Beth Davis - President, Elementary/General Division
“A teacher can either cement mediocrity or inspire excellence in a student, regardless of what subject is being taught.”
The faculty
of which I am a part is participating in a book study. I read the previous quote in the first chapter of the book and was inspired. Teachers have the opportunity and responsibility to expect and inspire excellence in our students; however, we as music teachers are so blessed to fulfill that responsibility through teaching such a joyous subject to children. The question is how do we accomplish such a task? Senator Lamar Alexander in his remarks at the recent presidential inauguration referred to a quote from Alex Haley’s book Roots. “Look for the good and praise it.” What a promising strategy for inspiring excellence in our students. Human beings thrive on support and encouragement. We, as music teachers, have many opportunities to enact this strategy. Our encouraging words may be the only ones these children hear that day. Our classes are designed to allow optimal participation and engagement while also allowing for creativity. Students may be successful and engaged in our class despite the fact they may struggle in other classes.
AMEA Presidents Past to Present
1946 Yale H. Ellis 1948 Walter A. Mason 1950 Vernon Skoog 1952 John J. Hoover 1954 Lamar Triplett 1956 Carleton K. Butler 1958 Mort Glosser 1960 Wilbur Hinton 1962 Lacey Powell, Jr. 1964 G. Truman Welch 1966 Jerry Countryman 1968 Floyd C. McClure 1970 Jerry Bobo 1972 Frances P. Moss 1974 George Hammett 1975 Frances P. Moss 1976 S. J. Allen
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These students will strive to meet our expectations when they are consistent and their efforts are encouraged.
Our classrooms are also the places in our schools where creativity is expected and encouraged. People of the world today must have creativity and problem solving skills to be successful and contributing citizens. In the current state of high stakes testing pressure, teachers often relinquish what they know as best practice to test preparation. In our music classes, we have more freedom to design lessons that encourage problem solving and creativity. As we work with children in large and small groups to create and perform music, we are also teaching the critical skills of working with others for a common goal. Children often learn to respect and value people, cultures, and music different than their own through our classes. We have the opportunity to expose children to music from all historical periods as well as music from across the globe. Not only can we teach objectives from our state course of study and the national standards for music, we also can teach history, geography, culture, as well as respect for others.
How many times do your lessons include math, language arts, or science? How often is dance, drama, or visual arts a part of your activity for the week? Our
classrooms have the potential to accomplish a great deal for our students. We strive to teach our curriculum with depth and meaning, as we endeavor to integrate other subject matter and build character. You matter. You are important.
Bobby Horton, a musician from Birmingham, told a group of teachers in a workshop this week, that teachers are the ones who determine the future of our country and the world. I certainly believe we contribute in a powerful way. Thank you for the job you do everyday for the young people of our state. Keep up the good work. You make a difference in your school, your community, our state, our country, and even the world. Continue to be great and inspire excellence in your students.
Covey, S. R. (2008). The Leader in Me: How Schools and Parents Around the World Are Inspiring Greatness, One Child at a Time. New York, NY. : Simon & Schuster.
March 2, 2013 AOSA presents Roger Sams
Orff Level One Certification Training in June at Samford University
October 4, 2013 Elementary Music Festival with Maribeth Yoder - White
October 5, 2013 AMEA/AOSA Joint Work- shop with Maribeth Yoder - White
1978 W. Frank McArthur, Jr. 1980 Paul Hall 1982 Lacey Powell, Jr. 1984 Johnny Jacobs 1986 Merilyn Jones 1988 Ronald D. Hooten 1990 Ken Williams 1992 Dianne Johnson 1994 James K. Simpson 1996 Johnnie Vinson 1998 Michael Meeks 2000 John McAphee, Jr. 2002 Tony Pike 2004 Becky Rodgers 2006 John Baker 2008 Pat Stegall 2010 Steve McLendon 2012 Sara Womack
February/March 2013
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