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.