Category: Teaching

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Success: Is it about getting to “the top” or just being happy?

successThroughout my career, I have always kept my eyes open for ways to advance in my profession. I’ve loved just about every teaching position I have been in, but no matter how great the situation, I always felt like I need to go higher with the next big job and the next degree. I had to get to “the top.” I had to be the best I could be. My drive to get to the top was so strong that I became disoriented and eventually lost focus of what I loved doing most. In addition, it put additional stress on myself, and had negative impacts on my family.

What exactly is “the top?”

In the teaching world, I often hear people say, “Oh, you are moving up from teaching middle school to teaching high school? That’s awesome!” Moving up??? Really??  After I won a tenure-track position to teach college full time, I thought to myself that I had finally made it. Unfortunately, there is a mentality in the field of education that often associates your “rank” or “importance” with the level of your students. How wrong this is!! The top is where you are happiest.

How do you really get to “the top?”

This fall, I’m moving “down” from the ivory towers of collegiate-level teaching and will go back to directing a high school orchestra program. I don’t consider this a move down at all because I’m finally making a move for the real me and will be going back to do what I love to do most. Simply put: I’m happiest when I’m working with kids in the schools. (In addition, this new position will have many positive implications for my family, which is of utmost importance!)

Success is an iceberg…

For the last four years I served as a tenure-track Assistant Professor of Music Education at Kennesaw State University.  I was hired on to be the first string education professor and things went extremely well. I worked to increase student enrollment in string music education and helped make KSU the largest undergraduate string education program in the state Georgia. I connected with school orchestras and the community by directing a large number of outreach events and conducted an orchestra for the Georgia Youth Symphony Orchestra. I collaborated with my colleagues, developed new courses, refreshed old courses, served on committees, and endured some major changes in the music education curriculum and student teacher assessment. I made positive relationships with my students and felt their enthusiasm, energy, and pride. In addition to the work at the local level, I increased visibility to KSU and the School of Music by leading dozens of orchestra clinics, presenting at numerous conferences, conducting honor/all-state orchestras, and even presenting some research. The invitations just kept coming! My yearly reviews were stellar and I was well on my way to becoming a tenured Associate Professor. Success!! But even with all of the positive accolades and subsequent notoriety, I wasn’t truly happy. I never felt completely fulfilled.  Something was missing.

(KSU Rocks, BTW)

I do want to publicly acknowledge the sheer awesomeness that is Kennesaw State University (KSU)!!  It is an incredible institution with marvelous faculty and students and a great place to work, learn, and grow. It is THE university (and School of Music!) to be at in Georgia and is quickly gaining a solid reputation at the regional and national levels. I could go on and on about how great a place KSU is. I will dearly miss my colleagues and am thankful that we will always remain friends. In addition, I will forever be a fan, advocate, and supporter of KSU and always an Owl at heart. GO OWLS!!!

Be thankful for every day

Starting in the 10th grade, my dream job was to be a high school orchestra director. (Thank you Mr. Curtis Petersen!!) I started teaching in the public schools in 1996 and had unique experiences teaching wonderful students in Nevada, Florida, and Ohio. Some of the fondest memories of my career were during the times when I was teaching middle school and high school orchestra. Unfortunately, I took some of these experiences for granted and didn’t always realize how great I had it. For a number of different personal and professional reasons, I was always looking to get to that next level “up.”

“Life is what happens to you when you’re busy making other plans.” — John Lennon

If you keep an open mind and are willing to make changes, life can take you places you never expected. I don’t regret any of the career changes I’ve made. Each place I have worked there were memorable experiences. Most importantly, along the way I met awesome people and developed so many positive relationships with my students and colleagues. These relationships have helped define my career and my life in ways I can hardly explain.  To all of my friends, colleagues, and former students:  THANK YOU!

If you ever question yourself and where you are, is very important to stop and smell the roses. It’s cliché, but it’s true: The grass is not always greener on the other side. But, unfortunately sometimes you have to experience alternatives to fully comprehend this. On the other end of the spectrum, if you don’t take any risks you’ll never know what you are missing! Decisions can be so difficult.

“Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.” – Confucius

No matter what, remember that being at “the top” is being (and staying) where you are happiest, not where you think you should be or where others see you. If you are unsure, dig down deep and follow your heart.

 

“Watching The Wheels” by John Lennon

(Listen on Apple Music)

People say I’m crazy doing what I’m doing,

Well they give me all kinds of warnings to save me from ruin,

When I say that I’m o.k. they look at me kind of strange,

Surely your not happy now you no longer play the game,

 

People say I’m lazy dreaming my life away,

Well they give me all kinds of advice designed to enlighten me,

When I tell that I’m doing fine watching shadows on the wall,

Don’t you miss the big time boy you’re no longer on the ball?

 

I’m just sitting here watching the wheels go round and round,

I really love to watch them roll,

No longer riding on the merry-go-round,

I just had to let it go,

 

People asking questions lost in confusion,

Well I tell them there’s no problem,

Only solutions,

Well they shake their heads and they look at me as if I’ve lost my mind,

I tell them there’s no hurry…

I’m just sitting here doing time,

 

I’m just sitting here watching the wheels go round and round,

I really love to watch them roll,

No longer riding on the merry-go-round,

I just had to let it go.

 

Wishing everyone a safe and enjoyable summer break! 🙂

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The making of musicians

Last weekend I hosted the inaugural Orchestra Invitational at the Kennesaw State University School of Music.  The venue hosted middle school and high school orchestras to our stage where they performed and were provided feedback from three adjudicators followed by an on-stage clinic right after their performance. What a pleasure it was listening to these orchestras from all over the Atlanta area! In addition, I enjoyed listening to the fantastic clinics that were presented by my colleague Dr. Nathaniel Parker, Interim director of orchestras at KSU, and Mr. David Eccles, Assistant Professor of String Music Education of VanderCook College in Chicago.

The KSU Orchestra Invitational was created to in order to provide performing experience that featured high quality assessment and feedback without the worries of ratings and political scrutiny.  I made sure to let directors know that the event was non-competitive and was simply meant for them to receive valuable written and aural adjudication along with a clinic that would not only congratulate students on their progress, but also foster musical growth and inspire students to continue to do their very best.

For the last several years, I have worked to get this event off the ground and this year it finally happened! Over the last week I’ve received a great deal of  positive feedback from directors which has been encouraging.  It was a lot of work to put together. I’m proud to have helped bring over 500 students to my university’s performance stage, but more than that, I’m proud of the local orchestra directors who “put it out there” during their first semester. It took a lot of courage. It was also nice to see some directors bring their younger ensembles and not just their top performers.

Each of the performances this weekend were good and some were absolutely phenomenal.  I can say, however, that not every performance was “contest ready.”  This is a GOOD THING! Let me explain.

This is my fourth year in Georgia, and unfortunately I have found that many directors are so worried about their own reputations or the reputation of “their program” that the focus strays from teaching kids to become better musicians. Each semester I meet students who perform in my all-campus (non-major) orchestra who lack some essential string playing skills such as solid left and right technique, the ability to count rhythms, and other essential musicianship skills.  While each student has their own story (lack of practice, other activities, etc.), the responsibility for this shortcoming can often be blamed on the student’s orchestra director.

Teachers must remember to focus on teaching concepts and the process rather than just the product.  Teachers should not teach students “the music.” What I mean by this is that we must train students to be musicians, not simply “music players.” Students must have the ability to learn music independently and obtain skills that will help them make informed, musical decisions that allow them to interpret and learn a piece of music.

One of the problems I seen in many schools is when directors prepare for adjudicated “festival” performances. In my opinion, the importance and emphasis often placed on adjudicated events is far beyond what it should be. Teachers should not let their ensembles work on three pieces of music for 50-75 minutes per day for months and months just to perform it “perfectly.” If it takes a group that long to master a piece of music, it’s simply too hard for them. These are my opinions and have become part of my teaching philosophy. In the past, I admit I too have been guilty of putting everything I have into a single performance. But, now that I’ve stepped away for a while I come to the realization that this is a somewhat toxic practice in music education.

The orchestras that played this weekend were all solid, but I know some directors were nervous because their groups may not have been fully polished. We must let go of this worry and stop spending all of our time perfecting “the music.” I’m all for a great performance, but at what expense must this come?  Forcing our orchestra students to drill through music over and over and over (for months on end!) until it’s “perfect” doesn’t sound overly enjoyable or encouraging.  If the music is at the appropriate level, it doesn’t take that long for them to learn it.  Allowing students to perform music that fits their playing level allows them to make music, not just chase notes.

Teachers should continue to implement daily lessons that will help students develop their technical skills that will allow them become musicians who are independent learners and interpreters of music as a whole. Our job as music educators is to provide students with experiences that will enable them to enjoy music for a lifetime, wether that be creating, performing, or listening. We must each student’s education before anything else. By focusing on the process and not the product we are training our students to be musicians who can adapt, create, and perform music independently. Most importantly, we are giving our students the tools necessary to be lifelong learners and consumers of music.