MUS 344: Teaching of Instrumental Music

MUS 344: Teaching of Instrumental Music School Scheduling

Units of Study – Time Between Concerts • Impact on teaching • Long term planning – daily planning • Type of performances • Comprehensive musicianship • Assessment schedule • Number of rehearsals • Standardized testing, final exams, snow days, emergencies, holidays, illness (teacher and students) • Concerts (Plan each spring – early!!) • 9 to 12 week cycles • 2 to 4 per year

Concert Scheduling Considerations • School Calendar • Sports, vacations, quarters vs. semesters, staff development, block vs. traditional • What are typical events during the school year? • Day of the week? • Not Wednesdays or Sundays? (know your community) • Not Mondays or Fridays • Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays • Before or after a contest? • Use concert as warm-up (before) • Use contest comments as learning opportunity (after)

Content of a Unit of Study Concert preparation Comprehensive musicianship – curriculum? Sightreading Assessment

Preparing for a Performance • Smaller Segments • 1-week plans, 2-week plans, full cycle plans • Repetition • Within day, day-to-day, within cycle • Framework • Plans reflect each segment size (1, 2, 8-week) • Plan extra time, just in case you need it! • Plans are more specific within smaller plan segments • What happens the week after the concert/contest? • Goals? • Don’t be afraid to modify the plan according to needs

Types of Scheduling Traditional 4 x 4 Block Schedule:Four classes, approximately ninety minutes in length, every day for the first semester. Four completely different classes, again ninety minutes in length, every day for the second semester. Each class equals one credit. (Semester = Year) A/B Block Schedule: (also known as the alternate plan) Four classes, approximately ninety minutes in length, meeting every other day ("A" days) for an entire school year. Four completely different classes, again ninety minutes in length, meeting on alternate days ("B" days) for an entire year. Each class equals one credit. (Semester = Semester, just longer periods at a time) Combination Block Schedule: A combination of 4 x 4 and A/B block schedules. (Semester and year classes together; slow and fast)

Types of Scheduling Flexible Schedule: A combination of 4 x 4 and A/B block schedules, but class length varies from day to day. One example: On three out of every five days throughout the school year, each class could be 90 minutes in length. On the other two days, designated as Advisement/Resource Days, each class is 75 minutes in length. An Advisement/Resource Hour is 60 minutes in length. Common (also “Assembly”; mult. sched.) Intensive Block: In this format, students attend two core classes at a time. These core classes can be coupled with up to three other year-long elective classes. Students complete the core classes in 60 days and then move on to another two. School years are organized into trimesters (Jones, 1995; Canady & Rettig, 1995). Read more at www.nwrel.org

Hybrid Scheduling

Types of Scheduling Modified block: "build your own" block schedule (e.g., schools may have students attend school based on a 4 x 4 block on Monday through Thursday, and a regular 8 period schedule on Friday. Or, they may have two blocked classes in a day, combined with three regular periods (Rettig and Canady, 1996). Read more at www.nwrel.org) Parallel block: The parallel block is used primarily in elementary schools, whereas the modified block, alternating A/B, the 4 x 4 block, and the intensive block are used primarily in secondary schools. Parallel block takes a class of students and divides them into two groups. One group of children stays with their classroom teachers for instruction in a subject such as math or language arts, while the other group attends physical education or music, or visits the computer lab; after a prescribed length of time the two groups swap. This schedule provides all students with a more individual learning experience (Canady, 1990). Read more at www.nwrel.org

Types of Scheduling Pullout: elective classes that take some students, but not all students, out of the regular classroom to participate in group practices or individual lessons. MENC's Position Statement Trimester: The instructional year is divided into three cycles. Year-round: Schools that follow a year-around schedule do not literally meet for the entire year. The instructional year is divided into four cycles, which generally run from late July-September, October-December, January-March, and April-early June. Each nine-week instructional cycle is followed by an approximate two-week break, and other seasonal breaks (i.e., Winter, Spring) are included.

MENC Survey Demographics (2006) Are you an MENC member? 92% : yes 5% : no 2. What grades do you teach? Check all that apply: 9% pre k 39% kindergarten 48% 1 - 3 60% 4 - 5 48% 6 45% 7 - 8 32% 9 - 12 1% college 1% I'm a student ---- I'm retired ---- I'm an administrator ---- I'm a booster member/organizer Survey had 636 responses (N = 636)

MENC Survey Demographics 3. What areas do you teach? Check all that apply: 41% band 54% chorus 10% orchestra 67% general music 6% early childhood 18% jazz 12% theory 4% composition 8% music history/philosophy 2% methods/pedagogy 11% other

MENC Survey Responses What is the predominant type of scheduling in the school (or grade level/district) where you work? parallel scheduling block scheduling alternate: (11 period or other; shift days) shortened week (4 day school week) traditional 8 period day 7 period day 6 period day year round school trimester other WRITE IN

MENC Survey Responses What is the predominant type of scheduling in the school (or grade level/district) where you work? 5% parallel scheduling 21% block scheduling 4% alternate: (11 period or other; shift days) ---- shortened week (4 day school week) 20% traditional 8 period day 18% 7 period day 12% 6 period day ---- year round school 2% trimester 11% other WRITE IN

MENC Survey Responses What is your preferred type of scheduling, what would be your ideal schedule type/structure? parallel scheduling block scheduling alternate: (11 period or other; shift days) shortened week (4 day school week) traditional 8 period day 7 period day 6 period day year round school trimester other WRITE IN

MENC Survey Responses What is your preferred type of scheduling, what would be your ideal schedule type/structure? 5% parallel scheduling 7% block scheduling 5% alternate: (11 period or other; shift days) 5% shortened week (4 day school week) 29% traditional 8 period day 18% 7 period day 9% 6 period day 4% year round school 1% trimester 7% other WRITE IN

MENC Survey Responses Thinking of your ideal schedule as a 6, please rate the actual scheduling you presently have at your school. 1 - couldn't get any worse 2 - bad 3 - not very good, just fair 4 - good, satisfactory 5 - very good, great 6 - ideal, perfect, I'm so happy!

MENC Survey Responses Thinking of your ideal schedule as a 6, please rate the actual scheduling you presently have at your school. 5% 1 - couldn't get any worse 14% 2 - bad 29% 3 - not very good, just fair 33% 4 - good, satisfactory 13% 5 - very good, great 2% 6 - ideal, perfect, I'm so happy!

MENC Survey Responses At your school (or grade level), who makes the decisions about the schedules? principal school committee combination of principal, school committee other, write in Are teachers' opinions/input sought by the decision makers regarding the scheduling? yes, always sometimes not very often never

MENC Survey Responses At your school (or grade level), who makes the decisions about the schedules? 43% principal 3% school committee 35% combination of principal, school committee 14% other, write in Are teachers' opinions/input sought by the decision makers regarding the scheduling? yes, always sometimes not very often never

MENC Survey Responses At your school (or grade level), who makes the decisions about the schedules? 43% principal 3% school committee 35% combination of principal, school committee 14% other, write in Are teachers' opinions/input sought by the decision makers regarding the scheduling? 20% yes, always 47% sometimes 23% not very often 7% never

MENC Survey Responses Have you ever been asked to provide input into the schedule at your school, as it regards music classes? yes no Has your advice/input been listened to? yes no Has your advice been acted on? yes no

MENC Survey Responses Have you ever been asked to provide input into the schedule at your school, as it regards music classes? 69% yes 29% no Has your advice/input been listened to? yes no Has your advice been acted on? yes no

MENC Survey Responses Have you ever been asked to provide input into the schedule at your school, as it regards music classes? 69% yes 29% no Has your advice/input been listened to? 56% yes (of the 69%... which is 34.5%) 39% no Has your advice been acted on? yes no

MENC Survey Responses Have you ever been asked to provide input into the schedule at your school, as it regards music classes? 69% yes 29% no Has your advice/input been listened to? 56% yes (of the 69%, which is 34.5%) 39% no Has your advice been acted on? 43% yes (of the 34.5%, which is 14.8%; if % of the 69%, then 29.7%) 51% no

MENC Survey Responses In a Question of the Month from October 2004, members were asked if the music schedule had been impacted by NCLB and mandatory testing. Members responded that 55% had experienced changes in scheduling, and 38% said these changes had negatively effected the music program. 31% said there was decreased time for electives. Has your music class schedule been impacted by the effects of NCLB and mandatory testing? yes, negatively yes, positively no 17% somewhat 9% not sure

MENC Survey Responses In a Question of the Month from October 2004, members were asked if the music schedule had been impacted by NCLB and mandatory testing. Members responded that 55% had experienced changes in scheduling, and 38% said these changes had negatively effected the music program. 31% said there was decreased time for electives. Has your music class schedule been impacted by the effects of NCLB and mandatory testing? 45% yes, negatively 2% yes, positively 24% no 17% somewhat 9% not sure

MENC Survey Responses Please indicate which applies to the music class scheduling for your school/grade; check all that apply. 31% sections for instrumental classes (in additional to regular classes) 19% sections for vocal practice (in addition to regular classes) 27% sections/classes are pullout and meet when other classes are meeting 32% sections are not pullout, that is, they do not interfere with other classes, are usually during teacher prep time or other "non" class time in the school day 86% the majority of my music classes/sections meet during the school day 2% the majority of my music classes/sections meet after school 2% the majority of my music classes/sections meet before school

MENC Survey Responses In your school/grade, what is the average length of a music class, in minutes? 2% less than 30 minutes 13% 30 minutes 22% between 30 - 40 minutes 36% between 40 - 50 minutes 11% between 50 and 60 minutes 9% 90 minutes 2% other

MENC Survey Responses How many class meetings/week do you have per class? That is, how often does one particular class meet? 27% once/week 26% twice/week 14% three times/week 1% four times/week 28% five times/ week

MUS 344: Teaching of Instrumental Music