Halla Hilborn

MUS 447: Class Notes

Dr. Kroesche
17 June 2014


MUS 447 Class Notes


5/13/14

Sample Curriculum Guide:

Beginner Grades 4-6 (First year of instruction)

- Objectives and concepts
- Practice effectively 5-15 min per day
- Instrument assembly
- Proper posture, hand position, etc
- Characteristic tone
- Method Books

Intermediate Grades 7-9 (Second year of instruction, middle school)

- Objectives and concepts
- Increase in technical skills, range, rhythmic vocabulary
- Minimum of 8 one octave major scales, arpeggios
- Method books

Advanced Grades 10-12

- Objectives and concepts
- All major one octave scales
- Minimum of six minor scales/arpeggios
- Development of musical expression and style
- Practice 30-60 min per day
- Method Books


Structure of a lesson:

I. Rationale for lesson planning:
o Because we have a list of concepts and skills we want our students to
know, we need sequential ways of providing that information to our
students. All teaching needs lesson planning. Cannot skip steps!
o Ultimately concepts and skills we want our students to know should
be organized into a curriculum (broad overview of what is to be
taught).

II. Why have a curriculum:
o By organizing a curriculum of what is to be taught the teacher knows
1. How to meet the student at their level
2. How to build on student learning
3. When remediation or review is necessary
4. Ability to project student achievement

III. The Lesson Plan:
o The problem with observing a lesson plan in a private lesson is that
they appear to be improvising, seem unorganized, or are directed to
the students individual problems.
o The lesson plan as a structure for a 1:1 lesson:
1. The opening what the student will learn and why its important
2. Introduction to new material, concept, or skill
3. Guided practice
4. Independent practice (not as important in private lessons)
5. Closure checking for student understanding, review everything
covered and guidelines for what to work on for next time.

5/15/14

Lesson environment:
o Goal to create an environment in the lesson to generate preparation,
learning, self-motivation, and active participation.

Physical environment:
o Ample size acoustically loud enough
o Organized

Interpersonal environment:
o Calm, comfortable vs. excessive energy. Seating vs. standing, shouting
over other noise. Can be good to vary the energy in the room.
o Motivation is key part of teaching K-12 children
o Objective comments can be seen as subjective in an applied music
setting
o Subjective comments

Two approaches to teaching:
o Problem solving and exploration. Student is intellectually involved
with the teacher in problem solving.
o Product ordering lesson is a performance for the teacher. Student is
only concerned with the end product. Product ordering should be fast
paced.

Pacing:
o Lessons can be run like effective rehearsals
o Review and remediation of older material
o Introduction of new concepts
o Periods of white hot intensity

Verbiage:
o Avoid excessive verbiage when describing physical activities licke
embouchure
o Words to avoid:
1. Profanity (degrades validity/professionalism of the lesson)
2. Negative comments (strive for love sandwiches)
3. No (can shut down, particularly in subjective ways
4. Bigger is better to say than louder to avoid forced sound.

5/27/14

Resume Performance
o Education (including people studied under. Date, student of,
institution and location. Include scholarships, graduate assistantship,
and additional studies).
o Performance experience large and chamber ensembles
o Recordings
o Include name and instrument on the top

Audition season is August-September

Performance experience include: orchestra, position you played, director,
location, and dates

1 pg document - References on a separate page

Resume Education
o Education
o Teaching experience: school name, position, dates, responsibilities
include listing everything you teach for classes, and administrative
skills

Try to get college teaching experience in a graduate assistantship
o Awards, honors
o Performance experience

Establishing your teaching studio in the community:
Goal: To create a career teaching and performing in music allowing the
individual to live with financial security as well as being artistically satisfied.

Networking: make contacts within to access market
o Call/make appointments with area band directors, music stores,
studios to find out pricing of lessons and numbers of prospective
students
o Make appointment with band directors, do not show up unannounced
o Try to determine number of available students and how much
assistance youd receive from band director
o Be sure to ask what the needs of the director are in the area
o Do all things before relocating to a new area

Your introduction: once you have information, create a plan to market your
expertise.
o Send a letter or email to the area band director
- Biography and/or resume
- List of services you can provide
- Letter to parents
- Poster
- Business cards
- Facebook
o Offer to perform a clinic for people of your instrument
- Provide a handout of presentation and contact information
- Best introduction is to play flashy, memorable solo for students
make strong musical statement
o Create student ensemble that pays you to teach it
- Another opportunity for your students to pay you
- Also gets the word out about you
- May need to start the ensemble for little or no pay
- Create a theory or improvisation class

Performing: establishing yourself as a performer in the area
o Prepare recital at church or school
o Play for Sunday church services
o Hold a studio recital
o Record a professional quality demo to send. Video recordings are even
better
o Send letters and repertoire lists to area teachers
o Join musicians union
o Check for openings in local professional orchestras
o Play in local community orchestra
o Start chamber music group


5/29/14

o 30min video lesson

o All repertoire sheets revised by Tuesday at 5pm

o The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People

o Appropriately educate your audience on proper concert etiquette

o Often have to be a part of AFM union to be qualified for the job

o National Association of Wind and Percussion Instructors

o Do collaborative recitals, solo recitals

o Plan a studio recital twice a year or once a semester

o MTNA cost of $120

o Consortium = organized group of individuals who pool resources to fund a
commission of a work

Legality for protection against sexual misconduct:
o Teach in an area with windows
o Have parents sit in on lessons
o Never drive a student home
o Be aware of others perceptions


6/3/14

Curriculum Guides
o Serve as sequence for what we teach
o Prescott Technic System
- 1-2 years of curriculum guide
- Used for individuals as well as in the schools for private lesssons
o Maximizing your Studios Potential by Julie Patton
o Note Speller by Fred Weber, for theory workbooks







6/5/14

Consider contrasting styles within repertoire
o Baroque
o Classical
o Romantic
o Modern

Tubby the Tuba

How to teach improvisation in applied music. Consider incorporating improvisation
and composition within curriculum

Begin working on analyzing twenty method books three of which must address
beginners

6/10/14

Repertory list:
o Only pieces that were performed
o Chamber works
o Study materials/etudes that youve worked out of

Portfolio (to be placed in a binder):
o Teaching and performance resume (two separate resumes)
o Personal repertory list
o Curriculum guide
o Annotated graded list of solo repertory turn in corrected review sheets
o Annotated list of twenty method books, student materials
o Graded lists of repertory for your instrument
o Repertory analysis sheets
o Typed class notes

Portfolio due Monday, June 23 at 5pm

Weebly for website creations


6/19/14

Try to think of lessons as a performance experience. Work towards changing the
mindset from nervous to excited.

As youre performing, flood your mind with the musical message that youre trying
to express, without listening to yourself.

Paralysis by analysis = allow the teacher to be the one to teach, without the student
trying to teach themselves.

To request references and recommendations send:
o Most current resume
o Postage
o Can I expect a positive recommendation from you?
o Job description for the position you are applying for
o Address for the recommendation to be sent
o Why you are applying and would be a good fit for the position

As a junior, begin developing a list of 10-20 schools of interest for masters and DMA
programs. DMA school should be a part of the top 10 music schools

List should contain 5-10 dream schools, with the rest being moderate/mid-tier
schools to be considered for a graduate assistantship (such as: BGSU, WMU, MSU)

Teaching experience goes after Education as a private studio teacher on resumes.