Teachers establish a safe, inclusive and respectful learning environment for a diverse population of students.
Element A:
Teachers foster a predictable learning environment characterized by acceptable student behavior and efficient use of time in which each student has a positive, nurturing relationship with caring adults and peers.
Artifact (RMHS): Warmup Chorale (2 Videos)
Video #1 Link (Symphonic Band Chorale): https://youtu.be/rz_RwEYG7oM
Video #2 Link (RM Winds Chorale): https://youtu.be/rfeHDMRVCnU
The RMHS bands have a longstanding tradition of starting every class with a chorale, starting immediately at the bell. This ensures that class starts on time and provides perfect clarity for the start of class, and sets a tone of focus that helps the whole lesson. The musical nature of the beginning of class also creates a welcoming environment. Students who are not present, prepared, and playing the warm up chorale at the bell are marked tardy, which creates urgency to be prepared. After the chorale, I sometimes jump right into the lesson (as shown in the first video), and sometimes take time to greet the students if I hadn’t done so before class (as shown in the second video). Either way, the chorale creates space at the beginning of the class to build rapport with students and demonstrate care for their safety (attendance), learning (timeliness), and personality (talking to students in the time surrounding the chorale) This beginning-of-class tradition demonstrates care for every minute of class, even when (in the second video), the timeliness with the bell isn’t perfect.
Element B:
Teachers demonstrate an awareness of, a commitment to, and a respect for multiple aspects of diversity, while working toward common goals as a community of learners.
Artifact (EPES): Second Grade Program Slideshow in English and Spanish
Estes Park Elementary has a high population of English language learners, many of whose families speak little to no English. This means the school has to provide communications in both English and Spanish, including for music programs. The second grade program that I organized included the children’s book, “Who Invited You,” and we projected each page at the front of the gym, and provided text in English and Spanish. I collaborated with an English Language Development paraprofessional to write in the translation. This was a commitment to the linguistic and cultural diversity of our school community, and our common goal was to create an accessible and exciting student performance for the community. Providing a translation was one way to be responsive to the needs of our community.
Element C:
Teachers engage students as individuals, including those with diverse needs and interests, across a range of ability levels by adapting their teaching for the benefit of all students.
Artifact (RMHS): Rocky Mountain Winds Composition Project
Peer-assisted learning is an excellent way to engage students as individuals and allow them to develop at a range of ability levels. In this photo, Rocky Mountain Winds students are working in pairs on a composition project aligned with Randall Standridge’s Havana Nights. It starts with improvisation: one student plays a 3-2 “Son” Clave, while the other improvises a 2-bar repeating pattern to go along with it. More advanced students (such as the saxophonist in the middle) were able to use different pitches and more advanced rhythms, while more novice students (such as the percussionist and clarinetist on the right side) chose to begin without instruments entirely and use body percussion. As such, the activity has several access points for students of differing ability levels, and allows them to explore their own musical interests regarding rhythms, timbres, and pitches to improvise. After both students in a pair have a chance to improvise, they both notate their improvised rhythm, and have their partner learn their pattern. In this way, this peer-assisted and individualized activity supports students’ musical literacy skills in addition to improvisation/composition and creativity across a range of ability levels. The students had to think critically and closely to dictate the rhythms they had improvised so they are accessible by others.
Element D:
Teachers work collaboratively with the families and/or significant adults for the benefit of students.
Artifact (EPES): Email to Second Grade parents about the student music showcase
Prompt communication with parents and guardians regarding events and concerts is a critical component of running an effective school music program. I wrote this email to be sent to parents (I didn’t have the parent email list, so I sent it to my host teacher Paul), regarding important information for their students’ music program on February 11. Clear communication well in advance of events is often the first step to fostering strong collaborative relationships with parents and significant adults. At the music showcase, parents participated in one of the folk dances at the end of the program. This allowed them to experience one of the activities their students regularly participate in during music class.