Whew!  Six months into my first year, and still going strong!

I have noticed, however, that my ears and eyes are in need of energizing and renewal.  Day after day with middle school students has let me "settle for less" in terms of accepting their tone quality, intonation, and sight-reading skills.

In our current focus on standards-based education, we need to remind ourselves as teachers to set reasonable expectations, but to reinforce skills needed to attain our high standards. It is far too easy to give up on a particular student or a particular skill. Listening to the pinched tone quality of an eighth grade brass player used to cause me to interrupt my lesson plan and modify embouchure or breathing.  As of late, I have often moved on, thinking "eh, it's too late to change" or "it will fix itself over time."

I need to refocus on setting high standards, and following through with appropriate modifications.  I need to set time aside for score reading.  No, I will never conduct Persichetti with my middle school band, but even (good) beginning band pieces have some layer of detail that does not reveal itself upon sightreading.  I need to spend more time listening to professional musicians, take advantage of the fact that I live in a tri-college area, and continue to study with professors and other musicians.

This is what I love about teaching music- I can never be so skilled or passionate about my craft to consider myself masterful in every area of music.  There is so much to learn and to embrace from thoughtful and inspiring people around me!

-Dan Leeman
 
 
It is commonly understood that reading literacy is the gateway to a solid educational foundation. Without the ability to read, students would find it difficult to learn without direct instruction. They would rely upon information that would be either experiential or told to them directly by another person. If a student wanted to gather information without outside help, it would be nearly impossible.


Imagine a classroom in which the following happens:
A Ninth Grade student is studying a passage of Shakespeare. One the first read, the student struggles to pronounce some of the words. On the next, the student is able to pronounce all of the words smoothly and without pause. On the third read, the student finally recognizes a few of the words and their meanings. Not until the fourth and subsequent readings is the student able to comprehend anything that is being written. It is long after that before the student is able to grasp for deeper meaning and plot points.


I have come to believe that when my students cannot have any grasp of sight reading, it is similar to the student who struggles reading Shakespeare. Without the knowledge of how to smoothly get from measure to measure, my student does not understand the larger intent of the piece. Once the student learns to read music, however; interpretation, analysis, and style are no longer things reserved only for memorization. A new world has been opened in which the student can truly become an independent musician.


The question of what (sight reading proficiency) is so much easier to talk about than the how. There are so many "If Only's" (Time, money, staff, to name a few) that seem to work against us as teachers that the task seems daunting. After watching Jerome Upton of Duluth, MN work with his choirs, I am convinced that sight reading can be accomplished. His group sang pieces with concert appropriate interpretation on their THIRD DAY of reading the music. His students came alive with expression and with questions and comments about how to better perform the music. Instead of taking time to read and re-read the piece, the students were making music right away! 


As I go on with my musical journey, I will try and share insights into anything I learn about sight reading. Until then, I would love to hear from anyone who has ideas!


-Andrew Beard 
 
 

I seem to find a wide range of opinions when it comes to discussion of the national standards for arts education. While several of my mentors have embraced the standards as an essential part of the music curriculum, I have also met teachers who are wary of another “fad” in education. I think at the heart of all reform movements in education lie well-intentioned philosophies. Being a student during the “graduation standard” phase in Minnesota and during the beginning of NCLB, I also understand that well-intentioned philosophies don't always translate into well-structured and implemented programs. Here is what I think the strengths are of the national standards for music education:

The National Standards can be closely aligned with a comprehensive music teaching curriculum. Igniting students with ideas about musical history and culture, exploring the creative compositional process, and encouraging musical evaluation are just a few of the many ways that we can help students develop a lifelong passion for music.

The National Standards encourage creative and authentic assessment. With the advancement of music technology, the promotion of comprehensive music teaching, and the sheer “hands-on” nature of our music classrooms; there is no reason why our means of assessment need to focus on paper and pencil tests. Students can compose, perform, evaluate, improvise- and we can do a better job of providing constructive feedback, and more importantly, having students evaluate themselves and others.

The National Standards explore a rich variety of topics in music education, but I believe that we are not too limited by their structure or scope. States and larger school districts have revised and created their own sets of arts standards that usually reinforce or complement the national standards. Teachers collaborate within districts, in forums, and in the blogging arena to discuss creative teaching methods and practices. As the assessment component of the national standards enters the national spotlight, it will be important to have thoughtful and informed teachers at the helm to continue to steer us in a positive direction.

The National Standards continue to reinforce that music is an essential part of the core curriculum for each and every student. Students learn specific and transferable skills, work as individuals and as a part of a greater community, can demonstrate learning and observable growth, and best of all- music is for everyone!