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THE ULTIMATE MUSIC TEACHERS’

COMMUNICATION GUIDEBOOK

INTRODUCTION

Music educators are incredibly busy and teachers of all subjects are expected to

do more with fewer and fewer resources. Yet, music teachers all across the country

continue to positively impact the lives of their students. They generate opportunities for

their students to learn music and life lessons through the vehicle of music and positive

interactions with other human beings in their classrooms.

We music educators are incredibly fortunate to have music as a prominent force

in our lives. Through our medium we can provide meaningful experiences for our

students and ourselves that embrace our humanity because of the unique aspects of

music. Each of us could have chosen another career path, yet someone inspired us

enough to embark on the journey of music education. I have been teaching more than

25+ years and during that time I’ve been privileged to spend countless hours in

classrooms observing various master teachers create magic with their students. Yes,

those teachers utilized effective instructional strategies, but more importantly, they also

provided that little extra for their students. In other words, their teaching focused on

quality human interactions first, and then music.

Additionally, traveling nearly every week for two years as MENC (now NAfME)

National President gave me the extraordinary opportunity to visit conferences all across

the country. I interacted with respected educators, leaders and students at more than 40

state, division and national conferences. I owe all of those individuals a debt of gratitude

for inspiring me to constantly improve my own teaching. They sparked my curiosity to

learn more and fired my enthusiasm to share it with others. Through examples and

stories, their collective knowledge is shared in this book, along with my own insights


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and personal experiences from working with students in the K-12 school system, student

teachers and cooperating teachers.

This book is primarily for K-12 school music teachers and is intended to provide

ideas and reflections about teaching and interacting with people. Many of the

discussions and concepts may also be applicable to teachers in higher education,

administrators and leaders, since the book explores aspects of building and maintaining

relationships with the various individuals we encounter each day.

Most of us spent the majority of our college years mostly focusing on the how:

1. How to sing or perform on an instrument.

2. How to conduct.

3. How to identify the chord progressions in aural skills.

4. How to pass theory and piano proficiency exams.

Although this is another how-to book, it is also a why book. We will examine personality

traits and behaviors that master teachers have in common and look at reasons why

successful teachers flourish and stay in music education. By concentrating our thinking

about our interactions with other people, we can explore how the thoughts in our minds

influence our teaching behaviors. Consequently, reflecting on why we teach can impact

our interactions with people in the school community and influence how we teach.

Exemplary Teachers – Exemplary Communicators

This book addresses the vital aspects of developing successful connections with

people in our classes, schools and in the local community. A major key to improving our

teaching is by taking a serious look at our communication skills. Why? Because all of the

degrees in the world are of little use to students if teachers have difficulty sharing their


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knowledge so students understand and are motivated to learn. Communication happens

in every facet of our lives and we unconsciously forecast information in every waking

hour. Communication can range all the way from a sideways glance at a stranger, to a

painful conversation between a husband and wife who are struggling to maintain their

marriage. Even casual contact with others entails complex layers of intentional and

unintentional messages, because, both the sender, and the receiver, perceive

communication in so many different ways.

People share information both verbally and non verbally. For instance, lack of

eye contact can mean different things to various cultures. An interested, respectful gaze

in one arena may be interpreted as an uncomfortable or hostile stare in another setting.

Since teaching involves constant interactions with other people, the communication

discussions in this book center on those within a school and the surrounding

community. Although we constantly talk to our students and colleagues, keeping the

lines of real communication open requires constant refining and attention, because what

we say may not always be what the other person hears.

Communication styles of master educators vary, yet there are similarities in

components in respectful exchanges between a teacher and his or her students. This

book highlights communication strategies of successful people and presents ideas for

applying those strategies in a school setting or with people in the community. It features

strategies to fine-tune speaking patterns and limit unnecessary teacher talk so students

are engaged in music learning the majority of the time.

Furthermore, our inner dialogue affects the way we communicate in our heads,

and plays out in our conversations in the classroom and beyond. What we think colors

the way we teachers talk to our students, our colleagues, and our family members. So,

self-talk affects how we speak, interact and ultimately teach. As we progress through


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this book there are several questions that can guide us as we explore which

communication skills help teachers be effective and efficient music educators:

Questions to Consider

• What types of verbal reinforcement are the most effective to help students learn?

• How does a teacher’s internal dialogue affect students’ learning in the classroom?

• What strategies can teachers use to remain mindful of their own inner dialogue

and the types of mental movies that play in their minds?

• What verbal habits inhibit, or enhance, a teacher’s ability to communicate with

students and other people in a school or the surrounding community?

Critical Components of Communication for Music Educators

Since we have chosen the profession of education, we take on the monumental

responsibility of guiding and mentoring our students. Master teachers understand that

fostering meaningful relationships with their students, colleagues in the school and

members of the local community requires constant attention. Both seasoned teachers

and new music educators face similar challenges and triumphs the minute they accept a

teaching position. Skillful and effective communication is vital for teachers to build and

maintain positive relationships with the students in their classes or rehearsals, people in

the school, and members of the surrounding community. Just like a musical

performance, communication can always be refined. Consequently, master teachers

understand that they lead students more successfully when they consistently assess and

polish their own talking and listening habits throughout their careers. In a single day

teachers may communicate with peers, students, accompanists, private teachers, bus

drivers, staff members, parents, administrators and family members. Seasoned

educators understand that respectful and clear communication fosters positive

relationships with parents, administrators, staff, and people in the local community.


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We want our students to develop critical thinking and problem solving skills

through performing and creating music. I believe we enhance our students’ capacity to

acquire those skills through clear, respectful communication. Conversely, we can also

inhibit students’ learning in the classroom with poor communication. Effective

educators share information and guide students to comprehend an organized system of

silence and sounds that translates symbols written on a staff into music. Unfortunately,

talking at students is not always the most effective tool for keeping today’s children and

adolescents on task and excited about learning. Student teachers in elementary music

classes often spend too much time explaining how to do an activity. I am reminded of

how Charlie Brown cartoons on television depict adults’ conversations. Adults make

noise on those cartoons, but we have no idea what they are saying.

Incongruent messages include conflicting information and interfere with

understanding. New teachers may say yes and shake their head no at the same time.

They often want the students in the class to like them so they sometimes smile when

reprimanding a student. Instances like those confuse students and often create

management challenges; the words are inconsistent with the teacher’s body language.

Listed below are just a few of the complex and multifaceted issues teachers face when

they communicate with others:

1. Information needs to be communicated in a way so that it relates to the

world of the listener. Most of us experienced at least one class when we were in school

where we struggled to understand the curriculum because of a teacher’s communication

style. There was a disconnect between the way the teacher communicated and what we

needed to learn the material. We have a responsibility to relate to our students’

backgrounds and experiences. Once we have a common ground of understanding, then

we have a better chance of helping them grasp what we want from them in a way that

keeps them interested. If we reveal how the curriculum relates to their personal

experiences, developmental level, and maturity, we have a better chance of helping


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them create connections and ignite a desire to learn more.

For example, when working with experienced musicians a conductor can

immediately change their performance with phrases like: “Pay attention to the

subdivision;” or “Darken the tone.” If the musicians have the background knowledge and

skills to fully understand the conductor’s instructions, they instantly modify their

playing or singing. A less experienced instrumental or vocal ensemble may attempt to

follow that same conductor’s directions, but have absolutely no reference point in their

motor skill development or tonal memory to comply with the request. That is why

teaching is an exhilarating and exhausting profession. We are constantly assessing our

students, then monitoring and adjusting our approach, and devising solutions that

coincide with their world and level of understanding.

These same principles can be applied with meetings between adults in the school

or with parents. Approaching the meeting from a mindset of wanting to understand

another’s point of reference or perception is beneficial to all involved. If new teachers

have a concern and ask for a meeting with an administrator, prepare for the meeting in

advance:

a. Attempt to resolve the situation before the meeting. (If this involves a dispute

with another individual, meet with that person before going to the

administrator).

b. Ask questions to better understand the situation.

c. State the facts/situation or behaviors without adding personal judgments.

d. Share concerns from the perspective of how it may affect a student’s learning.

e. Bring in several recommendations for solutions.

2. Multisensory experiences enhance the learning process. People communicate

through verbal and nonverbal experiences. They access information through kinesthetic,

visual, auditory, olfactory, and gustatory experiences. And, schools contain students

with varied learning styles and ways of looking at life. So, a teacher who struggles to


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connect with people may be using a different language or metaphor system than the one

familiar to their students and colleagues in the school and local community. When I was

working on my undergraduate degree my education professors told me that I would

have kinesthetic, auditory and visual learners in my classes and I needed to teach them

all. What I did not know was how to transfer that information to actual teaching

strategies. Later on I started teaching voice lessons to several ladies in my church choir

and I experimented with this idea. One particular lady and I struggled to connect during

our time together. Try as I might, I never quite achieved the result I was hoping for

when I modeled or explained various concepts.

Finally I really began to listen to her speech patterns and observe her physical

responses. I realized that her conversation included words terms such as: “I hear”, “you

said,” “she told,” “sounds like.” My instructions were centered on visually oriented

terms like: “watch this,” “I see,” “focus,” and “picture how.” During a pivotal voice

lesson I altered my instructions to include more auditory terminology: “sounds like,”

“listen for,” “tell me,” and “talk about.” Her vocal tone quickly improved and for the

first time she finished the lesson with a huge smile. We both had a great time that

afternoon and my teaching became more about her than making sure I covered all of the

details in my entire lesson plan.

In classroom and ensemble settings, students primarily use kinesthetic, visual,

and auditory processing. Have students see it, say it, and feel it in every lesson or

rehearsal. Another way of saying the same thing is to sing or speak, move and play

either an instrument, or body percussion, in every class or rehearsal. I recommend that

you check out Medina’s Brain Rules for some fascinating information about how physical

activity prepares the brain for optimum learning.

Also, through trial and error over years of teaching, I learned that people of all

ages and educational backgrounds seem to retain content more easily if they move,

listen or vocalize, and use their eyes all at the same time. People remember more if they


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say or sing something and do it concurrently. What does that look like in the 21st century

classrooms? Instrumental teachers already have these components incorporated in their

classes when the students maneuver mallets, keys, buttons, levers, slides and strings on

their instruments. Every time an instrumental student produces a sound on their

instrument he or she incorporates all three types of processing. When I first studied

music theory I depended heavily on the piano keyboard to help me grasp the concept of

intervals. Patterns of white and black keys served as a visual, aural and physical

representation for the intervals. I even found myself “playing” the keyboard on my desk

during aural skills exams.

Master choral directors employ solfége hand signs and have their students tap

and speak rhythms simultaneously. Many use physical movements, such as twirling

their hands in small circles, to anchor a particular tone or articulation with

corresponding kinesthetic movements. By incorporating physiology, sound and visual

anchors the students build a memory bank of large and fine motor skills.

Experimentation with various combinations of moving, singing or speaking and visual

icons help the students develop a broad spectrum of vocal abilities.

In general music class, master teachers maximize young a child’s love to

manipulate objects such as pipe cleaners, cups and straws when they teach new rhythm

patterns. Kindergarten students differentiate between high and low sounds by singing

and moving. Movements range from crouching down to the floor to stretching as high

as they can on their tiptoes to reach the ceiling.

Singers of all ages usually enjoy body percussion and playing classroom

percussion instruments. When kids play in a drum circle they fill the room with energy

and enthusiasm. Everyone focuses on the task of listening and responding to the

drumming patterns. Although there may be exceptions to the previous statements, most

usually enjoy drumming. Adults benefit from this approach to teaching, too. National

Association for Music Education (formerly MENC) Past President Will Schmid


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constantly reminds teachers in his World Music Drumming workshops to speak a

drumming pattern when they are learning how to play it. The reinforcement of

kinesthetic, visual and auditory processing all at the same time helps solidify those new

psychomotor skills more quickly.

3. Relationships between teachers and students may blossom, or

disintegrate with words. When students understand what their instructors are teaching,

and know that their teachers care, they are more likely to learn. Conversely, even though

children and adolescents expect their instructors to provide feedback, constant criticisms

can destroy their desire to learn. Students in negative class environments may resist

learning from the teacher, even if they enjoy the subject matter. They quickly cease to

care about their teacher’s expectations if they are bombarded with an onslaught of

disapproval. As a result, high school and middle school music teachers who use a

condescending tone or a steady stream of disapproving comments often drive

adolescents away from their ensembles. Elementary students usually take music with

the same teacher for several years during their time in kindergarten through fifth grade.

If that music teacher sets a continual negative tone in the classroom, the students may

participate half-heartedly, not at all, or intentionally behave disrespectfully.

One of our most fundamental responsibilities is to provide constructive guidance

to the students entrusted to us. Verbal feedback is one tool we incorporate in our

guidance. What is verbal reinforcement? Is it lavish praise? Is it only criticism? Is it a

mixture of the two? Peggy Bennett and Doug Bartholomew discuss the concept of

constructive feedback in Songworks I: Singing in the Education of Children. They suggest

that students who receive accurate and descriptive details about their actions, with no

judgment, usually become independent learners.

I have observed teachers who unknowingly destroyed trust in relationships with

their students by incorporating reinforcement strategies that belittled or were over

critical. Even though I normally make an effort to present ideas in a positive fashion


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when possible, for a brief moment I am going to present this situation from what does

not work. I believe that our personal speech habits are key in the context of

reinforcement because unnecessary negative words may be unconsciously woven into

our vocabulary. Well-intentioned teachers may send disapproving phrases flying

around the room during a class or rehearsal. Consequently, students receive a relentless

steam of judgmental words, from a teacher who has the best of intentions, to monitor

and guide them.

Words have power. More than once I have heard that we have more negative

words in the English language than positive words to manage and guide our students.

stop don’t can’t never quit hadn’t didn’t

couldn’t no not shouldn’t won’t haven’t

Even shhh comes across negatively if our students hear it over and over again

throughout the day. All of us have numerous critical adjectives at our disposal, which

have the potential to diminish our students’ efforts (terrible, unmusical, awful, flat,

boring, lackluster, terrible, etc.). Words are imprecise vehicles for clear communication,

even though we know our words have power in the classroom. Our students’ self-

concepts are developing, and what we say may make or break their will to be an active

learner in our classes. We all know adults who refuse to sing. Unfortunately, they can

usually recall, in precise detail, when their music teachers, or other adults, told them not

to sing as a young child. Students are listening even when we don’t think they are

paying attention and they will remember negative things we say to them long after they

leave our classrooms.

4. Feedback needs to be shared in a manner that fosters learning, trust

and a safe learning environment. Musicians are highly skilled at identifying details that

need to be fixed. Think of how many wrong things we can find in even one measure:

pitches, rhythms, subdivision, articulation, intonation, dynamics, and phrasing are only


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a few of them. Each of us can list specific and detailed inadequacies about our students’

performances or participation in music class:

• “Late on beat 3”

• “Rhythm is wrong”

• “Need variation in dynamics”

• “16th notes are dragging”

• “Brittle tone”

• “Missed the fortzando”

If only we were as adept at pointing out the things our students accomplish.

Media bombards our world with negative news. We can easily fall into that trap in our

classrooms, too. Music teachers constantly look for errors in music class or behavior

problems so we can correct them. That’s our job and we are good at it! Unfortunately, we

often repair things by focusing only on what is wrong instead of also identifying and

reinforcing all of the things that are going well, too.

Why are we so prone to identify our students’ errors or imperfections? Then, we

glibly offer a quick “good” or “better” when they accomplish a chosen objective or new

music concept. Does that truly provide specialized guidance and insight so our students

know exactly how and what to do? Diagnosing problems is necessary. Still, we can be

more aware of our approach and how it nurtures or hinders our students’ progress.

Master educators offer reinforcement that spotlights precise details of ensembles’

or classes’ contributions. Instead of a steady dose of negative words, exemplary

educators use student directives. A student directive reminds them of the desired

behavior without adding a sense of judgment to it.

• “Criss-cross applesauce”

• “Feet on the floor”

• “Eyes front”


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• “Quiet, slow, warm air as you inhale”

• “Singing posture”

• “Rest position”

Master teachers model or describe the behaviors that are taking place and then

tell what is desired. This allows the students to isolate the things they are doing correctly

and focus in on the areas where they need to improve. As an alternative to broad,

general compliments, try following the advice of Bennett and Bartholomew. They

recommend using constructive feedback that describes behaviors as an alternative to

value judgments like “good, pretty or beautiful.”64 Writing out sample statements, before

class, can help teachers develop this strategy. Sometimes it helps to imbed phrases

within a lesson plan, for reference, during class and rehearsal until using them becomes

a habit.

Here are a few examples of constructive feedback master teachers use:

• “First graders, everyone is keeping the beat with the drum.”

• “Clarinets, in measure three your 8th notes were clear and detached.”

• “Altos are singing the first phrase with animated facial energy.”

• “Now the first violins’ articulation matches the second violins at letter A.”

Phrases intended to serve as positive feedback or instructions, may come across

as mixed messages to the students. Here are some examples of those types of

expressions:

• “I like the way you are sitting in the chair.”

• “I want you to stand up.”

• “I loved that tone.”

• “I’d like you to turn to page 37.”

• “I need you to watch me.”


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All of these phrases may be perfectly appropriate at any time in a music class. Still, it

might be a good idea to think of ways to present the same information without prefacing

everything we say with “I.” Why? Should students be participating and respectful only

because we want them to? Or, could we foster intrinsic motivation by utilizing other

communication patterns?

Instead of: Try this:

“I want you to stand up.” “Stand.”

“I’d like you to turn to page 37.” “Page 37.”

“I need you to look at me.” “Eyes front,”or “Eyes.”

Some teachers prefer to use a combination of silent, visual cues, such as tapping

the sternum, to remind students to use an elevated posture. Peter Boonshaft

recommends non-verbal cues to remind students to sit tall, feet on the floor, and watch

the conductor. Instead of talking he teaches them to respond to a particular gesture, such

as patting the small of the back to sit up and away from the back of the chair.65

Instead of: Try this:

“I want you to stand up.” Motion to stand or hold up one finger as the predetermined signal.

“I’d like you to turn to page 37.” Point to page 37 on the board. “I need you to look at me.” Point to your eyes or use a

predetermined signal.

By incorporating nonverbal signals, the students and teacher reduce time wasted

during transitions, the teacher takes up less time talking and the students are engaged in

the task at hand. Also, a quiet, intense directive can be much more powerful than yelling

and a skilled teacher can speak volumes with one meaningful stare.

5. What we think about plays out in the way we teach and communicate

with people in the school and community. Communication involves multiple layers of

processing and I believe that some of the most vital conversations take place in our own


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minds. We communicate with ourselves in an endless stream of mental movies and

thoughts. According to Depak Chopra we speak 600-800 words per minute to ourselves.

Chopra teaches that our self-talk after action either reinforces success or failure because

we have 60,000 thoughts per day. But, most of us repeat those same limiting thoughts

over and over again in our minds. How many of us have walked off stage after a

performance and obsessed for hours about that missed note or wrong rhythm? If I botch

a cue during a choir performance it can bug me for days.

David Stoop advocates that our emotions are also determined by our thoughts,

and that any thoughts we have play out in our behaviors. He advocates that the events

of our lives do not actually affect our behavior. Instead, it is what we believe about those

events that influences our behavior. We send messages to others with physical gestures,

with words, inflection, and our tone of voice. These messages represent our thoughts, so

if we follow Norman Vincent Peale’s advice we can transform our reality.

Change your thoughts and change your world.

What if a person’s lens or view of the world is clouded with doubt or anger?

How do we counter a negative path and concentrate our mental energy more positively?

Wayne Dyer assures us that we will get what we think about whether we want it or not,

because every thought we have possesses an energy that either strengthens or weakens

us. Changing our thoughts may be easier said than done, but both Stoop and Dyer

advise us to monitor the mental movies that play in our minds and refocus negative

thoughts towards beneficial issues rather than destructive ones. Our behaviors in life,

and in the classroom, are learned. So, we can begin by paying attention to our thoughts.

We can decide to focus on the positive or negative aspects of our environment.

John Maxwell, is a prolific writer on leadership. Maxwell tells us that our

behaviors and achievements coincide with our thoughts and self-image. In other words,

we become what we think about. If we think we are untalented, not as smart as other

people, too fat, too short, too tall, too dark, too pale, etc., we will continue to manifest


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situations that reinforce our beliefs. Instead of dwelling on all that we do not have or

what is wrong, we might focus on what and how we want to change our circumstances

or ourselves.

Happiness is when what you think, what you say,

and what you do are in harmony.

Ghandi’s quote reminds us that we will be out of harmony if we think one thing,

but say and do another. We conduct ourselves according to the way we perceive

ourselves. In other words, our actions disclose our inner thoughts. Through our

persistent thoughts we can unconsciously chastise others, and ourselves, for

inconsequential things. For example, a first year teacher who believes he is lousy with

managing student’s behavior creates more situations for that truth to show up in his

classrooms. Novice teachers who spend time obsessing that their peer teachers dislike

them will probably be uncomfortable when they around the other teachers, creating

even more tension. Seasoned teachers who decide that they have nothing left to learn or

contribute may lose their curiosity and enthusiasm to reach students in new ways.

Marianne Williams and Anthony Robbins both teach that it is easy for thoughts to

deteriorate or function on autopilot. So, reframing our thinking patterns is just like

training a muscle. We can think of reframing thought processes as exercising and

building new communication muscles. Good teachers know that any new skill or habit

takes a certain amount of practice and time to become ingrained. We educators know

that repetition is necessary when we introduce students to a new concept, and we

provide multiple opportunities for them to gain and demonstrate understanding. Yet we

are usually less patient with ourselves when we are developing a new mental habit.

What are some specific solutions to build on our strengths? By looking first at

negative thoughts, we can then see the reversal to productive thinking patterns. Here are

a few examples of some teachers’ limiting mental thoughts:


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• “I can’t control those sixth graders.”

• “I always end up yelling when I’m frustrated.”

• “My management skills are terrible.”

• “I’ll never learn to play the piano.”

• “My principal hates me.”

Now those same thoughts can be reframed in a more productive manner. Consequently,

they open up possibilities for solutions and steady progress to a new way of operating in

the classroom:

• “I constantly create new strategies to keep the sixth graders on task and

engaged.”

• “When I get frustrated I pause and remember to speak in a calm, respectful

voice.”

• “I am improving my management strategies with every class.”

• “I continue to develop and fine-tune my keyboard skills.”

• “All of my colleagues and students like and respect me.”

These are only a small sampling of how to reframe restrictive thoughts that

might take place in a teacher’s mind. Reframing thoughts help focus on new ways of

improving or building skills both in the classroom and beyond.

6. Our verbal habits can inhibit our ability to teach effectively.

Effective educators pay attention to their habitual vocabulary because a teacher’s

verbiage can become peppered with unnecessary words. Silence is sometimes

uncomfortable for teachers, so words such as “uhm,” fill the space. If we listen to

ourselves carefully we may identify idiosyncrasies that creep into our speaking patterns

such as: “OK,” “you guys,” “uhm,” “yeah,” “alright,” and “like.”

First year teachers occasionally ask me to spend time with them and give them feedback

and guidance. One such teacher said “OK” more than fifty times in the first 10-minutes of an


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elementary music lesson. I saw several students so busy tabulating how many times she uttered

“OK” that they had a difficult time focusing on her lesson. We recorded a couple of her classes

and when we watched the recording together she still missed hearing how often she filled the

silence with “OK.” After reviewing the recording a second time she began to notice. She

strategized ways to give instructions without using any filler words by writing down a list of

useful phrases during class. This teacher also worked on inviting more silence into her classes.

Filler words are fine some of the time; we probably all use them to some extent. If it

interferes with our students’ learning, then it becomes a problem. Fortunately, this new teacher

possessed an intense desire to improve her teaching and help her students learn. Educators who

want to consistently evolve for optimum learning for their students can periodically videotape a

class or rehearsal. Self-assessment can be a tremendous tool for addressing weaknesses and

taking teaching skills up to the next level. Those same communication skills will set the stage for

more positive interactions with administrators, parents, staff members in the school and people

in the community

7. Too much talking squelches interest and momentum. Teachers spend

quite a bit of time talking in classrooms and ensemble settings. Some explanations are

necessary. Still, many of us might accomplish more if we spent less time lecturing and

more time letting our students make music.

You ain’t learnin’ nothin’ when you’re doin’ all the talkin’. Lyndon B. Johnson

President Johnson knew what he was talking about. Recall your most enjoyable classes

when you were in school. Chances are that everyone in your class was engaged in

learning the majority of the time. As soon as one of my high school band directors

stopped our playing with a cut off we immediately zoned out because all of us knew it

would be at least five minutes before we would play again. I do not remember what he

said to us, but I do remember that I wanted to play my clarinet more in band.


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What percentage of teacher talk fills your classes during the school day? Granted,

we do need to explain things once in awhile. If we are talking, then who is actively

learning – the students or us? More importantly, we can give our students a chance to

dialogue about musical concepts, too. When we set up situations for them to teach each

other, we foster motivation to work together as a team. What's more, the less we lecture,

the more the students engage in music making. Instead of always telling them what to

do, we can devise ways for students to discover the material for themselves. So how do

we accomplish this? Consider these questions:

• Would students be more successful if certain items were listed on the

board?

• Could we say the same thing in five words or less?

• How about giving instructions only one time?

• Instead of a lengthy explanation about time signatures what activities

would help students figure it out for themselves?

• Instead of a five-minute diatribe on 16th notes, what activity would ignite

seventh grade band students’ curiosity and motivate them to pay

attention to the subdivision when they play together?

• How do we set up experiences that allow students discover key music

concepts on their own?

The best teachers I know use self-analysis, and problem solving activities. For example,

have the students play or sing an excerpt or phrase, then, have them identify the items

within that phrase that need refining. Try out their suggestions with the class. Ask the

students if those ideas helped improve the performance or task. Let the students decide

if their recommendations worked or not.

Use higher order questions to guide students’ thinking. For example, composer

and educator Mary Goetze asks for input when she works with honor choirs.


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• “Tell me something intelligent about the music.”

• “Describe the difference between the first line and the second line.”

• “Who has the most important part in measure #43?”

• “Why is that the most prominent part?”

When I model Mary’s strategies with my youth choir the singers seem to demonstrate a

deeper understanding of the musical elements and historical background than when I

simply tell them certain details.

In Patty Bourne’s Inside the Music Classroom, she outlines specific and pragmatic

ideas for establishing a learning environment where students can problem solve and

create in a music class. Even though her book is geared toward a general music class it is

jam packed with practical strategies that work for teaching at any level of instruction.

For example, when students are asked to speak to their peers and talk about a music

example on the board you might hear, “I noticed that there are three sounds on one

beat,”; “I noticed that the melody has skips,” or “I noticed that there is a sfortzando on

the first beat.”

Does this approach take valuable class time? Yes. Is it worth it? I think so. My own

rehearsals are more efficient if I simply give my students music details or tell them what to do in

a phrase. They may even be able to repeat the information back to me, but I’m less convinced

that they learn skills and concepts, or that they will transfer that information to other music and

situations. Just because my rehearsal is efficient does not mean it is effective. Do I practice

problem-solving tactics in class every day? Each year I get better at including these strategies in

my teaching, both in the classroom and ensemble rehearsals. It is my goal and how I am

determined to teach even though I still fall short at times. I juggle performance pressures in my

ensembles, too, and I admit that I struggle with wanting to focus exclusively on perfecting the

concert literature those last two weeks before a performance. I need to remind myself on those

days that the process is as important as the final product.


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8. Respectful communication is the most effective. In addition to

communication that involves person-to-person contact, today’s educators watch visual

media, talk or text on phones, and constantly send and receive an onslaught of electronic

messages. So, it helps to be conscious of the difference between personal and professional

electronic correspondence. Anyone who works in a public institution is guided by

parameters that establish how much personal business is appropriate on state funded

equipment (computers, Internet service, phones, social media, etc.). Privacy policies also

limit the distribution of confidential information sent in electronic formats.

Our electronic correspondence is best if it remains professional in content and

free of negative information about our colleagues or students. Once I heard Peter

Boonshaft caution band directors in his clinics to say, do and write everything as if it

will be on television. This is great advice for all of us, and also a likely reality, since cell

phones and recording devices are in our students’ possession during class. Anything we

say or do may be only one click away from a video on the Internet!

Without the benefit of facial responses and voice inflections, messages sent in an

electronic format can be easily misinterpreted. One of my colleagues advised me: It is

best to address controversial issues or reprimands privately, but if a delicate message is

necessary, read it out loud before sending it off. Hearing the words helps get a better

sense of how the message may come across to the person receiving it. Finally, ask the

question, “How would I feel if someone else said this to me?” Hearing the message from

the other person’s perspective guides us to be respectful when discussing uncomfortable

issues. The bottom line: Remember that we are talking to another human being and our

words will impact the person either positively or negatively.

How Does this Help Teachers?

Communication plays a significant role in the process of creating connections

and building relationships in the classroom and with people in the surrounding

community. In fact, some leadership books project that as much as eighty percent of the


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time we are awake is spent communicating with someone else in one form or another.

Robert Bolton suggests that communication is the very lifeblood of every relationship

we have. Just observe your students and colleagues throughout the day. How many of

them have a cell phone glued to their ear (or thumbs) while walking around?

Our relationships are nurtured when open, clear, sensitive communication takes

place. Bolton suggests that the main reason that eighty percent of people fail at their

jobs, is because they do not relate well to other people. Teachers who struggle in the

classroom often have difficulties relating to the students and to the other people in the

school and the local community. I know that I would rather write a reference letter for a

student teacher who is a people person and still developing conducting and teaching

strategies. I find it much more challenging to write a supportive, accurate letter for a

student teacher who can run an efficient rehearsal or elementary class, yet does not

connect with the students. The first person will likely grow as a musician and educator

while the second one may continue to struggle in developing successful people skills.

Bolton also advocates that we cannot be human alone and we need each other.

Human beings yearn to communicate with each other and we want to connect. Just

watch people inside an airplane when it lands. Immediately almost everyone on board

turns on their cell phone. In fact, Anthony Robbins tells a story about how this intense

desire we have to communicate was so compelling during the Vietnam War that

prisoners of war created their own code and communicated with each other by tapping

rocks or pipes a specific number of times to spell out different letters of the alphabet.

Even though they were isolated in solitary confinement, they were able to secretly talk

with each other.

Master Educators Provide Students with Tools to Achieve

How do we apply this knowledge to help the learners in our classes? Since

communicating is so important to people, it makes sense that creating effective

communication in the school and in the community should be a high priority for all of


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us. We have only scratched the surface of the complexities in the communication

processes as they relate to teaching students, interacting with other staff members and

teachers in the school, and talking with people in the local community. Communication

involves multifaceted messages that we send verbally, non-verbally and in written or

electronic forms.

Master teachers monitor their internal dialogue because they realize that we all

will become, and model, what we think about all day. What is more, our students tend

to model us, so our internal dialogue also has potentially impacts our students as well.

Teachers who practice healthy thought processes consistently build new ways to

strengthen their interactions with the students in their classrooms and ensembles. By

doing so, effective educators enhance their students’ abilities to learn because they

present new materials and concepts in a way that is accessible to the students. Also, their

feedback and verbal reinforcement strategies provide information that informs students

how they can improve. By modeling respectful communication strategies for talking

with the people in the school system and the community, teachers can perpetuate a

more harmonious classroom and work environment.

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