Total case of the Mondays for me today. Wowsers. Had to pull myself out of the funk in time to get well prepared for middle school choir. One CANNOT go into a middle school choir rehearsal unprepared. DON'T DO IT!
After doing MS lunch duty it was clear to me that I would need to work the wiggles out of them today. And they should be wiggly--it's volleyball game day and cross country meet day. Let's be honest, they aren't going to be entirely focused on school. They are so excited--nervous--pumped up for the events after school. And that's just fine. I have to find a way to focus all that energy though, so here's a trick I have used for years that seems to help. When singing any warmup (today I used Bee-Ay-Bay) you can shout one-word directions to them each time you modulate. So they start out facing front, then sing the warmup once. As you modulate, you say "Left!" or "Right!" or "Front!" or "Back!" They have to turn a quarter turn to the direction that you say. Front means face front, and back means face back. It's a great way to get them moving in a controlled manner (which is really important since there are 124 kiddos) and to keep them singing. Then, once we mastered that, I told them to do the opposite of the direction I gave. Lots of fun!! Think about this---why do we ask/expect middle school kids to sit quietly all day long in desks and at tables? Research shows that kids need to move and learning doesn't always have to happen at a desk. Is what we are asking the kids to do based on what WE want or need them to do, or is it based on what's best for them? I think this is why some kids see more success in music classes. Less structure, more freedom to be themselves, and of course the no homework thing helps. I make sure to allow the kids to talk a little bit, but when it's time to work, we work. Work the wiggles out!!
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Three of my choir guys recently brought me a unique gift for the choir room. They were helping clean out an elderly man's house after he moved to the retirement home and were able to save an RCA console record player. IT'S BEAUTIFUL. Gorgeous oak case, perfect condition. But--the icing on the cake--the family sent TWO BOXES of records along with the stereo. All in perfect condition. So the guys haul all this to the choir room one evening and we just started playing album after album. Neil Diamond, Kenny Rogers, Barbra Streisand, Sound of Music original movie cast recording, and the list goes on. They were fascinated, and I was reliving a piece of my own childhood. I grew up listening to The Carpenters and Barry Manilow on the turntable in my parents' basement. I always tell people that I learned to sing listening to Karen Carpenter. Anyway, what I found so rewarding about all this was how interested the guys were in this "old stuff." They just couldn't get enough. Talk about a teachable moment---I decided to teach all the kids about recording methods of the past so I found a great youtube video about how recording was done on vinyl and how records are pressed. It took up half of a day's rehearsal and was totally worth it! I don't just see myself as a "choir director," even though that is where most of my duties fall. I teach music. Any and all music. Everything about music. If there is something to be learned about music, I feel the need to try to teach it. I think this lesson will be one they will remember. And--have any of you listened to vinyl lately? Wow. Your ears will thank you. Where have I been for the past year and a half? Completely absent from my blog....woops.
In fact, I completely forgot that I had even started a "life of a music teacher" blog before. Another woops. Well, today seems like as good a day as any to start again and try to stick with it this time. Clearly I need to work on my "stick-to-it-tiveness." This morning I am spending time choosing repertoire for my choirs. I teach a 124 member 7/8 mixed choir and a 123 member 9-12 mixed choir. Those are my two basic groups, and from there I choose a 9-12 grade competitive Show Choir and later in the year will do a really large (think 70 kids) MS show choir. It's so much fun!! Anyway, how do you all choose music for your groups? I usually listen to anything I can find online. Just sit and listen, over and over sometimes, until a piece really speaks to me and sounds accessible for my kids. It takes a lot of time -- preferably uninterrupted time -- what is that, you ask? I digress. This morning as I have been listening I just kept thinking ALL THESE SONGS SOUND THE SAME. Maybe I've been doing this too long. Maybe I'm just not in the right frame of mind today to be open to new pieces. Whatever it is, I had to take a break from attempting to FORCE myself to pick something out of the fear that whatever I pick would be less than stellar. With MS and HS kids, we have zero time to choose anything that is marginal. My repertoire choices have to be killer, every single one. Pressure. Most likely I will go back to some of the tried and true standards I have used before. Why reinvent the wheel? If I know a piece works with a certain age group, I'll repeat it. I am not ashamed. Do what works for you in your situation, because only you know what that is and what it demands as far as rep choices go. Thanks for reading and please share with others who might be interested to read a crazy music teacher's thoughts. Keep singing! Show choir season is upon us. It's one of my favorite times of year, and also the most stressful. There's lots to get ready...the show itself, the backup band, the costumes, the travel logistics...goodness. It can be super overwhelming at times, add to that the passing of my grandmother and time spent away from school with family, and I end up kind of a hot mess. But, it's the circle of life, and I'm pulling myself up by my bootstraps and putting on my big girl pants and getting it done. It's Iowa Assessment week at my school, a big important time for us to encourage kids to do their best and score higher than last year. As a music teacher, paper and pencil tests are not my favorite thing. Let's be honest, a student is so much more than a test score. I loved this Twitter post from last week: Yep, there are lots of personal qualities not measured by tests, and all educators know that. Yet, the powers-that-be insist that our kids need to be measured objectively by standardized tests. And the money behind the testing industry speaks loudly. Too loud, in my opinion. As long as the tests are only one small portion of a student's evaluation, I'm fine with it. Make sure we look at the whole child, how are they as people? As humans? That's our real goal in education. What does it really mean to be progressive in today's educational setting? Does using Twitter, blogging, and maintaining your own website make a teacher 'progressive?' I read this post on Te@chThought this morning and it made me think. Terry Heick compares the words of John Dewey in the 1940s to much of the talk we hear today in education. We must prepare students for the future, not our future, but THEIR future! Our students will work at jobs that don't even exist right now! Teach by doing, not by just telling or showing. In other words, be a progressive teacher! Go above and beyond! And a big one in districts around Iowa: Use technology! What? You don't know HOW to use the technology...well, here it is, so go be amazing! But how? Heick's argument is right on-it's time to actually "do" progress, once and for all. Often progress seems to go hand-in-hand with technology use, so how can we do better? I said this in a meeting just the other day, it's not that today's teachers are resisting the progress when it comes to technology (ok a few are) it's more about them NOT KNOWING HOW. When the expectation is to create and maintain a website, then the training must be provided accordingly. When the expectation is to use an online grading program that changes constantly, then the training must be provided. These are just two examples of places where in my opinion we are missing the boat, putting the cart before the horse, so to speak. And don't get me wrong, a little training is certainly better than none. It's a start, and sometimes, it's all the inservice time will allow. I think our students deserve more. They deserve progress. They deserve to go to a school, in the year 2015, that looks different from the schools of 1940. The only way to move forward, to 'do' progress, in terms of technology, is to effectively train teachers. We're off to a great start, my district is lucky to have two fantastic technology gurus who are encouraging and helpful. But their hands are tied where training time is concerned. We wouldn't expect our students to do something we didn't effectively teach them to do. Don't expect teachers to either. Well, the wind blows over the plains of Iowa causing a ground blizzard so our district had to cancel classes for today. Day 2. Since I only live a few blocks from my office, here I am at work. What dedication! Yeah, right. :) Working on lesson plans and choosing music...seems to be a never-ending job. Specifically, today I am unpacking the National Music Standards in depth. We're supposed to document, in our lesson plans, when we cover all the standards...and I need to make sure I am doing that correctly. The most recent standards just came out in June of 2014, and I honestly haven't spent as much time with them as I should. So, that's what today is about. Fellow music educators: are you doing what I'm doing as far as the National Standards go? What are you using if it's different? I'd love to hear from you. A Top Ten.
10. Every day is different. No two days are EVER exactly the same, and they are certainly NEVER boring. Deadlines to meet, music to choose, lesson plans (with Iowa Core coding) to complete, phone calls and emails to return, concerts to plan, music to choose, lunch duty, PBIS meetings to attend, lessons to teach, National Anthems to prepare...I could go on and on. Then there are the students...so unpredictable! So creative! So entertaining and did I mention unpredictable? :) 9. The kids. Surrounding yourself with kids, of any age, will keep you young at heart. My husband often reminds me that I am just a middle schooler disguised as a grown-up. He's so right. My students keep me that way, and I love it! Teaching all levels of vocal music is the best job on earth because I get to experience the fun of the little ones and the challenges of the older ones, all in the SAME DAY. It's good. It feeds me. 8. The cafeteria. Speaking of what feeds me, haha, I am thankful to work in a place where breakfast and lunch is prepared daily. I can eat if I want, or not. A great bonus, in my opinion. ;) 7. The ever-changing music curriculum. Music teachers have a luxury that most other teachers don't: we get to choose our curriculum (the pieces we sing or play) each concert season. For me, that is the BEST thing ever. I pick music that will not only challenge my choirs, but will keep my own brain challenged and involved. Sure, I've repeated a few tunes over the years, there are always those tried and true pieces that warrant it, but I love love love fresh new music and having the freedom to choose. 8. Students see music class as "the fun class." Yep. Most of the time, the kids love coming to music class, and let me just say, that is an awesome thing to be a part of. I'm not gonna lie, I go to great lengths to make sure the kids in my ensembles and classes are enjoying their learning. I try to teach them that learning tough music is worth the journey by allowing and encouraging them to have fun along the way. 7. Snow days. Enough said. 6. Watching students as they grow up. Music teachers get to teach students over many years of their lives. By the time they graduate, I have taught most of them for at least 6 years, and often more. That's a real gift...watching them grow and change, learning and achieving musically, developing their interests, and often becoming a true mentor to them. I'm always humbled when graduates come back to visit...so cool that we made a difference and they want to check in after they have moved on. :) 5. Having the same calendar and hours as my own children. As the mom of four amazing kiddos, family is a big deal for me. I feel lucky to be able to see my kids at school during the day and to be on the same schedule as them. It's a luxury not many parents have, and I am grateful. 4. No checking papers. Well, I check them for my Music Theory course, but that's about it. I get to be the teacher who doesn't give homework. Go me. :) 3. Hearing children of all ages sing. There is just something about hearing large (or small) groups of children sing. It feeds the soul, its heals the heart and mind, and being a part of a group increases a person's self-esteem. Singing is magical, and it goes way beyond any words that I can type here. 2. Show Biz. I love planning shows. I love picking the music, teaching and rehearsing it, and seeing it all come together for a performance. It challenges me, and I need that. The excitement behind the scenes, seeing my ideas come to fruition, and even the long rehearsals--it's all part of the process and it's the best. 1. The music. A very wise college professor told me during undergrad, "don't become a music teacher unless you can't possibly imagine doing anything else." I honestly can't imagine doing anything else. Music is my life, it's my "thing," and I am so lucky that I get to make music with kids every day! |
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