comprehensive musicianship through performance
It’s Hard to Teach an Empty Chair: How a Program Philosophy Drives the Day-to-Day Kellen Dorner, Will Janssen, Patty Schlafer – Mount Horeb
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The CMP Project invited the Mount Horeb band teachers to share their ideas for this edition. These teachers presented a ses- sion at the 2017 Wisconsin State Music Conference highlighting their philosophy of “inclusion and variety.”
Using the CMP model to plan music in- struction encourages teachers to consider diverse learners through varied classroom experiences; having the shared philosophy described below has helped the Mount Horeb teachers provide comprehensive music education to as many students as possible.
Once upon a time you developed a philosophy for your music education methods class – do you remember it? When was the last time you thought about your philosophy of music education? Why would a student want to spend time in your classroom? What does a student get from being in your class?
The teachers of the Mount Horeb Band program work with a shared belief that there is a place for every student in band and that every decision made represents a value held. Kellen Dorner, Will Janssen and Patty Schlafer have worked together for a combined 61 years to create a well- rounded and inclusive band program. The middle school bands involve over half of the school’s enrollment while 30 percent of the high school is in band. The session we presented at the recent Wisconsin State Music Conference was designed to help teachers reflect on how a belief system can shape a program while guiding the day-to-day plans and decisions they make for the students they teach.
Where we started…
Will Janssen went to school in a small town, and his first teaching position was in an even smaller town. When he
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came to Mount Horeb, he found a small band program in a growing city; he did everything he could to bring students into the fold. Eventually, he helped bring Patty Schlafer on board. Patty grew up in a high-powered Division 1 program but started her teaching career in the Madison Catholic Band program, where her salary depended on her ability to recruit and retain students in her bands; needless to say, she did everything she could to bring students into her program. As the Mount Horeb program grew, more staffing was needed, and Kellen Dorner was hired. Kellen grew up in a big successful program, then taught in smaller districts. Kellen’s experi- ences were in programs that focused primarily on quality over numbers, so he was surprised to discover that the renowned Mount Horeb band program had a wide variety of student interest and ability levels. As Kellen asked more and more questions about what he saw, Will and Patty began to articulate their program philosophy. Now, all three have a common philosophy that drives both daily interactions and large program-wide decisions.
Our Philosophy
Our philosophy can be summed up with the words “inclusion” and “variety.”
INCLUSION: “There is a place for every student in the Mount Horeb Area School District Band Program”
VARIETY: “We believe there is value in a diverse curriculum with a varied set of experiences for all students – “lots of op- portunity” and “more is better.”
Benefits of Having a Philosophy
With three different backgrounds, per- sonalities and experiences, we don’t always immediately find common ground when sorting out issues. Our philosophy
“Our philosophy can be summed up with the words “inclusion” and “variety.””
provides a framework for discussion, and it guides nearly every decision we make; our philosophy gives us a way to decide big issues, but it also helps us in our daily interactions with students. When we discuss big changes to our program, we always approach things from the broad inclusionary perspective and aiming for the “great middle” helps us determine whether or not a different approach will benefit most students. When we work with students on a daily basis, we use our philosophical framework to ensure students receive the specific type of in- struction they need; it helps us remember why we go through the often frustrating process of providing differentiation to ensure satisfied, challenged students who have been part of a wide array of music experiences.
Having a philosophical framework helps us work together to strengthen our pro- gram. Essentially, our philosophy gives us a platform for discussion. Since we’ve all agreed on a common philosophy, making decisions that reflect those values is much easier. A common philosophy also helps us start from a place of agreement, which makes it easier to get started and iron out details later. On a personal note, working toward shared philosophical goals makes the process less personal and more group- oriented; discussions and decisions don’t feel like personal attacks or judgments.
Continued on page 20 January 2018
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