Something for Everyone

I've written recently about the joys and challenges of differentiation in the music classroom, and I have had occasion this week to see the rewards and the pitfalls of this most cherished of educational buzzwords. It's winter concert season. I have five schools whose programs will range from classrooms of kids wearing Santa hats singing Rudolph to full-blown displays of performance art of every genre. For my part, I need to have kids on stage, blowing or bowing and making recognizable sounds. Harmonies would be nice.

With the earlier start to the school year, we do get a bit of extra time to prepare this show. But my first motto of performance is "You never finish, you just run out of time", and this proves true, even with the extra month. So I grab at the things the kids can play, try to polish them up and put a holiday shine on them and know that the audience will have something to enjoy.

My second motto is: "It is what it is". It is not the LA Phil. It is not even what they will be able to do next spring, and it's also not what they were able to do last spring, and that is one thing that needs to be addressed in a class with different skill levels all together. In the elementary classes, the second-year students expect, rightfully, that they will be progressing on to music that is challenging to them, showing off their improving abilities. But because of scheduling, it hasn't been possible to develop much repertoire to reflect this. There are a couple songs that we can split out "advanced" parts and "first-year" parts, but some of the few songs we present are going to be, necessarily, beginners' songs- that they played last year.

Even at that, many of the beginners feel overwhelmed by the looming specter of performance. So I give them my third motto: "Fake it till you make it". Keep your instrument up, look like you know what you're doing, and the audience will not know the difference, especially because we DO have the second-year experts playing along. This sets those beginners at ease, and they get the same thrill from the performance experience as the more skilled players. I hope it's enough to keep them going till they get those skills too.

I have had more than a few students try to quit this week. And they fall into two categories. First are the beginners who are scared to death until they understand the three mottoes. Usually a little pep talk is all they need to hang in there. Then there are the advanced players who are just disgusted with me because I haven't challenged them sufficiently and they don't want to play this baby music. To them I say we are just trying to get through a show, here, that everyone can play in. After the holiday, we start working on District Festival music, which will definitely be more difficult. Usually telling them that convinces them to keep at it.

Developing life-long musicians is my goal. Quitting just before the winter concert doesn't achieve anything for anyone, and it's a fine line to walk to keep the music flowing. But it is worth it when I see happy parents, principals and children all basking in the glow of a successful presentation. It doesn't really matter that it was just Hot Cross Buns and Jingle Bells.