comprehensive musicianship through performance
CMP: The Doctor Is In Randal Swiggum, CMP Committee Member
Dear Doctor,
I’m not even halfway through the school year and I’ve already forgotten the new acronyms from our teacher inservice back in August. Between 11 straight classes ev- ery day, plus morning recess duty, frankly I’m exhausted. Always busy, but I feel like I’m not moving.
We have inservices, we have peer coach- ing, and it seems like endless meetings and new initiatives, but I can’t even really keep them all straight. I know I could be a stronger teacher, and I want to be, but with so little time, how? Is there any hope for me to actually grow in this profession?
Signed, Hamster On The Wheel
Dear HOT Wheel, I’m right there with you. Teaching is hard work. There is precious little time to reflect and grow. So anything that can help us sort through the confusion and fatigue is welcome.
In this arena, Comprehensive Musician- ship Through Performance (yes, I know, CMP – another acronym!) will give you the most bang for your buck. I sometimes refer to it as “One Acronym to Rule Them All.” It definitely is the medicine for teacher fatigue.
All those educational initiatives are valu- able, but we really need a kind of mental “filing cabinet” to keep them straight and figure out how to use them. CMP does that! Was that latest PD essentially anoth- er strategy? Or was it an assessment? Did it help you choose the material for your classroom (repertoire)? (Hint: probably not.) Was it focusing on outcomes?
A mental template like CMP lays out for us what “best practice” looks like. It helps us better reflect on our own practice, as well as know where to “slot in” the new information we receive, and make sense
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of it. CMP will not only help you grow as a teacher, but it will also help you become a critical thinker about each new educa- tional initiative coming down the pike. It will keep you focused on what matters, and lower your blood pressure about the other stuff.
Dear Doctor,
I’m a middle school band director. And frankly, my bands sound great. Parents love my program and our concerts pack the gym. I know what you’re thinking: why are you writing for health advice?
Well, there’s one thing keeping me up at night. It’s my last chair clarinet player. I’ll call him “Scott.” Scott’s a great kid, always curious, has the best questions and absolutely loves playing in band. But here’s the problem: Scott still can’t remember basic fingerings, everything sounds like Webern and he plays notes that I’m pretty sure don’t even exist on the clarinet. Scott probably shouldn’t even be passing my class, but I don’t want to kill his passion for music. It’s clear he is thinking about the music differently – even deeper – than other kids. But how do I grade him when the product isn’t even there?
Signed, Sleepless in Pewaukee
Dear SIP, Are you focusing on Scott’s playing skills only? That’s pretty common. CMP is kind of a remedy for that – a way of thinking that reminds us that to be “musical” is not just about skills, but also about knowledge (what we used to call “theory” or “his- tory”) and the affective (forging a deep connection with the music that leads to other kinds of understanding, beyond just playing). And let’s face it – most of Scott’s classmates are not going to grow up to be performers either. So it’s good to ask: what are we teaching exactly?
Dear AARGH! Take a breath. Let CMP be your “North Star” in this crazy assessment world. You feel like you already have a good under- standing of what your students know and can do? Great! CMP assumes that as- sessments are merely ongoing strategies for what you already consider important. Decide what you want students to actually know or do (Outcome) and then devise an assessment (Strategy) directly tied to that. No point in lamenting the SLO or how ir- relevant it is – turn it to your advantage by focusing your assessment on something you really care about. The CMP model can help you think clearly through this.
January 2017
Of course you’ll keep addressing Scott’s skills on the clarinet – they matter. And I bet someday his fingers and embouchure will catch up with his knowledge, curiosity and inner fire for music. In the meantime, you can assess all three CMP outcomes: skill, knowledge and affective. In that kind of classroom, with that balance, every kid – including the Scotts – has a chance to be truly musical.
Dear Doctor,
HELP! In our district, it’s all about the data. We need to show through clear num- bers that our students are improving. My professional goal this year has to be based on this data. It’s making me crazy.
I feel like I already have a good grasp of what my students know and how they play. But I just can’t get excited about a note- name test or worksheet, just to provide easy numbers that no one will look at. Do I just have to hold my nose and wait until this assessment craze passes, or is there some way I can actually assess without putting the brakes on real learning in my classroom?
Signed,
Assessment Actually Really Generates Headaches!
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