Music Education and Performance

This post is in response to Jason Heath's recent "You can't teach professionally and perform professionally" article.

The article expresses Jason's dismay at being told by a professor of music education that students should choose between an education major and a performance major, rather than pursue a double major.

A few things immediately struck me about this article. The first is the context of the statement: Jason described it as a "certification course", which I can only take to mean an education-specific course offered as part of a degree in education. The state of Illinois may or may not have the same requirements I'm familiar with: here in New York, and in Rhode Island (where I did my initial coursework in music education), certified teachers are required to have a bachelor's degree, a minimum amount of undergraduate coursework in education (usually including observational work), and accepted student teaching experience. For full certification after the first few years of teaching, the candidate is required to obtain a masters degree within a set time frame. There are other states with looser requirements, but the trend nationally is to require at least this much of the incoming teacher. Please correct me if you're a teacher in another state who knows more about this.

Just to continue with the context of the statement: if you're talking about becoming a "certified" teacher, and you're not talking about getting a doctorate, then I can only assume you're talking about becoming a "schoolteacher", k-12, full time, hand in your planbook and do what you're told within union regulations kind of teacher. The kind who doesn't get to choose which kids or families to work with, or not work with. The kind who has to become an early riser whether they want to or not (that seems to be more of a problem for me than for Jason, who wakes up at 4:45 to blog. Wow.) This is in stark contrast to "studio teaching" or "college music department teaching", which are both entirely different animals.

Within certain limits, I think the professor in question was right, though he (it sonds like it was a "he", anyway) probably said it in a way which was bound to get a mature and accomplished player like Jason a little worked up.

Let's look at it this way: Everyone with any experience in "the business" knows how much of a commitment it takes to scrape by as a musician. Jason himself has documented this better than anyone in his "Road Warrior" series of articles. It doesn't matter if you're an opera singer, orchestral bassist, rock guitarist, or itinerant shofahar-blower: if you're going to make a living, you've got to spend some serious time traveling to keep the gigs rolling in. You have to be available, and you simply won't be as available when you're working a teacher's schedule.

You can, and should, continue to play at a professional level. Some of the most horribly ineffective and unhappy teachers I've met are "music teachers who don't play music". This is a fate worse than death, and should be avoided at all costs.

However, you simply won't be able to keep building that complicated jigsaw puzzle a freelance player needs to be building in order to maintain their status as a "professional musician". You can try it for a while, but I've yet to see it work. This is one of the things which kept me out of the teaching profession for so long. When I was younger, I was just dead set on keeping my playing schedule up. Less than five nights working per week was unacceptable, and I wasn't ready to try to give that up until other things happened in my life to push me away from trying to be a full-time player.

This tradeoff isn't all bad, though: it is very common for teachers to play on a professional level in regional orchestras, jazz groups, as singer-songwriters, whatever floats your boat: and they don't have to desperately scramble for money while doing it. I no longer have to take the cut-rate theater gigs I always hated doing, nor do I have to fill up my schedule with "music store teaching" or any of the other "musician jobs" I used to have to deal with on a regular basis if I wanted to pay rent. I can "work cheap" on projects that are of genuine interest to me, as time allows, and that's a good thing. When you have a salaried teaching job and the per-session orchestra with the psychopathic section member two states away calls you, you're allowed to say "gee, I'm sorry, I can't do it". Even better, you don't have to worry whether that contractor will ever call you again.

I have to assume that the prof in question was working at a "teacher's college". Generally speaking, the young musicians who attend these colleges do not have a whole lot of real-world playing experience, so they may have no idea what it takes to survive as a musician. I also have to assume that if someone's got a good, solid playing job as a studio musician (do they still make those?) or a full-time orchestra player, that they will not be going to the teacher's college to get certification to teach in the public schools. In my humble opinion, the prof was right on this one, and doing a service to the younger students in the class, who may need to get their priorities in order before they can prepare to go into the classroom or onto the audition circuit. Either one of these things will be an all-consuming task.

I don't think he was really telling you you can't play as a professional, Jason. I think he was telling a young cohort of students: "It's time to get serious."

There is no question in my mind about this: no one should enter a career in education lightly. It is a profession which requires a lot of serious preparation. There are many different children from many different families who have many different needs, and they don't care about the trip you will have to take to Seattle, or Albany, or Houston, or wherever you need to haul your bass to play excerpts for a committee. They will care if they have a professional teacher who is equipped to deal with their child's educational issues. Or, to give you another tired cliche, you are not just teaching music, you are teaching children.

We need teachers who are willing to commit to this obligation. There are more than enough people trying to "dabble" in the field, then walking out in their first years, only to find out it's too challenging for them.

Thought I'd pass this on - Kozol's online resources

I just finished reading Jonathan Kozol's latest release, "Letters to a Young Teacher". I have to say, any criticisms I've had of his views in the past have all been addressed in this book. He's at his best here, giving real advice to real teachers "on the front lines" rather than addressing large, intractable systematic and societal problems. This seems a stark contrast to his previous works, which have always given me the impression that he's a great critical writer who is very good at seeing existing problems, but not as effective at offering workable solutions.

I was wrong. Read the book.

At the end, there is a series of afterwards. One of them has some contact information for his educational reform movement, Education Action!

After sending an email to the address listed there, I received a very prompt reply giving me links to some recently established resources. Here they are, go check them out if you are interested in Educational reform in the U.S.:

(quoted from ed-action email)
Our website is up and running (www.ed-action.org), and I want to encourage you to visit it so you can see the many things we have to offer. Some important features include:

Discussion Board
http://www.edaction.com/discussion/list.php?2

Jonathan's Suggested Revisions for NCLB
http://ed-action.org/states.php?section=NCLB
(we encourage all of our network members to "weigh in" on NCLB, whether it be writing to or phoning their Congressional representatives, or some other way of voicing their opinion)

Join Our Network
http://ed-action.org/join.php

Find Education & Social Justice Oriented Organizations
http://ed-action.org/resources.php?section=search

In case anyone else is interested, here is the email address to Mr. Kozol's Ed Action! organization: educationactioninfo@gmail.com

String orchestra programs: k-12, nuts and bolts

It's very tempting to turn this blog into a place for goofing off. I'm going to make an attempt at seriousness for a moment now, and see if I can make any headway.

After about two weeks, school will be in full swing again. I will be taking in a new group of students who have never touched a stringed instrument, and doing my best to get them familiar with their instruments, familiar with the repertoire they will be playing, and familiar with the countless skills they will be exercising while playing in an ensemble under a conductor.

Over the years, I've determined that it takes much more than being a proficient instrumentalist to be an effective instrumental music teacher. I would like to become more effective, and run a "very good" string program, as opposed to a "good enough" program. My goal is honestly not to create virtuoso players (though I feel the kids should have the opportunity to pursue that path if they are so inclined), but to have a program which serves the community well. More on that later.

Over the past year or so, I've been compiling this outline of what I think a "very good" string program needs to be capable of providing if it's to be of any benefit to the community over the long term. It's meant to be a dynamic document, so, please, in all seriousness, I would greatly appreciate any additions, suggestions, input or criticism anyone would like to offer. Email Me

I know this document is not incredibly reader-friendly. It is a work in progress, and I hope to update this post as my thoughts on the topic become more clear, and therefore easier to put into words. If this outline makes any sense to you, again, please help me add to it or edit it . Email Me.

Here goes:

Recommendations for building a "very good" school string program (rough outline as of August, 2008)

I. Facility
A. Storage of instruments
B. Rehearsal space
C. performance space

II. Materials and Equipment
A. Books
1. Leveled instrument-specific methods
2. Leveled ensemble materials
B. Instruments (of appropriate size and playability)
1. acquisition
2. regular maintenance
C. Listening materials (to provide "aural model")


III. Staffing (ensure equity across schools and continuity of instruction)
A. Availability of string specialist
B. Presence of well-run, successful general music curriculum, ensuring consistent practice of musical skills away from main instrument

IV. Scheduling
A. in – school lesson time
1. group (sectional as well as full ensemble)
2. individual (or small group, instrument-specific)
B. outside programs
(community playing opportunities increase visibility and importance of program)
C. ensemble rehearsal
D. in-school performances and assemblies

V. Feeder Programs/ Previous experience (e.g. Suzuki studios)(can we create or encourage such programs? In school, through the school system, or independent?)

VI. Tracking/Leveling of groups
A. resources and opportunities for Advanced Students
B. resources for slow learners
C. solid foundation for beginners

VII. Support
A. Administrative (through scheduling, transportation, funding, availability of resources . . .)
B. Teacher (collaborative efforts, esp. important in elementary school)
C. Parental
D. Peer (program must be a positive social experience to retain membership, create environment of healthy competition, pride, . . .)

VIII. Continuity of instruction K-12
A. Methods used (method book series)
B. Expectations as related to NYSSMA leveling, national arts standards, and ASTA recommendations
C. Retention of low-performing students
D. Opportunities for advancing students
E. Expectations of department as opposed to expectations of individual teacher

IX. Essential questions

A. Why is the string program important?
B. How does it help the community, students, and schools?
C. Who is the program for? (inclusion of at-risk population vs. honors or select groups)


Email Me

videos

I just started watching these videos through Jason Heath's Bass Blog:

Paul Ellison talks about career choices

It's nice to hear a performer speak so respectfully about education as a career. It seems like many players look at the field as a last-ditch career choice.