It was great to see all of our faculty united together at the start of our Job Alike sessions. Mr. VanZandt's opening comments and video illustration about collaboration amongst all strands of the fine arts was an affirmation of what we all do on a daily basis. Our passion for each of our art forms inspires our students each and every day, and when we work together as a team, it is simply amazing what we can accomplish together. Here is a link to the "OK Go" video we all watched at the start of today's session:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qybUFnY7Y8w
Today's Job Alike session for Band and Orchestra directors at Cedar Ridge HS proved to be exciting, eye-opening, and even reaffirming for many of us. Presenter Bingiee Shiu (Director of Orchestras, Memorial HS, Spring Branch ISD) brought forward a fanstastic presentation that focused on three areas that we all strive to master in each of our programs: Organization, Motivation, and Activation.
I found the segment on organization to be especially useful. Mr. Shiu discussed several practical habits that can lead to ease in set up for rehearsal. For example, the use of notecards with information on each student (i.e. name, class period, instrument, groupings) can be used to arrange and vary up ensemble seating on a regular basis. Another topic of discussion was limiting the "paper trail" that we all encounter as a result of handouts and forms. By installing a drop box mounted to the floor, students in our programs can have a consistent place to turn in forms, fees, and permission slips; in turn, we as directors can control the security of intake and also monitor the deadlines required for return of such items.
Technology was another major area of focus in regard to organizing life around the orhcestra or band hall. As someone who considers himself somewhat technologically savvy, I was absolutely blown away by the amount of technology integration that the Memorial HS Orchestra students achieve. The importance of utilizing technology to the advantage of our programs is imperative. Why not make our lives easier by creating a "one-stop shop" for parent and student information through the use of a creative website for our program? One of my personal goals for this year is to establish said website (utlizing student and parent help) and keep it up to date with useful information on a regular basis. Mr. Shiu also emphasized that, while Charms is a fantastic program, most parents prefer the ease of a user friendly website when searching for answers to questions or researching information about our programs.
His next segment on motivation centered around the idea that many successful programs rely on a sense of community to create motivation from within the student population. The idea of student ownership and leadership is fostered by a spirit of belonging. In order to spark this fire and keep it burning, we must have a "buy in" for our students. Yes, music should certainly inspire our students to keep coming back into our halls every day. However, many of our students rely on our program as a social outlet. Realizing and embracing this fact can become a powerful tool that can be used to encourage participation and continuation in our programs.
We wrapped up our day by forming the "Round Rock Faculty Philharmonic," an ensemble that this horn player certainly looks forward to playing in again soon. It is truly impressive the amount of talent among our ranks, and I hope everyone was as excited about the possibilities of such a performing group as I was. Mr. Shiu spent time during his "Activation" session discussing the exploration of expressive conducting, as well as the benefit of establishing conducting warmups that will challenge us and our ensembles on a daily basis. Our brave conducting candidates did a great job adapting to challenges on the podium, and I think we all took away at least one concept that we can try with our ensembles (regardless of grade level).
All in all, today was a fantastic sampling of what great teaching is all about: making the logistical, paper-pushing side of our job as efficient and non-time consuming as possible, while constantly evaluating the effectiveness and quality of music making that we are so fortunate to do each and every day with our students.
I'd like to thank Mr. Shiu for his time, preparation, and innovative ideas that contributed to a great Job Alike Day for us all. Additionally, thanks to the Fine Arts faculty at Cedar Ridge HS for hosting us in their facilities today.
Best wishes to all of you as we start what I know will be a fantastic year for Fine Arts in Round Rock ISD.
Thomas Turpin
Westwood HS Band
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