Balancing the Baton (eBook)

Chapter 1.

So, you got the job. Now what?

Okay, so you’ve accepted a teaching position. Wonderful! Whether you are starting your career as an elementary, middle school, or high school director, chances are you are starting in a public or private school, not a music school or conservatory. For the last four to six years, you have most likely been in the company of people who sleep, eat, and breathe music, a music “bubble” if you will. For this reason, you may assume the students whom you will be teaching have that same mentality, especially if you are a high school director. It is important to remember that for most of your students (and their parents), no matter what the age or skill level, a cold hard reality is that the music program is probably not the top priority and never trumps academics or even sports. Approach your specific situation soberly and think realistically, working to make your program attractive and appealing so that students choose to be a part of it. I will touch upon some ways of doing that in another chapter.

As you assess your situation and begin to develop a realistic mindset, it is important that you also have realistic expectations for your students. It has been my experience that your expectations should be based on the students’ level of skill and understanding of musical concepts when you first meet them. In assessing their knowledge and skills, focus on what they are doing correctly and praise them for it. Make notes mentally or jot them down on the spot. Be sure that you highlight the specific skills and knowledge on which you will need to focus your instruction by section, student, and with the entire ensemble.

Never show frustration with students for not knowing something they were never taught. Never say things to the class like, “You should know this” or “you should have been taught this.” Statements like that do nothing but demoralize your students and are disrespectful to their former teacher, who may have been someone they liked and admired. That would not make for a good first impression. Whatever you encounter, if you approach it with patience, encouragement, and even a bit of humor, you will be able to help your students move forward and lead them to where they need to be. This may seem obvious, but it doesn’t happen automatically. You need to be intentional. It is important to remember that the students in your program are enrolled for their benefit and are not there for your benefit. They are looking to you to give them a meaningful and enjoyable musical experience, not to feed your ego, become your dream ensemble, or for your personal musical fulfillment. As your mindset becomes more centered on looking at your program from the students’ perspective, and actively getting to know your students as people, no matter the age. You can build a relationship with your students where they feel a healthy connection to you. This connection will help you to get them “on your team” so that most of the students feel invested in the program. That’s when you can achieve good things together!

Key Components of a Healthy Connection with your students

1. Learn their first names and refer to each student by that name or their preferred nickname. Be sure to practice the correct pronunciation of each child’s first and last name. This is especially important in multi-cultural/multi-lingual settings where our “American English” pronunciation of the letters may be way off. Studying their pictures on your class lists before meeting them for the first time, if possible, will be very helpful. Soon you will probably begin to associate their first names and faces with their instruments. Over time I’ve found that I still remember the faces and instruments long after forgetting the names. Many years ago, while having dinner with my wife in a T.G.I. Friday’s, a former middle school student, who was by that time in her twenties, came over to our table and said, “Hi Mr. A!” As I looked up, I immediately remembered her face, although she was probably fourteen the last time that I saw her. The first word I said to her was, “Flute! You played the flute!” Once I made that connection, her name immediately came back to me, and we had a brief but very pleasant conversation. She made it a point to tell me how much fun she had in band and how she still stays in touch with some of her former “bandies” even though they had all since graduated.
2. Show interest in their interests. For example, you may have a student who is a serious hockey player, but you don’t follow hockey and you can’t even stand up on skates. It costs but a few seconds to ask “Hey, how’s the hockey thing going?” If you had taught older siblings of theirs in your program, ask about how they are doing from time to time and listen attentively to the response.
3. This is especially important when communicating with parents of students whose siblings you’ve taught before. It only takes a second to ask after them, and parents appreciate that you still care.
4. Be approachable, flexible, and compassionate. This goes back to your music program not generally being the top priority for your students. You need to understand that the students have lives outside of the band, orchestra, or choir, so if a student needs to miss a scheduled lesson or rehearsal for a special circumstance either in or outside of school and comes to you to explain, they usually,

1. , want to be at the music activity and realize that it is important.
2. , are feeling pressure from different sides.
3. , are not trying to get out of something.
4. Remember, I said usually. Follow up with the teacher or parent for verification.
5. It is very important that you listen attentively to the student’s situation using approachable body language, as in no folded arms or foreboding glares over the top of your glasses, etc. This also means that you are not looking at your computer screen, phone, or anything else, just the eyes of the student.
6. If the student is not looking back at your eyes, don’t assume that the student is being dismissive or disrespectful. In some cultures, it is considered disrespectful to look an authority figure in the eyes while conversing. It could also be possible that the student is just uncomfortable, so don’t make it an issue.
7. Upon listening intently to the student, decide what, if any, allowances you should make. Use caution. With every decision you make you will set a policy precedent that may be expected by other students, so be sure to have a written attendance policy and base your decisions in such matters on that policy. This way, any allowances you make at the request of a student can be taken case by case, thus allowing you to be flexible and “fair”. So, what does that mean, “fair”? The best definition I have found for “fairness” that I’ve used to diffuse unpleasant situations is this, and I’m paraphrasing. “Fairness is the act of doing the same thing for someone that I would do for another person if they were in the exact same situation.” In other words, if Johnnie and Suzie both miss the dress rehearsal for a concert, I may excuse Johnnie because his mom is sick in the hospital and he wants to see her, but I may not excuse Suzie because she has a big math test the next day or made plans to go to the movies with friends. If Suzie or her parent were to question the fairness of that decision, my answer would refer to that definition. So, if Suzie was visiting her sick mother in the hospital, she too would be excused. You must be consistent so that students clearly know your expectations. You must demonstrate understanding and compassion while also emphasizing the importance of commitment to the rest of the ensemble. The goal is that they have the best experience and achieve highest quality performance possible.
8. If you want respect, be respectable.
9. Say what you mean and mean what you say. Never Lie! Your students aren’t expecting you to be perfect, but they have every right to expect honesty. If your students can’t count on you to tell them the truth, no amount of virtuosity or knowledge will matter. Answer students’ questions honestly and don’t hesitate to admit when you don’t know something. A statement I have always made to my students whether high school, middle, or elementary is, “I will never lie to you, or lie for you.” It is important that your students see your example of integrity as consistent. For instance, if a student cuts class and asks you to say that he or she was with you in the music room to avoid getting in trouble, your answer must be “no”. Don’t think for a moment that your students will see you as the “cool” teacher if you lie to a colleague to cover for them. On the contrary, at that point your respectability in the eyes of your students will be diminished, and you will inadvertently encourage others to exploit your lack of...