We kick off our Observation Series with veteran music educator: Veronica Jackson! We hope you enjoy this look into one of her 7th grade orchestra classes as… Read more “Goin to Nashville with Veronica Jackson”
Category: social identity
Spark Some Joy!
Welcome back to an exciting new school year! In this podcast, we aim to get you off to a great start with a few overarching goals for… Read more “Spark Some Joy!”
EXCLUDED: Missing Musicians from the Classroom
Our very existence is threatened annually, and we cry out at the inequity of the threat, and yet many continue to only value the talented ones. You may be thinking, “This isn’t true though!” but I urge you to sit down with a big group of music educators and listen. Listen carefully, because once your eyes and ears are open to the exclusionary trends within this field, you will notice more and more that what we often do is segregate our own students into the talented and supported versus the “untalented” and underrepresented, whether we do it intentionally or not, it is there.
Thwarted by a Tennis Ball…
the thing about this homeroom time is that teachers are supposed to use this time to remediate students who are struggling. But some of my students were never being requested by anyone, even though they were failing nearly every class. Two of them completely failed 9th grade by the end of the year. I tried so much to reach these students last year, but nothing worked….
And the Cellists Came to Blows Over a Grand Pause…
Well… They didn’t actually come to blows over the grand pause… But they were close. There were words, that is for sure! Fighting words! And here’s the… Read more “And the Cellists Came to Blows Over a Grand Pause…”
Motivation Multiplied
He was so excited that he brought it right up to me at the beginning of class to show me that we have risen… We have risen to something popular! Yes, the orchdorks rise again…
Turning Down my Dream Job: A Dissertation Death Story (Sort of)
Either way, after mulling it over and over and over and over, I ended up turning the job down in favor of my current position. I spent so much of the summer fearing what might come…. And when I said, “You did an incredible job today!” They said “We can still do better.”
Teaching Love, One Note at a Time
Today, in my classes, we will be playing music and sending love, as we always do. But today, we will be directing our love to the families and victims in Orlando. I urge you today to do what you can in your own lives to send love, to show your support to those who need it, and to fill the world with music, love, and pride.
The Power of Even a Drop of Critical Pedagogy
Ever since learning about Critical Pedagogy, I have done everything I could do put it into practice. Let me tell you… The results have been out of this world…
My Best Concert Ever!!! A Positive Shift in Culture
And it’s not really that we have perfected all of the notes and rhythms… Because there are definitely still some rough passages… But, there has been a culture shift in my program and it is really coming to light as we prepare for our concert.
