Post SLO

      My time in the Honors Mentorship Program has been spectacular. Working at NHMS couldn't have better prepared me for college and the world of Music Education. I have found during my mentorship that there is a lot of time, preparation, and practice that I have to put in to be a successful band director, but because of my experiences, I now have the knowledge I need to know how to manage my time and resources. The kids have also taught me a lot about myself and the band program. I was never the most patient human being, but because I am working with beginning musicians, I have learned how much easier life is if I just take a little more time to be sure the kids are getting it right.

When I started in the mentorship program, I was working in a law office. At the time, I was chasing money. It wasn’t long before I realized that no amount of money is worth sitting in a room alone without my horn. So, I made the switch to pursue a career in music. I left the middle school my first day thinking “Yep. This is what I’m going to spend my entire life doing.” 

I plan to use my experience in HMP to become a high school band director. I love the amount of variety there is in the band classes in high school. My real passion as a musician is in jazz and music history, and both of those options are available to me and the other students who share my interests. Though the variety of a high school band is not present in a middle school, I chose to work at North Hall Middle School for one reason: Rob Dugan. He exemplifies all that a band director should be. He has a passion for sharing his love and knowledge of music with his students. I learned this through my three years as a student. He is my model for what a band director is supposed to be. When I run my own band program, I will remember HMP and that it allowed me to be absolutely sure of what I "want to be when I grow up."

As for the students coming into HMP, I would make sure they know how much ridiculous online work there is, but also that its worth all the frustration to get to be immersed in the career for which they have a passion.

Photo taken by Rebecca Fisher

Public Speaking Video Reflection

     When it comes time to present, I know I'll be perfectly fine. As a singer, I am apparently one of the 30% of people who don't suffer from a fear of public speaking. But there are some points in the video what I had never considered. I never thought to avoid eating a lot before I speak or to bring a bottle of water with me to avoid getting all choked up on phlegm (as nasty as that seems, it is a valid concern).
     I didn't realize that I already do most of what the video suggests. I try to be as funny as is necessary, so my listeners can be assured to get a couple of laughs in during my presentation. Some people always stare at their cards when they present. That bothers the heck out of me. When I present, I rarely have more and a couple of bullet points on a card and I try to make eye contact with everyone in the room at least once. All in all, I think I can be pretty confident in my ability to deliver on presentation night.

Progress

     From my time at NHMS, I'm completely set on being a band director. I'm currently looking into the music education programs at both UGA and Kennesaw State (both schools have outstanding programs). Once I'm out of college, I will hopefully get to start as a high school band director, though  middle school band is also very appealing.
     I have found that I really enjoy conducting the band. It was an almost frightening experience the first time, having that much control over a group. But, I have gotten more comfortable with it and its really great fun. These past few months have been some of the most eye opening of my life.

Planning the Final Project

     For my final HMP project, I will of course be answering the question: How does band help a student in other ares of school and in their everyday lives? To do this, I will be filming myself asking the kids questions about how they view band and how they think it has helped them. Also, interviews with accomplished music educators and other respected teachers in which I ask them questions such as: What difference do you see in the academic performance between band kids and non-band kids? and What kind of attitude does a typical band student have toward school as opposed to a non-band student? I will compile these clips into a kind of short documentary on the subject.

Music Educator Interview

     In the interest of finding out how music helps students in other areas of school, I asked my mentor about his thoughts on the subject. These were the questions and his responses.

How does an understanding of music help kids in Math?

-Subdividing (dividing the beat into 4ths, 8ths, etc.) helps kids be able to divide quickly off the top of their head

How does an understanding of music help kids in language?

-Since music is written in italian, kids get exposure to a very different romantic language (as english is a germanic language)

How does an understanding of music help kids in history?

-The music of a given time period (Baroque, Classical, Romantic, Contemporary, etc.) reflects the “attitude” of that time period

Does help a student emotionally as well as academically?

-Yes. Kids sometimes, without realizing it, get a bit of a “break” from their daily stress when they get to play their horn in band class. 

Have you seen a student become more motivated by band?

-Since band requires a lot of hard work and self discipline, students almost subconsciously push themselves in every aspect of their lives because of band. 

(Derived from previous question) Do you see a students drive to succeed progress through their 3 years?

-The students who stay in band all the way through middle school tend to have a more lasting positive attitude towards school, which can translate to academic success. 

Does a student who is a superior player perform better in school than one who doesn’t play their instrument as well?

-As long as the student is dedicated to practicing and disciplining themselves, their level of skill on their instrument doesn’t have a very big affect on their academic success.

How did you do as a student since you were in band?

-I (Dugan) was pretty successful as a student and I partly credit what I learned from being in band to that success.

Did you see that drive for success in me when I was your student?

-You (Gage) had a way of thinking about everything objectively and analytically, which is seen a lot in a student who is gifted in music.

Looking Ahead

     For the final project, I will ask the question: How does learning music help a student in other aspects of school? This is an important question for me to answer because some schools don't realize how important the music program is, and they cut it simply because its the most expensive program. When I present this to the people, there is one thing that would make a future band director's presentation particularly outstanding: A performance by the students. I've talked to a few of them and they have mentioned how band has made their middle school life much better. I think it would be great to have a video of the kids talking about how band has affected their lives. As my final inquiry, I will interview the music educators that I have worked closely with and allow them to give their opinion on the affect music has on their students' lives.

Essential Question

My essential question:
   
      How does learning to play a musical instrument facilitate other aspects of learning?

I chose this as my essential question because most kids wouldn't think that learning an instrument has a real impact outside the band room. I knew I had to look further into that idea when I realized how much more interest kids have in a subject when they are told they can apply it in their everyday life. This question does reflect my interest in the topic because its something that neither I, nor most people (as far as I know), have ever thought about. And who doesn't like to learn weird things like that?