I teach:
- HS Music Theory (kind of AP, but non-experienced musicians)
- HS Concert Band (I started seven beginners last year as freshman. Now they are 2nd years)
- HS Choir (16 kids)
- HS Chorale (more elite acapella group)
- 4th and 5th grade band and lessons at two different elementary schools (about 110 kids, 4 bands, 10 lesson groups).
This is too much now. It was manageable last year, but we are getting better. More kids, more emails, more programs, etc... And we are nowhere close to full speed. I simply don't have enough time during the day.
Now, I coach as well, a choice I make for two reasons ($$ and I'm lucky enough to keep winning). I realize I could work from 2-5 for no pay to catch up. I still put an extra 90 minutes in during the morning and a good 1-2 hours in afternoon.
There are enormous financial, emotional, political, and social reasons NOT to improve the music program. There is no question that the economic incentives are against it. If not, I wouldn't be given that load and be expected to pull two shifts to catch up. You can see why the program has been in perpetual cycles of poverty and mediocrity.
How to fight it? I know I need the kids to step up. I need them to work harder in class, at home, and around the school. I know I need to step up and be more efficient. Now that I know the kids in front of me I need to get the system rolling. I need to push to get more staff and more hands in the room. No question.
I can feel the culture changing. I can't wait to blow the paradigm of mediocrity wide open. (is that a real sentence?)
I wish you all the best, Brandt. This sounds very similar to what I experienced at my first teaching job - I was a department of one, I worked 12 to 14 hour days, and the community was not supportive. The one advantage you have going for you that I never had was an effective feeder program at the elementary level. I definitely agree that your road to building the program begins with getting as many kids as excited about music as you can.
ReplyDeleteYou will probably find about three years in that you have progressed the program about as far as it can go from a quality level standpoint given the situation you are teaching in. To get to the next level, they'll need to hire more staff, and to hire more staff, you will need to demonstrate a need in terms of numbers. I suggest you track your enrollment data on Excel, both grade levels and also instrumentation - what administrators don't get is that it's not just how many bodies, but what instruments they play that matters. Also, track how much money your district and your individual parents have spent on instruments, rentals, books, etc. Being able to demonstrate the financial investment in the district's music program can be an important point of advocacy.
Looking forward to seeing how things go for you. Take time to take care of your health and your family. In that first job of mine, I let both suffer and eventually had to leave that program, which has since atrophied into a state much like what I found when I walked in.