Hey Teachers! Leave Them Kids Alone! Part 2

This is part two in a series about getting kids to practice
 
As I have mentioned last week, I struggle with the concept of students and practicing. Maybe I struggle with this because I struggle to practice myself, not just as a musician but also as a teacher. If I am going to be honest, I should start by asking myself:
 
How often did I actually practice my craft as a teacher?
How often did I listen to professional recordings?
How often did I attend live concerts?
How often did I study my scores?
How often did I practice my own instrument?
 
If I were to be TRULY honest, I might have to admit to a little hypocrisy when I asked and implored my students to practice.
 
Like you, I worked hard at my job…VERY hard. Twelve hour days and eighty hour work weeks were more the norm than the outlier.  But I can also remember many a time when I would be leaving school at dusk and see my students still on a at school with their after school team or club. I can remember grabbing dinner on the way home and having it served by a student working an after-school job. I can remember gulping down my early morning coffee as students walked by and talked about doing homework until two o’clock in the morning.
 
Again, I do believe that individual ownership and accountability are part of any person’s musical and personal growth, but with increased academic rigors and outside of school demands, the solution is often times not as simple, "take your home and practice!"
 
Let me just offer a couple of my favorite ideas from my teaching days that might spark your creative teaching juices. Consider the following:
 
Band camp week: One week each concert cycle I would push the kids extra hard. Practice records, before school rehearsals, after school sectionals. I would ask them to eat, breathe, and sleep band. If they would give me this one week, I would accomplish everything else in class for the next six week with no outside class time required.

Targeted tape testing: I know the “tape” part is antiquated, but you get the gist. I would make students submit recordings of specific four measure phrases. I would pick the hardest four measures for each section and ask them to submit a tape test. The students would not only practice for the test, but would usually make 5-10 recordings of it and pick the best one (hint, that just meant more reps). They had to submit a form with a grade they gave themselves and a parent signature. The students were ALWAYS harder on themselves than I was.

Practice bursts: As a way of breaking up the monotony of rehearsal I would allow for one minute “practice bursts.” I would set my stop watch and ask the kids to fix one thing in a given section in sixty-seconds or less. Think about it, with sixty students in class, I got sixty “man-minutes” of practice and only gave up one minute of class time.

Macro/micro block: I would divide the class period and the ensemble in half (usually low reeds would stay with low brass). I would spend the first have of the period doing “macro-block” with the brass while the woodwinds would leave and do “micro-block” (sectional or individual practice). At the midway point of the class, I would switch up the sections.

These are just a couple of different ideas to get you thinking creatively about how we get kids to practice in an effective AND efficient way. But this is just the beginning. I am attaching to this email ALL of the responses I received last week. It was almost overwhelming. I have left the name of the sender so as to give credit and have not edited their suggestions. Grab a cup of coffee and enjoy all of the incredible ideas your peers provided you.

It’s moments like these that I really do feel like we (you the readers and I) are a merry band of brothers traveling together in search of excellence.

Thank you for bringing me along on your journey.  Have a great week!

p.s.  Don't forget to download the attachment below.
 
Practiceideas.pdf

Hey teachers! Leave them kids alone!

As I write this, my son is sitting at the piano, painfully and reluctantly plodding through his technique exercises. I see moments like this as a pathway to future success; he sees them as a cruel and unusual punishment. Tomorrow he will spend his practice time on the trombone, in an act that I am sure is a form a parental torture. Don’t believe me? I have earplugs to prove it.

Like most children, practicing is not his favorite thing and like most parents, I require it anyway. It is a battle of wills that is as old as John Phillip Sousa himself. Practice is my requirement and our daily drill.

I do it with purpose.
I do it with mindfulness.
I do it with the best of intentions.

I am just not sure I am doing it correctly. Yes, he will have the horn to his face for twenty minutes, but trust me when I say that there will be little to no improvement during this time. If you don’t believe me, just ask my neighbors.
 
We all want our students to practice more and improve, but do the two necessarily go together? 

Even as a high school teacher I wrestled with the conundrum of unsupervised practice. Does individual unmonitored practice truly equate to improvement? And, if so, is it a one to one ratio? Does thirty minutes individual practice at home equate to thirty minutes monitored practice in an instructional setting (group lesson, sectional, rehearsal). To be less academic, is the student who practices thirty minutes at home getting thirty minutes of musical growth? Most likely the answer is a resounding “NO." Should we be requiring daily practice? Before you answer, consider the following... Compared to just twenty years ago:

• Most students spend more actual time in rehearsal and have more instructional interaction.
• Most groups have more specialty techs/instructors/private lesson teachers.
• Most students are receiving an improved quality of musical instruction.
• Most students are playing on better quality instruments.
• Most students have access to better technology and instructional materials.
• Most students have better access to recordings and resources.

Knowing all of this, it is not unreasonable to suggest that we re-examine the “art” of practicing and consider a more measured and targeted approach.  We should ask ourselves if there is there a more efficient and effective way to advance student skills.

Listen, I am not in favor of watering down the artistic integrity of the music making process. I believe in setting high standards both musically and personally and I believe that individual practice is a significant part of both of these. I just am asking the question, “Are we going about this the most effective way possible?"

Like every other subject, we want our music students to show improvement and master the fundamentals. We want students to take ownership of their learning. We want them to live up to their individual potential and develop self-discipline. We want all of that and more...

But, I don’t want my son thinking of music the way he thinks of other subjects, because music is NOT like other subjects.

Next week, we will offer some thoughts, tips and ideas about alternative practice ideas. I say “we” because you are going to help me. Aren’t you?  Click here to send me your ideas on alternative practice methods and share them with the rest of the country!

That’s enough for now.  Take care and have a GREAT week!

Scott
 

p.s. Like my new pic?
p.s.sAre you going to email me?
p.s.s.s.  Did you get the Pink Floyd reference?

Music education and the Snuggie

As I write this e-zine, I am at the NAfME National In-service Conference… a virtual cornucopia of all things music education related. Through it’s many incredible offerings by a host of wonderful presenters there is an underlying current of concern, dare I say panic over the future of music education. Through casual conversations and presentations alike I have repeatedly heard the following statement:

Music education is in trouble.
Music education is in danger of extinction.
Music education is going the way of the dinosaurs and the Snuggie.
 
Okay, I made up the part about the Snuggie!

The problem is that these statements are rooted in paranoia more than they are fact. Here are some facts:

• The number of music programs in this country is growing.
• 94% of all public elementary schools currently offer music.
• A similar number exists for secondary schools.
• Instrument sales are increasing annually.
• Recently USA Today ranked “Music Director” as the #3 fastest growing job in the United States.

A conspiracy theorist might suspect that there has been a calculated and systemic campaign designed to trick people into believing that music education was in trouble and I would agree.
 
Who would do such a thing? Who would plot against music and America’s children?
 
Music teachers, that’s who.  (Not you… YOU are an awesome bucket of wonderfulness that is akin to a towel just out of the dryer on a cold autumn day!)  It all the “other” YOU’s that I am talking about.
 
It seems like every time I speak to a teacher, they lament the current state of music education in America. They often speak with a sense of despondence that would make Eeyore seem like a motivational speaker!  Yes, music teachers, the very people in charge of spreading the good news are the ones most often declaring doom and gloom.
 
When did we decide that music education was in trouble? When did we get so down on music education? If you look at the long-term growth of music education, you might scratch your head and wonder why we aren’t all celebrating instead of mourning.  Consider this...

• One hundred years ago music education did not exist.
• Seventy-five years ago it was an after school activity.
• Fifty years ago there were few options for festivals and performances.
• The number of hours in a week kids are playing their instrument or receiving instruction is increasing.
• Twenty-five years ago there were no national competitions.
• The level of demand and achievement for most ensembles is increasing annually.
• Five months ago music was named a Core Subject as a part of the Every Child Achieves Act.

Look, I am not saying it’s all rose petals and sunshine. There are obstacles.  There are issues to be addressed and I do believe teaching music is getting harder but not because it is diminishing, BECAUSE IT’S GROWING. It is growing in quality and quantity.  It’s getting harder because you are doing, teaching, and achieving more than ever before. It’s growing because YOU are incredibly good at your job.  Yes, I am talking to YOU!

If easy were what you were looking for, you would not have survived ear training and class piano, so I figure you're up to the challenge. When it comes to music education, I don’t think the sky is falling, I think the ground is rising.

Have a great week!

I am a loser

This past weekend…

- My high school team lost
- My (son’s) flag football team lost
- My college team (Arizona State) lost
- My pro team (Buffalo Bills) lost
- And BOTH my fantasy football teams lost

I ask you:

1)  Did I let that hurt me?
2)  Do you hear me complaining?
3)  Do you hear me making excuses?
4)  Did I just lay down and give up?
5)  Did I run to Canada, or even Vermont?
 
Answer key:

1.  Yeah! It really did!
2.  Are you not paying attention? Of course I am complaining. I'm doing it right now!
3.  No, but someone is going to get a tersely worded memo about this.
4.  I am writing this from my bed, where I have been in the dark for 42 consecutive hours.
5.  No, but in full disclosure, I seriously considered it.

I may be down and out from all of this looserness, but not you. You are smarter than me.

For many of you, the coming days and weeks will be filled with season ending events in which only one group will be crowned a champion. And though it might not be your ensemble, it will not keep you from making something of the moment. Whether you “win” or “lose" there will likely be tears of joy and sadness. Regardless of where your group may fall on the spectrum of competition, you will see the moment for what it is, an opportunity to teach and educate the young people you work with.  They will learn through your words. They will learn through your actions. They will learn through your hugs, smiles, and perhaps tears. They will learn!

Just because your performance or season is over doesn’t mean your done teaching. In fact, the most important teaching moment is about to happen. Win or lose, teaching continues.

Where there's smoke there's FIRE

My buddy is a fireman and not just ANY fireman. He is a Battalion Chief for a major city fire department. In other words, when it comes to knowing about stuff that burns and what to do about it, he is as good of a source as there is. Well, him and Wikipedia. But Wikipedia won’t have a frosty beverage with me, so I went to him with my question.

So I asked, "What are the three most important things for a fireman to know to keep from getting burned?"

His response was eloquent in its simplicity and brevity.

"Stay low. Remember that you and your gear are not fireproof. And don't let fire get behind you.”
 
When he asked why I wanted to know, I explained that lately I have been talking to a lot of teachers who are getting burned out and I wanted to know how the professionals handled it. I was curious if there would be any correlation with how a fireman might keep from getting burned and how a music teacher might keep from getting burned out. And, I think there is. Let’s look at his advice.

Stay low: Some things are worth fighting for and some things are not worth the fight. I remember him once saying to me, “We will do what is extraordinary to save a person, what’s possible to save an animal, and what’s reasonable to save a thing.”  I think the standard should be similar for music teachers. Be extraordinary for students, do what’s possible for the drummers (see what I did there?) and do what’s reasonable for your building and belongings.   

Remember that you and your gear are not fireproof: Whether you are a first year teacher or a thirty year vet, you are susceptible to burn out. A seemingly perfect year can be followed by a four alarm crisis of a year. Getting burned out is an occupational hazard and you’re not Superman.  In order to save yourself in this profession you have to wear the right gear (have thicker skin), work as a team (connect with your colleagues), and understand that NOTHING is more important than your physical and emotional health.

Don’t let the fire get behind you: By the time you see and feel the effects of burnout, you are already in some serious trouble. Look for warning signs before they erupt into something bigger. Angst, anger, and irritability are signs that the burnout fire is close, so be cautious and respond immediately: take a day off, eat lunch off campus, call a friend, put on your favorite song, go home early, start rehearsal with a joke, bring your dog to work, etc.  When danger is close, it’s time to change course or run the risk of getting burned.

Keep in mind that by and large, your worst day on a podium is better than your best day in a cubicle, so be diligent in maintaining your personal and professional health. Don’t take my word for it, take my buddy's because he is an expert! Heck, if you asked me for my advice it would be something like this…  RRRRRUUUUNNNNNN!

Yes, its true that twelve years ago I ran from MY burning building… But I have been trying to run back into YOURS ever since.

Maybe I should have been a fireman.
 
Have a GREAT week and good luck at your competitions this week.

Crescendo through it!

Based on the flood of email in my inbox and my full voicemail box, it is THAT time of year.

October is the hardest part of the marching band season! It’s when most groups plateau and cease to improve. Sure, they may learn more drill and music but it rarely is cleaner or better executed than it was in September. Keep in mind, more does not necessarily mean better.
 
The problem is not the music or drill, it’s the rehearsal behaviors used to learn them. By now, many groups have settled into rehearsal attitudes that place comfort and convenience ahead of commitment and character. The students are present each and every day but not FULLY engaged or committed to the rehearsal process. The rehearsals are more of a “walk-through” than a “run-through.”

You can’t really blame the kids. After almost four months of grinding it out, the magic is gone.
To that end, I would always talk to my students about the October plateau and "crescendoing" through whatever they do. I explained that with each and every passing minute we needed to raise our expectations for excellence and match it with our level of effort and energy. We called October our crescendo month in which we would:

• Expect to work harder at the end of the rehearsal rather than the beginning
• Expect to work harder on Wednesday than on Tuesday
• Expect to work harder in the second week of the month than the first
• Expect to work harder in November than they did in October

The process of teaching students to push through discomfort and fatigue is not an easy one.  May I suggest breaking rehearsals into thirds and take just a few seconds at the end of each third to ask them to rate their individual/ensemble rehearsal work ethic? Ask them to set a goal for the next third. Repeat this activity at the end of each third of rehearsal. Slowly but surely they will come to understand that the greatest opportunity for growth comes when it is least convenient. This is a lesson that does not end on the practice field and will continue to serve them throughout life.

Many of my former students still remind me that they are "crescendoing" through life.

That's a wrap!

Speaking of crescendoing through things… Right on the heels of our release of Be Part of the Orchestra we went right back to work with the intent of “raising the bar” ourselves. This past week we spent three days at Broken Arrow High School in Tulsa, Oklahoma shooting video for Stay in Music!, which aims to retain middle school students in music (band/choir/orchestra) as they transition to high school.
 
With three light kits, two HDR cameras, wired and wireless sound packs, a motion stabilizer rig, and a drone, we may have exceeded our luggage limit BUT IT WAS WORTH IT! We could not have been more pleased with what we were able to accomplish and capture on film.
 
Now the real work begins as we begin the post production work of editing, document prep, graphics development, packaging, duplication, and distribution. We are well under way and on target for a December release, just in time for your January recruiting blitz.

Our deepest thanks to our friends at Broken Arrow High School and our sponsors (listed below) for helping to make this project possible.

Have a great week everyone!
 

Playing hookey in NYC!

Look, were friends right?  I can be honest with you and you won’t judge me, right?

Okay, then I can tell you that it’s Tuesday night, and I have not give this week's newsletter one tiny thought. No, really, I haven't.

WAIT… Don’t get mad! You know you’re important to me. I mean, I am there for you every week... right?  Good times and bad, happy times and sad, Friday night games and… well, no, I’m not there for you then.
 
This week I had to make a multi-day trip to New York City for some workshops and meetings. It just so happened to coincide with my kids' fall break. My wife, in all her wisdom said, “You should take Brayden (my 10 year old son) with you."

What has ensued has been five of the most fun days of my life. Truly, it has been spectacular!

At times, my job requires me to be with all of you when Brayden would like me to be with him. So I think you can understand when I say that today, when I am supposed to be with you, I am going to spend it with him.

I promise to be back next week with something extra pithy and poignant, but for now, we’re going to go jump the subway to Times Square and catch Finding Neverland.

Who knew playing hookey would be so much fun?!

Have a great week!

Commas and the Punctuation Police

My name is Scott... (awkward pause)

(support group responds HI SCOTT!)

It’s been two seconds since I used my last comma… I think I have a problem.

Whew, that felt good to get off my chest.

My editor calls me the "Comma King." She accuses me of throwing more commas around than Trump's throws insults towards women. In fact, she has rationed my comma allotment for this newsletter and says she will only raise it when I learn to use them responsibly.

Apparently, I am a repeat comma offender and I am headed for punctuation prison! I can live with this as long as they keep me far away from the emoji users… those people are just weird. 

Yes, I am a “commie,” (a phrase us comma people use). It's a badge I wear proudly.

I embrace my comma-ness and encourage others to join me in all things comma related. In fact, I may start a comma support group! Why not? After all, commas are free and serve an important purpose. They remind us to pause, take a breath and reflect. They serve notice that something important has been said and must be understood before moving on. The comma helps us to know that what has been said previously, might differ from what is being said down the road.

The comma does not yell like the exclamation point and has far more conviction than the questions mark. The semi-colon?  Please... no one even knows what that little twerp does. We all know the semi-colon eats lunch alone in the punctuation cafeteria, while it’s older brother the colon, pretends it doesn’t even exist.

Yes, as far as I can tell, the comma is king! Not convinced, well then, check this out!

As a music teacher, from the moment you wake (far too early), to the moment your head hits the pillow (far too late), your day is PACKED with demands that few people outside of music education will understand. You have 53 minutes of every hour accounted for and the unparalleled pressures of being responsible for hundreds of kids and hundreds of thousands of dollars of equipment. With each additional year, the demands grow greater while the time allotment remains stagnant at best and dwindling at worst. Through it all, there is rarely time for anything other than work, work, work!

Consider my Wednesday missives as your weekly comma, a reminder to pause and reflect before moving on. These emails are a chance to talk about something important and understand that what I share next week might differ from and have no connection to what I share this week. If nothing else, let this invasion into your inbox remind you to stop and pause for just one moment.

So before you delete this email (most of you already have), take a minute to stop, think, and breathe. Then forward this on to someone who needs to join our support group.

This is my mission. This is my purpose. This is my role, and I enjoy doing it, because I am a commie!

Thanks for what YOU do!

p.s. Our support meetings are every Wednesday at 9:00 a.m. E.S.T.  Feel free to join us, any time.

*  This newsletter has not been edited for commas at the request of the Comma King.

True Colors and your True Conductor

Listen, I know that all of you are still struggling with the Google font change and Kanye West jumping into the 2020 Presidential Campaign, but let’s see if we can set that aside and talk about something really important… YOU!

For any of you who have taken a “personality test” (Meyers/Briggs, True Colors, etc.) you know that they can be almost as much fun as they are informative. They help to provide you, and the people you share the information with, a window into the way your mind thinks and why you act and operate the way you do.
 
My wife was a guidance counselor and FACS (Family and Consumer Sciences) teacher for twenty years and regularly used the True Colors test as a way of getting to know her students and helping them to get to know themselves. We all possess some element of all of the colors but have dominant colors that play a greater role in the way we work and play.
 
If you are interested in taking the test, click here, but if you are just interested in the synopsis, read below. Just for fun (having done no empirical research) I added some composers to the color spectrum to make it more musically interesting. The color analysis is based on materials from the True Colors website.

Leonard Bernstein (Orange): Bernstein was ACTIVE, DARING and EXCITING! Anyone who ever saw him conduct or heard one of his compositions would be hard pressed to come to any other conclusion. He represented energy, potency, power, and strength. Bernstein was the expression of vital force and nervous activity. He needed to achieve results, to win, and to be successful. He desired all things that offer intense living and full experience.

John Phillip Sousa (Gold): Sousa was RESPONSIBLE, LOYAL, and CONVENTIONAL. The structure of his music and years of service as the conductor of The Marine Band speaks to a sensibility appreciated structure and organization. Sousa fulfilled duties and obligations and enjoy being organized, structured, and having things put together. As a composer and business man he was practical, sensible, and always prepared. A “Sousa” believesthat people should earn their way in life through work and service to others.    

William Revelli (Green): Revelli was INVENTIVE, CONCEPTUAL and COMPLEX! He was brilliant and demanding and had little time for those who did not understand the importance of music and excellence. He operated with persistence and determination unlike any other. He valued intellect and musical capabilities above other attributes.  He was smart, capable, and valued being challenged intellectually. He understood both the theory behind a contract and the musical pedagogy required to achieve it.

Frederick Fennell (Blue): Fennell was COMPASSIONATE, POETIC, and DRAMATIC. Fennell packed as much intuitive feeling into each phrase as there was energy packed into his diminutive frame. In rehearsal, he was exciting but represented calm, tranquility, and contentment. He understood and valued balance and harmony both in music and in life. He was loyal, musically vulnerable, and understood the importance of belonging. He had a depth of feeling and a relaxed sensitivity that allowed him to create musical experiences that were exceptional.

Now that you have read about the four colors/composers, rank them in order of how closely they resemble you. As you sit back and reflect on your colors/composers, it might be interesting to note how your teaching style affects your ensemble, both musically and otherwise.

Despite our shared mission and similar goals of musical and personal excellence, we all set about achieving it in very different ways. This is but one of the many things that makes this profession so special. So I ask… what is your True Color and who is your True Conductor?

Have a great week!