Welcome to the September NewsLink

Dear Collegiate Member,

I hope your semester is off to a great start!

This month’s feature article, “Teacher Training Wheels,” offers an inside look at student teaching and job searching from a recent music education graduate. You’ll also find tips on surviving and thriving in your student teaching assignment and the latest MENC resources, opportunities, and events.

Best wishes,

Shauna Leavitt, Student Programs Manager

Teacher Training Wheels: For the Future Music Educator Embarking on What’s Next

Meredith Higgins is a recent music education graduate from Indiana University-Bloomington. She recently accepted a position teaching music to elementary students at the International School of Trieste in Italy for one year.

On my fourth birthday, my parents gave me a beautiful bike with training wheels attached. After a few weeks, I became comfortable turning the front wheel, pedaling, braking, changing speeds, and ringing the bell while waving to my parents. As soon as I mastered these skills, my dad removed the training wheels so I could learn how to balance the bike on my own. During my first ride without training wheels, I crashed on the pavement and skinned my knee. I wasn’t sure I wanted to ever ride a bike again, but the next day, my dad ran alongside my bike, and soon after, I was able to ride freely with my friends.

Most new experiences include a preparation period. It’s as if we get a trial run to decide whether we'll  be successful, if we have the talent, and if we enjoy what we’re doing. I spent four years on training wheels, learning from my music education professors by frequently teaching short lessons, perfecting my craft, and researching effective teaching methods. It was then time to begin riding on my own. I spent 18 weeks with my supervising teacher running alongside me as I crashed, burned, and successfully taught my way through a semester. However, there are many things I wish I’d known before I student taught. Hopefully this article will shed some light for future and current student teachers.

For the Future Student Teacher

I began my music career as a performance major and added music education as a second degree. A mistake that many young students make is not perfecting the craft of performing music. You may think that teaching doesn’t involve professional performing, but every day is a performance for your students. I spent over 50% of my teaching experience demonstrating incorrect and correct vocal techniques. Without four years of endurance and musicianship, I would not have been able to recover daily or demonstrate how not to sing. Practice, practice, practice, and become a professional musician as well as a knowledgeable educator.

You’ll need to play the piano during warm-ups, lessons, and possibly semester concerts. Don’t be satisfied with meeting the minimum piano proficiency—your students will need the support and confidence from the piano when learning how to sing. If you can’t provide this in some way, you might become discouraged while student teaching. Again, practice, practice, practice, and acquire the skills of an accompanist to support your students.

The first question younger music education majors ask me is how I picked the school where I student taught. My top three criteria are

1. be picky,
2. challenge yourself, and
3. make sure you’re comfortable with the teacher you will be working with.

You should first decide what kind of experience you want. Think about

• demographics,
• size,
• age of the program,
• personality, and
• location.

I want to teach in underprivileged schools and build programs where they do not exist. However, for my first semester teaching I wanted to experience a strong, organized program on which I could model my future programs. I narrowed my search down to a program with strong administrative support and various choirs in a large suburban school near a big city. These sound like broad descriptors, but from the list of teachers who accept student teachers, we found only two candidate schools. I contacted both of these teachers and spent a full school day observing their classes and methods. Have a conversation to get to know a potential cooperating teacher as a person, as a mentor, and as an educator.  Have a list of goals you hope to meet while student teaching and present them to the teacher.  You’ll want a teacher who embodies your philosophies and who is open to having you involved in his or her program.

My final words for the future student teacher are,  "Don't be nervous". You should expect to

• succeed,
• get burned out, and
• make mistakes.

Just remember that your students are just like you were a few years ago. They’ll push your limits, but with your piano skills, knowledge of music, professional music training, and a supportive supervising teacher, you’ll successfully survive, enjoy, and discover the educator you will become. 

For the Current Student Teacher

DON’T GIVE UP! Some of you may be coasting through, some of you may be ready to give up, and some of you are questioning if teaching is right for you. This is normal. I lived with two other student teachers, and we all came home with different looks on our faces every day. If you’re coasting through, find a new challenge to overcome. If you’re ready to give up, find a distraction that helps you relax and recharge. It sounds simple, but I found watching an episode of Friends, CSI, or Sex and the City helped me to refocus and come up with more teaching ideas.

If you’re questioning your career choice…

• Remember that transitioning from student to teacher is one of the hardest challenges. You need a certain kind of endurance, patience, compassion, and authority to have control of your class and enjoy what you do. If you choose not to be a teacher, it’s better to find out now than be unhappy in a job that doesn’t fit 10 years later.
• Take the time to list what you like and dislike about teaching. Some of the items on this list you can change through your teaching methods, but others you can’t. Try to determine which is which and see what you have left on the page. Don’t address this when you’re upset or tired because you will not think as rationally. No matter what you decide, just remember that student teaching is usually a semester away from the degree, so think thoroughly about your choice.

Teach to your strengths. In the first few weeks, the students will struggle to respect you as a teacher. Observe your supervising teacher and adopt what works to smooth your transition. By using your strengths, you’ll create a foundation you can depend on. One of my strengths is building teamwork and leadership. If my classes ever hit a wall or my students weren’t working together, I relied on this strength and was successful.

Remember that you’re a guest, and the program will continue on without you next semester. A working curriculum is already established in this school. Feel free to experiment with lessons, but stay aligned with the curriculum. This will help you feel more connected with the school, and colleagues will treat you more like a fellow teacher than a student teacher. Support your supervising teacher by offering your services for paperwork and errands. Treat this semester like your first job: be professional, prepare your lessons, and attend the meetings.

My favorite memory is when I failed in front of my supervising teacher’s most advanced choir. She allowed me to work with this choir through a fall concert piece. I wasn’t getting the sound I wanted, but I didn’t know what the problem was. I looked to her and said, “Something’s wrong, and I don’t know how to fix it.” She came to the podium with her arms ready and said, “Let me conduct, you listen, and separate what you can.” She had the choir enter at the beginning of the measure multiple times. With her assistance, I could hear that they weren’t getting through the consonant quick enough—it was coloring the vowel and lowering their palates. Listening helps us learn how to teach.

Don’t be afraid to ask your supervising teacher questions. All teachers want to share their wisdom and opinions about controversial issues. Take advantage of this! Have an empty journal around to write down questions and things that work in the classroom. You can refer to your log throughout your teaching. Your learning experience should take place in the classroom, in the office, and in your own home. When you have free time, explore publishers’ Web sites things you might want in your future classroom; and textbooks that support music theory, sight-reading, composition, improvisation; and solo repertoire.

For the Student on the Verge of Graduation

Welcome to my world! At the earliest, schools do not post openings until April or May. Most teacher contracts start and end in June or July, so these schools will not know faculty changes as early as you might like. However, you can still be proactive in the job search:

Clean out your portfolio! Make sure it is userfriendly and full of student teaching experiences. Teachers from Indiana: it’s not important to have a piece of evidence in every Performance, Knowledge, and Disposition category, but you should show as many of your strengths as you can. I suggest producing a Web page, blog, or CD. With an online file, you’ll only have to carry around copies of your resume and business cards, while administrators can look through your portfolio at their own pace.

Do your homework. If you don’t know where you want to teach, I suggest narrowing your search to cities you’d like to live in. The first few years will be difficult, so make sure your surroundings are pleasant and supportive of the lifestyle you want. If you know where you want to look, investigate the state departments of education, district, and some individual school Web sites. Many changes are taking place in education, so I strongly suggest you catch up on current events. Go ahead and apply generally so your information is in their systems. Next, find out about the recruitment process, job postings, teacher information sessions, job fairs, and interview schedules. With all of this information, your stress level will remain low.

Network, network network! Use the resources you have, such as professional organizations, professors, parents, music education professors in nearby universities, and friends who have graduated to find new resources. Meet as many fellow educators as you can. If you have allies in the district where you hope to work, it will be easier to get your foot in the door for those open jobs. Many times schools will hire a candidate because he or she came recommended by another teacher already established in the corporation.

Conclusion

Many of the things I have written above I learned by experience, trial, and error. You’ve chosen a noble profession. I’m about to embark on my career as an educator, and my stress level is high. However, with a supportive past supervising teacher, knowledgeable professors, talented colleagues, and friends in the neighborhood, I know I’ll be able to find the help I need when I need it. Westminster’s choral conductor, Joe Miller, once said, “Trust your musicianship and make mistakes, that’s the only way we learn and grow.”

Even the most talented conductors and educators face disappointment and musician's block. With our experience and our allies we can become successful in our careers and utilize personal talents. Consider your training wheels removed after graduation, but know that if you have prepared well, there will be someone running alongside to bandage your wound if you fall.

For more help with the job search, see the “Prelude to a Job” series on the Future Teachers page.

10 Ways to Take Charge of Your Teacher Preparation

David W.K. Johnson is director of instrumental music in the Williams Bay School District of Williams Bay, WI.

Your university will provide you with the philosophy behind teaching, but if you want to know more about the practical side, here are some learning opportunities from MENC member David W.K. Johnson that will take you outside of the music ed classroom.

1. Find venues to interact with kids, and work with as many different age groups as possible.
2. Give private music lessons in your area of expertise.
3. Schedule a day each week when you can visit one school's music program and pick the brains of the music faculty there. Have a list of questions for them. You could even e-mail them your questions a few days before you arrive.
4. Buy some of your favorite local music teachers lunch on a weekend, and ask them to share their experiences.
5. Offer your services as a low-cost or free guest clinician for area schools.
6. Work as a counselor or instructor in a summer music camp.
7. Attend state conventions, and go to new teacher workshops.
8. Use the MENC “Ask the Mentors” discussion forums as a resource to ask your specific questions and air your concerns.
9. Books are great! Pathways: A Guide for Energizing and Enriching Band, Orchestra, and Choral Programs by Joseph Alsobrook is a terrific start.
10. Read the above materials and MENC magazines regularly, and take just a single day out of every other week to work with kids or pick the brains of area music teachers.

Chapter Corner

Caitlin Merie Hurrey Memorial Scholarship Recipient Shines at Wartburg College

The recipient of the Caitlin Merie Hurrey Memorial Collegiate Scholarship is Stacy Larson, a recent graduate of Wartburg College in Waverly, Iowa, where she earned her music education degree and was a member of Collegiate MENC. In addition to being vice president of the chapter for the past two years, she was instrumental in creating and organizing the now-annual Wartburg “I Love Music Day,” a festival that partners Wartburg music education majors with 3rd- and 4th- grade students from surrounding communities. Dr. Jane Andrews, professor of music and Collegiate MENC chapter advisor writes, “Working with Stacy is a treat due to her passion for teaching, her excellent writing skills, and her desire to involve everyone in a positive manner. She represents the best in the qualities we need in music educators.”  This coming fall, Stacy has a job teaching elementary vocal music in Mason City, Iowa.

Seniors nominated for Collegiate Professional Achievement Recognition will automatically be considered for the Caitlin Merie Scholarship.  Learn more about the Caitlin Merie Hurrey Memorial Scholarship here. Read more about this year’s winners here.

Submit your chapter news to shaunal@menc.org

We want to hear from you this year! Tell us about your chapter activity, accomplishment, musical performance, or recruitment technique.

Member Benefit Spotlight

A Lesson Plan Library for MENC Members

Need a lesson plan for your first year of teaching or your student teaching assignment? Check out MENC’s new resource for teachers: My Music Class. With over 600 lessons and growing fast, this online idea center and lesson plan library offers standards-based lessons and is searchable by grade and subject area. This resource is provided at no cost to members and is accessible online by using your e-mail address and MENC member ID. Visit it today at www.menc.org/lessons.

Conn-Selmer Institute

An event for all present and future music educators

The Conn-Selmer Institute is an annual event for music educators as well as future music educators to explore what it means to teach music and collaborate with other educators.  Last year's event was sold out by the end of February, so don't delay signing up for the 2009 Conn-Selmer Institute!  Visit www.csinstitute.org to learn more and register.

If you would like a Conn-Selmer representative to appear at your college CMENC event or meeting, please contact Jim Doepke, Director of Educational Outreach.

Here's what some participants had to say about this event:

"With a renowned faculty, amazing schedule of events, breathtakingly beautiful surroundings, and enthusiastic participants as eager to celebrate music education as they are dedicated to music education, the Conn-Selmer Institute is a remarkable event cherished by all those who experience it."
Dr. Peter Loel Boonshaft
Author, "Teaching Music with Passion" and "Teaching Music with Purpose"
Professor of Music, Hofstra University
2008 Conn-Selmer Institute Faculty

"The Conn-Selmer Institute experience is about passion! Whether young or old, with teaching experience or without, or high school or middle school teacher, every participant demonstrates a passion for music education. People come to CSI because they are passionate about kids and music. People come to CSI to renew their passion; and people come to interact with other professionals who share this passion. The CSI experience is educational, musical, and inspirational, but most importantly it is about one's passion for our profession."
Joseph Manfredo
2008 Conn-Selmer Institute Faculty

"Every session I attended contained practical, applicable information that I could relate to as a person and as an educator. You should attend next year!"
Julie Laur
General & Instrumental Music

Current News & Announcements

Monthly Special: The Write Start

Get the 2008 school year off to a great start with the September MENC member monthly special - the all new 2009 Music In Our Schools Month ink pen set.

These clickable ball point pens come in a set of 3 colorful (red, purple, green) barrels with a white "Music! Just Imagine ..." 2009 MIOSM logo.

In September only, MENC members can purchase the MIOSM pen set for only $2.00—40% off the regular price. No additional purchase is required.

Pen Set MIOSM 2009: #6087R. This special is not available at state conference resource shops. Call 1-800-828-0229 or visit www.menc.org to order.

MENC Prepares A Week of Music Education Events for June 2009

Music educators, students and their family members can make plans to visit the Washington, DC, area in June 2009, for music advocacy and stirring performances against the backdrop of the nation's capital's historic monuments. Developed by MENC, the week also will include in-depth study of music education issues.

Plans for the events June 17-24 include

• For music educators, a series of daylong "academies" that will explore different issues in-depth.  Plans include jazz, technology and advocacy tracks on June 21-23.
• A June 18 rally to emphasize to Congress and the Administration the importance of music education. The rally will underscore that music is a crucial part of a comprehensive education and that budgets need to be increased starting at the national government level. MENC plans a petition drive to demonstrate national support for that position.
• A June 19 group sing of "The Star-Spangled Banner" on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, which will also celebrate Abraham Lincoln's 200th birthday year.
• Joint music and marching performances created by MENC and Drum Corps International (DCI) at the Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, Maryland. The event will serve as the kick-off for the DCI 2009 summer season. 
• A meeting of the 2009 MENC National Leadership Assembly.

The 2009 event evolved from a decision by MENC's National Executive Board in April 2008 to replace the association's National Biennial Conference with an annual event. For continuing updates on June 2009 events, visit menc.org/events. Music educators can register their student groups for performance events by visiting www.americanmusicalsalute.com. American Musical Salute is MENC's tour and travel partner for the June 2009 events.

Special Needs Education Resource Now Available

An Attitude and Approach for Teaching Music to Special Learners, Second Edition
By Elise S. Sobol

This book is an excellent resource for music teachers working with special needs students. Highlights include

• Instructional strategies tailored to various disabilities
• Classroom materials on accompanying CD
• Sample lesson plan
• An explanation list of categories of disabilities
• An extensive list of literature for inspiring students and teaching music

Sobol’s focus is on how teachers can effectively educate students about the foundations of music while also building student confidence. Learn more and purchase the book at www.rowmaneducation.com. MENC members: use the discount code MENC25 to get a 25% discount.

NAMM Foundation offers scholarships

The NAMM Foundation is offering scholarships of $2,500-5,000 per year in support of full-time college students who demonstrate a unique interest in pursuing careers in the musical instruments and products industry and who meet the guidelines put forward in the following application. Submission deadline for individual students applying for these scholarship funds is September 30, 2008.

Please review the general guidelines below to assess your eligibility. If you are ready to begin, then click here to proceed to the pre application process

Applicant must

• be enrolled in or entering a university-based music business program and/or have documented proof of interest in studying both music and business-related courses (verified by coursework/declared majors indicated on uploaded spring 2008 high school or college transcript)
• possess an overall 3.0 GPA (verified by uploaded spring 2008 high school or college transcript)
• complete the eligibility quiz to enter the application system
• complete the application and related essays and provide all requested documentation before September 30, 2008
• verify full-time summer or fall 2008 enrollment in a college or university
• provide the NAMM Foundation, if selected to receive scholarship, with all necessary contact and legal documentation required for funds transfer to the school on behalf of the applicant.

To be considered for this scholarship, you must first complete and pass the eligibility quiz, complete all sections of the electronic scholarship application, submit the completed application, and upload all required materials in accepted formats.

Scholarship winners will be selected by a committee of the Board of Directors of the NAMM Foundation. Upon selection as a scholarship recipient, the applicant will be notified directly. Funds will be transferred to the student's college or university to support education-related expenses. Should the recipient leave college prior to the full depletion of the scholarship money, the remaining balance must be returned to the NAMM Foundation Scholarship Fund. Scholarship recipients will be notified within eight weeks of application submission.

If you have any questions regarding this application, please contact the NAMM Foundation staff at scholarships@namm.org

BMI Foundation Announces John Lennon Composition Scholarship Winners

The John Lennon Scholarship is awarded to young composers between the ages of 15 and 24. MENC Collegiate members are especially encouraged to apply through their chapter each year. Chapter advisors will receive materials, information, and direction from MENC in late October with composition entries due back to the advisors by December 1, 2008.

The 2008 winners and their compositions are

1st place ($10,000 scholarship): Travis Knapp, Ithaca College, “Before You Go”
2nd place ($5,000 scholarship): Enocha Tellus, Berklee College of Music, “Broken”
3rd place ($5,000 scholarship): Aaron Kaufman, Carleton College, “All My Life”
Honorable mention ($1,000 award): Sarah Tollerson, Berklee College of Music, “I’ll Sneak Away”

Collegiate members, ask your advisor in October how you can enter the 2009 competition. Visit the BMI Web page for more information and updates.
 

Question of the Month 

Each month, MENC asks its members for their input on current issues and trends in music education. This month’s question is, “What are you especially looking forward to this coming school year?” Visit http://www.menc.org/connect/poll to share your thoughts.

Ask the Mentors

Do you have questions about teaching music or finding a career? MENC's mentors have the answers!

Each month from September to May, the “Ask the Mentors” forum features a different mentor for band, orchestra, chorus, and general music. In addition, the general music forum features a guitar mentor and a mariachi mentor each month. The mentors are veteran teachers who provide advice in response to your teaching questions. Visit www.menc.org/forums to post questions and read responses, and to see the new, upgraded forums now available. 

Meet the September Mentors

Band Mentor Jeff Anderson has been a music educator in New Jersey for 43 years and is the recipient of the New Jersey “Best Practices in Education Award.” He has been involved with high school band, concert and jazz bands, competition field band, winter guard, general music, and middle school chorus. He is also a professional music adjudicator.

General Music Mentor Michele Paynter Paise is an assistant professor of vocal/general music education at the University of Idaho. An active clinician, Paise has taught both general and choral music students at the elementary through college level for the last 15 years. Paise coauthored the text, Music with the Arts and Across the Curriculum, which was published by Silver Burdett Ginn.

Chorus Mentor Kriston Feldpausch is the director of choral activities at Powhatan Junior High School in Powhatan, Virginia. She has taught in Michigan, Arizona, Georgia, and Virginia at all levels from preschool through college. In Powhatan, she teaches 7th and 8th grade chorus and is also the director of the Swing Singers, an extracurricular vocal jazz ensemble. She is also the cosponsor of the Powhatan Tri-M chapter.

Orchestra Mentor Lisa Goldman is currently the orchestra director for grades 4-12 and the music and visual arts subject coordinator for Beachwood Public Schools. She has numerous articles and publications in the area of motivating students and parents. She has been an adjudicator, clinician, and speaker at workshops and string teaching events. She is currently a violinist with Cleveland POPS orchestra and several chamber groups.

Mariachi Mentor William Gradante has spent the last 27 years teaching mariachi classes at J. P. Elder Middle School and North Side High School, while spending weekends as a professional mariachi. He is the editor of the book Foundations of Mariachi Education: Materials, Methods, and Resources, published by MENC and Rowman & Littlefield Education in April 2008.

Jazz Mentor Kimberly McCord is associate professor and coordinator of undergraduate music education at Illinois State University. Previously, she taught instrumental and general music in the Denver Public Schools for 10 years. She is a coauthor of the elementary general music improvisation book, Chop Monster, Jr. She recently completed a two-year teaching artist residency at the Henry Viscardi School for students with severe physical disabilities in Long Island.

Guitar Mentor Suzanne Shull taught public school choral and general music in the Atlanta metro area for over 30 years. As a member of the MENC Guitar Education Team (formerly MENC Guitar Task Force) for over a decade, she has taught guitar methods to music teachers throughout the US in summer workshops sponsored by GAMA, the NAMM Foundation, and MENC. She is currently serving as National Chair of the GET and teaching guitar workshops.

Visit http://www.menc.org/resources/view/mentors-september for full bios, and www.menc.org/forums to post your questions and network with other teachers.