elementary general music Survey Says… Corinne Galligan, WMEA State Chair, Elementary General Music
I hope you had a restful summer of recharging! This summer has provid- ed valuable opportu- nities to find myself again and rediscover the parts of me that have been squashed by the last year and
a half. As teachers, how many times have we felt like just another faceless, voiceless cog in the machine, especially during the pandemic? Now let’s put ourselves in our learners’ shoes. Do we take the time to get to know them as people, or do we just treat them as vessels to fill with predetermined musical knowledge? If we feel frustrated and demoralized when our bosses and col- leagues don’t take the time to get to know us as educators or as people and expect us to flourish with one-size-fits-all profes- sional development, how do our students feel if we don’t make the effort to get to know them as people and as learners?
Good news – we can change this! I rec- ommend surveying your learners. You know your situation best when it comes to logistics, but I’ve found it easiest to use Google Forms for my older learners (grades 3-5) once they’ve got their school devices in the first couple weeks of the school year. Paper and pencil versions are also doable, but the data collection on the back end is a bit more intensive, especially if you’re trying to note any trends. If your
school uses Seesaw, I’ve used that for my younger learners to share personal musical things like a favorite song. Tech-free class discussions work too.
Some questions you might want to ask your learners include:
• What is your full name?
• What would you like me to call you?
• Which pronouns do you use? (inclusive checklist of options [he/him, she/her, they/them], including “other”)
• Which language(s) do you speak at home? (checklist of options, including “I’d prefer not to say”)
• Which kinds of music do you like to listen to? (extensive checklist of genre options, including “other” for them to add a missing option)
• Do you sing or play any instru- ments? (extensive checklist of options, including “other”)
• Who are some bands or musicians you like to listen to?
• What’s your favorite song? – OR – What’s a song you’ve really been enjoying lately? – OR – What’s a song you think I should listen to? (Choose your phrasing knowing that some people struggle with choosing favorites or have fluid preferences.)
• What do you like to do in your free time?
• What is something that you want to learn in music class? What is something musical that you want to know more about?
• What should I know about you as a learner? – OR – What is the most helpful thing a teacher has ever done to help you learn?
• What is something I should know about you?
Now here comes the important part: After you survey your learners, be sure to follow through with the data and actually utilize your findings to continue to get to know them and grow together through music and other shared interests. Find ways to incorporate music your learners enjoy or things they want to learn in class. If it’s music that you’re not familiar with, ask them about it! Last year, one of my classes decided to give me weekly listen- ing assignments of musicians they liked that I wasn’t super familiar with, and it was great for student voice, community building, and my own continued musical development. This also showed them that we all have different musical backgrounds, nobody knows everything, and everyone has something to share that other people may not already know.
WISCONSIN MUSIC STRONG
wimusicstrong.wsmamusic.org 26
If you’ve done surveys with your students, how have you incorporated what you learned into your learning spaces? How have they helped you grow as a musician and educator? Hop on over to the Wiscon- sin General Music Teachers Network on Facebook at
https://www.facebook.com/ groups/1394968523869081 and share your thoughts!
Corinne Galligan teaches elementary general music in the Pulaski Community School District and also serves on the board of the Association of Wisconsin Area Kodály Educators. Email:
cmgalligan@pulaskischools.org or Social Media: @cmgalligan.
September 2021
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