Technology

Hey Blogsters,
I recently presented at the Minnesota Middle School Association convention on technology in education. Any great ideas on things you are doing in your classroom involving technology?

2nd Floor Party

Thank you 8th graders for a fun time at the Second Floor. I hope it was a great way to start your weekend. Let me know if you have any suggestions for next time.

Fall Concert Recap

Our CMS-West Fall Concert is taking place on Tuesday, November 17 and involved our 6th, 7th and 8th grade bands. I'd love to get your feedback after the concert is over.

Guitar, Technology and Drums

I need your help everyone? This year I am teaching 6-week middle school courses in Beginning Guitar, Music Technology and World Drumming. Probably 35 kids in a class. We have a classroom set of acoustic guitars. We have about 8 Macintosh computers, many with MIDI keyboards. We have a classroom set of African drums. Any curriculum ideas for me?

09-10 School Year

Here we are in mid-July, almost smack dab in the middle of summer break and I'm thinking about the upcoming school year. There are quite a few changes facing our district this year, but my focus is going to be on the kids. The decisions that were made last school year were questionable at best but that is in the past. It's time to pick up the pieces and do the best we can for kids with what we have left to work with.

I am very pumped about the elective classes I have this year. Teaching Music Technology and Guitar during the school day has been a dream of mine for many years and now this is part of job description! The chance kids are now going to get to learn guitar and music technology is awesome. I wish I had had that opportunity in school. I am of course excited about teaching 6th and 8th grade band again too. I am very intrigued with this block period and the things I'll be able to do during this time. Many curricular ideas have crossed my mind including listening, theory, chamber ensembles, technology and music history.

The after school opportunities are always exciting as well. And although I am actually cutting back on the number of classes I'm teaching (imagine that, but with budget cuts, what can you do), I'm excited about which classes have survived--marching band (marching in the first ever Chanhassen 4th of July parade), a new aligned jazz program, the same fun Garage Band program, and then the guitar/school of rock (now with hip hop)/music tech trifecta at the beginning of the year.

Getting The Word Out

Okay, I am going to make the commitment now. Next year I am going to find a way to promote our music program at the highest level possible. I am tired of people asking me why we aren't doing anything here in Chaska with our music department. I don't know how much more I can do.

I also feel like our department would be valued more by our community if we were more visible. Anyone have some ideas on what kind of events we can do to promote our program and make our program more visible?

2nd Floor

Many years ago, my colleage Barry Fox and I planned a bowling trip for our band kids. It was a simple after school trip for whichever kids wanted to go. The first year probably 40 of our 200 kids went on the trip. By the next year that number had doubled and by the third year we were renting out the entire bowling alley to make room for every kid that wanted to go.

We had struck a nerve and found something that was very successful. And it had nothing to do with music...or did it. Back to that later.

Three years ago I had this vision of having a party once a year called the Second Floor. I wanted to turn our music suite into a night club setting. Since our band and choir rooms are on the second floor, I called it the Second Floor. I didn't have the guts to do it my first year because a few of teachers I highly respect from other schools told me that it was not curricular and is something the kids get enough of outside of school.

But two years ago I decided to do it anyway. I hired a DJ, ordered a ton of pizzas, set up DDR, had board games/card games and a movie in the choir room. It was a huge hit. I just had the second Second Floor party of the year this past Friday. I have since added Rock Band and a room where the drums/guitar/bass guitar are set up and kids can jam. Almost every one of my 8th grade band kids showed up.

Back to this having anything to do with music. A few years ago at the bowling party Barry told me that we need to do more events like this. These type of events bring kids closer together and also enhances our relationship with them. It creates the team aspect that we want to build in an ensemble setting. It gives the kids yet one more experience that builds their love of being in music. So indirectly we are improving our program.

And one more benefit. It is a great time! Now I just need to learn how to play Rock Band!

Getting Philosophical with the Masters

You know the summer is coming when you turn on the TV and you see a major golf tournament on, more specifically the Masters. I have grown to love the Masters for so many reasons. And this year has been no different. After three days, we have seen some great golf. A guy by the name of Chad Campbell is making a strong run. Angel Cabrera has been Mr. Consistent. Wisconsin’s very own Steve Stricker has become one of the top players on tour over the past couple years and is very much in the mix going into the final day. And for those who are only happy if Tiger is on top of the leader board, he still has an outside chance at -4, seven off the pace.

But I have been most impressed with co-leader Kenny Perry who at 49 years old is playing great golf. I enjoyed a couple comments he made Friday evening when he said that he still has the fire inside and wants to kick everyone’s butts. Although the comments were not elegantly spoken, they are inspirational. Sometimes I watch golf and think about how terrible of a golfer I am, and how I would have as many strokes on one of those par fives as they have on five holes combined. So that is not the part that is inspirational.

What is cool is that Kenny Perry is at the top of his profession this weekend. He is who everyone is looking up at as the best right now. As a teacher that is what I strive for. I want to give my students the best because that is what they deserve. And no matter what age I am, I hope I can always be relevant, a great communicator, and on top of my “game” with these kids. If there was a Masters of Teaching tournament, I would be just like Kenny. I would want to be the best. And it’s not because I’m competitive. It’s because I want the kids to have the best and I take away great joy from watching kids succeed and enjoy their education.

Music Advocacy

It has been such a rough two months here in Chaska with the cuts to our music department. I'm glad I just erased my old blog because quite honestly I don't need all the old thoughts I wrote down in that one out there anymore. But I will say this. I have finally had my first real encounter with music being disrespected in my district. I know it happens all over the country but we have been very lucky here. Now with the economy as it is, the first curricular area to go here in Chaska has been music. All my wishful thinking that this wasn't true is out the window. Our district is no better than any other one when it comes to supporting music which is very disappointing.

With that said, I think we do have some things going for us with all the great things going on here from kindergarten on up. And I think things like the Lindquist Concert, all district concerts, mid-level solo ensemble, the new marching program at the high school and so on are great perks that our community and administration recognizes and appreciates. But what we are missing is a strong music parents group. We have a lot of parents who are very supportive of us, but there is no place for them to meet together and voice this opinion as a group. Not to mention that there are many other things a music parents group could do for us outside of advocation.

We tried to start a music parents group a couple years ago. We have great vision of what we want this group to do, but we are struggling with getting it going. Anyone with some specific thoughts on how to take those very initial steps?

Mr. Songer

Welcome to my new re-organized blog. This is for my students and fellow staff members at Chaska Middle School-West. I will be offering thoughts on what we are doing in class and what is happening at our school. I'd love to hear your thoughts on any of my posts in a school appropriate fashion of course. And fellow teachers, friends and anyone else are more than welcome to chime in as well.