Example of Parent Notification

The following is exactly what it says, an application to borrow an instrument. At the elementary level the band directors are usually expected to give the kid an instrument to borrow. We of course have to maintain these instruments and keep them in working order no matter what. This gets very tedious because even though you preach about the proper way to take care of an instrument...these are still kids and kids sometimes just don't listen. I have kids all the time giving me excuses about not having their instrument. I have had kids leave their instrument at daycare, at a relatives house, and yes the inevitable trunk of the care. I try not to cringe or get angry, but sometimes it just seems like the kids just don't care about all of the work I have to put into their instruments!!


APPLICATION TO BORROW A SCHOOL INSTRUMENT
XXXXXX Elementary School
2009-20010 School Year


Student

Teacher
Parent/Guardian

Grade
Street Address

Home Phone
Apartment #

Work Phone
City

State
Zip Code
Cell Phone



If my child is selected to use a school instrument, I agree to:

Sign a loaner card to assume responsibility for the instrument while it is in my and/or my child’s care.
Pay the cost of repairs if the instrument is damaged while in my and/or my child’s care. If the instrument is lost I will pay the amount specified on the loaner card to purchase a replacement instrument. I understand that my child’s grades (and transcripts, if applicable) will not be released until the instrument has been returned to the school and any money owed for loss and/or repair has been paid in full.
I will return the instrument, in good condition, at the end of each semester; when my child withdraws from the school; or at any time when requested by the school.


_________________________________________________
Print Parent/Guardian Name


_________________________________________________
Signature of Parent/Guardian


_________________________________________________




MEMORANDUM TO: Parents at XXXXXX
Elementary Schools

DATE: August 2009

FROM: Mandy Corso, Director
Band Instrument Instruction


Your child wishes to be in band class. I am writing to give you a few details and to request permission for your child to be enrolled in this class.

Students must be regular in school attendance, and on time.
Students must do well in their class work and homework.
Students must be trustworthy. Band students must be called upon to take unusual responsibilities reliably.
Students must be superior in cooperation and respect toward other students, teachers, and administrators.
Students must perform as well as they can in band class. The level of achievement must be high enough to justify their being absent from other academic work.
Students must have permission of their parents (see below).
7. Band Instruments are available for student use. These instruments are school owned instruments and are to be returned in the same condition as they were in at the beginning of the school year.
Please complete and return the attached form to your child’s classroom teacher on or before August 21. I will collect the forms from the classroom teacher.

If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me at the school. I look forward to working with your child this year.

Video Prep

Well, I am planning on doing my video taping tomorrow. I woudl have done it last week but my camera had a dead battery. I am really hoping that the teachers will let me see the kids. I am begging for a few extra minutes because I want to do the taping and then have some time to work on my action research project as well. This time of year gets really difficult because teachers and administrators want the kids to go to special tutoring and pull out sessions for math and reading. As a music teacher, I see that their efforts are commendable, but are the kids really getting information that will make them do better on the tests? Music people know that you have to layer information. We can't give the kids music one day and expect a concert the next. Life doesn't work like that. We, as teachers, have to be able to have info spread out over time to really make a difference. I was making notes today for the music as artist part of the class and I was re-reading some of Pinks thoughts on left vs right brain. It seems as though these tests are really trying to push left brain thinking. They want these kids to learn now. They try these last ditch efforts, tutroings, and classes to try to getthe kids stuffed with as much last minute info as possible. Is this really teaching? Is shutting everythin else down for weeks really teaching the kids anything? There are reports alll the time about college bound kids committing suicide over failed or bad SATS, or because they didn't get into the college of their choice. Yet...all we are doing with these tests is setting the kids up anyway. We are telling the kids this is the most important test ever. Is it really? Or is the grading the teacher has done all along for the year worth anything? I know there are people who disagree. As a music teacher though, I see kids all the time in my classes who would be labeled by these tests as not meeting. These are kids who have behavior problems and problems finding anything fun about their other academic classes. Notice I said other academic classes. Like Pink, I constantly tell my kids that this is th most academic class you'll ever take. It synthesizes all the information you learn in every other class, combines it, and then your brain has to transfer it into playing an instrument. No other class in the building does that. The kids seem to understand that, so why don't some of the adults? Music? Nah. Testing for a week straight? That's the ticket! I definitely do not concur.

Pink Review for Music as Artist

Daniel Pink a Whole New Mind
Right Brain Rising: Chapter One

Brain Scan Test

• Author is getting a brain scan as a volunteer to see how the brain works; capturing images of brains at rest and work
• Testing perception:: First task: researchers display extreme expressions pictures, then using a clicker indicate which of the next two pictures expresses the same emotion as the initial picture; Second task: slide show of 48 pictures: indicate indoors or outdoors
• When looking at grim facial expressions brain wanted support of right hemisphere; when looking at scary scenes brain wanted left brain support

Left side: the side that makes us human, rational, analytical, logical, reasoned, excelled at analysis, handled words

Right brain: reasoned holistically, recognized patterns, interpreted emotions, nonverbal expressions

History of brain:
In history: left side of the brain was the important part of brain, housed heart and language
During next century, Robert W. Sperry did surgery on epileptic patients and discovered that the right brain was not subordinate to the left just different

Wrong Stuff:
Certain groups of people view right brain as saviour, believing that right brain is repository of all that is good, just, and noble in the human condition
Too much concentration on touch-feely elements with too much emphasis on right brain
the right hemisphere will neither save us nor sabotage us..reality is more nuanced

The Real Stuff:
the two hemisphers take different approaches to guiding our actions, understanding world, and reacting to events

Four Key Differences:
1. The left hemisphere controls the right side of the body; the right hemisphere controls the left side of the body:: reading, turning head
2. The left hemisphere is sequential: the right hemisphere is simultaneous::
left brain decodes letters, right brain interprets silmultaneously
3. The left hemisphere specializes in text; the right hemisphere specializes in context
left hemisphere handles what is said, right hemisphere focsues on how its said
4. The left hemsiphere analyzes the details; the right hemisphere synthesizes the big picture
left brain grasp analysis of infomration (the parts), right brain graps the synthesis (the whole)

Amygdalas

• Two almond shaped structures that serves as brain's security: issue alerts and process emtions like fear
• Scenes: left brain was more active
• Faces: right brain was more active
• Left brain reacts better to scenes because accuately assessing each scene depended on the rapid fire sequential reasoning
• Right brain reacts better to faces because it is specialized in recognizing faces and interpreting expressions

Whole New Mind

Many people try to determine if they are more left brain or right brain

Pink states this is important to how people navigate their lives

L-Directed Thinking

• Sequential, literal, functional, textual, analytic
• Exemplified by computer programming

R-Directed Thinking

• Simultaneous, metaphorical, aesthetic, contextual, synthetic
• Exemplified creators and caregivers

Action Research Project

I am applying another technique today in my 3rd grade recorder class. The kids have been really receptive and have actually enjoyed working on the different techniques I outlined in my project. After next week I will be done with this part of my project and will move on to see what kind of data I have. I have been working on my abstratct and other materials for my action research project and have gotten a lot done. I was going to try to also video tape my class today, but lo and behold my recorder is dead. I have been doing a lot of work on my blog though. I linked numerous websites that I use for my classes. I am now trying to figure out how to link a word document, if that can be done. I have several rubrics, etc. that I feel would satisfy the requirment for the portfolio side of the blog, but have yet been able to figure out how to conceptually go about it on this website. I also wanted to upload some sound bytes, so I will be trying to work on that when I have time during my day. On another note, I had a small success yesterday with my problem school. I had talked earlier about having a hard time with one of my schools...the kids not bringing their instruments. I ended up calling the girls mother, she got in major trouble for skipping my class, and then was told that she would not be going on the skating trip on Friday. I guess that finally got through to her because she brought her trombone the very next day. It is almost exhausting trying to keep up with these kids and their books/instruments. I then ended up having a conference with another teacher about a student I have in fourth grade who feels as though he is an adult also. Every time I speak to someone in the class, he has a comment. You know the type. His homeroom teacher and I discussed the fact that he does the very same thing in her class as well. We both had a conversation with him and he ended up writing me an apology letter, signed by his mother no less. With both my 5th and 4th grade classes, I started noticing that they seemed a little restless. When I stopped to think about it, I realized that maybe they were just bored with where they were sitting. I have tried several different seating configurations, but I have finally hit on something that seems productive for me and the class. Instead of having them face the board in sectional lines, I now have them facing each other in two straight lines. It seems simple, but for some reason it was just enough of a change to make a difference. This led me to think of Pink's design. He talked about how design is becoming more of a purposeful thought. The design of hsopitals, lobbys, etc. being used to create a better atmosphere. After I had changed the set up I reflected and found that he was right. The design of my classroom has as much to do with the atmosphere of the class as anything else. If the kids do not feel "at home" in my class, chances are there will be more problems. Lets hope everything keeps going smoothly!

March 18, 2010

This is a word search that is representative of assignmenst I give throughout the year. There are times when only half of the class shows up because of other things that are going on within the school. These types of assignments are good because it gives the kids a fun way to still learn about music and band, but it allows the kids who are not there to stay current with the group as well.

Gadgets

In my gadgets for this blog I have included numerous websites that I often refer to. I have included professional sites that I use to stay current with band techniques, ideas, and assessments. I have also included different sites that I refer to to get resource materials. The main method book that I use with my classes is the Standard of Excellence, Book I. I have included a link to JW Pepper which carries this method book and so that other directors can see what this method book looks like. It has been successful with my elementary kids over the years. I like the way it introduces new concepts. It has proven to be successful for me when introducing new notes and sticking methods.

March 17, 2010

I have been having a problem at one of my schools. For some reason several kids in my 4th and 5th grade bands have decided that bringing their instrument to class just isn't important. I have spent several weeks tracking them down within the school and asking them why? Why didn't you bring your instrument? Why were you not in class? It seems very trivial to me, but it is important that I track these kids down to make them understand that you do not skip my class just because you feel like it. They are told from day one that if they do not bring their instrument they are still repsonsible for coming to class. If they do not have their instrument, sometimes I have one they can borrow for the day. Other times, they are told to sit within their section and pay attention to what is being taught in class. However, then you have the real smarties. These are the kids who have forgotten their instruments and want to make the whole class suffer by saying out loud how stupid the class is, etc. We know these kids. Everyone has these kids in their classes. The kids who want to make it hard for everyone else to learn get a nice writing assignment during class. This really makes them mad because they feel like they should not have to write during a performance based class. Oh well I say, bring your instrument and a better attitude and you won't have to write. Upon self-reflection I often try to figure out what is going on with certain students who do this on a regular basis. One phone call to the house often has a lot to do with it. You can learn a lot about a student's home life usually with one phone call. Although, as a teacher, I have learned that sometimes calling home is not always the best idea because what they do at home might be way worse than what we are doing at the school. Sometimes phone calls home can get the kids into trouble that we as educators do not feel comfortable with. As a teacher, self-reflection is important in these situtaions because you have to know that it is important enough to call home. Also, in situations where the kids are not doing what they need to for me, it is usually that way for the kids' other teachers as well. There is a very good paralell with what is happening in their homeroom classes and what they are doing for me. Band is something that has a stigma to it. Young kids feel that band is a cool way to express themselves. I can often use that to my advantage to get through to these kids. I love speaking with the other teachers in the buildings. It gives me insight as to what might be going on in the kids home life that I may not be aware of.

I have completed all of my surveys/documents that I need for the action research project. I am really excited about what I have come up with. I really hope one of the techniques I am using will actually help the students in the class. I have started my research projecta couple of weeks ago and am finding mild success. I am not sure if it just the repetitive nature or if they are actually learning something. I guess that's one of the questions for action researchers...are they really learning what you think they are? The kids have been really helpful. I explained what I was doing and why and they seemed excited about taking part in this project. I think students sometimes forget that teachers are students as well. We are also trying to study what is right for the kids and what would be better for the kids. We are always trying to find ways that these kids learn better and in turn we are studying how to make ourselves more efficient. I think also that students sometimes don't understand that we are students off campus as well. They think we go home and thats it. They don't realize that many of us go to college in the evenings and do professional learning classes such as this one to keep learning and to keep studying. Of course, students do not have a really good perspective on their teachers anyway. Most students think all of their teachers are realy old and go home to sit and wait for school the next day. Many of them would not even dream of teachers having kids of their own, much less personal lives of any kind. Yes, this project at least will help some of my students understand that teachers are students as well!

I came to the realization yesterday of what I finally wanted to do for my project. It came to me after I posted my last blog. I was re-reading some of my earlier posts and I had mentioned in November about how the kids are having trouble elarning notes. I thought Of course!! Self assessment can come after the functionality of learning the notes. This has been a major problem for me this year and I am not sure why. The kids are having a lot of trouble with comprehending how we name notes and then applying that to their instrument. I am starting my project today and I have, I think, a clear understanding of what I need to include and incorporate.
On a different note, it is that time of year. Testing time. This is what really hurts fine arts programs. Principals start cutting the time we get with the students so that they can sit in the rooms and learn even more about math, reading, etc. Some of these schools are just running these kids ragged. I see some of the backpacks going home loaded down with books and I wonder if that is really the way to go. It seems that we are spending a lot of time and money on new programs for math, reading, etc. Whatever happened to just learning the basics the old fashioned way and going from there? Do we really need expensive learning programs for studnets to learn? Fundamentally band has been taugh the same basic way for decades. Sure, with the invention and use of technology it has gotten more advanced, but the fundamentals are still the same. You still teach a clarinet player correct embouchure, a trumpet player where to correctly put the pinky finger, etc. I am just getting so frustrated with all of the new inventions, gizmos, and gadgets that don't seem to be making a difference. I think if teachers were just given the opportunity to teach, without the pressure of all of this extra stuff, that everyone might just see an improvement. Thats just my two cents!

Self Assessment

I have been trying to figure out what I want to do for my project for this class. It has been a process by trying to eliminate and redo ideas. I have come to the conclusion that self assessment is a good topic. I spend a lot of time in my classess having to reteach concepts that I have just previously covered. The students simply do not feel that it is necessary or worth their time to take their instruments home and practice. There are a lot of reasons for this. Parents of these kids do not feel it is necessary, in comparison with math homework and the like in which their grades "mean more". These parents are conditioned that the subjects that are tested on the big tests are the most important. It would simply take too much time to try to explain to each parent the usefulness of a subject such as band. If you start trying to discuss right brain vs left brain, most often their eyes glaze over and you've simply lost them. TYeachers also give me a hard time because they feel that I should take students out of their class only when it is convenient for them and their class schedules. The kids themselves are trying to accomodate the teachers and do what they want them to do. Many times, this means that they have a whole backpack worth of work that they have for homework and say they don't have the time to practice for band. Therefore, I am left holding the bag so to speak. I teach a concept or a new note and I find myself reteaching that same thing the very next class because everyone has forgotten. So, I have decided that the students need to be more self aware of how they are doing, rather than hearing it from me all the time. It's interesting but the kids have a varying degree to which they can assess their own performance and the performances of others. They are always more critical of others in the class, and forgive themselves for their mistakes more often. So, I think for me I will be doing a project on how to get kids to become more self-aware of their own performance, either with a small group or individually. Now, comes the hard part..the actual project!!