When I originally signed on with the NYC
Teaching Fellows program, I did so under the assumption that I would
become a regular classroom teacher. At that point in time, I was in
Chicago and working during the day as a substitute teacher/librarian and
taking graduate courses in general education and library science at
night. Surprisingly, since my undergraduate degree is in music, I found
I had the option of becoming a Music Fellow and that is what led me to
Queens College.
Because of this, however, many of my general
education courses were taken prior to entering the Teaching Fellows. I
have to say that the two education classes I had at QC were not very
impressive. Despite that fact, I have grown quite a bit in the last two
years as far as general education goes. However, I feel that most of
that growth has occurred with my experiences in the actual classroom and
working with my assigned mentors through my district and the Fellows.
My experience in Chicago was at a failing
school in a very low income area. I was thrown into a classroom with
absolutely no training and very little support and thus, had to find my
own way. Nothing in my experience as a teacher thus far has taught me
more than that. Having moved from such a situation into my school now,
which is really a wonderful, supportive environment, has helped me to
grow infinitely as a teacher because I’ve been in the worst situations
and made big mistakes prior to coming here. As a result, I am a much
more patient teacher and also am more knowledgeable with regard to
dealing with children at different levels of development, implementing
methods of classroom management and garnering responses from students
rather than just lecturing and expecting them to absorb information.
That said, my development as a music teacher
has definitely been affected by my sojourn at Queens College. One of
the most valuable courses was MUS 643 (Seminar in Teaching Music), which
was the first one in my program. Since the course was only for Fellows
and had three people, it made for a very individualized learning
experience. We also had two different adjunct instructors, whose
specialties were general/vocal and instrumental, respectively, which
gave us a very well-rounded crash course in teaching music. What was
most beneficial about this class was the creation and execution of
several lesson plans. It was very intimidating to get up and teach in
front of my peers, but it also was extremely valuable as it made facing
the children on my first day of school so much less stressful! Not only
did I formulate some great lessons of my own, but was able to pick up
ideas from my colleagues, as well. The lesson plans from that course
proved to get me through my first couple months of teaching and I have
used some of the activities frequently over the past two years.
Another aspect of that course that was very
helpful was the instrumental music portion. We learned the basics of
playing trumpet, trombone, clarinet and flute. I began a band program
with three of these four instruments this year, thus that experience
proved to be quite vital to my ability to implement such a program. Dr.
Burwasser also had us create a budget for buying instruments, which was
another activity I found myself having to deal with this year and his
guidance made me much more confident in that area.
Something that was not only a good learning
experience, but was also a very pleasant memory was our “field trip” to
see “La Boheme” in Central Park. Dr. Dyzik gave us great ideas for
teaching opera to children as well as a wonderful opportunity to
experience the abundant culture in NYC and bond with our colleagues.
I would be remiss if I did not mention the
three courses that I took with Professor Bell at QC. MUS 642 (Teaching
Choral Music), MUS 669 (Conducting II) and MUS 660 (General
Music-Secondary) were all filled with practical information and
activities that I have been able to take right into the classroom. The
list is so extensive that I don’t even know where to begin, but must
mention that I have used many of the exercises and repertoire that were
recommended/demonstrated by my classmates. I refer to the papers and
projects in those classes for ideas often. Aside from the content, Dr.
Bell sets a wonderful example for all teachers by creating an
environment that is very conducive to learning in a safe and creative
manner, proving that the same teaching techniques can translate to any
age of student.
My biggest complaint about the program I
followed at Queens College is the necessity of following a choral or
instrumental track. My job has included both of those disciplines as
well as general music and I would have liked my course load to have been
more reflective of that. If I had not received the instrumental
instruction in MUS 643, I would’ve been totally unprepared for the tasks
required of me. In short, I would’ve liked to have had some courses in
instrumental instruction rather than being completely focused in the
choral realm.
All in all, my experience at QC has been
fruitful and a good start on the road to becoming an excellent music
educator.
