general music
Think About It Karen Tordera, WMEA State Chair
These days most of us are in one of two situations: we either have new techno- logical devices in our classroom that we struggle to keep up with or we are desperate to get the funding to get new
ones. Fortunately, all students have access to the greatest piece of technology ever created: the human brain. They walk into our rooms with one and it does not cost a penny. Are we taking full advantage of what each of their brains can do? Are we giving them enough time to think? Are we asking questions that promote thinking? Do our classrooms provide an environment for thinking? Are we pro- viding enough opportunities for students to think?
In the rush of getting ready for a perfor- mance, students need time to make choices about what they are being asked to do. After posing a question or a challenge, ensure that students have time to think about it. Students will be more likely to figure out a solution when they know they have enough time to do so. If we expect students to be ready with an answer as soon as the question or challenge comes out of our mouths, we are communicating that speed is important, that answers need to be on the tip of the their tongue. Life is not a game show where the person with the first right answer gets the prize. If students know that there will be “think time,” they get into the habit of doing just that rather
Practical Pointers
than listening to others who have a quick response to answer our questions.
What kinds of questions are you asking your students that will lead them to think? Have you asked your students “How did you figure that out?” or “Were there parts in this piece that you think aren’t going well?” or even better...“Why do you think those parts aren’t going well?” and “What do you think you/we could do to fix them?” You can discover a lot about how a student is (or is not) learning music when you hear the answers to the last two questions.
With practice, students can assess their own work or the work of others. They are able to make decisions about what can or should be done next in order to improve. At first, it may seem that giving the stu- dents time to think uses a lot of class time, but picture it like an investment. Allow the time now and the payoff comes later. When students become independent think- ers, they can work on their own with less guidance from the teacher. If students depend more on their own thinking and less on us, we have time to help those who are in most need in the classroom.
Consider the effect of your acceptance of answers that are not what you expect. If you treat those “out of the box” sug- gestions with due respect, students will see that you are willing to listen to their suggestions. In my own experience, once students realize that I am serious about listening to what they are saying, they will offer plenty more suggestions and a wide range of observations. We model attentive
and respectful listening to others’ sugges- tions throughout this process, too.
Our elementary band director, Josh Bar- rett, creates an environment of thinking in his rehearsals and small group lessons. Students lead warm-ups and make choices regarding music selection.
Josh’s band members recently presented a student-led concert with nearly every full-band piece conducted by a fifth grade student. Most full ensemble pieces were chosen by students with guidance from their teacher. Josh states “While playing, they were asked to analyze the perfor- mance and decide if it was acceptable or not. If the answer was no, they were asked why and what could be done to improve the performance. Categories were (but not limited to) tempo, note accuracy, balance, style and tone quality. The students did a great job figuring out what was going on in any given piece and offering suggestions on how to make it better.” The concert was a success because students were given many opportunities to make musical deci- sions, gained self-confidence, and began to see themselves as leaders.
In general music classes, students who are farther along in a project often can give advice to those who are closer to the be- ginning stages. The fourth and fifth grade students at one of my schools learn to play English handbells. When a student is new or still figuring out when to play, I pair them up with a more advanced student.
Continued on page 46
~ Karen Tordera
Teachers can make a “thoughtful spot” in their classroom. It can be a place for questions that are asked and no one is ready to answer them. They could be placed in the “spot” and revisited at a later time. If these questions remain visible to students, they will continue to think about them.
44 April 2012
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