I am struck by the many thoughts and reflections that have gone through and continue to go through my mind as I have pondered the title of this article. “Success in the Middle School: A Changing Perspective.” My perspective is changing! I have recently accepted an opportunity to teach at the high school level. And “no, this is not a promotion,” just another opportunity to work with musicians at a different level of experience. I still consider myself “qualified” in the area of middle level music education having been a teacher in this area for the past nineteen years. I value very highly my experiences at the middle level and the opportunities to have shared my passion for choral music with such bright and passionate souls.
I now find myself in the midst of a “changing perspective.” As with any other time in my career when a change has occurred, I again hearken back to a familiar passage of poetry and again am challenged to look forward.
The Road Not Taken
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I —
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.Robert Frost
In the midst of this paradigm shift, I have been reflecting on my many years as a middle level educator. I have asked myself some very probing questions. Questions that don’t necessarily require immediate answers but require thoughtful, personal reflection and much interpersonal consideration and hopefully much dialog among friends and colleagues. What do we think about when another school year has finished and another is about to begin? I offer these suggestions as probes to awaken again that passion for our art.
• What sparks your interest in your present particular vocal music position?
• Is singing and performance a part of your own musical life?
• Define and give strategies for “working with” the adolescent changing voice, both male and female.
• Outline your philosophy of choral music education at the middle level.
• Outline your vision for a beginning or an established choral music program at the middle level.
• Give examples of a variety of instructional strategies that you would use in a classroom of divergent learners and students with varying degrees of musical knowledge.
• What are some teaching strategies that you would use as a means of “preventive discipline” so that the learning process is minimally disrupted? How do you keep the desire for learning a continuous process for your students?
• Give examples of ways in which you would engage and encourage students to take “ownership” of both their individual and the corporate learning in the classroom.
• Give examples of some of your policies regarding home/school communication, grading and evaluation in the music classroom.
• What strategies would you use to teach sight-reading?
• Give examples of strategies that you would use for introducing a new piece of music and then as the piece is being “prepared” for performance.
• Give examples of appropriate music, stylistically and vocally, for the middle level including specific titles and a range of musical genres.
• What do you do to encourage student participation in honors choirs, solo/ensemble and choral festival?
• Outline a choral music concert in terms of music and a variety of presentation methods that engage the performers and the audience intellectually, musically and soulfully.
• What are some “outside of the classroom” activities that you are involved in that support or enhance the entire professional learning community?
Some of these questions are answerable in a few moments, perhaps, others probably not. But all deserve attention by pre-service teachers, new teachers and yes, those of us who are more “seasoned.” Many times I find myself jotting down thoughts, ideas, questions and sometimes answers while at the computer or even on the bottom of sermon notes. I challenge each of us to look through the questions and keep any answers to them close by for reflection. Several times I have realized that yes, sometimes the answers change!
My “changing perspective” not only presented me with the opportunity to reflect on my own teaching but also on the preparation of the next generation of choral music educators. As I have had conversations with new teachers and “seasoned colleagues,” I have compiled a list of those things that I feel are important qualities of a successful middle school choral music teacher. Some of these qualities are:
• Musical Skill (conducting, voice and piano)
• Passion for the Choral Art (what drives us to do what we do)
• Flexibility (time and classroom structure)
• Ingenuity (spontaneity) and Creativity (multiple intelligences)
• Personal Philosophy of Music Education (evolving)
• Understanding of the Middle School Climate/Students
• Teaching – “Best Practices” (not just trends)
• “Renaissance Ideal” = (art, music and literature)
• Process vs. Product Approach to Teaching and Learning
• Lifelong Learning (research)
As another school year begins, I continue to be in the midst of a “changing perspective.” A perspective that now must begin to appreciate even more the role of middle level music educators in the bigger picture of choral music education. Having now taught at the middle level and beginning preparation to teach at another, I cannot begin to understand how grateful I will be for having worked with adolescents in the sixth through eighth grade and for what I have learned from them and about them: their voices, their hearts and their souls. I would like to close with some more words from one of our colleagues, James Jordan, in his work The Musician’s Soul where he states that “music in the classroom and ensembles can be ‘made’ but it is created and generated from the very souls of those that produce it. Soulful human beings create profound music, regardless of their level of musical achievement.” (p. 9)
Mr. Jordan also states that “the envy of the beautiful sounds in life through music is what makes us musicians. The human need for beauty in music for most of us drives our motivation to become better musicians and performers. In the struggle toward acquiring or experiencing perfection, we focus on all the technical aspects of our art. Conducting technique, singing technique, and analysis seem to be at the core of all curricula. Often, too, we talk about the interpretation of the music. Unfortunately, seldom do we talk or ponder the implication of that music on our lives.” (p.115, The Musician’s Soul)
Mr. Jordan’s words challenge us to create profound music regardless of what level we teach or where we are on our career journey. We need to continuously reflect upon those questions that require us to think past the moment and toward the future. We also need to think and reflect upon those ideals that make us the choral music educators that we are and the choral music educators we aspire to be. I would like to close with a poetic invitation that asks us to reflect, think and share with those around us, our families, friends, colleagues and students.
The Pasture
I’m going out to clean the pasture spring;
I’ll only stop to rake the leaves away
(And wait to watch the water clear, I may):
I shan’t be gone long. –You come too.Robert Frost
Any comments or further reflections are welcomed and can be sent to my email address at tblue@rochester.k12.mi.us.
