NEWS FROM THE DISTRICT PRESIDENTS, continued
KANSAS CITY METRO DISTRICT #3 Craig Miller, MMEA District President
Music Teachers need as much assistance as possible. However, we sometimes prefer to complete tasks ourselves instead of allowing others to assist us. We often feel it is just easier to complete the task than to explain to someone else how to do it. We like our rehearsal room chairs a certain way, our stands placed just right, the chair racks in a row next to a certain wall, or the music in a certain order. Very few people think in the same manner as a music teacher. Many of us shy away from utilizing parents and students to help us with our job. Perhaps if we let go of these insecurities we will find a motivated army of volunteers who, like many of your students, will do anything for you if you will take the time to simply mobilize and empower them to be successful. This brief article will give you a few examples of ways to build your community in a manner that will give you more time at the end of the day and will allow your classroom to become not only a place for music education but also a center for your entire community to serve each other for an artistic and musical purpose.
One way to nurture student service is to establish a student leadership team. Developing student leadership is so much more than giving students a title. Students are not born with the information they need to be positive leaders. They are often wired to be quite the opposite. It’s tough turning the “I”-“ME” into “WE”-“US”. It’s a challenge to get students to think beyond the moment or their electronic devices. How do we break through the barriers of electronic distraction and teach the Art of Conversation? Each year, I have spent two days with my students who have earned the title of section leader, drum major, librarian or some other title, just to focus on leadership activities. We spend hours developing the concept of “WE/US”, meaning a perception that goes beyond what is best for oneself, but rather a focus on service, teamwork and community. I recently tried to not limit my efforts on this small group of exceptional students but to go a step further and develop these concepts in our music parents and every student in our program. I am always surprised at the responses when I ask our students to share who they view as a great leader and what characteristics their choice possessed to earn such respect. Nine out of ten students described a
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brief moment with an older student. They describe how the older student took less than an hour of his time to help them with something that seemed overwhelming at the time. Teaching leadership is not as difficult as it might seem. There are hundreds of motivational videos on YouTube and TED Video free to watch and use. There are several music leadership videos & books available for purchase outlining many leadership games to help teach concepts of teamwork and camaraderie. My best leaders have come from students who are not concerned about their title but rather the service they can provide to make our music program a more organized and efficient learning environment. In the past, when I have asked students to establish three goals for their season, I would hear suggestions like, win the St. Louis Regional Competition or receive a First Division at Large Group or receive a first division rating at Solo & Ensemble competition. Although, these are great goals to have, I was more impressed with this year’s three goals: 1)Perform at a professional level, 2)Attain and maintain a positive relationship with all students in the ensemble, and 3)Influence and nurture an intrinsic motivation for each student as the vehicle for success in music.
These goals were not from a teacher or a book but rather the desire of young students to be a proactive part in the musical success of their performing ensemble. They realize winning medals and first division are more likely if these greater goals are met. However, winning will be found in the service and emotional investment students have made in the program and the impact they discover they can make with their peers.
Most parents will do anything for their child; this does not stop short of volunteering to help you. Giving parents a list of needs and committees to join can lead to the creation of a huge network of support for your program. Even if you are not comfortable establishing a parent booster group or perhaps your school district does not allow parent groups, you can still empower parents to help you and your program with specific tasks. Survey your parents to become familiar with their strengths and expertise. Of course, there are many duties that need to stay under your professional umbrella, such as tasks involving financial transactions, student grades, demographic information, actual teaching and evaluation. Start simple with one activity and expand the
MISSOURI SCHOOL MUSIC
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