feature Connecting Unconventional Students in
the Conventional Music Classroom Douglas Kuepper, Milwaukee
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As a first grader in a one-room school with 27 other students ranging in grades one through six, the teacher’s keen insight connected our entire “schoolroom” music (there only was one classroom music) to bridge the gap of my desire to be a performer by giving me my first public performance: singing a duet in the school’s winter program.
After the one-room schools were com- bined the next year into the satellite school, which was part of the Winneconne School District, I joined the band dur- ing the summer before fifth grade. That incredible experience laid the foundation for future years of participating in band as well as choral activities that continued on in high school and college. However, these “conventional” music opportunities failed to directly bridge the gap of my interest in playing the piano and/or organ, though they did contribute to the development of my character as well as being essential elements for my career in music education that are still vital elements today.
Piano/organ instruction was not part of the school music education model and access was limited for private instruction due to location and limited family finances. Thankfully, two men, my fourth and fifth grade elementary classroom teachers, played the piano and because they had a contagious excitement and desire to make sure all their students experienced music, they bridged the gap of my personal inter- est in playing a keyboard instrument. This was especially visible when my fifth grade classroom teacher invited me to present a short, end of school year concert on a small Silvertone chord organ from Sears that I had received for Christmas that school year and taught myself to play using the knowledge I learned in classroom music.
My point is that, certainly, we will always need the “conventional” music education
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opportunities of band, choir and orchestra because of their value in the total educa- tion of large groups of students as well as for the future of community arts organiza- tions locally and nationally. But we may not realize the importance of connecting with the diverse student musical interests outside the classroom, engaging those with or without a musical background by bridging the gap to the music classroom, even at very young ages.
For some music educators this “con- necting” with student interests comes naturally or is not difficult to develop and implement. For others, particularly some high school and middle school teachers whose training focused on their “academic specialty,” it may be difficult or seem impossible to achieve a connec- tion to bridge the gap since it is out of the “specialty” area or out of the “comfort zone.” Having taught grades K-12 at schools with different demographics, socioeconomic and cultural influences, specifically, at Sevastopol Consolidated Schools, Little Chute Public Schools and Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS); and as the former music administrator for MPS, I will acknowledge that teaching in a large urban center has some advantages. But lest we think “the grass is greener” we need to realize that similar challenges exist in all districts while the large urban setting also creates its own unique set of issues. Consistently low student attendance and abusive classroom disruptions result from multiple factors involving socioeconomic and cultural issues and also from the breakdown of the family, lack of moral and/or religious upbringing, and the stu- dent’s perception that what is being taught does not connect with his/her personal life. Let me cite some examples from MPS that, with some creativity, may be helpful in making connections with students and be implemented in all schools.
“We can be the catalyst to increase school attendance, improve classroom behavior and develop character in students as we connect with them through their personal musical interests…”
With the diverse demographics of Milwau- kee School of Languages (grades 6-12), music director Tom Gundrum points out that by using diverse styles of music in the classroom, he connects with his band and orchestra students in order to be bridging the gap with their outside interests not only in African dance and drumming but also in Irish dance and ballet. Similarly, outside the music classrooms of Riverside University High School, students are particularly interested in church choirs (historically strong in the black com- munity) and Broadway theatrical produc- tions. Church choir participation is often available to all students, so by building on what is being taught in the music classroom, the school choral director can be bridging the gap. Engaging students beyond the school’s musical production includes encouraging student participation in local community theater or one of the many summer camps offered at several universities and colleges in Wisconsin, and even establishing a partnership with an arts organization by use of a grant or arts foundation. According to Riverside choral director Milena Walker, “Last summer Riverside joined with the Marcus Center to create ‘Arts Connect’ which began with
April 2016
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