A student asked me today when I knew I wanted to be a choir teacher. I secretly knew her motivations for asking me (a teacher always knows), so I chose my words carefully. I told her there was never one booming moment when I knew that this was the career for me, but several little memories that together made me believe that teaching music might be my calling. I told her about how I used to sit in rehearsals (regular choir, show choir, various honor choirs) quietly pondering the actions of the director and how it affected our singing, already building my "bag of tricks." I told her about the student-teacher relationship I always dreamed of having with my kids.
This question (and a letter from a student that I got a few weeks ago.... more on that later) has gotten me thinking about the lasting impact teachers make on students. It is both a great opportunity and a weighty responsibility. My students know I'm big into clean slates--if they are willing to admit mistakes and change behaviors, I am willing to forgive and start over (and have done so many, many, many times).... but are students quite as flexible with their forgiveness? Should they have to be? Three months in, I can already give several examples of moments I would give up my left pinky finger to go back and re-do. But how can I expect my students to forgive me when, in reality, I still haven't completely forgiven some of the hurtful things teachers said to me back in the day? I always justified my anger with a they're-the-teacher-they-should-have-known-better. Amazing how it took becoming a teacher to realize that teachers are human.
Big responsibility? Yes. But it's always been the opportunity of the impact that's drawn me to this profession. One of the memories that I shared with my student today was of my final clarinet lesson with a band teacher that I always secretly admired (even though I rolled my eyes at every other word that came out of his mouth......). I had been getting down on my playing the entire lesson (if not the entire year). I'm sure he had just gotten sick of hearing it when he said something along these lines: "If you take away nothing else that I have taught you, remember this--never let yourself believe that you can't do something." I don't recall how I reacted at the time; heck, I probably rolled my eyes at that too. But those words (probably forgotten even by the person who said them) got me through All-State auditions... and collegiate choir auditions..... and job interviews....upwards of eight years later and the sentiment still isn't forgotten by the person who needed to hear it. This is why I feel that, as teachers, it is our belief in our students that makes the greatest impact.
It wasn't until I received a two-page, hand-written letter from a student that I realized that this idea is one I communicate most strongly to my students, maybe even the reason why I have gained my students' allegiance so fully. This particular girl wrote about how grateful she was to be in choir and the play with me; she mentioned how much fun it was, how it helped get her mind off of her parents' divorce, how she had many new friends from these experiences. However, the majority of her letter was about how she never believed she could sing until I made it clear that I think she can; how she was afraid to perform in any way until she realized that I have her back. (I believe the exact words I use in choir--practically every day--are "No worries. I got'chyo back.)
Whatever it is that I give to my students, I hope they know they give back to me ten-fold. It's amazing to watch them learn, hear them improve, see them grow as a community. And, it seems silly, but I still enjoy the messages they write to me on my whiteboard. While my belief in them might have some lasting impact, it is their belief in me that is getting me through this rough, lonely patch of my life. From what they write, I know they see my true character ("You cray-cray, girl!"), I know they see the things that I have a hard time seeing myself ("Ms. P. is soooo cool!" "You're so beautiful, Ms. Purscell!" "Ms. Purscell is the funniest teacher ever!!"), but most of all, they see me as the teacher I had always hoped to be.
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Friday, October 21, 2011
Musical Musings
I put on my best I'm-the-teacher-and-you're-in-trouble face: "We need to talk about last night's concert." A hush falls over the room as girls start studying my body language. Finally, I allow the smile I've been holding back to break. "I thought it was fabulous!"
It was one of my teaching goals this year--don't let my own perfectionism keep my choir from enjoying their successes. And it was a success. I was so proud of my girls' expressive singing and professional behavior. Sure, there were a few hiccups (as one of my 8th graders put it), but overall a very nice performance, and without a doubt my memories of my first concert as a real teacher will be happy ones.
Both of my groups are sad to put these pieces away. For each grade there was one piece that they really connected to. My seventh graders adored dancing and drumming to "Kwaheri." Every day they would walk in begging to sing it. I also loved teaching "Kwaheri." I say that the way I did it wasn't very music-teachery, but really it was very organic and even mostly authentic to its roots. We learned the melody first, then added the dance to it (that's how I won them over and tricked them into not being afraid to sing in front of me/each other). Then we all learned the drum part (using vocal rhythms--altos got to be "bum pa dum pa dum dum" while sopranos got to be "chchcha"). Secretly, as they practiced it, I was observing who was capable of having independence on the part. Then they sang the melody while I stood near the sopranos and sang the highest part. I've learned that proximity makes all the difference in teaching choir. By the time I "taught" them the soprano part, they already new it. The same went for the lowest part. Although, in retrospect, I probably should have taught that one first because lower harmonies are more of a challenge. In the end, not once in this process did we pick up a piece of paper. But hey, neither do the Kenyans. :)
This is my favorite thing about my seventh graders this year--once I hooked them, I got to keep them. A bunch of girls said that the Haydn piece was their favorite probably because by the time I taught it, I had them eating out of the palm of my hand. So much so that they never doubted my reasons for having them speak in British accents and skip around the room. I'm hoping that I can make that enthusiasm last the whole year.
The eighth graders enjoyed our African-style piece, but their favorite (by far) was "When You Believe" from The Prince of Egypt. It has kind of become our classroom theme--you do great things when you believe in yourself. The overall message is incredibly relatable and so important for young adolescent girls to hear. We did a writing assignment to help them connect the meaning to their own lives. I couldn't believe how open they were with me--the responses literally made me cry over almost every single paper. You probably don't care about the psyches of little 8th graders quite as much as I do, but here are some of the my favorite pieces anyway:
Other projects are going well too. The play is starting to take shape nicely. It's just one or two kids and a few small details that are stressing me out. Amabile (the 8th grade women's select choir) is doing well, but it already feels like our time is running out. They love the music, so I guess I can only hope that they're telling me the truth when they say that they listen to it on Youtube all the time.
It was one of my teaching goals this year--don't let my own perfectionism keep my choir from enjoying their successes. And it was a success. I was so proud of my girls' expressive singing and professional behavior. Sure, there were a few hiccups (as one of my 8th graders put it), but overall a very nice performance, and without a doubt my memories of my first concert as a real teacher will be happy ones.
Both of my groups are sad to put these pieces away. For each grade there was one piece that they really connected to. My seventh graders adored dancing and drumming to "Kwaheri." Every day they would walk in begging to sing it. I also loved teaching "Kwaheri." I say that the way I did it wasn't very music-teachery, but really it was very organic and even mostly authentic to its roots. We learned the melody first, then added the dance to it (that's how I won them over and tricked them into not being afraid to sing in front of me/each other). Then we all learned the drum part (using vocal rhythms--altos got to be "bum pa dum pa dum dum" while sopranos got to be "chchcha"). Secretly, as they practiced it, I was observing who was capable of having independence on the part. Then they sang the melody while I stood near the sopranos and sang the highest part. I've learned that proximity makes all the difference in teaching choir. By the time I "taught" them the soprano part, they already new it. The same went for the lowest part. Although, in retrospect, I probably should have taught that one first because lower harmonies are more of a challenge. In the end, not once in this process did we pick up a piece of paper. But hey, neither do the Kenyans. :)
This is my favorite thing about my seventh graders this year--once I hooked them, I got to keep them. A bunch of girls said that the Haydn piece was their favorite probably because by the time I taught it, I had them eating out of the palm of my hand. So much so that they never doubted my reasons for having them speak in British accents and skip around the room. I'm hoping that I can make that enthusiasm last the whole year.
The eighth graders enjoyed our African-style piece, but their favorite (by far) was "When You Believe" from The Prince of Egypt. It has kind of become our classroom theme--you do great things when you believe in yourself. The overall message is incredibly relatable and so important for young adolescent girls to hear. We did a writing assignment to help them connect the meaning to their own lives. I couldn't believe how open they were with me--the responses literally made me cry over almost every single paper. You probably don't care about the psyches of little 8th graders quite as much as I do, but here are some of the my favorite pieces anyway:
Circle your favorite phrase or verse of the song. What draws you to those particular words?
“They just are really real. Lots of times you have hope then it’s gone in a blink of an eye and you are empty.”
“It’s the part of the song where the girl changes her mind and really stands up to her fears.”“Because sometimes things can’t explain your feelings and you find yourself doing stuff you never thought you would have.”“I’m drawn to it because it looks so simple but there are so many meanings behind it.”“Because it means that they’re facing their fears, even if every bad thing is going against them.”From one of my Four Oaks girls: “It’s just make me think about moving to a different place each year.”“Our hearts have a song or story that is supposed to be our life, our song, our story. Our decisions along with others changes parts or lines of our song.”“Well, to me it says that if you set your mind on something and work hard enough at something, that I can achieve it. And that’s the miracle. And that your hope can be lowered when someone could do something to hurt you, but you keep your head up high.”“My favorite sentence is ‘You will when you believe.’ I love this saying because it shows really once you close your eyes and really go for what you love, anything can happen.”
Who are the women singing this song? What are they so afraid of? How did they overcome that fear?“The women singing this song is one the negative, useless, hopeless girl who is lost, confused and scared. The second girl is someone standing strong and courageous showing her you can achieve miracles no matter what. The second girl brings the first girl over to the hopeful side of not giving in to those thoughts. They are afraid of wars, fights, problems, and suffering. They, in the end, overcome their fear and realize even in the darkest times, you can push through.”“The women are confident and caring. They are afraid of someone and they are trying to escape that fear.”
Describe a time in your life when you were afraid. How did you overcome that fear?“I was afraid of death of a family member because it would make a hole in your family. I overcame it and realized it makes us closer.”“Many times I don’t do anything because of pain. I don’t want to out. I overcame that fear some by starting to do some things.”“When my parents got a divorce I was terrified. Boxes in the living room… things just wouldn’t be the same. Never again. I prayed a lot. Kept to myself. Things kinda traumatized me. Over time I learned things would get better. It was for the best.“One time I was extremely afraid of moving to a brand new state. Lonely, nervous, and lost on what to expect I didn’t know if I could ever move on from this experience I was devastated to go through. At first I thought I was alone, but no. I had family and friends with me every step of the way. Picking me up if I ever thought there was no way for me. The power of words changed the way I thought and helped me embrace change. That was the best thing that has ever happened to me.”“When I was five my parents divorced and I was forced to travel from house to house. On top of that since they both moved I had to go to a new school. I was so mad, and scared and didn’t want to even go to school because I didn’t know what to expect. I overcame this fear when I met all of the loving people at Prairie that welcomed me and helped me every day.”“I was afraid when my grandpa was in the hospital dying. I was afraid I would never see him again and that scared me because he was my inspiration and best friend. I overcame this fear by remembering that that’s better than him suffering for the rest of his life. I will always remember him because he is still with me, in my heart and he always will be.”“I am going to be scared when my sister moves out. I am scared because I will be alone in my house, like an only child. I will overcome this by hanging out with her at her house.”“I use to be always afraid of being myself because I thought that I was too weird, and now I’m not as afraid of showing myself, also I was afraid of what everyone would think but now I don’t care, as much.”
In your opinion, how does belief in ourselves help us get through rough times?“They help you calm down and get through things.”“To me, believing in yourself gets you through rough times because positive things bring hope, and if we believe in ourselves it has a huge positive impact on us and can bring us just enough hope to get through anything. You have to believe you can get through something, otherwise you never will.”“Singing, or doing what you love most, helps us.”“It shows us a way that isn’t quite as dark as what your in. It’s the silver lining.”“Belief is one of the most important attributes you must maintain throughout your life. This quality may save you one of these days. People take their own life because they have no hope or belief. If you are able to believe and hold on to that, even if it is only the littlest ray of hope it will help you through any situation or hardship. If you know there is a chance things can change, people will change their perspective on life and can understand nothing is set in stone.”“When you believe it means you trust, you think things are true. You believe in them. So when you are experiencing rough times and you believe everything will be okay it gives you hope and faith that things WILL be okay. It helps you continue day by day.”“We know that it’s just a road bump in our interstate. We can move past anything just because we can <3”
So now we're moving on to even more great music. For the seventh graders it will be an arrangement of Schubert's "The Trout," Mary Goetze's "Ode to Trees" (love), and Allan Naplan's arrangement of "Hine ma tov." For the eighth graders, Schubert's "Lachen und Weinen," Stroope's "Omnia Sol" (love love), and Washburn's arrangement of "Tango to Evora." I started thinking seriously about how I would introduce my pieces today, and I'm starting to feel like my endless supply of creativity is back. Thank goodness, because I was lost without it for a few weeks there!
Other projects are going well too. The play is starting to take shape nicely. It's just one or two kids and a few small details that are stressing me out. Amabile (the 8th grade women's select choir) is doing well, but it already feels like our time is running out. They love the music, so I guess I can only hope that they're telling me the truth when they say that they listen to it on Youtube all the time.
I got a nice compliment from a student the other day. One of my eighth graders came to my office after school last Friday because the LRC was closed and she was waiting for her ride and wanted to see if I needed help with anything. We both sat in there peacefully for a few minutes--her cutting some papers for me, me answering emails. The next thing I know, I look up and she's making a funny face at me. "What? Do I got some schmutz on my face?" I teased her with one of her lines from the play. "Nah," she replied, "You're just kind of the perfect teacher." I gave her my best you'll-be-getting-no-extra-credit-for-saying-this face. "No no, I'm being for real. It's like, we all respect you and stuff, but, you know, you get us. You run around like 'This is brilzies!' and 'You cray-cray, girl!' and it just makes class really fun." I credit a lot of this comment to my age and the fact that I can stomach Top 40 music.... but still, I don't know think she even knew how much I needed to hear that in that moment. <3
Friday, September 23, 2011
Baptism by Fire
"Baptism by fire..." That's what the adorable woman who works in the office called my (now seemingly minor) parent situation a few weeks ago. But it seems as if that general idea is following me around.
Problems this week. My profound sense of professionalism prohibits me from sharing details in such a public arena, but rest assured that these were core-shaking problems to a young music teacher. Every day since Wednesday, I have come home with zero appetite for food and zero stamina for doing any work or even having any fun. I just lay down (with one of my cats) and sleep. I have been assured by several people that the problem has little to do with me, but regardless, the way it was presented sure felt personal, and the outcome (whatever it is) will have everything to do with me. Beyond that, the fact that any of this is happening in the first place bothers me immensely.
My kids, however, are perfect (I will accept no arguments about this fact). It's as though they can secretly sense an issue--as I certainly don't let it show during class--and come to my rescue in the only ways they know how. Last week, when problems first started to rear their ugly heads, I walked into my classroom one morning to find my white board completely littered with messages for me: "I <3 Ms. Purscell," "Ms. Purscell is awesome!!" "Music is life!" "I love choir!!!" etc...... This week, one of my quiet 8th graders brought me drumsticks in a big red bow to use to keep time during sight-singing. One of my adorable 7th graders painted the word "Sing!" on a rock for me as a paper weight. I only say this because all of it reminded me why I teach in the first place--I am a trusted adult making music with fantastic kids (and hopefully touching their lives a little bit along the way). It also made me realize just how generous of spirit kids can be. Sometimes I wonder if I went into teaching because I get along with kids so much better than I get along with some adults.....
One good thing that did come out of it all was the unexpected outpouring of support. I greatly respect and admire everyone who talked me through this--more people than I imagined. I know there will be many more difficult times in my teaching career, but it's nice to know that (at least in this case) I don't have to hunker down and handle everything by myself. Add that to the fact that I get to see my students everyday, and life as a teacher starts to look pretty good again.
Problems this week. My profound sense of professionalism prohibits me from sharing details in such a public arena, but rest assured that these were core-shaking problems to a young music teacher. Every day since Wednesday, I have come home with zero appetite for food and zero stamina for doing any work or even having any fun. I just lay down (with one of my cats) and sleep. I have been assured by several people that the problem has little to do with me, but regardless, the way it was presented sure felt personal, and the outcome (whatever it is) will have everything to do with me. Beyond that, the fact that any of this is happening in the first place bothers me immensely.
My kids, however, are perfect (I will accept no arguments about this fact). It's as though they can secretly sense an issue--as I certainly don't let it show during class--and come to my rescue in the only ways they know how. Last week, when problems first started to rear their ugly heads, I walked into my classroom one morning to find my white board completely littered with messages for me: "I <3 Ms. Purscell," "Ms. Purscell is awesome!!" "Music is life!" "I love choir!!!" etc...... This week, one of my quiet 8th graders brought me drumsticks in a big red bow to use to keep time during sight-singing. One of my adorable 7th graders painted the word "Sing!" on a rock for me as a paper weight. I only say this because all of it reminded me why I teach in the first place--I am a trusted adult making music with fantastic kids (and hopefully touching their lives a little bit along the way). It also made me realize just how generous of spirit kids can be. Sometimes I wonder if I went into teaching because I get along with kids so much better than I get along with some adults.....
One good thing that did come out of it all was the unexpected outpouring of support. I greatly respect and admire everyone who talked me through this--more people than I imagined. I know there will be many more difficult times in my teaching career, but it's nice to know that (at least in this case) I don't have to hunker down and handle everything by myself. Add that to the fact that I get to see my students everyday, and life as a teacher starts to look pretty good again.
Thursday, September 1, 2011
My Favorites, Round 1
Ok, it's been a wonderful day here in Cedar Rapids, so I thought I'd document some of my favorite moments so far with my students. I figure, when I've had a day that's not so good (or even downright bad.... hasn't happened yet! *fingers crossed*), I can look on here and remember what I love most about teaching these kids. Here are my favorite things about teaching middle schoolers:
Yesterday, one of my shy 7th grade girls (one that has been a project of mine) came up to me and asked how I always get my hair to be so cute. I explained to her exactly how I twist it, pin it and pull it back. Then I continued, "And if you wear it with a smile, you'll get tons of compliments... but it won't matter what they think because you know you like it, and that's what really matters." Today she walked in with her hair done just like mine had been the day before. I told her that her hair looked nice. She responded, "Thanks.... not that it matters." I love getting to teach these girls who are making the transition into middle school. They're obviously super freaked out about it, so it makes my day just to have sound coming out of their mouths in my room every day--we're still working on the pleasantness of that sound. ;)
My 8th graders are singing a piece with repeated patterns layered on top of each other. It took some work, but when we got all four parts lined up I made it clear how awesome it sounded (and even let some of the girls stand in the middle of the circles with me to hear it). They are so proud of themselves, and that is the best reward for me. Everyday, they jump up and down, "Can we sing 'Alleluia'?" And then, once we work on it a bit, "Can we go perform for the boys now that it sounds even better?" Girls literally walk in the door telling me they have been looking forward to choir all day. I love being a mentor to these girls as they decide who they will become. Sometimes the personal questions are a bit much (and I definitely draw the boundaries about how much they're allowed to know), but I take it as a compliment that they want to find out so much about my life.
In 6th grade choir, it can be a challenge just to get through class. But today we played the "Let's Pretend We're At The Concert" game and they shut right up! I know I won't be able to get away with it every time, so I'll save it for the days that they're really out of hand. They're also obsessed with one of our pieces. I start playing piano, and the whole room goes silent. It's nice. I love the fact that I get to introduce these kids to choir. Sometimes it's annoying to tell them, no, we won't be singing that song from the radio you love so much at any concert this year. However, it's worth it to get to be the first person who shows them what a choral experience is like... and how much fun it can be.
I'm super excited to direct the fall play!! I was worried for a few days when very few names were on the audition sheet. Then, the first day of auditions, suddenly every single slot was full (that's middle school for ya), and kids were asking for more times. I added an extra day, and now that's full too. Seventy-some auditions! It will literally kill me to have to cut people, but I'll do what I have to do. At the moment, we're about halfway through the list, and I already have seen some brilliant performing and thought of some brilliant ideas for staging/costumes/etc. I'm trying to get to know the 9th graders and boys (none of whom I teach) better so we can have a rapport built by the time rehearsals start. That has been going pretty well. It's going to be a wonderful time and hopefully a fabulous play!
How did I get so lucky to teach what I love and get paid (ok... not very much...) for it?! My students inspire my musical ideas every single day. Sometimes it's on-the-spot ideas, sometimes it's thoughts that transform my overall view (and teaching) of a piece, sometimes it's thoughts that transform my view of the world. I am incredibly fortunate to get to teach these fabulous young people. :)
Yesterday, one of my shy 7th grade girls (one that has been a project of mine) came up to me and asked how I always get my hair to be so cute. I explained to her exactly how I twist it, pin it and pull it back. Then I continued, "And if you wear it with a smile, you'll get tons of compliments... but it won't matter what they think because you know you like it, and that's what really matters." Today she walked in with her hair done just like mine had been the day before. I told her that her hair looked nice. She responded, "Thanks.... not that it matters." I love getting to teach these girls who are making the transition into middle school. They're obviously super freaked out about it, so it makes my day just to have sound coming out of their mouths in my room every day--we're still working on the pleasantness of that sound. ;)
My 8th graders are singing a piece with repeated patterns layered on top of each other. It took some work, but when we got all four parts lined up I made it clear how awesome it sounded (and even let some of the girls stand in the middle of the circles with me to hear it). They are so proud of themselves, and that is the best reward for me. Everyday, they jump up and down, "Can we sing 'Alleluia'?" And then, once we work on it a bit, "Can we go perform for the boys now that it sounds even better?" Girls literally walk in the door telling me they have been looking forward to choir all day. I love being a mentor to these girls as they decide who they will become. Sometimes the personal questions are a bit much (and I definitely draw the boundaries about how much they're allowed to know), but I take it as a compliment that they want to find out so much about my life.
In 6th grade choir, it can be a challenge just to get through class. But today we played the "Let's Pretend We're At The Concert" game and they shut right up! I know I won't be able to get away with it every time, so I'll save it for the days that they're really out of hand. They're also obsessed with one of our pieces. I start playing piano, and the whole room goes silent. It's nice. I love the fact that I get to introduce these kids to choir. Sometimes it's annoying to tell them, no, we won't be singing that song from the radio you love so much at any concert this year. However, it's worth it to get to be the first person who shows them what a choral experience is like... and how much fun it can be.
I'm super excited to direct the fall play!! I was worried for a few days when very few names were on the audition sheet. Then, the first day of auditions, suddenly every single slot was full (that's middle school for ya), and kids were asking for more times. I added an extra day, and now that's full too. Seventy-some auditions! It will literally kill me to have to cut people, but I'll do what I have to do. At the moment, we're about halfway through the list, and I already have seen some brilliant performing and thought of some brilliant ideas for staging/costumes/etc. I'm trying to get to know the 9th graders and boys (none of whom I teach) better so we can have a rapport built by the time rehearsals start. That has been going pretty well. It's going to be a wonderful time and hopefully a fabulous play!
How did I get so lucky to teach what I love and get paid (ok... not very much...) for it?! My students inspire my musical ideas every single day. Sometimes it's on-the-spot ideas, sometimes it's thoughts that transform my overall view (and teaching) of a piece, sometimes it's thoughts that transform my view of the world. I am incredibly fortunate to get to teach these fabulous young people. :)
Friday, August 19, 2011
The Beginning
Well, it's official... my students have tweeted about me. I know this not because I follow them on Twitter (because I don't), but because other students tell me about what they said (no worries, it's all good.... at least the tweets that they tell me about are good). I take this as the surest possible sign of success :)
In reality, I live for those four periods a day where I can stand in front of my girls and discuss with them what my expectations are, both musically and behaviorally. I love building my little communities of dedicated musicians and watching them begin to invest in this group and music overall. I love hearing their voices and being inspired by their enthusiasm, already getting ideas of where to go next. I love when they talk to me after class about whatever is going on in their lives because after two days, we've already begun to trust each other.
Today, after outlining my classroom goals (as stated in "Getting Oriented") and rules (Do what's RIGHT!) I asked them to do two things: 1) write a note to themselves about their choir goals and put it in a sealed envelope to open at the end of the year; and 2) write to me what we need to be successful in choir (expectations/rules) and what they hope to get out of choir this year (personal goals). I plan to print out key words and post them around my posters. Here are my favorite things they said (in their words):
Expectations: Complement people as much as we can, be more strict on myself, include everyone, emotionally be ready to sing, to be able to go out of our comfort zone to sing, give others chances, be a leader, no snide comments about classmates!, listen to other students, to not interrupt to go to the bathroom, don't give up if you don't sing well or make a mistake, don't laugh at other people singing, give 110%, save gum for after choir, don't stop when it gets difficult or when I mess up, laughter is always good, try your best even if your day hasn't gone well, try to grow as a choir family, include others in small groups, invest
Goals: AMAZING concerts!, I want to become a better singer and not be shy about singing alone in front of people, be better counter, master handsigns, overcome stage fright, get to know Ms. Purscell better, Sing Loud Be Proud, have fun! :], have a good sound as a whole, try out and maybe get into Opus, sing as a community, to improve my voice even though I am really good now, sing more smoothly and with more vibrato, to be comfortable singing in front of peers and Ms. P., have a better head voice, make looooooong vowels, do the scale do re mi fa sol, be myself, make my voice better and be a leader
And my personal favorites--Side notes to Ms. Purscell: Ps. I like your shoes; PS: I am very scared to sing by myself in front of everyone, but I will do it if you ask, p.s. You seem really nice
6th grade at Creek has been a completely different beast. The first day was a little rough and felt really slow, like we didn't accomplish anything. However, after looking at my plans for that day, I realized we got through everything I planned to do... it just felt like it took forever. 103 side conversations add up quickly....
...which is what I kept reminding them today whenever noise got out of hand! They got quicker at focusing front each time I said it. I don't know if it was the fact that I was more prepared/organized today or if it was because it was a different group, but today's group felt much easier to teach. I'm determined to make sixth grade choir my favorite.
Anyway, it's a good thing I like my job... because so far I'm not so in love with living in Cedar Rapids. I keep reminding myself some wise words I was once told: "It takes time to make new best friends." Oh well, all will be better once I get my cat :)
In reality, I live for those four periods a day where I can stand in front of my girls and discuss with them what my expectations are, both musically and behaviorally. I love building my little communities of dedicated musicians and watching them begin to invest in this group and music overall. I love hearing their voices and being inspired by their enthusiasm, already getting ideas of where to go next. I love when they talk to me after class about whatever is going on in their lives because after two days, we've already begun to trust each other.
Today, after outlining my classroom goals (as stated in "Getting Oriented") and rules (Do what's RIGHT!) I asked them to do two things: 1) write a note to themselves about their choir goals and put it in a sealed envelope to open at the end of the year; and 2) write to me what we need to be successful in choir (expectations/rules) and what they hope to get out of choir this year (personal goals). I plan to print out key words and post them around my posters. Here are my favorite things they said (in their words):
Expectations: Complement people as much as we can, be more strict on myself, include everyone, emotionally be ready to sing, to be able to go out of our comfort zone to sing, give others chances, be a leader, no snide comments about classmates!, listen to other students, to not interrupt to go to the bathroom, don't give up if you don't sing well or make a mistake, don't laugh at other people singing, give 110%, save gum for after choir, don't stop when it gets difficult or when I mess up, laughter is always good, try your best even if your day hasn't gone well, try to grow as a choir family, include others in small groups, invest
Goals: AMAZING concerts!, I want to become a better singer and not be shy about singing alone in front of people, be better counter, master handsigns, overcome stage fright, get to know Ms. Purscell better, Sing Loud Be Proud, have fun! :], have a good sound as a whole, try out and maybe get into Opus, sing as a community, to improve my voice even though I am really good now, sing more smoothly and with more vibrato, to be comfortable singing in front of peers and Ms. P., have a better head voice, make looooooong vowels, do the scale do re mi fa sol, be myself, make my voice better and be a leader
And my personal favorites--Side notes to Ms. Purscell: Ps. I like your shoes; PS: I am very scared to sing by myself in front of everyone, but I will do it if you ask, p.s. You seem really nice
6th grade at Creek has been a completely different beast. The first day was a little rough and felt really slow, like we didn't accomplish anything. However, after looking at my plans for that day, I realized we got through everything I planned to do... it just felt like it took forever. 103 side conversations add up quickly....
...which is what I kept reminding them today whenever noise got out of hand! They got quicker at focusing front each time I said it. I don't know if it was the fact that I was more prepared/organized today or if it was because it was a different group, but today's group felt much easier to teach. I'm determined to make sixth grade choir my favorite.
Anyway, it's a good thing I like my job... because so far I'm not so in love with living in Cedar Rapids. I keep reminding myself some wise words I was once told: "It takes time to make new best friends." Oh well, all will be better once I get my cat :)
Saturday, August 13, 2011
Getting Oriented
I love teaching.
Sometimes I forget that... like when I have to sit in whole days of meetings for things that may or may not actually apply to what I teach and how I teach it. What I keep reminding myself is that it will all be worth it when I am finally in front of a class leading rehearsals inspired by the music and the students. It feels like I have been waiting for years to finally have my own classroom, and now I have two.
6th Grade
My sixth grade room is a little on the old (read: gross) side.... we're working on the mildew smell. I snazzed it up a bit with some posters, borders, a word wall, and decorations from West Music (woot!). There are two (non-musical) challenges that I have set for myself in this room: 1) Making the logistics of dealing with 100 sixth graders (and their backpacks...) slick as butter, and 2) Making the building leadership realize that choir is a legit class with legit learning goals and deserves to have room to grow with the growing district. Simple, right?
Wrong. So here are my plans. 1) As far a logistics, I am going to be the queen of structure. We don't have chairs in the room, so I'm making the best of it. The kids will be color-coded by neighborhood (a nickname for homeroom) and given individual name cards placed in their assigned spot. Each neighborhood will be assigned a place to put backpacks, either in the empty storage room or in the back of the room where there used to be closets. I'm hoping to use some booster money to get an individual voice-amplification device to use so I won't have to wear out my vocal mechanism instructing one hundred kids, but that will probably come later. I am determined to never yell--partially because it hurts my instrument, partially because it's mean and useless, and partially because it's simply out of character. Instead, I will non-verbally use my "Noise Level Thermometer" marked with dynamics (See what I did there? Eh, eh? Practical use of vocab!) and verbally use "If you can hear my voice clap twice..." Of course I will give them opportunities to shake their sillies out, but I'm hoping to give them a taste of what choir really is so they will have the skills to be successful choral singers in middle school and beyond.
2) *Raising right hand in the air* I promise not to let my fiery passion for music education get me worked up in situations where I have to advocate for it. I promise to, instead, be a clear communicator about its importance for our students' educations. I also swear I will be a good listener about the needs of the school and district.
I was warned about this in the ivory tower--not everyone will understand how important music is to a well-rounded education. I just wasn't prepared for how it would feel to have it aimed at me personally..... twice. No gory details needed, but I've thought a lot about how I handled it each time (polar opposites--once I complied a little too much, the other I lost my cool) and have started to create a plan for the future. First of all, I am going to be as visible as humanly possible. I am going to be in and out of the office, sending invitations to concerts, showing up for sporting events (the horror!), and whatever else I imagine up. Next, I'm going to make my learning goals as visible as humanly possible. Some are already posted inside my classroom (The students will... 1. Sing healthfully and artistically, 2. Read music notation using handsign solfege, 3. Understand different styles, eras, and genres of music, and 4. Grow as a community of musicians). I am also going to put the nine national standards (maybe how they connect to various songs?) in concert programs. Finally, I will never, never, not ever poorly handle the questioning of the importance of my profession again. I will calmly and respectfully inform the various people in question that choir is indeed curricular for a reason and deserves to be treated as such....
I love teaching.
I love teaching.
I love teaching.
(More on my other room/building later)
Sometimes I forget that... like when I have to sit in whole days of meetings for things that may or may not actually apply to what I teach and how I teach it. What I keep reminding myself is that it will all be worth it when I am finally in front of a class leading rehearsals inspired by the music and the students. It feels like I have been waiting for years to finally have my own classroom, and now I have two.
6th Grade
My sixth grade room is a little on the old (read: gross) side.... we're working on the mildew smell. I snazzed it up a bit with some posters, borders, a word wall, and decorations from West Music (woot!). There are two (non-musical) challenges that I have set for myself in this room: 1) Making the logistics of dealing with 100 sixth graders (and their backpacks...) slick as butter, and 2) Making the building leadership realize that choir is a legit class with legit learning goals and deserves to have room to grow with the growing district. Simple, right?
Wrong. So here are my plans. 1) As far a logistics, I am going to be the queen of structure. We don't have chairs in the room, so I'm making the best of it. The kids will be color-coded by neighborhood (a nickname for homeroom) and given individual name cards placed in their assigned spot. Each neighborhood will be assigned a place to put backpacks, either in the empty storage room or in the back of the room where there used to be closets. I'm hoping to use some booster money to get an individual voice-amplification device to use so I won't have to wear out my vocal mechanism instructing one hundred kids, but that will probably come later. I am determined to never yell--partially because it hurts my instrument, partially because it's mean and useless, and partially because it's simply out of character. Instead, I will non-verbally use my "Noise Level Thermometer" marked with dynamics (See what I did there? Eh, eh? Practical use of vocab!) and verbally use "If you can hear my voice clap twice..." Of course I will give them opportunities to shake their sillies out, but I'm hoping to give them a taste of what choir really is so they will have the skills to be successful choral singers in middle school and beyond.
2) *Raising right hand in the air* I promise not to let my fiery passion for music education get me worked up in situations where I have to advocate for it. I promise to, instead, be a clear communicator about its importance for our students' educations. I also swear I will be a good listener about the needs of the school and district.
I was warned about this in the ivory tower--not everyone will understand how important music is to a well-rounded education. I just wasn't prepared for how it would feel to have it aimed at me personally..... twice. No gory details needed, but I've thought a lot about how I handled it each time (polar opposites--once I complied a little too much, the other I lost my cool) and have started to create a plan for the future. First of all, I am going to be as visible as humanly possible. I am going to be in and out of the office, sending invitations to concerts, showing up for sporting events (the horror!), and whatever else I imagine up. Next, I'm going to make my learning goals as visible as humanly possible. Some are already posted inside my classroom (The students will... 1. Sing healthfully and artistically, 2. Read music notation using handsign solfege, 3. Understand different styles, eras, and genres of music, and 4. Grow as a community of musicians). I am also going to put the nine national standards (maybe how they connect to various songs?) in concert programs. Finally, I will never, never, not ever poorly handle the questioning of the importance of my profession again. I will calmly and respectfully inform the various people in question that choir is indeed curricular for a reason and deserves to be treated as such....
I love teaching.
I love teaching.
I love teaching.
(More on my other room/building later)
Saturday, July 23, 2011
What happens to a dream re-thought?
I graduate from Drake University with a picture-perfect 4.0, as an indispensable leader, wildly attractive, adored by all of my peers, and generally leading a drama-free existence as I embark to make my mark on the world. I have plans to start my nomadic life of running around the globe, from developing nation to developing nation, to learn, listen, help, teach, sing, build relationships, and generally spread the joy that is Kendra Purscell all over this fabulous world of ours. After that, I might just decide to settle down in a major US metropolis and become the greatest children's choir director this nation has ever seen.....
....... or at least that's how it goes in my head............
In reality, I walked down the aisle to accept my diploma scared shitless about the world ahead of me. I was still secretly mourning the loss of my dream of receiving a Fulbright, which had paralyzed me until it was too late to look for other viable overseas options. I didn't yet have an interview, much less a job, in any desirable music teaching position. I was also afraid of leaving my friends and connections in Des Moines--am I capable of building more? Will the people I care about just forget me when I leave?
More than anything else, I expected the year after I graduated to be an adventure. So, I am make the conscious decision not to give up on that dream. This year I will be teaching choir to 200 6th graders and many 7th and 8th grade girls in Cedar Rapids, Iowa; I will be living on my own in a beautiful apartment (with washer/dryer in the unit!!!); I will get a pet; I will be meeting new people and making new connections; I will be looking into my options for future life adventures; and I will (hopefully) help and care for many, many people along the way. And you will get to read about it here. To many, this might just seem like an ordinary life...but to me, this seems like an adventure.
....... or at least that's how it goes in my head............
In reality, I walked down the aisle to accept my diploma scared shitless about the world ahead of me. I was still secretly mourning the loss of my dream of receiving a Fulbright, which had paralyzed me until it was too late to look for other viable overseas options. I didn't yet have an interview, much less a job, in any desirable music teaching position. I was also afraid of leaving my friends and connections in Des Moines--am I capable of building more? Will the people I care about just forget me when I leave?
More than anything else, I expected the year after I graduated to be an adventure. So, I am make the conscious decision not to give up on that dream. This year I will be teaching choir to 200 6th graders and many 7th and 8th grade girls in Cedar Rapids, Iowa; I will be living on my own in a beautiful apartment (with washer/dryer in the unit!!!); I will get a pet; I will be meeting new people and making new connections; I will be looking into my options for future life adventures; and I will (hopefully) help and care for many, many people along the way. And you will get to read about it here. To many, this might just seem like an ordinary life...but to me, this seems like an adventure.
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