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#MusEdChat Recap – Alignment of K-12 Programs (4/12/2010)

04/28/10 By 2 Comments

Participants of the #MusEdChat held on April 12, 2010 discussed the topic, “How can we keep music programs successful through grades K-12? How can we create smooth transitions between schools?” Great thoughts were shared by a lot of people on thoughts related directly to this topic, and to things affected by this topic. With 43 contributers and 687 tweets, this was our largest chat to date!

Levels in K-12 Program

The chat started by participants distinguishing multiple ways that K-12 music programs are broken up in terms of grade level. It seemed as though most programs had grades K-5, 6-8, and 9-12. @Zweibz7 then challenged everyone to think about whether one level of a program should have a priority over the others. Most of the chat participants agreed that no level should necessarily have priority over another, but music teachers agree that all of the teachers in their department, from elementary through high school, need to be on the same page in regard to curriculum.  Multiple teachers also tweeted that having a department supervisor makes curriculum challenges much easier to overcome. In addition to this, music teachers shared how often their departments meet, and what they talk about in these meetings. The frequency of department meetings ranged anywhere from never to once every seven school days. Topics covered include curriculum, attrition, retention and instrumentation among others. Music teachers also discussed how to deal with other teachers in the department who don’t cooperate in department meetings. Many suggestions were made, including the importance of compromise and the involvement of administrators.

Recruitment and Retention

The participants then shifted to talking about how to get students to get involved with band chorus and orchestra, and strategies to keep them involved. Many participants cited collaboration between older and younger students as being a successful recruitment and retention technique. Many music teachers recommended taking older ensembles to perform for elementary ensembles. This seems to be a great way for students to feel more comfortable moving up into ensembles when they switch schools or grades. @NeutronGirl proposed an idea for retention : “How to retain students over difficult middle years? Let them play as much as possible. Give them musical confidence.” Others take older students to talk with younger students, which works well for recruitment. As stated by
@Zweibz7, ” It’s vital that students from different levels interact with each other. Middle School students need to know that being in High School band is FUN!”

Significance of Elementary Music

Elementary music was another topic that came up in the #MusEdChat. Most of the teachers and undergrads agreed that elementary music is vital to the complete education of students. But participants sought to define why music education is important at this level. Everybody who commented on this specific topic agreed that the most important goal in teaching music to these students is to foster a love of music in them. If this is achieved, students will want to move on to other ensembles and performing opportunities later. In addition to this main objective, others were suggested including music literacy and preparation for future ensembles.

Classroom Efficiency

Near the end of this #MusEdChat, the music teachers and undergrads tweeted about the lack of class time for music classes. So @Doremigirl posed the question, “So how do bring everyone together in a school district? How do we prepare our students well within limited class time?” Responses to this all revolved around teacher organization. Music teachers need to know exactly what they want to accomplish during their class time, and have a plan of how to accomplish it within the time constraints.

At the end of this #MusEdChat, @pisanojm offered a quote that needs to be considered in every aspect of curriculum development an execution. He stated, “No Joy = No Fun = No Kids = No FUNding.”

I encourage you explore all of the fantastic ideas from many people by checking out the transcript of this chat.

Join in the Chat!

The #MusEdChat is held every Monday evening at 8:00 pm EST on Twitter. If you aren’t familiar with Twitter, refer to the #MusEdChat page to learn more about it. Hope to see you at the next chat!

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REMINDER: Last Week for Blog Carnival Submissions

04/26/10 By Leave a Comment

We have officially made it to the last week in April, which means it’s probably crunch time for most college students/teachers out there, and the end is in sight for those of you in the public schools. However, don’t forget about an incredible opportunity to share your thoughts with the music education community which ends this Friday-the 14th Edition of the Music Education Blog Carnival! This carnival will be a showcase of the top blog posts related to Music education in the month of April, and will be hosted right here at MusicEdMajor.net on the first of May. Not only is this the last week to submit your posts for this month’s carnival, but it’s your last chance to submit until September, as the Music Ed Blog Carnival will be taking summer vacation with the rest of us! Don’t miss your chance!

Here’s What to Do:

Here are the steps to take in order to submit your blog post to this month’s carnival:

  1. Write or find a post! It can be on any topic related to music education, and doesn’t have to be written this month (you can use old posts), but it must be your original work.
  2. Take note of the permalink to this post. The permalink is the direct URL to the post, and can be found when viewing the post individually, as opposed to on your homepage (it will look something like this: http://yoursite.com/04/25/post-name/)
  3. Head to the Music Ed Blog Carnival Submission Page to submit your entry. Enter the permalink, your name and email address, a category for the post, and any additional remarks you have.
  4. Hit submit! It’s that easy!

Don’t Miss Your Last Chance!

This is your last opportunity to have your work featured in the Music Education Blog Carnival until September, as the Carnival will not be published during the summer months. Don’t miss this incredible chance to have your work read by hundreds of like-minded music teachers. Get your submissions in by April 30th at 11:59 PM EST by visiting the Music Ed Blog Carnival Submission Page today!

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#MusEdChat Recap – Classroom Management (4/5/2010)

04/24/10 By 1 Comment

The #MusEdChat held on April 5th, 2010 began with the topic, “What classroom management tricks work for music classrooms?” Thirty-seven people participated and contributed to this chat.

General Tips

The chat started out with some great tips. @girlfromPBO stated that she uses a three-strike policy, while others suggested to keep free time at the beginning of the period to a minimum. It was also suggested that teachers not only establish their rules, but post them so that they are always visible to the students. In addition to this, teachers also must establish consequences along with the rules in an effort to deter bad behavior. The suggestion was also made by @ssagaro< to write the class plan for the period on the board, which allows students to stay on track.  Another participant stated that if the teacher keeps a clean and organized room, classroom management will be easier. One tip was tweeted all throughout the chat, stressed the need for a routine in the classroom. Many teachers stated that if a routine is in place and the students know about it, classroom management will be exponentially easier.

Rehearsing and Conducting

The chat then briefly moved to rehearsing and conducting ensembles. Multiple participants encouraged others to try to keep spoken words to 5-10 between stopping the ensemble and starting again. Other participants emphasized that conducting is a form of communication, therefore clarity is essential. In addition, facial expressions help to relay what the conductor is attempting to communicate. Some classroom management tips were also discussed that were specific to the rehearsal setting. @digimusresearch suggested, “Use handsigns for bathroom and water requests in elementary setting. This saves interruptions & time, since I can see and nod yes or no.”

General Music

The conversation then shifted to classroom management strategies in a general music setting. Multiple participants stressed the importance of active learning. As stated by @thomasjwest,” Gen. Music needs to be about DOING! Get the technical stuff started, but then start applying it ASAP.” Other teachers suggested that learning the names of students is a very important first step to classroom management. In addition to this, other teachers suggested knowing the students in general, including being interested in their activities outside of class. Multiple teachers  suggested that if you can get kids to make music that sounds good, they will be interested. Teachers also discussed great tips to think about for ending the class. Most of them stated that the end of the class needs to be a time of reflection, and also a preview of what will happen in the next class.

Discipline

Chat participants then covered the topic of discipline. One important tip was given by @musicedconsult , “By the way–it’s OK to call Mom or Dad to tell them that you need their help–especially if there’s a very disruptive student.” @chrisritter added  that teachers need to call home whenever a student does something right. Multiple participants suggested that disciplining students needs to be done in a way in which they are still learning. @musicedconsult then stated, “Disclipline is what we do–Music, Theatre, Visual Arts, Dance. Management is also what we do but let’s not confuse the two.”

The #MusEdChat then closed out with more tips and tricks for classroom management. @shawdave shared a great starting point for class rules. He said, “Class rules someone posted on a blog : Take care of (1) yourself, (2) each other, (3) this place. I like these.”  It was also stated that teachers themselves need to maintain their focus throughout the lesson. If they do, their students have a better chance at being able to do this. Many teachers emphasized the need to maintain a positive atmosphere in the classroom, even when disciplining. Near the end of the chat, @digimusresearch tweeted something that is essential for all of us to remember: “They may not remember what you said, but theyll remember how you made them feel.”

Image Courtesy of : http://www.wordle.net. Click to enlarge.

In order to see all of the tips and tricks that were discussed for classroom management, be sure to refer to the chat transcript!

Tweet With Us!

As always, anybody is more than welcome to join in the #MusEdChat!These take place on Twitter on Monday nights at 8:00 pm EST. Find out how to participate, and join in the discussion! The more people who participate, the more we all learn!

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#MusEdChat Recap – Relevance (3/29/2010)

04/16/10 By 4 Comments

The #MusEdChat on 3/29/2010 focused on making music relevant. The topic for the chat was twofold: “Are traditional ‘band festivals’ outdated?” and “How can we make music more relevant to students’ daily lives?”  The discussion on this topic was very in-depth, and quite a few other topics were touched upon as well.

Ensemble Festivals

The definition of festivals was given early in the chat as a group that performs in front of judges and is assessed and/or ranked. Many thoughts and concerns were discussed about this type of competing. One concern was raised by @pisanojm. He stated that many groups will go and compete/perform, but won’t stick around to watch other ensembles perform. Most of the chat participants were against this, citing much support for ensembles watching their peers perform. From the teacher’s perspective, @mrsafrit states,”As educators we see the festivals as a way to get feedback on musical areas that we may have missed, if done right.”

The impact of festivals on students was also discussed. A variety of opinions were stated on whether or how festivals help students. Some participants use festivals to motivate students to learn and perform well. @ArnoldJason stated,”There’s nothing wrong with competition, standards and excellence.” On the other hand, many participants were not fond of the idea of ensemble festivals. While some thought that competition takes away from the learning experience, others stated that the real fulfillment of performing comes from community support. Still others stated that students are harder on themselves than judges generally are. There was also much to be said about the publishing of results to the public. Many participants saw this as being generally unhelpful, especially to schools who did not do as well as others but did not necessarily perform poorly.

As the #MusEdChat continued, participants offered alternatives to competition. Collaboration was the most popular suggestion. For example, @brandtschneider suggested,”What if we had ‘Flat Classroom Festival’ and performed for each other–critique–etc? We could set up ning, post videos, etc.” The use of Skype was also suggested for collaboration between ensembles.

Making Music Relevant to Students’ Lives

The chat then moved to the second part of the topic which was, “How do we make music relevant to students’ everyday lives?” Multiple answers were given to this part of the topic. Some participants stated that teachers need to make music fun while also teaching. One way that was suggested to achieve this was to let students choose the music they perform. While this would definitely capture students’ attention, @Zweibz7 posed the argument,”Not sure I entirely agree. The teacher knows what repertoire has educational value.” @thomasjwest also suggested to have a balance between music that will make students learn and music that they choose. Others suggested having small ensembles who perform regularly replace the traditional concert band. Music educators suggested that students learn more effectively and perform more often in small ensembles. @mrsafrit gave a great suggestion for showing students the relevance of music in their lives. She suggested,”Your students want to play a new song you dont have in your library? Make them arrange it. They dont know how? Teach them.”

Courtesy: http://www.wordle.net

Join in the #MusEdChat

Chats like this happen every week on Twitter at 8:00 pm. This offers a great opportunity for music teachers and undergrads alike to collaborate on their area of expertise. If you would like to join in but are not familiar with Twitter, learn how to navigate the chat here! We are always open to your suggestions for topics. If you have a suggestion of what to discuss in a #MusEdChat submit it, and don’t forget to vote for what you want to tweet about in the next chat!

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#MusEdChat Recap – Advocacy (3/22/2010)

04/10/10 By Leave a Comment

The participants of the #MusEdChat held on March 22, 2010 discussed the topic, “How does music education fit into the education reforms coming to the United States in the next five years?” While this was the topic that the group started with, participants quickly began discussing advocacy in its many possible forms in the K-12 level schools.

Education Reform

@Zweibz7 began the chat by tweeting a link to the Blueprint for Reauthorizing the NCLB Act. Multiple participants expressed concern that music is never mentioned in the blueprint, although the arts are mentioned four times. The arts are mentioned as a core subject, but participants wonder how this really plays out. As stated by @pisanojm,” Again, Music is named (through arts) as a core subject, but how did that help with NCLB?”  Some of the biggest changes mentioned in this chat is the lack of penalties for all schools (rather only for the lowest 10%), and the replacement of AYP with preparation for college and careers.

Advocacy and Reform in Music Education

Other ideas began to surface at this point. An idea about others’ perspective on music education was proposed by @shawdave. He asked,” How can we make music appear more academic, less ‘activity’?” Quite a few responses were discussed, including assessment and teaching to the intrinsic value of music. @prettythewrld suggested that we can accomplish this, “by reinforcing that it prepares kids for college and careers by teaching 21st century skills”.

The topic then shifted briefly to assessment in music. A bit of a debate took place over whether or not music should be included in state standardized testing. While some believed that adding music on standardized tests would secure music departments while putting it on an equal level with other academic subject, others thought that this would not be beneficial in the teaching or learning of music. Other arguments stated that in order for legislature to take music education seriously, some kind of assessment needs to be in place. @Zweibz7 then clarified the difference between testing and assessment. He said,” TESTING is a stressful and tense solution. ASSESSMENT will help us advocate for music education, and yet still focus on student learning.” To see many other thoughts on this topic, check out the #MusEdChat transcript and recap of the chat on assessment in music.

The conversation quickly switched back to advocacy. Most of the participants agreed about the importance of involving community and parents in advocacy strides. Exactly what to fight for was also discussed. While music has many benefits, most participants agreed to push to keep music purely for the sake of music. As stated by @MusicEdTech , “Music for music’s sake. There is no other justification. It’s a brain thing and it has been documented. MUSIC BY ITSELF IS WORTH IT.” It was stated that we as citizens need to pay attention to who is running for school board positions and making decisions for our schools. Participants also expressed the need for advocates of the arts to go to school boards and hold them accountable. Multiple participants tweeted and retweeted the value of having students perform at school board meetings. This allows the school board itself to see the benefit of a music program directly, while making it harder for them to cut these programs. Music Technology was also mentioned. Many participants believed that music technology is the new face of music education, helping in both teaching music and preparing students for life in the 21st century.

An International Perspective

Participants in this chat had the opportunity to converse with three music teachers from Canada. @Dave_Parkes, @chriscoyle, and @laurendorphin all gave #MusEdChat a fresh perspective on how music education looks in Canada, and compared it to how we know music education in the United States. One event directly related to advocacy in Canada is Music Monday. Put simply by @Dave_Parkes, “Music Monday = as many students, same song, same time, all over Canada = united in song for sake of music.” It was also stated that unlike in the United States, Canada has no national standards for music. Rather, music standards change from province to province.

Links

Advocacy Links

State Assessment Links

Suggested Reading Links

Please take this opportunity to check out the transcript for this chat. While the main points of the chat are covered in this recap, there are many more great ideas and thoughts on this topic that can be found from reading through the chat itself. To join us in the weekly #MusEdChat, log on to Twitter on Monday at 8:00 p.m. EST. Learn how to participate here!

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Comic-Dissection of a Music Ed Major

04/08/10 By 2 Comments

John Bogenschutz at ToneDeaf has some fantastic comics about music (and some incredible posts about Marching Band arranging, too!). John, who can be found on Twitter at @johnbogey, posted a very funny comic yesterday dissecting a typcial Music Ed Major:

Dissection of a Music Ed Major

How many of these apply to you? Be sure to check out John’s ToneDeaf blog for more great comics, including “Awkward College Music Classes,” “Band Transposition Chart,” and “A Day in the Life of a Band Director!”

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#MusEdChat Recap – Collaboration (3/15/2010)

04/07/10 By 1 Comment

The #MusEdChat on 3-15-2010 discussed the topic “ How have you collaborated with other teachers and schools?” Collaboration was discussed in multiple ways, mainly performance-based collaboration, and tools used for collaboration.

Performance-Based Collaboration

Many of the participants suggested ways to collaborate with other musicians that included performance. On both instrumental and choral levels, teachers have joined ensembles with other schools. @kgard said,” In my area we do a big show choir festival and every school has to watch every other school perform. It’s Fun!” @shawdave collaborates with a band in the area: “HS level. Joint programs with neighboring county band. Each band plays separately, then combined for 2-3 pieces.” He then went on to explain that separately the bands are smaller, but combine to make a huge band, which the students enjoy. The chat participants then talked about collaboration through county band and chorus opportunities, which was seen as a great way to meet musicians in the area. This is a great way for teachers and students to collaborate with musicians in their community. Community ensembles generally offer a low-pressure environment where students can get musical experience outside of their high school ensembles. Multiple participants also stated that blogs, wikis and websites are all good forms of collaboration for ensembles.

Collaborative Tools

There are a lot of tools out there that help music educators to collaborate effectively. Multiple chat participants suggested the use of Skype as a collaborative tool. This has been used in quite a few ways. A lot of the participants thought that Skyping experts into a classroom (college professors, composers, etc.) offered a great opportunity for students to learn from people they generally wouldn’t be able to learn from. The idea of having a colleague Skype into a rehearsal to listen and critique was also proposed. Many participants discussed the use of Google Forms to collaborate with their students and parents. While some of them found this useful, it was not useful to those attempting to use it in a rural area. While these new tools are very effective for collaboration purposes, some participants used more conventional forms of communication. For example, @mrsnyhof stated,” I did an Olympics lesson that was shared by a friend of a friend… just collaboration by email though.” Collaboration on the collegiate level was also briefly discussed. @pisanojm stated, “I frequently will bring in HS/MS teachers into the classroom to talk with the college kids about their experiences…win/win.” It was also suggested that high school teachers bring music education students into their classrooms to speak.

Links

Here is a list of links discussed in this week’s #MusEdChat:

Participate!

Those who participated in this chat shared some very useful and creative ideas on how to collaborate with each other and even with parents to make themselves better at what they do. If you were not able to attend this chat, check out the transcript to see the entire conversation. If you are interested in chatting with music educators from across the globe, join us in the #MusEdChat on Twitter, Monday nights at 8:00 p.m. EST! If you aren’t familiar with Twitter, learn how to participate here!

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