Music Ed Forward Podcast

2020 and pandemic teaching has caused many teachers to question their effectiveness, suitability for the profession, and - in difficult moments - their worth as a teacher.  This podcast takes head-on the mounting layers of beliefs, stories, and challenges that can overwhelm us in times such as these - and offers a practice for ourselves, as well as members of our trusted communities, to bring us back to our true selves. You are invited to listen to the podcast, invite a close colleague and/or friend to do the same, and to support one another through the story and practice herein.

2020 has included countless challenges - and we have learned a lot.  Part of 1 of this 3-part series outlines how teaching necessarily looks differently - and how our mindset has to be open to those changes. Many music teachers have a very specific vision of what “good music teaching (and learning)” looks like - and many of those visions of quality learning are not possible, at least in the same way during our current COVID context. This podcast outlines 5 ways we can think about teaching differently - and offers concrete approaches to help us shift our thinking.

Moving from classroom instruction to online learning takes translation.  Our mindset about priorities and possibilities will, in large part, determine our experience, as well as our students’ experiences with online learning in music.  Getting our minds - and hearts - around what is most important, what to hold on to, and what to let go of is key as we move from teaching in person to teaching online.

Want to know one of the most powerful tools for music educators to create meaningful learning?  The National Core Arts Standards for music.  Embedded in these power-packed standards are both the big picture AND the building blocks of transformative music learning for children.  And for teachers?  The National Core Arts Standards provide a framework for prioritizing, planning and organizing meaningful learning for your students and community.

What should be at the heart of learning?  How do we know if students are learning things that will stick with them?  Using the work of Jay McTighe, Grant Wiggins and Judy Willis, this episode highlights how Understanding By Design can transform the way we think about music learning.  With attention to understanding, transfer and process, we can and help students learn more and faster, while using brain-based strategies that will help retention of learning, as well.

What does it mean to write a high-quality unit for a music classroom?  Having a strong sequence for teaching concepts like rhythm and melody is important.  But how do we get at the bigger picture?  What do we REALLY want students to take with them into their adult lives?  This episode outlines how to use the elements of scope and sequence as the foundation for really meaningful, transformative learning in the music classroom.