Teacher Education, continued from page 22


techniques coursework in as few as three semesters, allowing for freedom to take other courses and ultimately complete the program faster.


In the third and fourth years, students


shift to the professional education core, focusing on pedagogy and teaching methods specific to instrumental, choral, and elementary general music. This is the second of the primary changes to our program. Previously, music education students completed a single elementary/ secondary music methods class (known as Phase IIIa) in the fall semester before student teaching. Students were required to complete all other coursework prior to enrolling in this course, which proved difficult for some. With the new program of study, the 8-credit/20-hour “Phase” class has been broken into three separate, content-specific methods classes. Students will focus solely on instrumental, choral, or general music methods over three semesters, rather than waiting until the end of the program to focus on all of them simultaneously. This allows students some flexibility in when they enroll for each, and will also provide students with the option to student teach in the fall semester if necessary, rather than adding a full school year to their program.


Practical experiences are also affected


by the methods class change. In the previous program of study, students were provided their first practical experiences only weeks before student teaching. Students will now participate in field experiences over a three-semester period prior to student teaching. Additionally, they will visit practicum sites on a weekly basis stretching the duration of the semester, rather than for two-week immersions. Thus, pre-service teachers may encounter a wider variety of teaching experiences in a typical school music setting. It is our hope that providing practical experiences throughout various stages of the program will ultimately help to develop stronger and better prepared music teachers.


Meeting Teaching Standards As a result of successful completion


24


of the components of the program of study, UW music education students are expected to meet a set of rigorous teaching standards - each focusing on a distinct teaching process - upon which they are assessed during the student teaching experience. Pre-service teachers must provide evidence of professional growth relevant to pedagogical content skills and knowledge for each standard. Their ability to do so shows the UW music education faculty, and others who may later hire them, that they are capable of taking on the many tasks involved in successful teaching.


Pre-service music teachers are evaluated closely on the following eleven teaching standards:


Standard 1: Content/Discipline Skills and Knowledge


Standard 2: Developmental Theories


Standard 3: Diverse Learners/ Differentiated Instruction


Standard 4: Instructional Strategies


Standard 5: Learning Environments


Standard 6: Communication Techniques


Standard 7: Planning Standard 8: Assessment Standard 9: Reflective Practitioner


Standard 10: Fostering Relationships


Standard 11: Professional and Ethical Behavior


It is important to note that these standards are relevant to teaching of any discipline and not specific to music teaching. We hope to produce teachers who understand and value education concepts holistically, and see their role as an equal participant in the school environment.


While a comprehensive explanation


of each standard is outside the scope of this report, several of the fore-mentioned


standards reflect specific teaching skills - Standards 1, 4, 7, and 8, for example - while others are apply to teacher dispositions and relationships, such as Standards 6, 10, and 11. Standards 2, 3, and 5 focus upon a teacher’s ability to relate to students, to understand the various personalities, cultures, and learning styles they bring to the music classroom and their subsequent impact on the environment. Finally, Standard 9 evaluates the teacher’s ability to reflect on their teaching to make positive adjustments for the benefit of themselves and their students.


These teaching standards are aligned


with similar expectations across the nation, which allows our graduates to show they are prepared to teach in any region, and in any musical environment. Because our program is accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music, school districts and state departments of education can feel confident that we are preparing music teachers as competent and accomplished professionals.


UW Music Education has worked


diligently to ensure that this is true, and that our teachers have the courage to take on any music teaching situation. In a region where entry-level music positions can vary from area-specific secondary programs in larger metropolitan areas to K-12 “all- music” positions in rural locales, it is important that we provide comprehensive instruction to empower our graduates and to serve the diverse music programs and districts in which they will one day teach.


Dr. Crystal Sieger joined the University of Wyoming faculty in 2014. Prior to UW, Dr. Sieger taught at Case Western Reserve University;


she also previously taught


elementary and middle school band and orchestra. At the University of Wyoming, Dr. Sieger works closely with pre-service music teachers as they transition into the professional world. Dr. Sieger also currently serves as the horn instructor for Crane Youth Music, a summer camp for middle and high school students at the Crane School of Music at SUNY-Potsdam, where she also performs regularly with the Orchestra of Northern New York and the Potsdam Brass Quintet.


Wyoming Windsong


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