Away We Go!

Well the move to Ohio didn't exactly leave a lot of time to settle in here. We arrived on Saturday, unloaded and now exactly a week later so much has happened. Here's the short version. I think eventually I will write a post about what I thought of doing an away band camp, since I had never experienced one of those before.(I'm also new to being a tech on a large staff. I'm used to being the director or in the band!)

Monday we did a day of camp at the high school and I went to Wright State to sign my GTA contract. It was great to speak with Mr. Jobert again. He's one of the music education profs at Wright. He let me in on a lot of information about what I will be doing there and it was nice to have that contact with him. He also is the one who takes care of the WSU Music Facebook page. I think great things will happen at that school.

Tuesday I left Jes, my future wife, in a very unfinished apartment so that I could go to camp with the Centerville Jazz Band(look them up if you don't know this marching band). It made for some long days. It's tough being the new guy on a staff that really knows how to work and play together, but I met some amazing kids and I'm looking forward to spending a couple seasons with them.

Jes worked like crazy to make our place a home and when I came home on Friday night. It looked more like something of HGTV than a little white box. I'll probably post up some pics on our wedding blog. I'm feeling very fortunate that she was brave enough to come on this adventure with me. I know she left a lot to do that for me and I really appreciate that.

Now I'm recharging for the weekend, doing some more apartment shopping, and catching up online. I can't believe I hadn't been on my laptop all week. Then again when you're teching for the band 12 hours a day and then playing volleyball with the staff at night, there's little time for computing. I also need to get a chance to jump back on http://www.musicpln.org/ I hate that I've been neglecting that!

I hope this will be a great place to talk this year as I expand my horizons. It's going to be a wild time. Graduate school, working with a phenomenal group of kids, living in a new state, and getting married! Hold on to your hats, this blog might actually get exciting!

Are We Successful Teachers?

Last week's #MusEdChat on Twitter focused on what makes a music teacher successful. We discovered the answer is varied depending on the perspective of parents, students, administrators, and ourselves. I always love these chats and I can't wait for the next one. They always make me think a little deeper. It's not talk about philosophy instead of just pedagogy. Honestly, I think more deeply about pedagogy most of the time.

Anyway, we tweeted about all these different groups. We talked of how sometimes parents just want it to be fun for their kids. I spoke about the idea of teaching parents during the school concert. An Informance instead of a Performance if you will. Teachers all view their own success very differently, some more noble than others. I wish I was more noble actually...and then bringing up administrators always starts an uproar.

The most important group for me is the students. Sure, I want to myself and my peers to view me as successful. I want the administrators and parents to respect what I do. However, if they students don't see me as successful, what kind of leader or teacher am I? I'm not a clown to entertain them, but I am there to be a counselor, their musicality leader, an explorer, a knowledge giver as well as seeker, and many other things.

Since I let me former students find me on Facebook, I put up a post asking what makes a successful teacher? I was impressed that a few took the time to tell me. Even more impressed that one(who is a history ed major now) sent me a paper he wrote for class. So here are some response excerpts below. What do your kids think?


"I feel a music teacher should be judged on his musicianship and how he uses it to improve his students' musicianship. The teachers who go out of their way and use their time to help a student in need or a student who just wants to be the best is always a teacher I would choose. Also I feel that teacher should push his students to their greatest potential and not give up on any student because he, the teacher, doesn't feel the student has the capablilties to improve or expand. Lastly and most importantly: I feel a music teacher should have a great love for all musics and children or teens (whatever age group) he is working with and should accept any student, no matter their skill level, who comes to him with an intrest in music and accept that student with open arms."


"Have fun and being able to connect with the students and just lay back and have a blast playing!"


"Discipline is extremely important because you also earn respect from your students. And strong leadership skills will tell students that you are the one in charge-not them."


"I think its a combination of two things, character and wisdom. Students won't respect a teacher unless they see something there to respect, if you know your stuff and your able to portray that knowledge in an interesting way I think you've got it made. I know that if I have a professor that is more knowedgeable about music than I could ever hope to be and that professor can show that through his conducting, his assistance with different instruments, personal accounts, and on a one on one basis that is the best teacher I can get. And I would hope that, at least on a collegiate level, that respect would counter the need for discipline."


"talking and getting to know your students. that way you know and understand what drives them to work hard and improve."


"...seemingly in constant motion with one thing or another going. ..Very early on in my education, I was inspired by my teachers. I admired their work ethic and their ability to make me enjoy learning. That was quite an accomplishment with my case, for I was not too interested in learning at that time. "

I hope those first couple of classes of mine, the grads of 08-10 continue to think as well as post goofy videos on FB. :)