Monday Monday, it was all I hoped it would be

We have about 36 kids in the sixth grade beginner band, and even though we've been in school for a few weeks, they are just now trying out and selecting their instruments. They spent the first few days watching instrument demonstrations and learning the instrument families, since it was a few years since most of them last had a general music class. The majority couldn't identify more than one or two instruments, and even now, some are confusing a trumpet with a baritone with a tuba, etc.

Although I know teachers who don't enjoy working with beginners, I've always really liked it. Since they're trying something hands-on and brand new, most beginners are excited, eager, and enthusiastic; this energy makes for a good class dynamic anywhere, but is especially (wow, I'm on a roll with "e" words) uplifting when most kids you encounter are apathetic. I also like the idea that since I'm their first music teacher, they come in as a clean slate, so to speak - they have no bad habits or preconceptions. I feel like I can set some kind of musical precedent, and if their first experiences are positive, they have a greater chance of continuing. Also, beginners make progress so quickly, since they're learning new concepts all of the time, and it's nice to see your teaching and their learning in immediately tangible ways.

Of course, helping kids try instruments has its less than pleasant moments, most of them involving spit. Half of the kids that attempt to buzz their lips will spray saliva in twelve different directions. . . and it's more or less guaranteed that at some point, while taking apart an instrument, spit is going to leak onto you. Gross. It should be pointed out here that I have a spit aversion to start with, so middle school spit from multiple children is pretty icky to me.

We've been trying instruments for three class periods and are just now finishing up. I can't imagine how one teacher without an assistant could possibly get 36 kids through this process. Helping a student try an instrument for the first time needs to be a one-on-one experience, and even when pushed through as quickly as possible, it still takes a bit of time.

One of our seventh grade classes has students of such different levels that they virtually cannot play the same music, so my host teacher and I will be splitting the group and each working with half. In another class, we have an eighth grader that played in orchestra for two years but switched to play flute in band after orchestra was dropped. She clearly cannot play the advanced music that the eighth grade band is playing, so one teacher has been working individually with her while the other takes the rest of the band. It's really difficult to run an entire band program with one director, and it makes it harder when students never have private lessons.

A few entertaining anecdotes from today:

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seventh grade percussionist: "Are drum sticks edible?"

me: "I think you'd break your teeth."

percussionist: (after a moment of deep thought) ".....yeah, I guess you're right."

~

Mr. Johnson, my host teacher, and I have been teaching a unit on the blues. Today, Mr. Johnson was explaining the concept of the 12 bar blues to a class of eighth graders. He pulled out his guitar and played the chord progression for everyone to hear, then told them that blues music is often improvised. We talked about the fact that the topics of blues songs are generally sad, but often end up cheerful/comical at the end. Once the students heard and were familiar with the chord progression, Mr. Johnson asked if anyone had topic that we could use as inspiration for a blues song.

A kid in the back immediately shouted BLUE CHEESE! and there was a class effort in throwing out blues lyrics about moldy cheese. The song was hilarious and everyone, even the kids who try to act like they hate life and school and the universe, were laughing. After we finished the song, a boy raised his hand and said he had a new song. Mr. Johnson played the chord progression and right away, the kid started singing about how his girlfriend left him for a basketball player because he was too short. He made it straight through a good two verses or so. . . it was both impressive and one of the funniest things I've ever seen.

Personally, I think I should hold a contest and see who can come up with the best blues name for me. With Lightnin' Hopkins, Leadbelly, and Howlin' Wolf as competition, I suddenly want a cool nickname.