I experienced an odd dichotomy this week. The administration at my school district (where I work as an elementary band teacher; also my children’s district) is taking a hard look at our widely acclaimed, award-winning music program and making changes. I won’t go into specifics, but I spent much of my week preparing for meetings, […]
band
Review, Run, Reap, Rest
Just as there’s a rhythm to the day or week, there’s a rhythm to the school year. In my mind, the stages of the year are: Review (Re-establish norms and basics) Run (Push instruction/challenge with new material) Reap (Watch the seeds of “review/run” come to fruition) Rest (Vacation/summer) The final step that closes the circle […]
Virtual World, Natural World
Every day I interact with my students through a screen. I make videos of myself teaching lessons, staring at my own reflection instead of into my students’ eyes. We communicate through stilted, typed comments instead of cheerful calls across the cafeteria and high-fives and the exuberant, cacophonous sounds of woodwinds, brass and percussion. I spend […]