Readings #4 due 9-29-11

Bauer- Classroom Management for Ensembles

What Bauer was trying to get at with this article was basic steps or ways to be a better teacher and how to make things run more smoothly in the classroom setting. He focused on things such as being proactive and planning ahead. This leads to having lesson plans and preparing scores so you are ahead of the students and ready to answer questions. He also mentioned making sure that students and teachers should come into class with “minds-on” and ready to teach/learn. Another good idea mentioned was having a discipline plan ready so when a student acts up the teacher does is ready to react and able to set the student right.

All of the teachers I have had have always been ready for class and ready to teach. They either had a good set lesson plans or scores studied. In my high school band we had trouble with students always being ready to learn and not having “minds-on” as Bauer says. It disrupted from rehearsal a bit because students would be talking and it would make it hard to focus for the students that were ready to learn. The only discipline plan our teacher had for students disrupting class was lowering their grade for the day.

I completely agree with everything in this article. I love the idea of needing to be proactive. I believe being ahead of the game and having plans ready and just being ready for class in general will make you more happy, making the students more excited to come to class. No student wants to go to a class were the teacher is not happy and not ready for the class.  I also agree that always acting and speaking like a professional is very important. If you can not separate your self from the students mentally and emotionally, you should not be in front of them trying to teach them. I believe students show more respect for someone with authority than if someone was acting just like them.

Marzano-The Key to Classroom Management

Marzano’s article was mostly about creating a good friendly, interactive relationship with your students. Research shows that students prefer to have a teacher who will work with them and have a friendlier attitude. If students get along with the teacher they are less likely to act up. The other part of this article was mostly about establishing expectations and consequences. If a student understands the expectations and the consequences if they don not meet those expectations they will be more likely to not push limits and see how much they can get away with. 

In high school my choir director was really friendly and had a good relationship with all of her students. I always felt more “at home” in choir than any other class just because of the atmosphere from the teacher.

I agree having a good relationship with the students is good but I believe that you should still be a little distant because if you are too close to students that could become a problem in the future. Establishing expectations and consequences early is a very good idea. Students need to know what you are expecting of them, just like you know they are expecting you to teach them. Consequences are good to establish also so that students know if they misbehave they can not come up to you saying “but I didn’t know that was going to happen if I did this.”

Reading #2 Due 9-15-11

Eisner-Preparing for Today and Tomorrow
I disagree with this article. I believe the best way to teach and prepare students for the future should be based on the past. If students dont know what happened in the past how can they learn from mistakes of others and make a better future. Just ignoring past mistakes is not a good way to go. Mistakes are the greatest learning device, I believe.


Leonard-Qualities that make some directors outstanding
I agree with Leonard when he says that the director must maintain regular contact with every student and and every parent. This way the students will know you care about them and feel more confident. The parents will also know you are interested in how the individual student is doing and you care if they are succeeding. I understand how it is hard to maintain a regular contact with over 100 students if you have a large ensemble or so but even just a simple hello or so as a student passes and asking how they are doing every couple days is sometimes all it takes. I also agree how preparation is a huge thing. If you go into a class not knowing what your doing no student will respect you. Making you lose your authority and losing control in the classroom. I know i would think it would be a huge joke if my teacher came into the class completely unprepared without the score ready. Maybe not knowing what the beat pattern was or not knowing what part had the melody. Just not ready to teach.


Kantorski- Characteristics of a good teacher
I agree with this article. I believe that these are characteristics we see in every great teacher we have all had since we were little. Such as being organized, of course, if you can keep all of your stuff together instead of always loosing things and being all over the place and you can just always know where something is and not waste time your going to just be better off in general. I agree with asking questions that make students think a little more also. I believe anyone can just repeat information but if you can ask them a question to make sure they understand the information you gave to them then you know they really learned what you wanted them to learn.

Reading #1 due 9-8-11

Campbell Chapter 1
I agree with the author when she mentions music as a "fall-back" career, and how teaching is not for everyone. She says how many people consider teaching music as the career to get into if they couldn't make it in another musical career such as composing or performing. Only some people are ment to be teachers and have the personal skills to be a teacher. Not just anyone who knows music very well can teach it. In Campbell's section "Tales of Five Musicians" I do not agree how she says that people who declare an interest in music education were incredibly sucessful and the best in their high schools. I believe many students can find a great career in music education and be very interested in it even if they're not "the best".

Campbell Chapter 2
I agree when the author says music educators personally "must have music" in their lives because If you don't have a passion for music and your trying to teach it, you can become a boring teacher who hates what they are doing with their lives.

Bianco-Ohio's First School Band Contest
I don't think it was fair that each band in the contest could only enter 2 or less soloist. I feel anyone who wanted to compete should have a chance. It makes me thankful for solo and ensemble contest we have now. I like how the march back then was used as a warm up and not judged. Before contest now, good opportunities to warm up are not given. I do like how the "Review of bands" seemed more light-spirited and more of just a friendly fun competition.

Sanders-Important influences on the Intro of Music in Ohio's Schools
Its very interesting to see how big of an impact Ohio was in bring music out west in school. The thing I didn't like about this article was that it was mostly about the spread of music to the west when the article was about music in Ohio's schools. So before I read it I was expecting something a little different