Month: November 2012

NMEA 2012 Day 2: I Miss My Students?!

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Only a struggling young teacher would be this excited about a book with a title like, “Classroom Management in the Music Room: Pin-drop quiet rehearsals and classes.”

Of all the really great sessions and performances I saw today (including a stunning performance by the University of Nebraska – Omaha’s Symphonic Wind Ensemble), my favorite was by far David Newell’s extremely practical, common sense approach to classroom management.

After the last few weeks of middle school choir and band, I was on the prowl for the best resources, strategies, and techniques for managing large numbers of middle school students. As soon as I saw the title of the session (the pin-drop quiet part seemed excessive), I knew I had to be there! Thankfully, we sat down just before they started turning away people due to capacity concerns.

I took pages of notes in Evernote, recorded audio of the whole session, and had to track down someone else’s copy of the handout to take a picture of it! I intend to purchase the book as soon as it is released. I don’t want to say too much, because I think Mr. Newell deserves every penny and ounce of credit for creating such a fantastic resource, but he managed to take the classroom management techniques I had heard described for years in college education courses and apply them to the specific challenges of music classrooms.

I can’t recommend his management sessions strongly enough, and I’m sure his work on teaching rhythm is just as fantastic. In fact, that will be some great reading while I await the publication of his new book.

One more day of professional development tomorrow including performances by my own Concordia University Nebraska Wind Ensemble, the Doane College Choir, and a Nebraska Choral Directors reading session and conducting/Alexander Technique Workshop with Dr. Courtney Snyder of the University of Nebraska Omaha (whose conducting took my breath away at the UNO performance mentioned above).

One more day of meeting professional educators as a young teacher, not just a student. My cooperating teacher was awarded the chair for Middle Level education, and it was great to meet some of his colleagues throughout the state, as well as various clinicians and professionals from the state and the nation (including current national NAfME president, Nancy Ditmer and the president-elect).

One more day of affirming experiences that remind me that I have chosen/been chosen for a profession that I believe in so strongly and love so much. In fact, all of this talking about teaching music has made me almost miss seeing my students (which is almost masochism at this point).

I know I’m not a master teacher yet by any means. But I know that the Mr. Jensen that will stand before his students on Monday is not the same Mr. Jensen they have known for the last 4 weeks. It’s a new day, and I’m ready to make music.

NMEA 2012 Day 1: “Real Teacher”

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MENC logo

MENC logo (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

 

It’s the most wonderful time of the year! Not Christmas (which I do love), but conference week! Today was the first day of the Nebraska Music Educators Association (NMEA) conference in Lincoln, NE. This is my 3rd or 4th year attending, and I have looked forward to it every year.

 

Today, collegiate sessions included a keynote address by National Association for Music Education (NAfME) national president Nancy Ditmer about the transition from student to teacher. It was amazing how many of her comments I found supported my experiences as a student teacher!

 

My favorite session of the day, however, was a panel with eight or nine young teachers about what teaching is like. I love talking with young teachers, and really enjoyed hearing the perspective of these teachers who have been teaching for a few years! I got some fantastic advice about middle school classroom management with large numbers of music students!

 

Mostly, I enjoyed a day of talking about music education with my peers and hearing about best practice for music education from working teachers in a variety of settings. Conferences always provide solid strategies for behavior management and interventions, conducting technique, and teaching in the challenging field of music education.

 

I’m looking forward to full days of performances and sessions over the next few days of conference! The closer I get to being a “real teacher,” the more serious I take these conferences. When asking about the middle school management issues, I had real live human beings in mind, not just the concept of a difficult classroom.

 

That’s the thing that student teaching offers that no practicum experience, class simulation, or case study could ever prepare you for: you are responsible for the musical success and education of young people.

 

It’s terrifying.

 

It is the best job in the world.

 

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Student Teaching v.2, Weeks 1-3: The Joys of Choir and Middle School!

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Three weeks ago, I began my second student teaching placement in a small-town school district teaching band and choir at both the middle school and high school. My previous placement was at a private school in a moderately sized city teaching K-12 and a variety of classes.

So far, I love it! I’m more convinced than ever that music education is wh   ere I’m supposed to be, and I wake every morning excited to go to school and see my students. My first placement, was mostly general music and band, so I’m thrilled to be working with choirs again!

I’m working with the women’s chorus on two pieces: Carol of the Bells (which they were very excited to see when I was pulling music), and an arrangement of the torch Bring a Torch, Jeanette, Isabella (which I felt would be a gorgeous carol for women’s chorus). The girls struggle with many of the musical concepts, but are willing to try things and laugh with me! Well, they probably think I’m a little off my rocker, but that comes with the territory.

I’m also working with the high school concert choir on an arrangement of Joy to the World and the Hallelujah Chorus, as well as “The Twelve Days After Christmas” with the men’s chorus.

On the band side of things, I assist with the concert band and will begin conducting a piece that my CT will give me this week. In addition, I am conducting a jazz band of my very own which I will post more about in a separate update! I’m attempting some more creative things with that group that I’ve never really seen or tried before!

On the middle school side, things are a little more challenging. Middle school students are a subject that my teacher education program never could have really prepared me for. I love them. They are incredibly challenging, and test the limits of both my creativity and my temper almost every day. They range from students yelling and throwing chairs to a boy asking me if I had ever been bullied when I was in middle school.

One of the more successful strategies for middle school I have found is the sound monitoring iPad app Too Noisy, which provides a simple classroom sound meter that can be adjusted for sensitivity. The students of each class named the smiley face and the objective became to keep George/Rupert/Alfred/Antonio happy! After a few days of distraction, it has become fairly effective at keeping general noise levels down.

There is a lot to be said about my experience over the last two weeks, and I hope to update with some more in-depth posts about the methodologies I’ve tried and observed as well as the experiences I have had. More than anything, I am thrilled to be teaching in a school that supports the music program, as well as an administration that is generally very supportive of the arts (and student teachers)!

Personally, life has been a bit hectic since my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer! Surgery is scheduled for Friday, and your thoughts and prayers are certainly appreciated.