a new mode of performance outside of their element. After they observed each other’s failures, and laughed at their own mistakes, they were excit- ed to jump on the podium again. My seniors became increasingly more confident in their abilities and I saw collateral effects in other areas; they might get up and tune the orches- tra at the start, and I noticed more confidence in their solos. Sometimes we would practice improvisation on top of scales and this encouraged the seniors to explore and create new melodies, which then encouraged them to compose music on their in- strument. What was most important to me was that they had taken a big risk and it turned into a powerful learning experience.
Following As A Way Of Leading
In my string orchestra, there is no section leader or concertmas- ter. A concertmaster is considered the most skilled player in the group and functions as a leader. Concert- masters can be important media- tors between the ensemble and the conductor, and have other advan- tages. Nevertheless, I have decided to teach all seniors the skills and re- sponsibilities of a concertmaster and spread leadership around the en- semble. My orchestras already prac- tice seating rotation and scrambled seating practices; seniors mentor stand partners and can lead the en- semble from where they are sitting. At times seniors assume the roles of teacher, conductor, and coach. They might be asked to take attendance and get to know all the students in the orchestra class; they monitor their stand partners’ or underclass- men’s performance and guide them
JANUARY 2018
through the music. These roles will be passed along to different seniors from week to week, and this sharing of authority I believe symbolizes the strengths and challenges of a plural- istic and democratic society.
Compassion In Action When students are moved
around the orchestra and take on different roles, they come to learn about and appreciate the differ- ent personalities, interests, learning abilities, and backgrounds of our richly diverse ensemble. They as- sist their stand partners and provide them with care and support. Anoth- er way that I have tried to help my seniors to be more compassionate is by creating a mentorship program in which they are paired with un- derserved children or special needs students in the elementary schools in our school district. Working with these students has provided the se- niors with a sense of community awareness and a path to discovering their own identities as members of the larger society. I have also encour- aged my seniors to mentor children outside of the school district and sometimes I bring them to other neighborhoods, where they mentor young children in low income city schools and homeless shelters. They will teach them how to play their instruments, show them proper care and maintenance of the instrument, and also provide them with free pri- vate lessons. Although compassion can come in many forms, primary is the desire to be compassionate and care for others; these opportunities provide them with a chance to expe- rience that feeling.
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Looking To The Future
There are many ways that we can help our seniors gain valuable life learning skills and every music teacher has, I am sure, considered a number of ways to achieve this goal. The methods and approaches dis- cussed here have helped my seniors become more successful in my class and hopefully they will remember these experiences and carry them into the future. After all, music pro- vides many life learning lessons, and as teachers, we do care about our students as whole people, not just as ensemble performers but as com- passionate, engaged, well-rounded individuals. Many valuable lessons learned in late adolescence come from the school environment, where social interactions and committed teachers can make a huge difference in the lives of young people. We should both teach and model how we ourselves constantly work to ex- pand our capacity for compassion, for respectful communication, and for social responsibility.
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TEMPO
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