Classroom Ideas

My name is Daniel Derflinger; and I am a Substitute Teacher.

How you read the above line is greatly determined by where you live, what type of school you attended, and on what side of the teaching process you sat. I have now taught in numerous different classrooms, both public and private. Regardless of the setting, students always test the substitute. They will push boundaries, testing to see how serious you really are about discipline. It can be quite ruthless.

Upon overcoming this first obstacle, the music substitute may begin to work with the students. Every teacher in every school is very different, and the substitute’s job is to carry on the regular education in the teacher’s absence. This means not necessarily running rehearsal in a preferred manner. On the positive side, a music substitute is very quickly exposed to many different methodologies as it concerns the music classroom. I would like to document what I have seen and what I will attempt to incorporate in my own classroom and rehearsals.

No two music classrooms are alike. This could be said about any two objects, but this statement is especially true of schools. Different music teachers have different foci and personal interests (or the lack thereof, it seems). The classrooms that most honestly reflect an interesting teacher become a very positive learning environment. When I enter a bland, bare-walled classroom, I feel bland and bare as well; and I’m just the substitute! Imagine how these high-energy students feel when entering such a room. We’ve all heard the phrase, “if these walls could talk.” Well, in many ways, they do. Use the vast wall space available to most classrooms as learning reminders, motivational posters, and examples of beauty in music.

While a music director should keep an interesting room, this should not be at the expense of tidiness. While entering a bland classroom is bad, entering a messy classroom is much worse. Among chorus, orchestra, and band classrooms, band rooms tend to be the worst in my experience. It certainly takes extra effort on the teacher’s part to maintain the organization of any classroom. The best methods I have seen involve the students in the process. When ensemble members help with cleaning and organizing, a sense of pride and responsibility is instilled in them. If this character-building experience is nurtured over the course of a few years, it is more likely that it will continue long after a single director leaves.

A final positive aspect to the classroom I would like to use is individual accountability. The best musical groups are great due to personal practice on the part of the individual musicians involved. While a middle or high school ensemble may not go on tour or become of great renown, it should be the ambition of director and ensemble alike to be the best that they can be. Students regularly underestimate their potential as musicians and easily give up. Encouraging regular practice and holding students accountable for such practice can improve a group in leaps and bounds. In districts where students do not have access to an instrument outside of school, other assignments could be given to still give benefit. Examples of such replacements would be listening to certain relevant pieces or songs, writing an original composition, defining musical terminology within current repertoire, or reading a music-related article. Obviously, individual instrumental practice is ideal, but there are other options available when that is not an option.

While there is certainly much more that could be added, these three categories cover much of the regular interaction in a music program. While this post is primarily for my benefit, I eagerly welcome your thoughts and critiques. Please, leave your comments below!

Music Depreciation Class?

As a music education major, it is my duty (and usually, privilege) to observe at various schools in my area. Having observed at many of the schools in this particular district, it is very interesting to see how the level of interest in music can be drastically different but a few miles away. Why is this?

The first and foremost reason I want to discuss today is the teacher. This should be an obvious one. Of course, if the teacher likes teaching music, the students will be more likely to share the passion. However, there must be more than just a degree of fancy for music. What I speak of is excellence.

In Pennsylvania, it is the time of year for standardized testing. I was speaking with my private instructor today, who revealed to me that if a school reaches a certain point, they receive Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP). There is no gradation of AYP after this, however. A school could have every single student score perfectly and they would receive AYP- nothing more, nothing less. Where is the recognition of excellence? Are we too afraid to congratulate those who work hard and succeed?

In the music classroom, students need to be exposed to musical excellence. While your typical “music appreciation class” certainly exposes students to great works of art (hopefully), does that truly instill an appreciation for music? It seems that most students who take these courses come to depreciate music more than anything else. These courses have become a cop-out for students who are required to take a music course, but don’t want to participate. Not participate? Is music simply a spectator sport? Can a music teacher truthfully say that their music class’s lack of participation in music will instill a love of music? Perhaps if, for once, we teachers expect greatness out of all of our students (not just the ones who already “get it”), we would receive as such. In no other subject are students encouraged to sit back and intake, intake, intake, without once expressing what they’ve learned in some way. Music, one of the most expressive of arts, should not be given different expectations.

Rant complete, for now. My challenge: do not settle. Nobody likes half-hearted attempts at greatness. If beautiful music is what you seek, beautiful music is what you will find.