Key Takeaways
Having an over-arching philosophy for every level you teach is essential
Realize that beginners can sound as good as advanced performers; if only on single notes
The only discipline is self-discipline
Key Takeaways
Celebrate small wins
Choose your attitude
Never be defensive or make excuses – just listen
Temper your expectations
Key Takeaways
Pop music is the folk music of today.
Learning music is like acquiring a second language and can be taught in a similar way.
Free Bonus Episode: Teaching Music as a Second Language
What Scott has to say about teaching music as a second language is very profound. So much so that it took more time than we had in this episode. But because I felt it’s so very important for you to know and understand, something that can really change your effectiveness as a teacher, I was able to persuade Scott to make a little BONUS episode where we just talk about music as a second language. This isn’t something you can just look up on YouTube or find anywhere else. It only available here, for free, to readers of the SmartMusic blog.
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This Week We Answer Three Three Questions
Why is utilizing popular music essential in expanding our music education paradigm?
How do traditional, jazz, and popular music education pedagogies differ?
How can we implement pop music into our rehearsals?
Key Takeaways
When in doubt, wait it out!
Sleep well. Eat healthy. Power walk. Practice empathy.
When you have free time, take it for real. When it’s free, it’s free – rest when you can rest.
Meet Some of My “Guests”
Here are some of the revolutionary women, featured in today’s podcast, that your students may not have heard of.
Kassia
Hildegard von Bingen
Clara Schumann
Sister Rosetta Tharpe
Delia Derbyshire
Carole King
Aretha Franklin
Bjork
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Key Takeaways
The Orff approach is a great way to get students singing harmonies and independent parts more quickly.
Singing with (and over) your students isn’t always the best way.
Be open to Orff experiences and the ways it can enrich you as a teacher, and your students as learners
Key Takeaways
Step one: clarify expectations with your principal
Building relationships is key to classroom management
Sticker charts can work!
Repetition is a good thing
Key Takeaways
You can skill give kids a festival-like experience without all the expense involved in travel.
Bring in a clinician not only to work with your students, but also to work with you.
Next level for your kids: give them a base of knowledge of the rubric language that will be used for festival evaluation.
Key Takeaways
Unlike sticker charts, grades, and incentives, promoting intrinsic motivation provides students with the purpose, autonomy, and mastery required to excel on their own.
Giving kids choice doesn’t mean a free-for-all, we can still guide their choices.
Simply asking an otherwise difficult student to complete a task, like handing out music, can give them some vital ownership of what goes on in the classroom.
Key Takeaways
“Without technology in any classroom you are fighting an uphill battle for relevance.”
“When it comes to implementing technology, start out slowly, add a little at a time.”
“Get training. There are many free resources (see below). If you don’t get trained, you won’t feel comfortable.”
In this episode we talk about:
What we can do to be calmer and more centered: no matter what is happening in the classroom
How can we deal with frustrating students, parents, colleagues, and administrators
How to bring some zen into your classroom to improve student behavior, increase student retention, and gain an overall joy of teaching
Key Takeaways
At the risk of being my own spoiler, here are this weeks’ seven key takeaways:
Eat veggies at every meal
Habitually sanitize
Prioritize rest
Start your day in silence
Connect with nature
Get your vitamin D
Be present
Key Takeaways
Especially in your first 5 years you have to give yourself a lot of grace
You have to allow yourself to make mistakes in order to become the educator you were meant to be. It takes grace to get past the struggles, criticism, and self-doubts that are common in the first few years.
Music can be a job and a hobby
Whatever feeds you – whatever makes you feel good – IS good. Just because you teach band by day doesn’t mean you can’t play in the community band by night. Go with it!
Find a mentor
This might be the most important advice I hear again and again. Find your tribe. Reach out to the more experienced directors in your area. They are so often willing to help and can become your lifelines. The hardest part is simply asking them for their help.
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Key Takeaways
We need to maintain our relationship with music
When our livelihoods begin to depend on music, our relationship with music – originally based simply on joy – can get tested. We can learn to remain connected with that original joy.
Turn up the music
“Find some sounds to drown out the shouts.” We must learn to amplify the music in our minds to drown out our anxieties.
The number one tip we can learn from the Inner Game of Music?
We need to be informed, and sometimes educated, to things that may not be in the normal pedagogy. There are two kinds of feeling or energy – that which is inside us and which is in the music itself. We can learn to merge the two.
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Key Takeaways
Everyone doesn’t have to possess the same musical skills
You don’t have to master every skill. Everyone is different. It’s fine to have priorities.
Make sure you’re doing what’s right for you
Think about your end goals and make sure you choose a training plan that’s a good fit for your priorities.
Learning musical skills that aren’t directly applicable to your work can be incredibly beneficial
You may find, for example, that exploring improvisation can produce unexpected benefits when playing written music. It’s as if it’s all mysteriously connected…
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Key Takeaways
Bring in others to listen
Have the vulnerability to bring somebody in to observe your rehearsals. It’s important to get this outsider perspective. Of course you can pick someone you’re comfortable with and from whom you’d welcome feedback and constructive criticism.
Say no more often
It’s okay to say no sometimes to somethings, both at work and at home. This is an important thing for us all to learn and practice. Take a minute to step back, evaluate, and prioritize.
The best educators delegate
You need to have open communication with parent boosters, student leadership, music staff, and other partners. Asking them for help doesn’t mean you can’t do things; it means you’re a good manager and that you value the contributions of others. Remember that people do like to hear “I need you.”
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In This Episode, We Talk About…
Teaching private lessons – in person and online
Ideas for Entrepreneurship
How can I stay in music-related work?
Tips for Success
In This Episode, We Share…
Ways to turn your hobby into a side hustle
Entrepreneur opportunities
Freelance Ideas
Tips for Success
In This Episode, You’ll Learn…
Right now many teachers are in the throes of Back to School, which can cause a fair amount of stress, anxiety, and excitement. To help, Adam walks us through how to hack our classroom by helping us answer some of the most pressing questions, including:
How do we optimize our student’s focus, even if something has shaken them emotionally before they come to our classroom?
How should we set up our room for optimal flow?
What should our room feel like for our students and how do we craft that feeling?
Most of all, why is all of this important?