Early Career Challenges in Teaching Music

Availability of Music Sections

Limited Permanent Music Sections

Limited opportunity to establish roots in a school and program

Feeling like I am stagnating in teaching ability when not
teaching music

Continuing to Develop when Not Teaching Music

Outside of School PD

UofT Conducting Symposium

Cambrian College Conducting Symposium

OMEA & Other Conferences

Issue Here
- Financing
- Most likely my own $$
- Can't interfere with School Schedule
- Distance and Time

Students come in with WIDE variety of musical abilities

The Experts:

How do I keep them engaged and challenged when helping to bring up new and beginning students?

The Beginners:

How can I get them up to a solid base of ability as quickly and meaningfully as possible without rushing them?

The Kids in Between:

How do I engage them to grow on the abilities they have begun to build?

How do I make sure that they are not underwhelmed by Beginner stuff, and overwhelmed by Expert stuff?

Instrumental... Online?

Issue of Equity:
- Not all students have instruments
- Not all students can afford to rent instruments
- Schools do not have enough instruments to lend all students

Access to Technology

My board provides Chromebooks to students BUT

Chromebooks are limited in what they can do

Dedicated time for students to get one-on-one teaching

Sharing resources
- Copyright issue?
- What I have access to share (not all instruments)
- Not all resources I currently have are beginner student friendly

Ensemble Playing

Other colleagues in other boars have had their students
record parts and edit it together to create a full performance

Equity issue again
- Access to recording tech
- Space to practice and record

My Issue
- I don't have the editing skills to put this together
- I likely will not have the time to put consistent mass ensemble videos often

Instrumental

Classic band learning

Issues with Percussion:
- Do I delay having ANYONE play percussion?
- How do I keep percussion engaged when learning parts?
- Can I get everyone to learn both Wind Instrument skills AND Percussion skills?

Balance of Instruments:
- Strong chance of having little to no low brass
- Lots of Saxes, but no one wants to play Tenor or Bari
- Electric Basses, how many is too many?

Other

Rock Band and Guitar

Engages the not-usual 'Band' kids

Provides a different, more ear and trial and error based learning environment

Funding and School Support

Battle for funds to create program

Support and Advertising for courses

Conflicts with other Arts Courses
- Why does Music seem to get the short straw when it comes to new and innovative courses/ opportunities?

Real World Experts

Amazing opportunity for authentic, real world leaning

Can be from a variety of topics that will engage beyond 'Band' or 'Choir'

Establishes strong connections with community leaders and artists

Cost and Timing

Booking them can be difficult
- Your schedule vs. Theirs

Support and Funding from Admin

- Is there money in the budget?
- Can the school help pay for this?
- If I'm out of options, is how viable is paying them under the table?

Bringing Student choice into pieces learned and performed

Positive Experience:

Students designed 4-chord Vocal Mash-up and performed at Spring Concert

- Student driven
- Authentic learning
- Different from standard choral pieces

Struggles:

Students only want to sing the songs they know and like

- Nothing in a language that isn't English
- Nothing that is 'old fashioned'

Working on and Learning Parts

Lack of focus or desire to work on music if it isn't their part/ they don't have the melody

How Do I Make Learning Ensembleship Engaging??

Have never had to run a Music program myself

LTO coverage for a semester

Only worried about running the classes

Little responsibility to organise trips, competitions, or costs with budget

3rd Music teacher in the school, with all needs covered by
current, experienced teachers

Limited opportunities to run ensembles (other teachers run all ensembles)

Understanding budget, purchasing and organising program taken care of/ not openly shared with me