fake Smiles-Munn Time: 2:35 because some students don’t want to share their work with the class. However, students knew I would look at every project. I loved giving them feedback through their Google Drive as well.

The students really enjoyed sharing the music they liked and the stories behind their choices, and I learned so much about them through it. Many students gave me permission to share their projects, but some wanted their stories to be private just between us, and I reassured them that would be the case.

We ended last school year with this project, but now I plan to include it at the start of this school year as it will be an excellent way for students to express themselves and for me to get to know them in a more meaningful way from the beginning.

0 The Past:When I was a little girl…

I chose this song for my Past because when I was little,my family bought a Tangled DVD. I would watch Tangled on REPEAT. I loved it so much. I would belt out the words to all the songs. But this one would always be my favorite. So is the movie.I still love the movie.

When Will My Life Begin by Mandy Moore Time-2:30

Happy-Pharrell Williams Time: 4:35

Beth Shier is the music teacher at the Academy at C.F. Thomas Elementary (Birdville ISD). A PDF of the Google Slide instructions followed by Shier’s own musical autobiography is available at www.tmea.org/musicalautobiography.

Southwestern Musician | August 2022 45

TMEA College Vice-President MATTHEW MCINTURF

New Beginnings Our limits are determined only by our imaginations. I believe now is the time to use our artistic imaginations to engage our students, colleagues, and institutions with new perspectives and renewed energy.

A

s summer comes to a close and the beginning of the academic year comes into focus, we are brought to the point of putting our reflections into action. Since spring 2020, we have been forced to rethink so much of our work process—not to mention that of our daily lives. We have learned more than we expected about our institutions, our students, and especially ourselves. We now have choices to make about how we apply that learning, which is what we ask of our students daily.

So often, and the pandemic has certainly intensified this trend, our reflections are inspired by problems and concerns. This can be healthy— we make progress by solving problems and finding new solutions. Our frustration, however, comes when we feel like the problems are thrust on us in ways that threaten our investment in our students and our programs. This is particularly true as we confront the concerns of shrinking budgets and our students’ rising costs. How do we respond? I think we must look through the lens of prioritizing student’s learning and welfare.

Art is a human discipline, and the joy of making music is both healing and motivating.

As artists, we are uniquely placed in the academy to foster success. We have a body of the curriculum we must teach, but we are not bound by a routine methodology. Our limits are determined only by our imaginations. I believe now is the time to use our artistic imaginations to engage our students, colleagues, and institutions with new perspectives and renewed energy. Finding ways to change the conversation from limits to

46 Southwestern Musician | August 2022

MARK YOUR CALENDAR check www.tmea .org for updates

August—Attend your Region meeting (see page 2 for details).

August—Renew your membership and register for the convention.

August 20—Liability insurance purchased through TMEA expires.

September 1–October 15—Online submission of research poster session proposals.

October 1—TMEA College research proposal grant application deadline.

October 6—TMEA convention housing reservation system opens.

October 14—TMEA College Fall Conference in Austin.

January 19—TMEA convention early registration deadline.

February 8–11—TMEA Clinic/Convention in San Antonio.

2022 COLLEGE

DIVISION

Fall Conference October 14, 2022 TMEA Headquarters Austin, Texas RSVP to collegevp@tmea.org

Southwestern SouthwesternMusician Musician| | August 2022 47

new investment in our discipline can be a result of this opportunity. The world looks different today—we can be the leaders who define it.

generous donation of time during the summer. At a time when we desperately seek rest and recovery, it is encouraging to see this commitment to our profession.

Convention Update As I write this column, we are in the process of evaluating proposals and selecting clinics for the 2023 TMEA Clinic/ Convention. I am grateful to all our members who applied to present. I am so impressed by the quality of thought, excellent research, and careful preparation reflected in the applications. Numerically, the College Division is a small part of TMEA; however, the diversity, quality, and thoughtfulness of our programming will bring significant depth and substance to our meeting in February.

There are several people who have been critical to the success of this process. My predecessor, Paul Sikes, designed a review process that encourages significant input from the membership and a diversity of programming. Carter Biggers, Chair of the Proposal Review Committee, has been exceptional in organizing and shepherding our subcommittees. Our membership responded overwhelmingly to the call to participate. We had over 40 people reviewing proposals, which is an exceptionally

EdTPA Update It is well known that the State Board of Education unanimously rejected implementing EdTPA to be a requirement for teacher certification. For all concerned with teacher preparation, there is still a lot of work to be done, but this courageous stance by the State Board is most welcome news. I’m grateful to the TMEA Executive Board and staff for their diligent efforts to inform both our membership and state decision makers of the concerns of the education community. Executive Director Robert Floyd and the TMEA Board took a principled stand, with both our constituents and the state leadership, that clearly stated TMEA’s commitment to effective and professional educator preparation committed to providing access to all communities.

College Division Fall Conference Mark your calendar now to attend our annual College Division Fall Conference on Friday, October 14. We will resume in-person participation in Austin for this

Call for Papers: October 15 The Research Committee is pleased to announce the call for proposals for presentations at the TMEA Clinic/Convention Research Poster Session on February 9, 2023. The committee encourages submissions from current members in all TMEA divisions, including college students.

Learn more and submit at www.tmea.org/papers.

www.tmea.org/papers 48 Southwestern Musician | August 2022

great event. I’m looking forward to seeing you at the TMEA headquarters building for an interesting and informative gathering. I want to encourage all members of the College Division to attend this valuable conference. We will have presentations on many subjects of current concern and discuss issues vital to our work. We will meet in committees and work with Region chairs.

I will send an invitation and ask for an RSVP when we get closer to the event and have a published agenda. We will also livestream the event. Please consider joining us in October.

Research Grant Proposals TMEA offers research grants to Texas music educators of up to $1,200 to advance knowledge in music education. Recipients must be TMEA members and willing to complete the project during the term of the grant. Researchers are encouraged to submit topics they believe are important to music education and TMEA constituents.

More information, and the online application, may be found at www.tmea.org/ college/grant-proposals.

Region Meetings and Region Chairs The fall TMEA Region meetings are approaching. The Board recognizes that most of the business of the College Division is not conducted at the Region meeting and consequently attendance by members of the College Division is small. However, there is much important work within TMEA and for our division that takes place through the geographic regions. Currently, we have quite a few Regions without a College Division Region Chair.

I will be working with Region Presidents and College Division members to remedy this concern. If your Region does not have a Chair (you can determine this through the TMEA website) and you are interested in serving TMEA and your colleagues in this capacity, please let me know. I have been a Region Chair for 18 years. It is not arduous, and it is worthwhile service.

As our summer break ends, I hope you have had a chance to be refreshed and renewed. We have been through some challenging times, and we still have work to do, but I’m always encouraged by the energy and creativity of our colleagues and our students. I hope you have a great start to the year.

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