Applying the national standards in school band programs

Britt Beil
MUSIC 23241
February 17, 2011

Applying the National Standards in School Band Programs

               This article generally just explains why the standards are important in the music program. Hayslett explains that it is sometimes hard to work the standards into your already established curriculum and you should start by examining your curriculum and seeing what standards you already meet and then just see if you can tweak a few of your other lessons to meet any of the other standards. If your curriculum doesn't meet any standards, the best way to go about incorporating them is to focus on one standard and then build from there. The rest of the article is spend with Hayslett giving suggestions of activities you could use to help with using all of the standards.

               I know in my high school choir we had a lot of issues with rhythms so I know that the clapping and vocalizing the beats definitely helped a lot of people learn. The rest of the suggestions he gives are good but I don't have much experience with the activities he provided.

               Honestly, I felt that this article was kind of a waste for me to read because I am going to be a vocal teacher and I felt that the majority of the article was pointed towards a future band director. Although a few of the problems listed could be applicable to any ensemble, I feel like it would have been better if he would have listed some suggestions or even general ideas for choirs or general music classes. Overall it was a decent article though. 

Hayslett, Dennis J. Applying the national standards in school band programs.

Using the Ohio Standards

Britt Beil
MUSIC 23241
February 17, 2011

Using the Ohio Standards

               The article starts off talking about the standards and what their functions are in music education. It talks about the five common standards which are as follows: historical, cultural, and social contexts; creative expression and communication; analyzing and responding; valuing the arts/aesthetic reflection; and connections, relationships, and applications. The main objective of the article is to go into a little more detail about each of the sections and explain what it all means and how you can incorporate it into your curriculum as a music educator.

               My favorite part about my high school choir, other than the performing obviously, was learning about the music we were performing. Learning the history, cultural and social contexts of the songs we were singing helped in understanding the general idea of how the song was supposed to sound and it gave it deeper meaning which helped us relate to the music better. I also enjoyed when my teacher would play a recording of another group performing for us because it helped us with listening and being able to pick up some musical tips or it helped us critique the performance with music terminology. 

                Based on this article it is easy to see why each section of the standard is important to use in the schools so the students can get a better education in their music classes. I also feel that having a set of guidelines will help when I am writing lesson plans because I will have a better grasp on where I need to lead my students so they can meet the requirements so I am not as lost as to what to do as a teacher. I work better with a structured idea of where I need to go with the lessons. Overall this was a very great article and enlightening.

Doty, Amy. (2004). Using the Ohio standards. Special Focus Issue, 15-16. 

History of the National Standards

Britt Beil
MUSIC 23241
February 17, 2011

History of the National Standards

               This article is used to describe the history and formation of the National Standards for the arts. The article starts out with the background as to how the idea of the national standards started. A system of assessments in core subjects with others to follow (arts) was called for in January 1992 and that is when they began working on the standards for the arts. The next section of the article is spent talking about the organization of the project and how they ended up with a draft to send to be approved. The standards reflect a vision for the future. The next section talks about the document format which is three sections by grade levels and each section has content telling what the student should be able to do and what they should know. The author then discusses how the drafts were sent around and built on by different music educators until it was perfect and ready to sent in to a U.S. Secretary of Education on March 11, 1994. The last paragraph is spent explaining how to implement the standards into a music educator's curriculum.

               Having a general understanding of how the National Standards were formed and how to work them into your curriculum is really great knowledge to have. I personally have no experience with the standards, because I was never really taught about them until now although I knew they existed. 

               I feel that having the history of almost any musical accomplishment will help improve your teaching techniques because you understand how to set up your curriculum to help students learn. I was surprised by the fact that it only took two years to get the standards established. Mainly this shocked me because the arts have gone through so many troubles and dilemmas that they are still having to deal with for years and two years just strikes me as a short amount of time compared to the main timeline. 

Effective Time Management in Ensemble Rehearsal

Britt Beil
MUSIC 23241
February 11, 2011

Effective Time Management in Ensemble Rehearsal

               In this article, Manfredo describes the different qualities he finds important in creating an effective class in the limited amount of time given for rehearsal. He refers to rehearsal content, preparation and planning, verbal feedback, error correction and self-evaluation. All of these qualities are crucial to keeping the rehearsal rolling with as much student participation and activity as possible so the teacher can accomplish all of their goals.

                I am a firm believer in making a strong relationship between teachers and their students. When I was in high school and even now in college, I always enjoyed when the teacher would treat like a human and not like I was just a child who they had to take care of. Teachers must be clear, concise and unambiguous when it comes to giving students instructions to keep the students in the rehearsal and focused. I also enjoy when my choir teachers let the choir go through an entire song without stopping them and then when they finish, the teacher will go back and make a few pointers and corrections where needed. In my opinion, it feels much more efficient and effective than just starting randomly in a piece, although that is also necessary sometimes.

               I agree that choosing literature that isn't beyond the students' abilities is very important, especially when you only have a limited amount of rehearsal time. As the teacher, you set goals, but you have to limit the concepts you want to achieve in the rehearsal to help the students learn and you must comprehend the music you present your students. You should also maintain strong eye contact and limit your comments to ten to twenty seconds so you don't waste any time. I also feel that by video taping yourself and keeping track of how much you talk during rehearsal is an efficient way to figure out how to cut back on your talking so the students have time to learn the music and stay active in the rehearsal. This article definitely helped me understand all the different ways to save time in the short amount of time you have in rehearsal.

Manfredo, Joseph. (2006). Effective time management in ensemble rehearsals. Music Educators Journal, 93 (2), 42-46.

Key to Classroom Management

Britt Beil
MUSIC 23241
February 11, 2011

Key to Classroom Management

               They start off the article with a lot of research they found from other professionals to set the mood of the entire article. They also state that they believe effective classroom management is the most important trait for a teacher and many studies support this theory. The discuss the different tasks and how they should be accomplished effectively. Throughout the article they talk about the appropriate levels of dominance, appropriate levels of cooperation, and the awareness of high needs students.

               Some of my favorite teachers, music and non-music, have been the teachers who go the extra mile to get to know you and take a personal interest in your life. As a student, hearing a teacher greet you outside of school or just greet you at the door of the class always made me smile and feel like the teacher was making an effort to make their students feel more comfortable and relaxed when coming to class, thus making them want to learn. It also was a good feeling when the teachers would share their goals for the class that day with the students so the students knew what they would be working for and hopefully be rewarded for their good behavior and what they accomplish. 

               It is very important for a teacher to establish clear expectations and the consequences that will come after if anyone misbehaves and to provide rewards for good behavior. This is important so the students know what will happen if they misbehave and that will hopefully keep them at their best. It is also crucial to take a personal interest in your students and be very aware of the students with high needs to keep the rehearsal and class time comfortable and happy. A teacher needs to build relationships with their students to keep the dynamics of the classroom positive and enjoyable for everyone. 

Marzano, Jana S. & Robert J. (2003-2004). The key to classroom management. Education Leadership, 2-7.

Becoming an Effective Classroom Manager.

Britt Beil
MUSIC 23241
February 11, 2011

Becoming an Effective Classroom Manager

               This article was very interesting and helped the reader understand what you need to know when you go in to teach your first ensemble. Kantorski gives a list of pointers for good classroom management which consists of impressing students with musicianship, making students responsible for their behavior, establish a routine, maintain excellent instructional pacing, only give instructions once, and decide what to ignore during rehearsals. These pointers are all crucial to creating an educational, enjoyable, and effective class and ensemble.

               In high school, I had seven classes a day. These included the traditional classes like science, math, and English, all of which bored me to death. The highlights of my day were my choirs. This wasn't just because I loved to sing and was good at it, but because my choir director, Jane Page, always greeted the choir with a smile and "good afternoon". She also decorated the classroom with posters that had inspirational quotes, plaques from accomplishments and music notes all over which created a positive atmosphere which created great outcomes. I do believe that students are affected by their surroundings and a comfortable room with positive feelings can make a student want to learn and do better in class.

               I definitely agree that classroom management and discipline come at different times. Classroom management is more proactive in that it sets the stage for appropriate behavior for the class, but discipline is definitely reactive and happens after behavior problems. The first day of class sets the bar for how the year is going to turn out because it establishes the classroom management you are going to hold for the year. I also agree that you should only need to give instructions once and only in some cases twice. You must maintain good pacing throughout the rehearsal so you aren't wasting your time, or more importantly, your students' time.

Kantorski, Vincent. (2007). Becoming an effective classroom manager. TRIAD, 75 (2), 58-60.

Classroom Management for Ensembles

Britt Beil
MUSIC 23241
February 11, 2011

Classroom Management for Ensembles

               In this article, Bauer describes all the important aspects of classroom management for a musical ensemble. He starts out by discussing the minor, yet significant, differences between a music class and a traditional class, including: the physical setup of the room itself, the students are active participants, students are encouraged to make sounds (music), and there are a variety of ages, academic standings and musical abilities throughout the class. He continues by explaining the different parts of being effective in classroom management such as: being a proactive educator, the general teaching practice, and classroom discipline. He includes many details and examples of the various sections of proper management.

               In high school, my choir teacher would write the order of songs she wanted to work on each day on the front board. This helped students get their music in order so there was less searching between songs which helped keep the flow of the class moving. At my school we had three different choirs and the biggest choir had mostly students who weren't really interested in choir, they just needed the art credit. This being said, many of the students would get bored if my teacher would talk to long because of the inactivity and they would start talking and disrupt the class. I agree that keeping the teacher talking down, helps the students stay involved in the class, thus more interested and eager to learn more. 

               It is very important to be aware that there are several students on different levels of skill, age, and academic standing, so it is important to know what lessons should have more emphasis or what lessons you could teach less of to avoid student boredom or frustration. Also, I agree that a teacher should be very aware of their personal qualities, how they look, talk, and act, it should all be very professional. I have seen situations where a student breaks a rule but a consequence doesn't follow and it doesn't teacher the student a lesson or correct their behavior. Being a teacher, you have many responsibilities to keep the class and ensemble running smoothly and this article helps with the different ways to do so in an effective way. I really enjoyed reading this article.

Bauer, William I. (2001). Classroom management for ensembles. Music Educators Journal, 27-32.