Becoming Music Teachers in a Supportive String Project Community

Goal Setting for Themselves

Xander and Ashley wrote their goals before they began to teach. Goals varied but both participants described goals related to (a) addressing 11 curricular goals (Benham et al., 2011); (b) lesson planning; (c) teaching process principles; (d) pacing, including modeling and more student playing time; (e) teacher presence and flow of lessons (Evelein & Korthagen, 2015); (f) giving clear directions and specific feedback (Millican & Pellegrino, 2015; Raiber & Teachout, 2014); and (g) nonverbal skills (Culver, 1989).

My main goal as a teacher is to be “in the moment” as I am teaching. By that I mean that I would really like to be aware enough in the classroom so that I can respond to any pedagogical or classroom management issues that may occur without shutting down or interrupting the flow too much. I am really hoping to add more content to my classes so that the students can be exposed to a wider variety of repertoire in a shorter period of time. I am also planning a lot of music literacy activities to help the students improve their overall music reading skills. (Xander, Questionnaire)

In the previous quote, Xander addressed multiple goal setting categories: (e), (a), and (b). In the following quote, Ashley addressed categories (d), (a), (b), and (c).

I would like to teach more by playing or modeling instead of talking as well as to get the students (of all levels) playing more often. I plan to do MORE improvisation and composition than I have in the past, based on procedures we talked about in [coursework] and pedagogical sessions. I will also continue to plan my sequencing and procedures based on “sound before sight” and “experience, then label.” (Ashley, Questionnaire)

Xander described how he was progressing on his goals. He noticed that he was more likely to experience flow when he had a “focused state of mind” and lesson plans with “a clear direction or a solid routine” (Xander, Journal). Ashley expressed similar concerns and goals.

I will work on having a clear image of what I want to do for the lesson and have precise steps to achieve my goal. I will try to focus during my default warm-up so that I get in a focused state of mind during my teaching. Two things that I am going to work on is better pacing and giving clear feedback to end teaching cycles effectively. (Ashley, Journal)

Both participants mentioned improving their lesson plans, state of mind, routines and warm-ups, and giving clear directions and/or feedback (f). In addition, Xander shared,

The most important skill I’ve learned as a SPT was how to sequence lessons so that they have a continuous flow to them, although sometimes my plan had to be adapted due to factors that were out of my control. (Xander, Interview 1).

During the first interview, Ashley began with, “I feel like I am more comfortable teaching! I no longer struggle to think about what activity is coming next most of the time; I am able to think one step ahead while still being present in the moment” (Ashley, Interview 1). Then, she gave specific examples about her progress with her own goals, such as,

I have improved on playing more and talking less during in class, but I still want to improve even more. I also think I am better at listening to the sounds coming from the ensembles and giving more specific feedback, though I could again get even better at this. In watching videos of myself teaching, I have realized my face could probably be more animated; my default expression is somewhat static. (Ashley, Interview 1)

Ashley addressed many of the categories identified, including the last one, (g) nonverbal skills.

Xander found that developing long-term lesson plans was helpful.

The overall semester outlines really gave us a good idea of how much time we had for certain things. We had a nice outline that we could use to see how we’re progressing and it was easy to adjust so I think I was more organized. (Xander, Interview 1)

He also found a more natural, efficient way to lesson plan during the first semester. “I had a plan in outline form but it wasn’t fleshed out unless I planned to teach a new activity” (Xander, Interview 1).

Goal Setting for Students

In the written questionnaires, Xander and Ashley shared their goals for their students, which included helping students play expressively, improve all types of music skills and string techniques, learn to practice effectively, learn more varied-genre repertoire, and engage enthusiastically in improvisation and composition experiences. During the fall semester, Xander provided many improvising and composing experiences for his students and found that “They really liked them!” (Interview 1). I observed the intermediate students erupting into cheers after Xander told them that it was time to improvise on Hot Cross Buns, an activity that they had begun in a previous lesson. Xander said “it was interesting to see how positive they reacted to the composition activities, too” (Interview 1).

Participants spoke at length about helping their students play expressively. Xander found expressive playing was sometimes connected to conducting, and he needed to “give them expressive cues. . . . Even more than that, being engaged in the music and working to convey that to the audience” (Interview 2). Ashley described leading students to think expressively.

I was talking to them about trying to imagine a picture, scene from a movie, or just a feeling they had. We brainstormed and started a conversation about their ideas and what they thought it sounded like and after they shared, someone would say, “Yeah, I see that too!” Then, I told them to think about what resonated with them and played through it again. When they heard the recording they said, “Yeah, I can hear a difference! It does sound more exciting and interesting!” (Ashley, Interview 2)

Setting teacher goals helped these SPTs decide what was most important to them and to work systematically toward improving both their own teaching and their students’ musicianship. Setting goals for students affected the SPTs’ teaching, too, but thinking about their goals for their students yielded different teaching objectives. The SPTs saw improvement related to their stated goals but they both wanted to continue to improve even more.

Incorporating Additional Teaching Concepts From Coursework

When asked about which ideas from coursework Ashley incorporated into her teaching, her initial response was, “I feel like I don’t isolate them anymore. It’s all just part of what I know I can do” (Interview 2). She went on to name specific ideas and skills that she learned in different classes.

The sequencing of any rote song teaching I did came from many courses—String Methods, Brass Methods, Elementary Music, etc.; having students occasionally pair up and give each other feedback was an idea from String Methods; repertoire-based warm ups came from String Literature; and the activities I did concerning improvisation and composition also were derived from String Methods as well as our pedagogical sessions. (Ashley, Interview 2)

She also explained that repertoire-based warm-ups from String Literature class helped her translate objectives into activities, something that had previously eluded her.

Both SPTs emphasized why they had their students sing and reasons for modeling on their primary instruments, which included aural and rhythmic skills, teaching expression, string technique, music literacy, and to inspire students. There were many examples that showed that SPTs had internalized the curricular goals suggested in the ASTA Curriculum Guide (Benham et al., 2011): body format, right hand skills and knowledge, left hand skills and knowledge, tonal aural skills and ear training, rhythmic aural skills and ear training, creative musicianship, music literacy, ensemble skills, expressive elements, historical and cultural elements, and evaluation of music and music performance. These ideas were addressed in multiple courses.

Both participants identified teaching skills and concepts, often using the terminology, many of us teach in classes at this institution. For example, Xander said,

I think that the biggest pedagogical idea that I applied in my teaching was sound before sight; this is definitely an approach that I will use in my career as a professional educator. I also applied planning lessons in advance in order to provide the students with diverse curricular activities to enrich their overall musical experience. (Xander, Questionnaire)

Xander used the terms, “Set. Follow through. Feedback,” which referred to the “teaching cycle” and both referenced the “Energy Profile,” which Xander explained during his interview.

Meeting students at their energy level when they come to class and working from their energy and ability: having an activity when they review and are successful at the beginning of class, and then stretch their knowledge, and then bring them back to a high point before they leave. (Xander, Interview 2)

Ashley explained that lesson planning became a more natural process during String Project because she had “a lesson routine in mind,” including “goals from the previous day based on what went well or didn’t go so well” (Interview 2). These ideas extended into her student teaching experience.

I would make a note to myself on the lesson plan, “Fix tuning here” or “Talk about phrasing here.” Then, when I went home, I would put that into the next day’s lesson plan. If something big happened and I knew we didn’t have time to completely fix it because it would leave us on a weird note, I would write it down and say, “We will work on that tomorrow.” I would say, “Make sure to practice this part tonight.” (Ashley, Interview 2)

This was also related to the teaching cycle (Millican & Pellegrino, 2015; Raiber & Teachout, 2014) and energy profile (Culver, 1989); the teaching cycle helped the SPTs understand how to bring momentary closure to an issue and to end the class with success instead of “on a weird note, which related to the energy profile.”

Ashley shared experiencing connections between deconstructing sections, feedback, classroom management, and pacing, all of which were explored during pedagogy class.

In the advanced class, there was a tricky transition and after spending a few minutes building up to being able to play the entire transition well, the students completely nailed what we were working on. I got so excited in that moment that I exclaimed LOUDLY in joy (Pellegrino-style style ☺) and told them everything that I loved about what they just did. When we went to repeat the phrase again after that, I think the class in general felt more confident about what they had just done and, once again, they played it awesomely. I learned that my feedback controls the climate of the classroom quite a bit.

Ashley wrote about pacing and classroom management. “I have learned that pacing is usually the key to efficient classroom management in a music classroom; if I keep my pace up, I keep the students on their toes and they don’t have time to be distracted” (Ashley, Journal).

Xander discovered connections between lesson planning, being present, and his own anxiety levels. “When I have a clear plan, I’m able to quickly react to it and get back to the plan. When I don’t have a plan, I’m a little bit more anxious and more hesitant when I’m teaching” (Interview 2). He also connected student playing-time, pacing, and classroom management.

How much the students play really affects their learning experience in the classroom. After we did the assigned exercise where we kept track of how much time the students were playing versus how much they weren’t playing, there was much less playing than I expected. When students weren’t playing for longer periods of time, it would be kind of difficult to get the control back sometimes; the students would lose focus. Things would start happening either in their playing or behaviorally that wouldn’t happen when they would be playing or constantly engaged. (Xander, Interview 2)

He acknowledged that, at first, he had difficulty pinpointing what was causing students to be less engaged “when, in reality, it was the fact that they weren’t playing” (Interview 2).

These SPTs developed decision-making strategies. For example, Ashley explained how assignments developed for classes were useful to her. From pedagogy class, she used portions of four projects: letters home, handbook, methods book comparisons, and an advocacy project. Then, she described how and why she modified her pedagogy handbook.

I’m taking out the practice strategies because I’m going to make that a separate handout that goes in their binders. I just want to make the handout as concise as possible because I know parents have so much reading to do that first week of school. I changed the advocacy section and will save it in its entirety in another section but trim it down to a couple of major points for the actual handbook. I’m keeping the calendar, the expectations, and the rules. I’m going to keep a condensed version of my teaching philosophy and I’m using the graded scale rubric for playing tests. I’m changing my grading policy in the handbook, which is my ideal “I’ve been doing this for years and this is where I am.” I’m changing it into an evolution of what was currently there so that the students won’t be like, “Whoa, we have to do this? I had no idea!” (Ashley, Interview 2)

From ideas explored in coursework and SPT, Ashley said, “Maybe the biggest thing [University] did for me was make me comfortable doing what I think is appropriate and being confident in my choices” (Interview 2). Ashley shared a moment from her job interview when she described her plan to teach beginners to play with the bow in the first or second lesson. One of the interviewers said that is not the common practice in the district so she should be prepared to justify her decisions and reasoning to other teachers and administrators. To a mentor, she said,

“Well, I know this isn’t popular here, but I’m going to start the beginners with the bow” and she [her mentor] said, “Awesome! That’s what I wanted to do but nobody here does that.” So it pays off to be confident and do what you want to do. String Explorer may not be popular either but I like it so I’m going to try it. (Ashley, Interview 2)

Although there were many more examples of specific ideas SPTs incorporated into their teaching from coursework, it was clear through the examples provided that these ACL experiences helped these participants integrate ideas and skills from coursework into their teaching.

Learning in a Supportive Community

The SPTs described interactions with mentors. Xander described being “carefully guided” to address intonation issues. He also wrote,

On the first day of the beginner class, I was not exactly prepared to replace so many chin-rests and bridges or deal with so many problems in general, but I somehow managed to push through with the help of the lead teacher and [a mentor]. It was very reassuring when she came in the seemingly chaotic class and managed to calm all of us down, helping us have a very engaging and fun second half of the class. That moment still continues to print an impression in my mind as an early educator. (Xander, Journal)

Ashley also found that the mentors provided comfort when they were in the room. “So it was reassuring that there was always a person there that, if something disastrous happened that, I could fall back on” (Ashley, Interview 1). After being reminded that mentor teachers were not always in the room, she commented, “I would see somebody come in, and think, ‘Okay, they’re here. They can help me if we get stuck’ and later I would think, ‘Oh, they left.’ I wouldn’t even notice. So I guess it was a subconscious comfort” (Ashley, Interview 1).

Both participants commented on the different types of feedback they received: during class, after class, written feedback, reactions to videotaped teaching segments, or time to discuss different ideas. For example, Xander said, “I like how we get that feedback right in the moment so we can adjust what’s happening. I found that helpful because it helps me think things through in my head—it helps me process a lot better” (Interview 1). Ashley liked receiving feedback in the moment when she understood the signals from the mentor but sometimes it interrupted the flow. She appreciated the written feedback. “‘Oh, watch out! This person in the back isn’t getting it’ or ‘This bass player needs help with his bow hold.’ It was helpful having somebody picking up on those things that I miss sometimes” (Ashley, Interview 1).

Xander said, “We get good critiques from all of the teachers and professors who observe us” (Interview 1). He found the mentors offered feedback that was “along the same lines.” Ashley appreciated having different mentors’ perspectives, which were often similar although sometimes expressed in different ways, but sometimes differed. “I like getting feedback from multiple people because even if it’s conflicting information, you can just kind of take a little bit of both, meet in the middle somewhere and it’s still helpful” (Ashley, Interview 1).

Mentors also offered more specific advice when she was a newer teacher. Ashley said that the mentors would offer specific feedback about what went well and what she could consider doing another way. Her attitude was, “Before, I was like, ‘Please tell me what I did wrong! Please tell me how I could have done that better!’” (Ashley, Interview 1). Then, during her second and third years of teaching, Ashley often initiated which concerns they would help her address.

I would ask her, “This didn’t really go as well as I hoped. Did you notice anything I was doing? Do you do anything differently that I could do?” So we talked more openly as opposed to, “You should do this.” Now, it’s like, “Well, I do this, but maybe you could try this because you have a different circumstance than I do . . . ” Or, I was comfortable enough to ask her, “This happened to me in class today, how do I deal with that?” or “Why are they talking while I’m trying to teach?” and she would explain that I had to keep the pace moving. It didn’t make sense until it was said to me. (Ashley, Interview 2)

In his journal, Xander wrote, “Interacting with all of the master teachers involved in String Project helped me think more about my thought process as a teacher both inside and outside of the classroom.” Xander appreciated discussions with the mentors.

The mentors are wonderful. They have helped so much. Not only things relating to String Project but we also ask them questions that relate to music teaching in the public school. “So, this is how this worked here in String Project, how would some of these work in your classroom?” I think that’s extremely valuable. (Xander, Interview 1)

These interactions helped him picture a future as a public school string teacher.

Ashley and Xander both mentioned the importance of building a sense of community among SPTs and their students. “I would like SPTs to be able to openly talk about ways that we teach certain concepts and share ideas about how to be better teachers” (Ashley, Questionnaire).

I think that my biggest goal is to effectively communicate instructional plans among the SPT and directors, especially those that are in my instructional team. I feel that I can help the students in string project build a sense of community by emphasizing that music in a group setting is a team effort, which requires all of the members to have the work ethic and discipline to make things the best that they can. (Xander, Questionnaire)

Ashley wanted both her peers and students “to feel camaraderie and also feel comfortable giving positive and constructive feedback to their peers” (Ashley, Questionnaire). Xander shared,

A great teaching moment was when I had the students partner to assess each others’ playing. The students played the same excerpt and gave specific feedback on what they did well and what they could improve on. It was exciting to see the students helping each other improve, which helped me value partner activities in the classroom. This is definitely something that I plan to include in my future teaching. (Xander, Questionnaire)

Even parents of students were very encouraging. Xander recalled speaking with many parents after a String Project concert who were impressed with the performances and added,

“You guys are amazing teachers! You are still in college and you are great with the way you interact with the students and encourage them and motivate them!” They appreciated my high expectations, and knowing when I needed to tell them, “Hey, we need to really work on this” versus giving them good feedback and encouraging them. I thought, “I don’t even do that for myself!” (Xander, Interview 2)

The assistant director also sent SPTs an e-mail with other encouraging comments from parents.

Connections Between Personal, Musician, and Teacher Identities

Xander brought aspects of his personal and musician self into his developing music teacher identity. Xander described himself personally as “pretty eclectic. Generally positive toward others but not positive towards myself, empathetic, compassionate, and sensitive.” He said,

I’m kinda struggling to find my identity, trying to find my voice in music and in teaching. I have some set philosophies on how I want to approach and teach certain things but I feel like I struggle to actually execute them . . . I know I’m going to continuously change. . . . So, I’m visualizing it in this long ray with a continuous arrow representing my life span. I’m currently at a point where I’m finding who I am [professionally]. (Xander, Interview 1)

He described his main goal as a musician as being more expressive. “I was expressive before but, people have told me, ‘Yes, you are expressive but it seems like you’re sending mixed messages, like you don’t have a clear image of what you want to portray’” (Xander, Interview 1). The idea of being expressive and sending clear music ideas connected to Xander as a music teacher.

I hope it’s transferring over to myself as a music teacher because I want them to know that musical expression is not just the icing on the cake. It is part of the cake!!! . . . My conducting has changed, too. I’ve become more expressive, but also a little more controlled to avoid sending mixed messages. (Xander, Interview 1).

Xander said, “As a teacher, the big thing I try to be is positive and motivating, and really inspiring. Even if they can’t do a specific skill, inspire them to just keep trying” (Interview 1).

I’m trying to become a role model like I’ve had in my life. For me, that would be many of my teachers, professors, and just recently, Rachel Podger, which means inspiring and motivating students. I’m using my instrument to model, setting them up for success by teaching them concepts first, asking leading questions, and, setting up a safe and positive classroom environment. I also want to develop excellent student/teacher relationships. Since we’re working in this community, if they have artistic ideas, I would like to engage them as much as possible in the musical decisions, also. (Xander, Interview 2)

Xander planned to continue his studies as a violin performance masters student but, during the summer before he was to student teach and before the final interview, he changed his mind and decided he was excited to begin teaching right away and, in January, he began teaching full-time. Therefore, Xander began with a peripheral participation and ended with an inbound trajectory.

Ashley described herself personally as unassuming, demure, humorous, sarcastic, responsible, and ambitious. However, she then described herself as a teacher.

I feel like I’m a lot more energetic as a teacher than I am as a person: more extroverted, louder, more confident, more enthusiastic. When teaching, I try to be a more extroverted, expressive person while modeling. While conducting, it’s more about connecting with students musically and trying to be a conduit for what they’re playing. (Ashley, Interview 1)

By the second interviews, teacher identities and philosophies became clearer. Ashley explained her teaching philosophy at that time.

Every child is capable of doing musical things and achieving their goals. I have to find a way to reach them and make it meaningful to them. Another part is to include not only classical music or European, male composers but show students that they can use their instruments to play things from all over the world. I also want them to use music as a tool to express themselves and connect with each other and the audience.

When asked if her teaching philosophy had changed, she responded, “I don’t think it’s changed as much as it’s become more authentic. I guess in actually doing it, now I just feel it more deeply because I’ve actually implemented parts of it” (Interview 2). She also explained,

I am always learning as I am teaching and I would say most days I walk away from teaching feeling positive and excited about what was accomplished and what is to come. Consistently learning how to improve myself and help others improve themselves is exciting in and of itself. (Ashley, Interview 2)

Ashley consistently had an inbound trajectory.