•  Simple and compound time
•  Syncopation
•  Major and pentatonic scales (Bb, Ab, Db ,Gb)
•  Theme and variation
•  Melodic inversion
•  Rhythmic augmentation
•  Polymeter
•  Canon
•  Korea
•  The Ford Foundation Young Composers Project

    When analysis is complete, identify three to five musical goals for students to achieve during the study of the selected composition. For Variations on a Korean Folk Song, I have selected four goals from three categories.

•  Technical elements: simple and compound time, syncopation
•  Technical elements: major and pentatonic scales
•  Historical perspective: Ford Foundation Young Composers Project
•  Form: theme and variations (folksongs)

    The final step is to study the CCSS Anchor Standards (ELA) and develop student activities that will accomplish your musical goals for students and meet the standards.
    One of the Anchor Standards for Writing [CCSS.ELA-LITERACY. CCRA.W.7] states that students should “conduct short as well as more sustained research projects based on focused questions, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation.” Instrumental music teachers can integrate this standard by asking students to answer focused questions about Variations on a Korean Folk Song. Students should compose the answers outside of class, with the option to submit them either on paper or electronically. Sample writing prompts that address the musical goals identified above might include:

•  Do you like music in simple or compound time? Why?
•  Describe syncopation in your own words.
•  List four possible ways in which composers vary a theme in music (Theme and Variation form).
•  What is your favorite American folk song? Why?
•  What is a major scale, and how is it constructed?
•  What is a pentatonic scale, and how is it constructed?

    Another Anchor Standard for Writing [CCSS.ELA-LITERACY. CCRA.W.10] states that students should “write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of tasks, purposes, and audiences.” Teachers can provide creative writing prompts that can be answered by the students in one sitting, or develop more complex questions that require extended time (perhaps a week or two). To accomplish the musical goal on the Ford Foundation Young Composers Project, I would ask students to produce an essay that describes what it might be like to have the composer in the classroom each day during the school year, as John Barnes Chance was at Greensboro High School. Possible ideas to include in the essay would be what students might ask the composer about his music, what they might ask the composer to change, and what kind of music they would want an in-residence composer to write for their group.
    An Anchor Standard for Reading [CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.R.1] asks that students “read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it.” A second Reading Standard [CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.R.10] states that students should “read and comprehend complex literary and informational text independently and proficiently.” Another way to achieve the historical perspective goal is to ask students to read a short historical account of the Young Composers Project. Additionally, students could read biographical information about the composer. Students may write a short response or summary about the assigned readings.
    One of the Anchor Standards for Speaking and Listening [CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.SL.4] states that students should “present information, findings, and supportive evidence such that listeners can follow the line of reasoning.” To reach the musical goal of having students study theme and variations form, teachers can design a listening project that results in students presenting their findings to the class – or to the audience at the concert. Guided listening activities for Variations on a Korean Folk Song might ask students to find the melody in each variation, identify the instruments that play it, and then present those findings. Another listening activity might ask students to identify each variation as simple or compound time; this has the added bonus of connecting to one of the other musical goals I established.
    Directors often lament that adding more to their already overflowing plate means that they will have to reduce the amount of music they prepare for the next concert. While that might be the case, it should be noted that most of the activities above could be completed outside of the classroom. Rehearsal time is a cherished resource; teachers should use only what class time is needed to guide student activities and then allow the students to complete the work on their own time.  

Common Core Basics for Music Teachers
    Designed by National Governors Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers, the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) are designed to prepare students for entry-level careers, freshman-level college coursework, and workforce training programs. With high-stakes testing still at the forefront of education, it has become imperative that teachers in all disciplines understand and authentically integrate the standards in their classrooms.2
    The CCSS are organized into two areas: English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics. Within the ELA category, the standards are further divided into Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects, which are specific by discipline and grade level, and College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards, which are broad and reach across multiple grade levels. The broadness of the Anchor Standards make them a natural fit for instrumental music educators, who typically instruct multi-grade classrooms. The ELA Anchor Standards are divided into reading (ten standards, writing (ten standards), speaking and listening (six standards), and language (six standards).

Endnotes
1 Integrating the Common Core Standards into the Music Classroom by Tom Foust (Illinois Music Educators Association Conference, 2013).
2 Common Core State Standards ().

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    Kenmore East High School in Tonawanda, New York recently installed a performance stage in its atrium, near the entrance to the school. The halls around the music wing are now brimming with even more activity and a new energy. Mornings at Kenmore East are often filled with music from band students and the new stage invites even more talent to be showcased in an easily accessible space. Says band director Phil Aguglia, “Students do not need permission to use the stage, just inspiration. We would hear anything from woodwind trios to jazz standards to Billy Joel, and it was common for music to be going in the morning and until 5:30 in the afternoon every day. At Christmastime, there were hardly any minutes where the stage wasn’t being used for Christmas music. It was like walking into the mall.
    “Back in October, we hosted a school from Germany for a jazz festival here in town. They were here from Friday night through Monday morning, and Monday morning before they left, they put on a concert for the entire school. Sometimes, the last thing kids want to do in the morning is go to school. If you hit them with some big band music as they walk in the door, it changes the atmosphere.”
    Aguglia was instrumental in the creation of the new stage. “I took a hard look at the space one day and realized it would be a cool little theater.” The stage, designed with help from seniors Ashley Henderson and Ariana Porter and sophomore Jake Aguglia, brings pizzazz to the hall. “It was simple; we added a stage and a carpet with the school mascot and hung pictures around it. We bought stools and tables for across the hall so it became more of an inviting space to sit and watch.” Posters from previous Kenmore East Fine Arts Festivals will soon also decorate the walls.
    Many people take advantage of the new stage, not only band students. “It was originally intended for the International Baccalaureate students,” said Aguglia. “To graduate, they need to perform solo pieces publicly so they can build their portfolio, but the auditorium is an intimidating place. With the stage, I hoped it would make for a less intimidating environment. With this new hallway space, we have something more intimate than the auditorium. We bought a small dashcam recording device and a tripod, and students can perform for whomever is there and get the credit they need.” Theatre students use the stage for skits and public speaking classes have gone there for practice talking to a crowd.
    A great deal of work was put into making the stage such a beautiful addition to Kenmore East. The building and grounds crew donated both the lumber and the time to build the stage framework, and then a local flooring company had just enough high-end bamboo engineered flooring left over from a job to cover the stage. They charged pennies on the dollar for it.
    To raise money for the materials, the carpet with the school logo, dark blue blinds for the window, 15 stools, and two cafe tables and chairs Aguglia  drafted a letter explaining the plan and asking for donations, promising that those who donated $50 or more would have their names on a plaque. “Our plaque is a blue guitar donated by Music Is Art, a local organization founded by Robby Takac, the bass player for the Goo Goo Dolls. I gave the guitar to an engraver, who put the plexiglass layering over it and added the nameplates.” The music boosters also loaned money to the school to help pay for the installation.
    An underused hall is now filled with activity and expression. Principal Patrick Heyden said, “It’s great to see students up front and center with their talents. They were able to turn that bland area into something that promoted the arts.”    

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The First Day
    In the earliest stages the key is convincing students that improvisation is something at which they can be successful. To do this, start with what students know, such as a Bb major scale. I give them the notes of the major pentatonic, explaining that this is just the same scale they play in band every day, but with no fourth or seventh scale degree, and tell students they can do whatever they want, but they are limited to those notes. If you assign the Bb major pentatonic over a repeated Bb chord and students stay within the pentatonic, there are no wrong notes. In addition, I limit students to two measures at a time to get everyone playing right off the bat.
    This gives students immediate success, and they realize from the beginning that they can improvise. With extremely reluctant students, I give them Bb and either C or D, and have them create a solo using those two notes. This is usually enough of a limitation that even the shyest students succeed. It is sometimes a matter of getting over a psychological wall that students have. I have never had a situation where a student has not been able to improvise at the end of a session with that information.

Chord Changes
    Start by picking an easy blues, such as Blues by Five or Sonnymoon for Two, and continue using the major pentatonic. Avoid the blues scale for a while, as the clash with the basic harmony in the blues prevents the students from realizing that the blues, indeed, does have a chord progression. The IV chord in the fifth measure is a critical harmonic signpost.
    The importance of this hit me when listening to an honor band play round robin on the blues. Out of 18 students, only four of them hit the IV chord. None of the rest of them seemed to recognize that there was harmony in the blues. This showed me that it’s not the players – they were great players – or the teachers, but rather the focus of what the teaching has been. We place great importance on catching chord changes.
    When we get to the IV chord in the fifth measure, we use what I call root default, which is only playing the root of the current chord. For example, in Bb blues, students would use the major pentatonic over the first four bars and then play Eb, the root of the chord, in the fifth measure. After that is established, students can move merrily on their way. The aim is for students to understand that the blues has harmony and that the IV chord is critical. I want students to develop an ear for that.
    I avoid explaining root default as Eb in the original key or referring to it the fourth scale degree. Root default means playing the root of the current chord. If you explain it as the fourth scale degree, you get into using the whole major scale, and we want to avoid the fourth and seventh scale degrees at this stage in the game; it’s a little too early.
    Do the same for measure nine, which is often either the only minor chord in a major blues, or a V. If it is a blues like Freddie Freeloader with a V to IV progression, we use root default on the V, then slide down to the IV chord, which is also root default. What’s great about sticking to the roots of chords for anything other than a I chord is that students start to hear the harmony sliding down, which is a characteristic sound in the blues. If students can hear that, then you have three harmonic signposts in the blues.
    If the ninth measure has a minor ii chord, I have students use root default again, but then I teach them about the third of the ii chord. Although I prefer to stick with root default in most cases, the third of the ii chord is a great landing note. Some students will stay with the root default, while others get more adventurous and are willing to try the third. Even at this stage in the game, students are starting to fill in the blanks a little, but it is not too much information for them. In addition, students now know the harmonic framework for the blues.

Adding Scales for the Blues
    Limiting students to these signposts plus the major pentatonic scale keeps things manageable. Later the dominant scale or minor pentatonic can be added. When moving to these scales, I explain that one characteristic of the blues is the flat third, but that it only applies to the blues; in another context, the third is not lowered. It is important that students understand that. The minor pentatonic is a specific application, and one of the common mistakes I have seen is that the blues can make students blind to the harmony. I have seen good players try to play over dominant chords in standard tunes using the blues scale. It doesn’t sound right. Students should learn early that the minor pentatonic and the flattened third are only used in a specific context.

Bass Players
    Although music may include suggested bass lines, it might be better to teach the bass player to read changes and create bass lines. Even if a bass player reads only tabs, that player can function in combo without needing to read a note of music. West Coast bass player Tom Warrington suggests that the bassist play four roots per measure, so the harmony is established. Then, teach approach tones; on the I chord, play Bb for three beats, with a D on beat four. This leads beautifully into the root of the IV chord, Eb. You can then add a leading tone on beat two, creating a line that is Bb, A, Bb, D, or put a fifth on beat two to produce a bass line that is a little more involved. Avoid having the bassist simply run an eighth-note scalar walking line. At this stage, this doesn’t define the harmony well enough.

Pianists and Guitarists
    A common problem with written jazz charts is that the piano parts are much more difficult than jazz piano should be. The texture is much too thick, because the piano part frequently voices the full ensemble chord for two-hand piano. Even students who are excellent classical piano players can get discouraged trying to play written charts that jump all over the piano. If you give students a few simple voicings and limit them to comping rhythms, they will have much more initial success and learn to think about jazz piano as they ought.
    All a pianist (or a guitarist) initially needs is right-hand shell voicings – the third and seventh of the chord. Adding the root to those two produces what is called a closed shell voicing, but the bass is covering the root, so it is unnecessary for the pianist to cover it. Another interesting shell sound is the third and the ninth. On a Bb7 chord, playing D and the adjacent C produces a simple, but hip, sound.
    At first I have piano players play whole notes. The role of the piano player, whether in a big band or a combo, is in the solo section, so I like to think of comping rhythms as a conversation with the soloist. Below are rhythmic patterns pianists can handle if the voicings are easy enough.

Drummers
    The first step with most inexperienced drummers is vocabulary removal. Take away the bass drum pedal and have the student play an unadorned straight quarter-note pattern on the ride cymbal while also hitting beats two and four on the hi-hat. Fills should delineate the architecture; in a 12-bar blues, start with a simple fill on bar 12 to delineate the return to bar one. Keep fills simple. A good start is quarter notes down the kit – cymbal on one, snare on two, tom on three, and bass on four. Sonny Payne made a career of such fills with Count Basie.
    Later you can vary the ride pattern with quarter, two eighths, quarter, two eighths. Make sure the drummer understands the difference between time solos and actual solos.

The Next Step
    Good tunes for beginning combo (and, by all means, teach these by ear) include Saints Go Marchin’ In, Little Sunflower, St. Thomas, Tenor Madness, Red’s Good Groove, One for Daddy-O, and Blues in the Closet, Summertime, Blues for My Father, Autumn Leaves, I’ve Grown Accustomed to Your Face, and I Can’t Get Started.
    As a jazz educator, when I started teaching improvisation, I felt rudderless and a little hopeless. What kept me going was my students’ thirst for knowledge and my realization that I had to get better – for them and for myself as a teacher. These techniques will work and prove that you can teach jazz well.   

* * *

Suggested Books for Beginning Combos

Maiden Voyage
By Jamey Aebersold
    This is Volume 54 of the series, which now numbers over 100 play-along disks with written tunes. This volume has 14 standard tunes, most of which are readily accessible to beginning improvisers. Another useful Aebersold volume for beginning improvisers is Volume 24, Major and Minor. Each cut is in one key, so you can teach students a major pentatonic and turn them loose. (Jamey Aebersold Jazz)

Cutting the Changes
By Antonio Garcia
    This is a landmark work that allows students to improvise over 13 standard tunes using only major scales. In the initial presentation, Garcia removes the chord changes to free improvisers to think melodically rather than vertically. This approach is excellent in eliminating the glass ceiling that has students playing mathematically rather than expressively. (Kjos)

The Real Easy Book
By Chuck Sher and Sher Music
    This is superior teaching material for beginning combo players. There are 42 standard tunes, many of which can be taught in conjunction with published big band charts. This is a great way to develop soloists for big band. An excellent feature of this series is the help it gives students and teachers with rhythm section – simple, good piano voicings (three-note and rootless), sample bass lines, and useful scales. (Sher Music)

The Real Book
    There are over 400 tunes in this book, which is sold in various keys. Books of this sort (legal and illegal) have been around for years, but this set is considerably cleaned up and more accurate. The latest Real Books include recorded accompaniment for every tune. (Hal Leonard)

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    Performing music on parade is a strange phenomenon. Unlike any other performance, we present the music one section of the band at a time while marching past our audience. Although there is a degree of blending as drums and brass drive their sounds through rows of woodwinds, the audience hears a distinct presentation of sections as the band passes. Careful work on balancing melody, countermelody, ostinato, bass line, harmonic supporting lines, and percussion during rehearsals is lost on the street. There is a better way to present the balance established in the rehearsal room while on parade, although it breaks a long-standing parade block tradition.
    We line up sections in files from the front to the back instead of in ranks across the band. Flutes and clarinets are alternated down the outside files. These instruments do not project as well as the saxophones and brass, so placing them closer to the edge of the band makes it easier to hear these parts. Usually we have enough flutes and piccolos to also fill the front rank for a uniform look coming down the street. The trumpet section fills the center file. They balance equally on each side playing through the other winds. Saxes, mellophones, and remaining clarinets take up the second file on one side and trombones, baritones, and tenor saxes are assigned to the second file on the other side.
    The drumline balances in the traditional formation two thirds of the way back in ranks across the block. They communicate better that way within their section, and at the two thirds mark they balance forward to the majority while still being heard (or felt) by the ranks behind them. Tuba players are spaced through the center trumpet file from the back to around mid-way toward the front depending on the length of your group.
    I stagger my strongest players, preferring to place them behind the weaker ones. This models the sound for less experienced players. There is great flexibility filling in files based on instrumentation. You may have trouble hiding the flute or clarinet player who struggles to stay in step, but you can always put them in file two to observe an experienced leader.
    The diagram below demonstrates rank balance and can be adjusted for any instrumentation. If a band is not as well populated with flute players, use a different instrument in the front row. This example includes instrumentation that doesn’t add up to perfect symmetry, which is almost always the case. (FL = flute, CL = clarinet, AS = alto sax, TS = tenor sax, TR = trumpet, ME = mellophone, TB = trombone, BT = baritone, TU = tuba, DL = drumline.)

    Our unconventional line-up has multiple advantages. A parade block arranged this way delivers a much more balanced performance to the audience without sacrificing uniformity of your visual presentation.  

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    We all became music teachers because of the influence of a great musician, someone who embodied the wonderful experiences we grew up with. As educators we strive to share those feelings with our own students in any way we can. The visual teacher can inspire students to exceed what they thought was possible and gain an emotional reaction through their performance. No matter your visual style, these tools can help your students become the performers that you envision.

Fundamental Formations
    When working on the fundamentals of marching we typically use three formations, each with particular strengths. The first formation gathers students in a cluster around the director. Each performer should be able to see the instructor and have enough room for movement. This formation is ideal for introducing new concepts or covering details for which I want students to see me. In the cluster, there is the best chance for communication; all students have a direct line to the instructor, who can simply turn around the circle to get an equal sampling of performers.
    We use the cluster often in band camp, when students are learning a lot. It is also an excellent way of starting rehearsal; most visual rehearsals start off with staff detailing a specific area of technique for students to focus on. I prefer not to demonstrate in a block, because as in a typical classroom, the students who are closer to the teacher have a better opportunity for understanding the information.
    We can do most movements in the cluster. I can have students face in toward me or turn 90 degrees to the side so I can inspect students from a profile. If I need students to move forward, I might have them back up eight steps and then come toward me. I’ll also have them march around the circle. Although the cluster is not meant for large exercises, it is easy to get in eight to sixteen counts without condensing too much.
    The most commonly used formation is the block. The block is great for comparing performers side-by-side. Many times we will combine lines because the smaller side-to-side interval allows for us to get a better vantage point. The drawback to a block is losing contact with the students furthest away from you. To minimize this, we rotate who is up front. After a rep or two, we send the front row to the back and have everyone else move up. This keeps students active and gives us an opportunity to look at every row. We do that side to side as well.
    The final formation, called across the floors, focuses attention on one row of students at a time. A row usually consists of five to ten people, depending on the exercise. If there is something I want to hone in on a bit more, I use a smaller number, but if I can use a broader view then we use more students per line to go faster. Students in row one go immediately after count-off. If the exercise is 16 counts, the next line waits for first 16 counts and then steps off. Every line does the same thing, but students are separated by a yard line or two.
    This formation makes it easy for instructors to give great individual feedback. Staff members focus on the row going by them at the time. Another advantage to this format is that students who do not have it right the first time can try again. I tell students, “If your name gets called out, I want you to run back to the beginning and try this skill again.” It makes students work hard to get the exercise right and helps them understand when they need additional instruction. Even the older students who get sent back will come up to me after and ask for personal guidance. When it gets down to the last 10-20 people, we allow everyone to continue through to avoid isolating the same individuals at the end.

Foot Timing
    There is more to great foot timing than having the foot hit on the beat. In most cases the next step to perfecting timing is defining the back leg. I ask directors at clinics when they think the back leg should release, and more often than not, it has not been defined. Some say the back leg should release on the fourth sixteenth note of a beat, but when marching at any speed higher than 80 beats per minute, there is no way students can feel this. We teach students to release the back leg exactly on the beat, at the same time the front leg hits; one foot touches and the other releases at the same time. If the release starts when the other foot hits, then the legs should evenly cross at the and of the beat.
    Beyond placing the focus on the first and last count of a maneuver, it is equally crucial to stress count two. Even if everyone is exact on count one, there is still no guarantee that everything will be correct going forward. If count two is locked in, performers maintain excellence through the set. Vocalization is an excellent way to teach students to focus on getting the second count of a maneuver correct. If students are marching but not playing, we have them count out loud, emphasizing two. It also takes close scrutiny on the part of the staff to make sure students are hitting this count correctly.
    Perhaps the most important key to impeccable timing is to hold students accountable every time. No matter the exercise, timing can be a priority. In the circle, block, or across the floors, students will have to reset immediately for poor timing. This is never done out of aggravation, but rather an expectation of performing correctly. We cannot be perfect, but we can be right.

Weight Control
    One of the most important concepts in marching technique is where our weight is. Directors rarely see error related to weight distribution, because this problem often manifests as tightness, bouncing, or poor timing. It is more likely that the real problem was a student’s center of gravity being too far forward or backward.
    We have students keep their weight slightly more on the balls of the feet, because when the weight is on the heels it leads to slouching. When students are standing still, the weight should feel roughly 60-40 toward the front. I then get students in the cluster, have them back up eight steps and then march toward me as they normally would, with the instruction that they remember how that feels. When they reset, then I tell them to lean a bit further forward, giving them five percent further as a target feeling, and we march forward again. When we finish, I ask students if it felt better or worse to any of them. If some students think it felt better, those students should keep their weight slightly forward like that when they march. The body naturally indicates what feels right. We repeat the exercise but with students shifting their weight five percent further back than normal. Students who like this feeling better should march this way. We practice this on forward march, backward march, and slides; each performer will make a slight adjustment for each style of marching.

Dot versus Form
    In many organizations there is a debate on dot – focus on getting students to a specific spot on the field – versus form – focus on keeping the visual together over hitting a specific spot. Each method has merit.
    Our program changes the focus on dot and form depending on the month. August and much of September consist of learning the show. Although we make form comments at times, these months are mostly focused on dots, so students can start the season by holding themselves accountable. The last week of September – the week before the first contest – is when we start making more form comments from the box. At this point we aim for a ratio of two thirds dot and one third form. By the third week of October, we are in cleaning phase. Although we check dots so people do not drift too far from where they should be, two thirds of our comments this time of year are on form. The transition over the season falls in line with the learning process, the natural progression of the show, and gives essential definition to our members. Almost every band has a staff member or student endlessly worried about whether people are on their dots, but having a clear schedule reduces such concerns drastically; the leadership team understands what is expected.

Complementing Rehearsal Plans
    In a music rehearsal, the warm-up will consist of skill development needed in rehearsal that day. For example, we may work on connecting the line of a chorale before playing Amazing Grace so that particular skill can transfer straight into rehearsal. The same goes with visual fundamentals. If there is a moment in drill at which performers are struggling with a back-to-front direction change, work on that skill in visual warmups the day you plan to clean that section of the show. Visual fundamentals are part of our students’ education and should be planned accordingly so students can immediately apply what they learned.
    When forming a plan for visual fundamentals, try to experience your students’ struggles. We can learn a lot by putting on a sousaphone and marching backwards at a six-to-five step. This will allow you to formulate new ideas that can help your students. Show students how excited you are about the visual program by experimenting and coming up with new exercises and ways to teach something as fundamental as posture. When you invest in the visual program the students will love it just as much as you do.   

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    When I arrived at Kalamazoo College in 1995, I inherited two courses, Woodwind Methods and Brass Methods, left over from when the college had an education department. Enrollment was around eight students in each class, so rather than meet with each class separately, I combined them. Little did I know that I was planting a seed for one of the most popular classes on campus.
    Enrollment in what is now called Band Methods, offered each spring, held steady at around 18 for the first few years. Then it began to climb. By year four, enrollment jumped to 24, then to 32. The following years saw the class grow to 54, then 76, then 89. At this point I considered an enrollment cap but wondered how big the class could grow and still be successful.
    What may have accelerated the course’s growth was the end-of-term afternoon concert given outside, in a place where students, faculty, administrators, staff, and parents could watch and listen. The band students took the concert quite seriously, and everyone marveled at how the band progressed from learning how to assemble instruments and make a sound to sounding like a good middle school band in just nine weeks.
    With an increase in enrollment came additional logistical concerns, namely finding enough instruments for everyone. I settled on a three-pronged solution. The first approach was to request that students find instruments by asking friends and family to loan them instruments. Second, at my request, the college initiated a lab fee that allowed me to purchase instruments for the class. The final part came from the Kalamazoo Public Schools, which have a well-stocked instrument inventory from which I could rent the remaining instruments. Between borrowing, purchasing, and renting instruments, I was able to provide all the instruments I needed to equip the growing band – and the band continued to grow. Enrollment numbers climbed each year: 103, 107, 112, 124, 127; this year set another new record at 134, which is 10% of the total enrollment at Kalamazoo College. Here is how a class of 134 college-age beginners works.

Finding Mentors
    During the first class meeting, I ask the students to describe their music background, specifically what, if any, instrument they play or have played and for how many years. Historically the class divides into three categories: those with no musical background, those who started in middle school but quit after one or two years and have limited musical ability, and those with six or more years of experience on an instrument and a relatively advanced level of playing. The purpose for asking is to determine which students have a sufficient background to serve as mentors. Although students in this last group are required to choose an instrument in a different family for the class (a student competent on the clarinet may not play the saxophone but must choose an instrument from the brass family), I use them as mentors on their original instrument.
    During class, these mentors take struggling students into practice rooms and work with them individually or in groups. Rarely are they gone from the class for more than 20 minutes. Usually the mentors can identify and fix the problem rather quickly. Problems that go beyond the mentor’s abilities are brought to me so I can work with struggling students at another time.
    Identifying those students who need additional tutoring can be tricky in a large ensemble. To keep everyone progressing at the same rate, I first encourage students to advocate for themselves. That is, if they are having difficulty with any aspect of their instrument, they either raise their hand in class or see me before and request to work with a mentor. Either way, they are permitted to leave class for individual attention.
    I also have a quick playing exam on the first five notes during the third or fourth meeting. The exam is given during class time with up to five students performing as a group. This helps me find students who would benefit from the assistance of a mentor or, if necessary, individual instruction from me at another time. Additionally, when I see a student not playing, struggling to keep up, or displaying other poor performance practice, I ask if they would like to work with a mentor. If they say yes, then the student and mentor are excused to address the problem.
    Mentoring continues throughout the term as students could be thriving in the beginning but then encounter a hurdle later in the term that causes them to stumble. Crossing the break on the clarinet is a common stumbling block. Consequently, I frequently ask, “who needs a mentor?” Sometimes as many as 15 students will leave for nearby practice rooms, accompanied by the appropriate mentor, to get the help they need.

Choosing Instruments
    During the first class meeting I also address the need for an ensemble to have a good balance and blend – not everyone can play saxophone, trumpet, or percussion. Historically, those are the instruments most students want to play upon entering the class, presumably because of media exposure. Many students are unaware of such lesser-known instruments as the oboe, bassoon, and euphonium.
     To convince students of the importance of a balanced ensemble, I have the class sing “Happy Birthday.” First, we sing it as a group (as there is safety in numbers). While students are singing, I ask them to focus on how the female and male voices blend to produce the sound they hear. Then I have just the women sing while everyone focuses on the sound. Then, the men sing, and after that, everyone sings again. While each group has distinct and pleasing tonal properties, there is no denying the depth of sonority with the full range of voices. Having demonstrated the necessity of a balanced ensemble, we then begin instrument assignments.On the board I list all the band instruments in score order from piccolo to percussion including oboe, bassoon, bass clarinet, horn, and bass trombone. Next to each instrument I place a Roman numeral with ‘I’ representing the easiest instruments and ‘V’ representing the most challenging ones. I know this is rather subjective; any instrument takes a lifetime to master. Nevertheless, few would argue that the oboe, bassoon, and horn are justified in receiving a V rating under my system. Finally, I place the number of instruments I need for each section to achieve a balanced instrumentation. The table below shows how this looks for a 135-piece band.

    Not everyone gets their first choice, but eventually the class arrives close to ideal instrumentation. My 2016 class of 134 had 1 piccolo, 17 flutes, 3 oboes, 1 bassoon, 34 clarinets, 9 alto saxes, 4 tenor saxes, 1 baritone sax, 20 trumpets, 3 horns, 13 trombones, 13 baritones, 10 tubas, and 5 percussionists. I had four students interested in playing the bass clarinet but, this year, I was unable to find any to use.

Getting Started
    Distributing instruments to 134 students in one class period is challenging. To accomplish this, I create a series of stations in the rehearsal room with two scribes assigned to each station. The scribes take down the student’s name, instrument ID, and book ID. This system works quite well, and in short order the students are back at their seats with their instrument and books. Once everyone is in place I talk about the importance of instrument maintenance along with taking pride in safeguarding an instrument. No one is allowed to open their cases until I can guide them.
    I go section by section, starting with the woodwinds, describing how to produce a sound on their mouthpiece, detailing the essentials of reed placement and embouchure formation. It is possible to address the clarinets and saxophones at the same time, but the other woodwind instruments require individual instruction. Fortunately, mouthpiece placement and buzzing can be done with all the brass instruments simultaneously – a big time saver.
    The first assignment is to go home and practice for two days in front of a mirror with only the mouthpiece – no instrument playing is permitted. I explain that if you cannot get a proper sound from the mouthpiece, it will be impossible to get a good sound from the instrument when it is assembled. I tell students that all sound for wind instruments begins at the mouthpiece. All the instrument does is shape and amplify the sound.
    Assembling the instrument occurs at the next class meeting after everyone demonstrates proper mouthpiece sounds. I again cover the importance of instrument maintenance and care. The first thing I mention is to be sure the instrument case is right side up, explaining failure to do so may result in your instrument spilling on the floor. Ideally, I would have students open their cases on the floor, but with 134 people in the room, we are hard pressed for open space. No section is permitted to open cases until I am prepared to work with them.
    My next tip, one that applies not just to band but to every life encounter, is never force anything. If it becomes necessary to force an instrument together or force the lid closed on the case, something is wrong. Stop, analyze the problem, and correct it. At this point, I go section by section describing proper assembly and playing position for each instrument. After I explain this procedure to each group, I have the mentors for those instruments assist them while I move to the next section. At no point yet is a student permitted to try the instrument; making a sound on an instrument is strictly forbidden.
    Once all the instruments have been assembled and are held correctly, we are ready to play concert F. First, I have students determine the proper fingering based on the diagram in their book, then I have them bring their instrument into playing position, and then sing concert F as sounded by me on the piano. Students are so eager to play at this point that they never stop to think about singing. We play the first line in our method books several times as the mentors and I look for and correct mistakes. For each successive line we sing and play. At this point, the idea of singing is so firmly imbedded into their playing that it becomes a natural part of the process. At some point, however, I repeat the old refrain, “if you can sing it, you can play it” with some explanation.
    From the first day, and for the next few meetings, I emphasize that the classroom is a safe place. Everyone is a beginner, and there will be some  squeaks, squawks, goose sounds, and elephant calls. It is okay to laugh at the sound but not the person, and we do laugh in the beginning because a well-timed squawk is funny. It only takes a few meetings for the barnyard sounds to disappear. By then, students know they are in a safe place and that we are all beginners. As such, we must be patient as we find our way.
    I leave time at the end of this class session to discuss the importance of cleaning an instrument before storage. I tell students, “There are three things required for bacteria and similar unpleasant things to thrive: warmth, darkness, and moisture; all of these are in abundance inside your case.” Students learn the discipline of swabbing out their instruments and emptying the water keys before packing up.
    We cover two pages from our method book at each class meeting. This pace gets us all the way through the book by the end of eighth week. The mentors are helpful here, too. When not working with other students, they lead by example. Unlike those with minimal musical knowledge, the mentors do not have to struggle with note reading or breath control, which, of course, are only two components that contribute to playing an instrument. The mentor simply focuses on fingerings and sound production on their new instrument. Thus they guide the band internally by demonstrating the basics of accurate pitch and rhythm. In this way, the novices can learn by hearing and imitating.

Singing
    Without question, singing is the pedagogical bedrock of this class. Before a new note is ever played, it is sung. We regularly rehearse the several chorales in the book by playing, singing while fingering, and then playing them again. I am always impressed with how much better the chorales sound after we sing them. Intonation, rhythm, and phrasing all improve through singing.
    Another aural skill used is singing concert F (the first note students learn) at the beginning of each class before any note is sounded. This tests aural memory, an important component for beginners. It always astonishes me to hear a large group of beginners sing an uncoached concert F, usually with spot-on accuracy.
    Having the class sing has never been a problem; the key is not giving students a chance to think about it. I say, “I’m going to play a pitch on the piano. I want you to listen to it carefully.” After playing an F, I continue, “Do you hear the pitch in your ear? Good. Now sing that pitch.” Then I quickly breathe and give the downbeat. If students are paying attention, they have no choice but to sing. People respond to clear directions.

The Details
    Throughout the class, I stress the importance of daily practice. My mantra is, “It is much better to practice five minutes a day every day then to play for 30 minutes on Saturday. Repetition and frequency are essential to musical growth and development. And yes, practice does make perfect.” Although I state that 20-30 minutes per day is preferable to five minutes per day, I would rather have a student practice daily regardless of how little than have a student practice once a week regardless of how much.
    This class meets three times a week for 75 minutes, which is a lengthy for a beginner. Consequently, there are numerous breaks. It is during the breaks that I cover a variety of topics. Some are nitty-gritty details such as proper swabbing techniques, breathing, use of the tongue, various practice methods, note reading, acoustics, finding the sweet spot on your horn, music terms, oiling valves, and learning the harmonic series. Other times topics are esoteric and include a discussion on how the remnants of the six primary holes of the simple-flute system discovered by ancient man can be still seen in today’s modern open-hole flute, synesthesia (seeing colors stimulated by pitch), Pythagoras, Plato, Aristotle, Socrates, the Fibonacci sequence, the Guidonian Hand. Other topics include pop music, rhythmic hooks, earworms, perfect pitch, how the interaction between the audience and performer can shape a performance, why opera originated in Italy, and why jazz originated in the United States. It makes for a fun and enlightening class, and although there are a lot of laughs, we also work hard. It seems to be the right blend of learning and fun, and if making music isn’t fun, then why bother?

The Concert
    The course culminates in a highly anticipated concert. The entire campus looks forward to it. We begin working on our concert music in the ninth week, after finishing the method book. The program is the same each year and includes the following works.
    (C1) Mission: Impossible Theme by Lalo Schifrin, arranged by Paul Lavender, includes mixed and asymmetric meters, trills, and a rhythmic ostinato. The piece also introduces new notes. (Hal Leonard)
    (C1) Can-Can by Jacques Offenbach, arranged by John O’Reilly. This piece pushes students to learn range extension and additional notes and introduces the concept of D.C. al Coda. (Alfred)
    (C1) Dancin’ on the Bayou by Ralph Ford,demonstrates that musicians can be required to do more than play their instrument. In this case, the players clap and vocalize party sounds. Additionally, I have the percussion section ad lib during the percussion break. (Alfred)
    (C2) Beverly Hills by Weezer/Rivers Cuomo, arranged by Paul Murtha. The arrangement introduces sixteenth notes and rests, relies heavily on the concept of syncopation and feeling a rock groove, and introduces some new notes. (Hal Leonard)
    (C2) The Magnificent Seven by Elmer Bernstein, arranged by Jack Bullock. There are multiple solo sections for each instrument, and call-and-response and modulation are used. There are three parts each for clarinets and trumpets; the latter also extends the playing range. (Alfred)
    Each of these provides different challenges and learning opportunities, but this music was also selected for its familiarity and ease of use; we only have three rehearsals to get these tunes concert ready. The remainder of the concert program is selected from the band arrangements from the method book.
    We use posters, flyers, social media, and personal invitations to generate an audience. Because it is held outdoors, people can be seen lying in the grass, dancing or swaying to the music, and cheering loudly for their friends in the band. In addition, every year several parents approach me to thank me, saying, “I always wanted my child to play an instrument and today, my wish came true.”

Conclusion
    After the concert, the students return to the rehearsal room to complete course evaluations and return instruments and books to stations staffed by two scribes to record the return. I also have students identify instruments in need of repair by placing a piece of paper identifying the problem in their case. They then place their instrument in the center of the room under a big Red Cross sign. These instruments will be taken to a qualified instrument repair technician over the summer in preparation for next year’s use.
    I continue to be baffled by the popularity of the course. Students say it is fun, they learn a lot, and they enjoy the camaraderie of making music together and having a shared experience. Many see the class as a rite of passage, and a number of heart-warming stories have unfolded over the years. One student saxophonist learned to play Blue Danube on her own. She then sent a YouTube video of her playing it to her mother on Mother’s Day because it brought back a shared memory of their time in Budapest. Another student took the class because she wanted to learn how to play her grandmother’s trombone and play it at her grandmother’s birthday party. I teach this class for those moments. It doesn’t get any better than that.   

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    John Cisetti views his ensembles in Louisburg, Kansas as a way to promote not just musicianship but citizenship. He knows that seasons come and go, but the lessons of teamwork and service to the community linger. According to this veteran of 37 years teaching music in the same district, “We talk a great deal about using our talents to serve our community with our musical skills. What I want them to take with them is the skill of working together with people who are all doing something different with a common purpose.” Cisetti teaches 400 students daily in grades 5-12 in three different buildings, and his groups give more than 50 performances during the year. He was a semifinalist for the 2001 Kansas Teacher of the Year. He earned a Bachelor of Music Education, a Master of Arts, and an Educational Specialist degree from the University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory of Music and School of Education. His groups consistently receive first-division ratings.

After nearly four decades of teaching, what have you learned about running rehearsals?
    I am a better teacher than last year or ten years ago. By next year I will be better than I am now. I am always learning new things. I learned quickly the importance of staying organized and teaching from bell to bell. I put up a whole lesson plan on my projector listing the warmup, how we are going to check intonation, and the music we will play. When students enter the room it is right in front of them. I just step up on the box and go.
    I have improved at planning rehearsals over a two-month period before festival. Technology has also made my teaching more efficient. I can easily play a recorded musical example to show what the music should sound like. I use a document camera to show the score. In choir all of the parts are in front of you. In band, the second flute does not know what the third trumpets are doing. I can put the score up on the projector and everyone can see the relationships in the music.
    This past year, all of our students received Chromebooks. I doubted that we would use them much in the band room but discovered that I can write an eight-measure sightreading piece quickly without having to distribute music. In the morning, students check their email and open the sightreading piece. I can create a brand new sightreading piece daily, and it is all done electronically.

One unusual feature of your program is a summer camp devoted to concert band.
    Our concert band camp runs for a week in June with different activities for various grade levels. We hold an exploratory class for the incoming 5th graders that covers many instruments for an hour each. Students learn how to put the instrument together and produce a tone. This gives us a jump on instrument selection, and I get to know the beginners better. This is especially valuable leading into the next school year.
    In the summer, I teach sixth graders three hours a day for a week, seventh graders the second week, and seventh through twelfth graders the third week. During that time we play concert band music and other areas that might come up later in the summer. We sometimes go out to the parking lot to learn a marching fundamental.
    The highlight of the summer concert band class for older students is second instrument class. For students who always wanted to play clarinet, saxophone, or snare drum, this is their chance. We spend 45 minutes a day with the beginning books, and students get to try a different instrument. Sometimes this class has a practical purpose, such as helping the flutist who want to play in jazz band begin to learn saxophone. Sometimes student ends up moving to tuba or some other needed instrument next year. Some students simply enjoy trying a different instrument every summer.

You write your own drill for marching band. How does this help your teaching?
    I am spread thin teaching 5th grade through high school. I do not have time for extra marching rehearsals. Students also have sports and other activities, so I cannot ask them to give much more time either. I have to be efficient with rehearsals. When the bell rings, we work the whole time.
    I write all my own drill and buy music off the shelf. When developing the drill, I am putting faces with the dots. I know each student and what I can expect from them. I also think as I write about how to teach the drill in the 90 minutes I have every other day.
    I construct drills that facilitate quick learning and use all the tools at my disposal. There is no reason to have students stand three inches off the yard line; have them stand on the yard line. If someone else wrote the drill, I would have to learn it before I could teach it. Instead, I know it drill inside and out.
    With difficult shapes and curves (diagonals can be difficult to get right) we may go out on the practice field and paint it. “Get to the orange line and find your spot there.” Amazingly it works. During the performance the line is not there, but by then it does not matter. Having that option available for blocking out and teaching sets students up for success.
    I enjoy writing the drill, but it is hard work. There are times when it is midnight, and I am pulling my hair out. It is like working a puzzle. When I first started there was no computer drill software. I had a light box, drafting tools, and graph paper, and I did everything by hand.

How do you organize marching band camp?
    During the last few weeks of school, we hand out music and start to learn next year’s show. Marching camp consists of two eight-hour days and three more evenings. We spend time working inside as a group and in sectionals and also include practice parade marching. Every year we lead the local Labor Day parade. We learn our pregame and half of the first drill for our halftime show during camp. At the end of the week we give a performance for the parents.

What is the Electric Light Band Show?
    Every year we present our marching show on a Saturday night for a packed crowd at the stadium. We play it once with the overhead lights on, and then again with the lights off. The students decorate themselves with Christmas lights and glow sticks, and we march the show in the dark. This event is quite popular and frequently includes fireworks.
    I wish I could take credit for this idea, but we all borrow from other directors. I do not hold many rehearsals outside of the school day, but did schedule one evening rehearsal each year before a festival. I invited the parents to watch us, so it became an informal performance. I had heard of the electric light idea but knew it could be dangerous and impractical to turn off the lights during a football game. I tried it one year during the evening rehearsal, and everybody loved it.
    I tell my kids to figure out how to light themselves up in a way that does not damage the uniform or instrument or interfere the performance. They come up with all kinds of crazy ideas. It is so much fun watching students decorate themselves in band room an hour before the performance.

Your group is also known for incorporating a giant flag into its marching performances. How did that begin?
    One year we planned a patriotic show for a field competition. I decided to end it with the Battle Hymn of the Republic and open up a big flag on the field. We discovered that you can buy 20′ x30′ flag, the largest off-the-shelf size available. It cost $600 at the time, and a community donor came up with the money. I wanted the flag’s appearance to be a surprise at the end of the show. We have it folded like an accordion lengthwise and then again in the opposite direction. Folding it this way makes it possible to open the flag suddenly by pulling the four corners. I built a wooden box at home to hold it in place when folded. Everybody loved the flag so much at the show that it became a tradition at every game and parade. We have used it to play the National Anthem at baseball games for the Royals, Cardinals, and Nationals.
    On the Friday after September 11, 2001, we climbed up to our school roof and draped the flag over the side of the building. Everyone passing on the highway could see it. It was a real inspiration. The flag became dirty in the process, and we had a football game the next week. I took it home, spread it out on an island in our kitchen. I scrubbed it a section at a time. I happened to have a television on and saw the President addressing Congress. It was a poignant moment polishing the stars of the flag while the President was speaking to Congress about the attacks.

Your groups take a big trip every four years. How do you raise the money?
    We have held an annual garage sale for 26 years. The event has grown dramatically and now includes a silent auction. The bands and choirs also perform. I like this approach better than selling products door to door. The items are all donated by families in the band and except for a few expenses and promotion, the garage sale is almost pure profit. We start setting up on Tuesday afternoon and begin selling on Thursday evening. By 4:30 on Saturday afternoon, the gym is empty again and the floor swept. The Salvation Army picks up most of the surplus items. We raise $25,000 from this, and it is one of our only fundraisers. The garage sale has the added benefit of bringing everyone involved in band together. Young students, older students, and parents all work together on this, and it builds camaraderie.
    I try to limit fundraising; that is not why we are here. The school pays for the regular expenses of the program like music and instruments. The sole purpose of our fundraising is to pay for our big trip. Every family has an account that accumulates money over four years to cover the travel cost.

What have been the most memorable experiences from your travels with the band?
    We want every student in the high school program to take a trip at least once. We have gone to the Indy 500 parade, the National Independence Day Parade in Washington, and the Cotton Bowl.
    Our most recent trip was to New York for the Veterans Day Parade. When I take students on a trip, the purpose is education. We have fun, but it is not a vacation. For the New York trip, I assigned every student to find a veteran in their family or neighborhood and interview them or people who knew them. I worked with the English department to develop a series of small assignments, and students ended up with a descriptive paragraph that included an interesting anecdote for each veteran, along with a picture. We produced a book with all of the pictures and short essays. We also made buttons with pictures of the veterans, and students wore them on their uniforms during the parade. You could walk up to any students and ask about their veterans. Before the parade, I told the students that none of us are veterans. We have been invited to be part of this parade, and have a duty to represent people who maybe never got a parade. The band marched with pride.

How did you end up conducting at Sousa’s grave with his baton?
    After reading books about Sousa and seeing pictures of his monument in Washington, D.C., I had always hoped to visit the monument; the year we traveled to Washington for the Independence Day Parade was my opportunity. I contacted the Congressional Cemetery and asked to visit his grave. They were pretty excited at the cemetery, and they contacted the Sousa family. When the band arrived to perform, cemetery officials pulled out Sousa’s baton, and I conducted Taps over his grave using the baton. My assistant then conducted a Sousa march with the baton. That was pretty cool.

What are some of the musical highlights of your career?
    There are two songs that have been written in my honor. One is Fantasy Suite on Hot Cross Buns by Barbara York. The other one is Robert E. Foster Jr.’s Festival Tribute. The Hot Cross Buns was written to celebrate my 30th year of teaching. I love Hot Cross Buns; it is my favorite song. When you teach beginning band, you start with just a few notes. To students it is just sound. When students play Hot Cross Buns, all of a sudden light bulbs come on as they realize that they are making music with these sounds. The day they play Hot Cross Buns is the first day they play music. I thought it would be cool to have a legitimate high school-level piece based on this song. Barbara wrote a four-movement suite. that starts by bringing the 5th graders out on stage to play the opening theme and then the high schoolers take over and play all kinds of development. For the second piece, Rob Foster used the rhythm of my name and wrote the piece based on that motif.

What was the most poignant moment in your teaching career?
    Once we were preparing a piece for seventh-grade music festival that included a brief trombone solo. The young player struggled mightily with that two-measure solo. Sometimes it would come out, but it was hit and miss. I stuck with him.
    When we played at the contest, I gave him the cue and he nailed it. I flashed him a big smile, and he smiled back. I later learned that this student was facing serious problems at home. Life was pretty grueling for him at the time, but that one moment of sunshine made all of the difference in the world. We never know when something we do or say in class might change the lives of our students. As teachers, we touch the future.   

* * *

    John Cisetti’s ensembles include fifth-grade beginning band, which meets daily as one class of 90 students, and separate bands for sixth, seventh, and eighth grade and the high school. In addition, he teaches seventh- and eighth-grade combined jazz band in the fall semester and high school jazz band in the spring semester. The high school jazz band is also the basketball band, giving students the chance to play some more sophisticated music for sporting events. Says Cisetti, “The high school is on an A/B block. I was on the schedule committee and made sure that all students could take music and other activities.”

The post Serving through Music, An Interview with John Cisetti appeared first on The Instrumentalist.

    •    The topics they felt most prepared for by their undergraduate training.
    •    Those subjects they wished they had worked on and studied more in school.
    •    Two professional development clinics that they needed most.
    •    Balance of personal and professional life.

    The first-year teachers were asked about their greatest source of distress. The second-year teachers were asked what they had learned with a year under their belts and what areas remain difficult. Because perspectives can change over the course of a year, I contacted the directors again in March to see how they had learned and adapted.

Name Withheld
First-year teacher
    I teach middle school band in a small college town near the Baseball Hall of Fame. I have a 6th grade band of 43 students, a 7th and 8th grade band of 69 students, and a 6th grade general music class of 14 students. I also teach most of the middle school lesson groups. (The high school band director takes six of my lesson groups because there is not enough time for me to teach them all.) My predecessor had different requirements for grading and classroom management, so it has been hard to get students to understand and follow my expectations. The students were used to playing a lot of pop music in band. Things were just different.

Best Prepared
    I felt my undergraduate studies prepared me to play other instruments confidently, engage students, undertake basic classroom management, and have good rehearsal techniques.

Less Prepared
    I wish I had more experience for teaching general music. I teach a 6th grade general music class for kids who did not want to be in or were kicked out of band or choir. It is difficult finding ways to engage them and keep them focused. I basically have all of the troublemakers from the 6th grade in one class. I loved the Music Education for Children class I took during my undergraduate experience, but I could use more help here.
    I also would like to have learned more about jazz band. I played in high school jazz bands but never learned how to lead one. I really don’t know what to do with a middle school jazz band. I know nowhere near as much as I should about percussion and strings. We also never learned about Student Learning Objectives (SLOs) in college, and when you get a job, they assume you already understand it all.

Professional Development Workshops I Need
    1. How to get students and parents to accept a new teacher. Most kids have been pretty good about it, but some of the older students still use the excuse that the previous teacher did things differently last year. Some students and parents resist change, so I try to change a little at a time. I expect structured rehearsals and am strict about grading and lesson policies.

    2. Middle school general music. It is a difficult group, and I plan one day at a time because I never know if students will pay attention long enough to meet my objectives. They have gotten much better, and I am really impressed at all they have learned. However, all it takes is for one student to become disruptive, and they take most of the class with them. I like exploring this area that is new to me, but I wish I had tried and tested ideas for the class.

Finding Balance
    My balance of professional and personal life is not all that bad. At the beginning of the year, I stayed at school until 7 or 8 every night and was going insane. Since things have slowed down, it has not been too bad. I still need to plan a bit every night and plan for the week on Sunday night. I play in a community wind ensemble that rehearses at my school once a week and that has been a lot of fun. I have also reached out to younger teachers in the district and have met up with a few of them for coffee or dinner. Besides occasionally working late on Sunday night, I try to keep weekends free of work and get together with college friends. I am pretty involved at church and am teaching the kids at church songs to sing at our priest’s upcoming retirement party. I keep in touch with my family via FaceTime at least once a week, which always gets my mind off of school. Overall, I really have not been too stressed. I am starting worry about loans because I enter repayment next month. A private college costs a fortune, and the amount of my loan payments is insane.

Greatest Distress
    Parents are the biggest problem. The emails and calls have calmed down, but some parents think their children can do no wrong. Some of these students act entitled and disrespectful, and parents feel that nothing can ever be their fault. A few parents expect me to do whatever they say for their child; some of these things go against class policies and are unfair to other students.
    One parent at an open house demanded that I put her 7th grade child in the high school band because this student is “so advanced and was in the 7th/8th grade band last year.” The parent was pushy and did not like that I disagreed with her. I explained why I was unwilling to put the student in the high school group, and my reason was based on sound pedagogy. In the past, many students had been moved up to a different band, often because their parents wanted them to be moved.  While I love giving successful students a challenge, some expect to be placed in a group based on age or based on what happened in the past. I am new and have a different way of doing things.
    Some parents gave me a hard time about the lesson schedule because previous teachers gave lessons only during study halls and therefore taught heterogeneous instrumentation groupings. I have changed this by rotating students out of classes for homogeneous lesson groupings. Countless parents emailed me to suggest changes to the lesson schedule and request private lessons. Perhaps because I am young and new, they think they can challenge my authority.

Reflections in March
    Things have changed so much since the beginning of the year. There came a point when I suddenly felt like I knew what I was doing. Something just clicked one day with my students, and I saw a tremendous amount of growth. I have experimented with lesson schedules and materials and have found systems that work for my students. My students were weak in several areas at the beginning of the year, but I have seen incredible growth in their knowledge, techniques, and musicality. It also seemed like students and parents understand and support my policies and procedures now.
    The other teachers and my principal are all incredible. Teachers are supportive about lessons and come and apologize if a student accidentally misses a lesson. My principal, the high school band director (my mentor), and the choir director have stood by me on problems with parents and guardians. I have becomes friends with other teachers in the school. It is great to work somewhere that people genuinely care about me. I have started socializing with another first-year teacher, and we meet weekly to talk about school and anything else that may have come up. It is nice to bounce ideas off of each other and know that we struggle with the same things. I continue to spend weekends with college friends. Even if I am having a horrible week, I know I will be able to leave it all behind and have a relaxing weekend where I don’t have to worry about school.
    Loan payments have not been as stressful as I feared, but I worry about how to pay for graduate school. I am really looking forward to going back to school and getting inspired again, but not to adding to my tremendous amount of debt. I am so happy with my chosen path. I love my job and my school, and I cannot wait for next year.

Name Withheld
First-year teacher
    My school is a Pre K-8th grade public school in Brooklyn. I teach 6th-8th grade general music with an additional assumed role as the instrumental music teacher. I am starting a selective after-school band program next week. Previously, middle school students at my school did not have any lessons, so many children have not had music instruction in over four years. In my general music classes, I am teaching bucket drumming and guitars.

Best Prepared
    I felt that I was prepared for lesson planning and self-evaluation and for teaching secondary instruments, especially band instruments. I am also comfortable with conducting and band rehearsal techniques and engaging students during lessons.

Less Prepared
    I definitely learned about general music from my student teaching with elementary-aged children, but it would have helped to teach general music to a classroom instead of small group instrumental lessons. I struggle to keep the musical knowledge relevant to my middle schoolers, and I think that with more hands-on experience in general music, I would have a better tool belt of interesting and fun activities.
    I wish I knew more about teaching students with special needs/IEPs. I teach a special needs class of ten students, all from different grades. Making sure I am engaging each student and finding ways to accommodate their emotional and social needs is a heavy weight to hold. In my other 12 classes, I have some groups that are over-saturated with students with IEPs, and I wish I had more teaching strategies for the wide range of learners.
    I also wish I knew more piano. My piano chops are hilariously awful.

Finding Balance
    I have not found a balance yet, and it is driving me absolutely insane. I travel a total of 21/2 hours each day on the train, and I try to work and unwind during this time but end up zoning out and sitting with my head in my hands. My sleep schedule is completely out of whack because I have to wake up so early. I have no time or energy to do things I enjoy outside of teaching. To be fair, I don’t drink caffeine because it makes me sick after a while. The after-school work overwhelms my free time because I spend most of it contacting parents about behavior, grading, and figuring out my next step. I try to finish all of it before I go back to Harlem, but it is difficult to crank out lesson plans with students constantly rolling into the auditorium (my classroom) to ask me questions about music and life.
    Outside of school, I play in Grand Street Community Band. This allows me to hang out and play with music teachers and friends to decompress. My struggle is validated by people who have earned their stripes in the New York City Department of Education. My weekends are spent exploring neighborhood hangouts and parks and going to parties. Occasionally, I take visiting family or friends on sightseeing tours of NYC because I love the cliché walk-abouts in Times Square, the High Line, and other tourist traps.

Greatest Distress
    I never thought I would be this confused about what is going on in my school, especially in October. We frequently learn about school-wide events and assemblies on the day of the event. There should be an orientation to answer questions that a new teacher might not think to ask about union matters, paper for copiers, and detention and disciplinary action rules. I find out about something new every day. It drives me insane because it keeps my fresh music program from rolling. We are expected to know all this stuff, but we do not even know what questions to ask. 
   Despite the challenges in a large city school district, I love my school, my kids, and my coworkers. I feel supported by my principal and mentor teacher, who have started taking ukulele lessons outside of school and want me to teach them more songs, so we can collaborate with the kids. There is a lot of talent and potential in my students, and I feel blessed every day to wake up before the birds to be with them.

Reflections in March
    Rereading my earlier comments really brings me back to how frantic and idealistic I was in October.
    Back then, I felt unprepared and stressed about classroom management. My undergraduate program did a splendid job of presenting its music education students with real-life classroom scenarios that we might have to solve. In an ideal world, that would be enough for us to hop into any classroom situation with ease, and in October, I thought that I would easily adjust and manage my auditorium classroom. I discovered that I was being inconsistent with rules, and some kids learned that they could get away with certain things because I failed to address it properly when the behavior first started. Now with just over 100 days of school under my belt, I recognize how crucial it is to learn by doing instead of just thinking.
   I found that talking with coworkers, especially teachers who have been in the school for many years, provides me with a support system and a wealth of ideas catered to our specific students. Once I tried what my coworkers and mentor recommended to address disruptive behavior, I was able to implement consistent, fair consequences and provide better experiences to the students who have shown that they are prepared both musically and behaviorally.
    I now have all the class activities on the stage to keep the students contained and to minimize the potential for students to be disruptive. My mentor suggested it at the beginning of the year, but I feared that the time needed for all of the students to line up to go on stage would cause chaos. After maintaining a consistent routine for a month, students became used to it, and I could hold class with fewer distractions.
    I still struggle with the students who are disrespectful to my equipment and to me, but unlike in October when I felt crushed by these middle schoolers, I am more prepared for both the expected and unexpected because I have more tricks and tools purely through experience. As a first-year teacher, it is most important to keep your mind present and open to learning as much as you can every day. Do not be afraid to ask for help.

Erika St. Denis
Second-year teacher in Ithaca/Groton, New York
    I did per diem substitute teaching in one county for half a year and was a long-term substitute for a school band and general music program at the end of the year. I am now in my second year of teaching and am a full-time elementary band teacher (grades 4 and 5) in two different districts. I am em-ployed by the county, which al-lows me to work in multiple districts.

Best Prepared
    I felt most ready to teach band pedagogy, secondary instruments, and conducting. I also undertook music library maintenance and digitized the school library and am trying to inventory the elementary school libraries. We have eight elementary schools in our district, but no list of what we have scattered across buildings.

Less Prepared
    I wish I knew more about string instruments. If I laid even a finger on a string instrument right now, I would probably break it. At least a semester on strings is necessary, if not more. It is a joke that my degree says I am just as qualified to teach orchestra as a string player. My keyboard skills were poor when I started in college and still feel terrible. As painful as I found keyboard class, double the time would have been helpful.
   I wish I had taken more time to study instrument repair. I have not gone a whole day yet without a clarinet exploding. Administrative tasks are another area that more preparation would be helpful. I teach in three schools in two districts. Last year all the paperwork and administrative work was overwhelming, and it severely limited teaching and lesson planning. This year for me, teaching comes first.
    Funding is another difficult area. This could include grant-writing and reaching out to the community. I have a really good problem at one of my schools this year: we have almost 50 students in elementary band, up from around 35 last year, but not enough instruments. Luckily my middle school and high school colleagues are there to help acquire instruments, but it makes me worry that some students won’t have access to music because of instrument shortages.

Professional Development Workshops I Need
    1. Kodaly training. I have used solfege and Curwen hand signs with my students this year, and it is having a great impact on their playing. Even my second-year students are taking to it well. I would love a workshop on incorporating Kodaly into the band room.

    2. Curriculum development. I want to learn how to create one that focuses on the classroom (micro) and also aligns horizontally and vertically (macro) in the district.

Finding Balance
    It is better this year. Weekends are mine. I work like crazy Monday through Friday but do what I want on the weekends. I also try to keep work at work and not clutter my apartment with school stuff. I have requested a separate laptop from my schools to keep my school work on instead of using my personal laptop, and I have taken my work email off my phone.

Wisdom in the Second Year
    Last year, I truly, deeply despised my job. At the end of last year, I swore you would have to bring me back kicking and screaming this fall. I have never in a million years though of myself as an elementary school teacher. I would have gladly taught middle or high school but never elementary school. However, I already love it so much more this year. I love being the first band teacher they have and getting to start them on their instruments. It is such an important and often forgotten step in a band student’s education.
    I hate the politics. Our profession is ridiculously politicized. The Teacher Wars by Dana Goldstein is a great new book that talks about the history of the profession, and how we reached the point where we are today.
    My relationships with colleagues are okay, but I spend most of my time in my classroom. Teachers hate that I pull their kids out of class, so I feel like the bad guy all day long, although most of them are supportive. I realize now that it takes time to make a program yours. It feels more like my program, and I am starting to create a culture that makes me feel good. I wanted to go in and be the most amazing teacher ever all in one year. I wanted enrollment to soar and have a 100% retention rate. I wanted epic concerts. None of that happened last year. I realize now you have to plan the big picture if you want to see change. I already have so many ideas for next year.

Reflections in March
    I have had trouble standing up for my program over the past two years. I have been told my music lessons are “too loud for lunch” (my band lessons are on a stage shared with the cafeteria and are too loud for students eating lunch on the other side of a curtain), and other teachers have no problem asking me to “just not have rehearsal or lessons today because we have too much going on in class.” At times I became convinced that what I was doing was not important. I thought this doubt was because I was new to the profession, and maybe my more experienced colleagues received more respect. However, I don’t think that is the case. Teaching on a noisy stage does not seem so bad when I remember that I know teachers who give lessons in closets, in school hallways, and my personal favorite, in the staff lounge. I am reaching the point where the barriers just do not faze me anymore. This is for the kids, and I will go to bat to ensure them the best education possible.
    A fourth grade teacher stopped me in the hall the other day. I thought I was probably in trouble for some schedule error I had inevitably made. Instead he said, “We’re doing a project where we take someone who is meaningful in our lives, transform them into a superhero, and write a story about them. You know Emily, your French horn player? You are her superhero!”    

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