Walking In Others Shoes

Most know that education is under fire, probably now more than ever before.  Those in education are feeling the heat.  And, like most everything else, the heat intensifies as it trickles down.  In the case of education, the classroom teachers will feel the most heat.  Literally livelihoods and lives are at stake.  From politicians, to parents and to administrators who haven't been in a classroom for a very long time or ever at all will direct direct the fire towards the classroom teachers.

What got me thinking about this more that usual was a recent incident I witnessed in an eating establishment.  I was returning from the restroom when this incident took place.  A gentleman was not satisfied with his meal and proceeded to berate the server, who appeared to be the age of a high school, or college student.  His rant ranged from how the meal was prepared to where he and family were seated.

I actually stopped outside the restroom door so I could watch.  The server was very calm ( but visibly shaken up) when she excused herself to go get who I assumed was a manager.  The rant was then rehashed for this person when finally the man was told their meals were on the house.

I don't know what possessed me to do so, but I approached the man as he was leaving and asked him what happened, even though I already knew.  He was happy and almost boastful to recant his story.  I then asked him if a few questions:  Was your server the person who seated you?  Answer, no.  Was your server the one who prepared your meals?  No, again.  Did the server get everything out in a timely fashion?  Was she polite and courteous?  Was water filled, and plates removed throughout the meal?  All, yes.  I then asked him why he would direct all of his anger onto a person who had nothing at all to do with everything that upset him.   He then called me a colorful name I won't repeat and stormed out.

This seemed to be what it is like in education today, as well as many other areas of society.  Finger pointing, passing blame and simply not having the knowledge to change things.  At a recent parent teacher night, I informed a parent that her son had showed some natural talent for my class, but needed to put the time into practicing and homework to properly use his talent.  Her answer was something I hear far to often.  She said, if you find the secret to getting him to do his homework, let me know, because he won't do it for me.  I simply asked this parent who was in charge here.  I didn't get called a name this time, but this parent stormed out of my room.

Education, I believe, is ever evolving and changing.  It's supposed to.  But we seem to be stuck in an industrial age mentality while the rest of the world is changing faster than ever before in history.  Education doesn't need to be reformed, it needs a complete overhaul.   Teachers must want to keep learning themselves,  while administrators, politicians and parents need to be hands on involved, not just reacting to standardized test results in hopes someone else will fix the problems.

I believe that education is a lot like my student I mentioned.  It is loaded with talent and potential, but everyone must work in order for that talent to be put in motion.  Education is much like the upset customer, let's lay the blame on one person when so many are responsible.

As far as that waitress, I left her a very nice tip and a note that said not all of us act this way, thank you for what you do.



 


   

A New Year Begins...

I know most refer to January 1 as the beginning of a new year, but after teaching for so long, my new year begins after the last contract day.  For me, that is the end of June.  So this is my time to reflect on the past year.  Not only as an educator, but in my personal life.  After this long, so much of the professional life and personal life are intertwined. 

There were some very cool things that happened along the way this past year.  Last June I was selected to be on a new committee for the Music Educators National Conference.  The group is called In-Ovations and its focus is on alternative and additional music curriculum offerings to middle and high school students.  I will blog in more detail on this topic at a later date.

In August I was inducted into the Nebraska Music Hall of Fame (I know, I didn't know there was one either until I received the call and letter).   A few weeks after this happened I had the good fortune of working with Rosanne Cash for a couple of days.  This was an incredible learning experience.

Probably the most significant event for me was getting my masters.  The coolest part of this experience was the ceremony fell on the same day as my oldest son's high school graduation.  My  ceremony was held 50 miles away, and it was running behind, so when I was handed my diploma I kept walking right out of the building with some poor college kid running after me saying I missed my turn back to my seat.  I'm not sure how long she followed me,  but I didn't see her at my son's graduation.

In April I had my first article published in our state journal on the School of Rock.  You can find that article and link in an earlier blog.  In that same vain, I ran a pilot program this past year on the history of rock.  It became so popular I have been asked to write a 9 week course for 8th graders to begin next school year.  I have also been told that the classes are already full.  So much of July will be devoted to putting that program together.

This will also be the first summer break in many years that I will not be taking classes.  My one indulgence will be to take private lessons on guitar.  Even though it's my main instrument, I have never taken lessons.   I have also filled the summer with many gigs (you know, because teaching pays so well).  For down time, I plan on hiding out in my garden and doing some serious "porch/deck-time" with my family. 

I will also spend my time away from school going through my teaching journal and look back on what worked well and what I need to work on to keep my program moving in the right direction.   I highly recommend if you are an educator, to keep a weekly/monthly journal throughout your school year.  It really has a motivating affect on attitude for the upcoming school year.  For me it really helps keep things fresh and helps to drive my quest for learning!

Please have a safe and wonderful Fourth of July.  Send good thoughts and prayers for those who are without homes and were forced to re-build and/or relocate after all of the crazy weather this season.

Reflections...

Tonight is my final night for my grad class Social Learning, as well as my final class for the Doane College Program.  We have been asked to blog our reflections of the class, as well as answer a few questions.

We were asked if social networking has made a difference in our classroom, and for me it has been significant.  The first thing I did, with my administration's permission, was to set up a Facebook account for my classes.  As a music educator, I deal with hundreds of students every day.  My initial intention was to cut down on paper use.  Not necessarily to "go green", but when sending so many newsletters and fliers home for schedules and upcoming events, it does involve a great deal of paper, not to mention there is no guarantee that those newsletters and fliers will even make it home.  (Can you imagine middle school students losing such things?  It was a surprise to me.)

Of course the results have been wonderful.  This is how today's students work in their daily lives, Facebook, Twitter, IM and on and on.  Just the simple fact of having a Facebook account for my different ensembles also allows my students to take a more pro-active role in our programs.  They advertise concerts, post performance videos and pictures.  They share websites of other programs and ensembles that are related to our subject.  Of course I have the power, and responsibility, to oversee all before any of it actually shows up on the account.

My plan is to continue to work on expanding my personal learning network as well as taking advantage of so many of the open source educational technology programs that are offered and being developed as we speak.  I also want to include my students in not only the use of these programs, but their input on how we as a class will use them.  Again, this is their world and I truly believe in the "Wisdom of Crowds".

Online education education is going to continue to expand and flourish.  I feel strongly that online education is not going to change what we learn, but how we learn.   This means education, as a whole, must change it's approach and overall philosophy.  I feel fortunate to work in a district where they are embracing this new wave.  I still hear educators and administrators who talk as if all this is a passing fad, which I find very upsetting.  Education is all about evolution, sharing, communication and continued learning.  Teachers must take the approach that yes, we are educators, but if we ever stop being students at the same time, we will not be effective as teachers.

Social Media: Where are we going?

I have become addicted to TED Talks.  We viewed another tonight in my grad class on the impact social media can have and how much and how quickly this all changed.  Clay Shirky-How social media made history is one of the many wonderful in the TED series.  He gave a brief history of the history of social media and how and who it affected and compared it to today's social media.  And like many of the articles and videos on the topic of social media and the globalization of communication, it is both inspiring and overwhelming at the same time. 

One of the questions brought up in class relating to the video and subject was if, or how today's generation will handle social media?  Being old enough to see the changes, I find myself working very hard to keep up, though unlike some colleagues and friends, I enjoy the revolution and the change and challenge.  But today's students (my own children included) are growing up with all of this and don't know any other way.

With all of this, I truly believe there is a responsibility that comes with social media and how one uses these resources.  I feel as an educator and parent, it is my responsibility to do the best I can in guiding my children and students to make responsible decisions. 

Wonderful Message

In my grad class we watched another wonderful TED Talk. I wanted to share this with my friends who are educators, administrators, politicians and most important, parents.  This is Will Richardson speaking on the status of education and how we need to "change". 

Follow-Up to "Improvisation" Blog

In my last blog I wrote of my plans to implement some different techniques in teaching improvisation to one of my jazz ensembles.  The ensemble I used was my Jazz Lab group.  This group is a non-auditioned group that is for students who didn't get into the jazz band or who do not play a traditional jazz band instrument, but still wish to learn and play jazz music.

For warm-ups I had every student take a four bar improv solo over blues changes.  But instead of having them use a blues scale, I made them pick one note out of that scale.  It was intended to get them over their fear of soloing, which it did.  But what I really liked was the students who were comfortable about trying solos really had to work on making their one note creative and interesting.  In other words, they had to put all of their focus on rhythms, spacing and phrasing rather than melodic and pitch content.

This was a great exercise and I plan on using this and other techniques from the article "How to Make Your Musical Improvisation More Interesting" with my jazz band in the next couple of weeks.  I will keep you posted.

Baby-Steps to Improvisation

The interest in jazz has grown a great deal since I started teaching at La Vista Junior High School.  Though I am not a jazz guru, I love jazz.  I love to listen, play and continue learning about this wonderful genre.  One of the biggest obstacles for most students (middle or high school) is getting over the fear of improvisation.  Especially in front of their peers.  I have had students cut loose in a private lesson, but freeze up in front of their band mates. 

I found a wonderful article on easing into the improv. world, "How to Make Your Musical Improvisation More Interesting".  I am going to implement some of these techniques with my jazz lab band later this week.  I will do a follow-up very soon after the rehearsal to let you know the results.

Mistaken Identification & ASCAP Methods

I recently had an experience that both angered me and started me thinking about how one organization does business.  As a musician I try to keep an active performance schedule.  First and most, I enjoy playing music.  I also feel it makes me a better teacher, as well as giving me a great deal of validity with my students.  Plus, I need the work (since teaching pays so well). 

I began booking gigs for the upcoming summer.  I happen to be at a place that I have played several times a year for the past few years.  When asked about booking dates, the owner of this establishment informed me that, until just recently, he had no intention of booking me again and was actually angry with me.  That was until he did some research and investigating and cleared things up.  So naturally, I asked what happened.

The owner of this establishment received a letter of warning that he was to pay his ASCAP (American Society of Composers, Artists and Publishers) fees if he continues to have live music at his place of business.  ASCAP fees can run up to a couple of thousand dollars per year, depending on the place of business.  Now, for many small businesses this is a great deal of money, so some will do away with the live music and others will take there chances on being caught and fined.  Fines can run into the thousands and even jail time.

ASCAP sends people out all over the country in search of violators.  They pose as customers and then report back with their findings.  In this case, the owner did a little research to find out who this person was and when he was told the name, he was bewildered and angry...with me.  The person who reported him was Mark Irvin!  Yep, that's right, the same name as ME!  Fortunately someone convinced the owner to look into it further and found out this Mark Irvin was from Tennessee.

This whole process is somewhat of a 'catch-22' for me.  On one hand, being a songwriter and recording artist, I really appreciate the help and support for artists' rights provided by organizations such as ASCAP and BMI.

On the other hand, I have to question ASCAP's methods for seeking out violators.  In this case it not only came close to me losing a job, but much worse, me losing my reputation and good standings in my community and even throughout the Midwest.   If this would not have been straightened out, word of such things can spread quickly through similar venues as well as the music community.

I am not sure what the answers are.  The copyright laws can be very confusing and overwhelming.  The more I study them, the more confused and frustrated I become.

Passion For What You Do

Project PLN hosts some wonderful articles on teachers who are passionate about what they do.  In reading many of these, I almost felt as if I were part of this seceret club.  One I really enjoyed was Teach With Passion by Josh Stumpenhorst. 

Stumpenhorst posts a list of his definitions on what passion for your work is.  These are defenetaly going to be posted in my office.  As a music educator and professional musician I know for a fact that most of what I talk to family and friends about are these two subject and it drives them crazy.  I am often told from my wife or sons "New subject...Please!" 

In reading these artiles it is both comforting as well as motivational to me that there are so many others that feel this way about what they do.

I highly recomend posting Josh's list,  it will help remind you of why you do what you do!

Getting Advice On Social Networking

More on readings assigned for my grad class involved advice on social networking, which again I find very relevant to teaching and expanding social networking within the classroom and school district.  One of the points made was being positive and encouraging, when it can be so easy to be negative and critical in such forums.
As a music educator, I have now set up several groups on Facebook for my different school ensembles.  On this site, I can share news, schedules, assignments and even share performance videos.  The one thing I do make sure is that, for example, when a student goes to a YouTube link of their performance, I make sure that the students or whoever they share such links with, cannot make comments.  These are not meant to be critiques or reviews.  Setting up such parameters also can put parents at ease and more willing to let their child be a part of this type of social networking.

"Wisdom of Crowds" and Joining In

In my grad class we were assigned some readings, and one struck me not so much for the content itself, but the fact that, like me, so much of this new way of sharing educational ideas was new to the blogger, and he is a first year principal.  Within my district, administration has been very open to using applications such as Facebook, Blogging and Twitter and bringing them into the classroom and community.

So many educators are very reluctant to engage in these types of forums, and are not only missing wonderful learning experiences for themselves, but more importantly, missing out on educational opportunities for their students.

School of Rock Article...coming in the April NMEA Journal

This is an excerpt from my article that will be published in the April Nebraska Music Educators Journal.

 

SCHOOL OF ROCK

A Different Approach to Music Education

When you think of music education curriculum, you probably are not expecting Pink Floyd, AC/DC, The Ramones, Neil Young or Queen as part of or the foundation of a music education curriculum.   But, this is exactly what I saw and heard while spending a day at one of the School of Rock sites in Montclair, NJ.  And yes, this is music education!

            Most are probably familiar with the film, School of Rock, but there really is such a thing as School of Rock, or more accurately, Schools of Rock.  There are over 50 Schools of Rock in 23 states (Nebraska just opened a site in Omaha). The School of Rock was started in 1998 by Paul Green in Philadelphia, PA.  

            Last summer, while presenting a couple of sessions for the MENC in Washington D.C., I met Mark Biondi who is the National Director of Operations for School of Rock.  Mark invited me to come out east and visit one of these programs.  I was finally able to take him up on his offer.

Social Learning

I am now in week two of a grad class called Social Learning.  Last week we set up Twitter accounts and asked to use it throughout the week.  I posted a few things on a trip I did out east for a project and it was really nice to get some immediate feedback on this project.  It got me thinking of how nice it will be if I am in need of some help or opinions while working and not having to wait until after the work day where it might be forgotten or left all together and moving to something different.