In any classroom, my goal is to make the learning relevant to the student. I can use the information gathered from the introductory questionnaire to determine the musical interests of the students. This year, I have found that there is usually a combination of students who want to learn instrumental music and students who are more interesting in the digital composition side of music. I like to provide many opportunities for my students to explore the many sides of music to help them develop their musical identity.
Instrumental Music
A reed player at heart, this is where my passion lies. It is a dream of mine to offer a Concert Band and a Rhythm and Blues Band/Show Band at my future school. My favourite experiences during school were being able to perform as a group at music competitions and around my community. In my experience, this was often the times when we would do the most fundraising for either our school or local community initiatives, such as the food bank.
One of my favourite stories from performing was at City Hall in Ottawa, Ontario. When the Holy Trinity Rhythm and Blues band was performing, a hot dog vendor from across the street walked over in tears to my band instructor, Neil Bateman. We found out later that the man had come over to thank us for playing because our music had reminded him of his brother who had recently passed. In short, this story has stuck with me ever since because it proves how impactful music can be. It goes beyond the notes and all the theories. Music is about playing and sharing it with your friends, family, and the community. This is the main idea that I want to bring into my instrumental program.
One of my favourite stories from performing was at City Hall in Ottawa, Ontario. When the Holy Trinity Rhythm and Blues band was performing, a hot dog vendor from across the street walked over in tears to my band instructor, Neil Bateman. We found out later that the man had come over to thank us for playing because our music had reminded him of his brother who had recently passed. In short, this story has stuck with me ever since because it proves how impactful music can be. It goes beyond the notes and all the theories. Music is about playing and sharing it with your friends, family, and the community. This is the main idea that I want to bring into my instrumental program.
No-Pressure Performances
To practice an inclusive classroom, I try to give my students lots of opportunities to perform in no-pressure performances. I acknowledge that there is a tremendous amount of anxiety surrounding the idea of performing and it often results in students who experience anxiety from not enjoying music. One way that I approach this is through assigning projects that have a lot of freedom. To the left is a project that I used for a summative project on Ukulele.
To practice an inclusive classroom, I try to give my students lots of opportunities to perform in no-pressure performances. I acknowledge that there is a tremendous amount of anxiety surrounding the idea of performing and it often results in students who experience anxiety from not enjoying music. One way that I approach this is through assigning projects that have a lot of freedom. To the left is a project that I used for a summative project on Ukulele.
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Another way that I have adapted my teaching to be more inclusive is through the rubrics. I have started to use co-created and single point rubrics as assessment for learning. This ensures that the students are involved in the grading process and it acts as a check-in. I have found that with this rubric the students are more aware of what I am looking for and agree more with the final grade. This happens away from the class, where the student has my full attention. After the performance, I will initiate a discussion and we fill out the rubric together
To the right is an example of assessment of learning. I use these moments to find out if I need to review any fundamental concepts before I start to incorporate gradual release in my lesson.
Most of my written tests can also be done online. |
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Exploratory Music Centered Program
Through my development as a teacher, I have learned that I do not want to be the traditional "stand at the front" teacher. Most of my classroom management comes from making connections with the students and teaching as a facilitator. Online learning has allowed me to explore a few ways to do this in music.
Students explore how societal issues are reflected in music by making their own Podcast or Radio Show |
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