Tech Doesn't Inspire...Teachers Do!

Can I be honest? I've found myself complaining way too much this week. The weather has been dreary and gray, I've had some long days at work, and I'm just tired. I've been making a conscious effort the past few days to STOP complaining and instead focus on gratitude & the good I see around me. It's an hourly battle & a daily choice, but as I spend less time complaining, I have found it easier to really recognize how many great things are happening right in front of my eyes!

In my role as an ed tech specialist, I spend a lot of time planning PD and training others. Sometimes, this means the very basics, like how to use Google Drive or sharing ideas for improving workflow. Sometimes, it bridges to more instructional uses, like finding the right tool for the desired use or "leveling up" a unit plan based on the SAMR model. What I don't always get to see is the follow-up to these interactions - how things are applied in real life with students.

That's why I have been so excited this week to hear about some awesome things happening in our schools! Teachers really are amazing...they can take an idea and run with it, and turn it into so much more!

This week, I've heard about:

• Teachers connecting their classes to real-world events (like the recent hurricanes), running a fundraiser via social media, and being able to see the tangible results that their money is bringing via a video chat
• Teachers embarking on a journey to meet the needs of all students by developing parallel lesson plans/units with similar content, one for students who are English speakers and a scaffolded version for newcomer students who are learning the English language
• Teachers who are collaborating across three grade levels in elementary to have students engage in research, write a script, film a video with the green screen, and put the final project together to show their learning

These are just a few examples (I know I've forgotten some that I wanted to share, because there's just too much awesomeness going on in our schools right now)! While all of these endeavors use technology, none of them are really about the technology. It's the creativity, expertise, and caring of the teachers that has really brought these lessons to life. The tech tools are simply avenues to build amazing experiences for kids. And THAT is what it should be about. THAT is what gets me excited. THAT is why I am in this job!

Thank you, teachers, for inspiring me this week!

#EdCampLongmont 2017

There's nothing like showing up on a Saturday morning with a large group of educators who just want to collaborate and learn and "talk shop" with each other! Welcome to #edcamp!

It's hard to synthesize all of the learning & thought-provoking conversations that occurred throughout the day, so I'll just share a snippet from each session here:

1. Sometimes, kids need more structure. It is easier for us, as adults, to discriminate what information is important, switch gears, and make the appropriate connections...but students don't always follow our same train of thought! Being clear about this can help our kiddos know what is expected of them and then they can focus on the learning. This is so important for me to keep in mind because I tend to be pretty flexible, and I need to remember to accommodate a variety of learning styles.
Challenge: How can we create structure & clear expectations while facilitating a classroom that is student-led & honoring students' desire to learn in their own individual ways?

2. What are the different purposes for social media (personal, professional, academic, etc) - do students think about using their accounts in all of these different ways?
Deep thoughts & possible conversation with students: Who are YOU as a person and how do you convey that online? Do you have more than one account on a given social media platform? Why or why not? What are the pros & cons of having one account or multiple accounts? How does that affect the way you communicate? What about who your audience is? Does that change the way you portray yourself online? What are the similarities and differences to how you portray yourself online and in real life?

3. I'm still trying to up my game on Schoology. I never used it in my classroom, and while I am getting better, I continue to do a lot of playing around to find what I need. It was great to hear about tips & tricks (& also frustrations) from other teachers!
Question for the masses: What is your best tip or trick on Schoology?

4. Honestly, I just took some time to reflect and catch up. There was nothing on the session board that was calling to me, and it was nice to synthesize all of the information from the morning. It's okay to slow down too!
Challenge: How do you build in time for reflection?

5. Although I am an ed tech specialist now, there is still a big part of me that is a music teacher. This last session felt like coming home. We reflected on how easy it is to feel alone when you teach certain subjects, the challenges of finding relevant PD, and dreamed about organizing a music edcamp for ourselves and our colleagues.
Music teachers: What kind of PD do you find most relevant?

In addition, it is always super fun to see old friends, make new friends, and be around people who are so excited about education!

So...when's the next #edcamp?

ALL Means ALL (Part 2) - Modified Music

I highly value including ALL students in my instrumental music classroom (for more information, see Part 1 of this series).  One of the most successful accommodations I have used is modifying the sheet music to make it easier to read.  This is my specific system, designed for strings, but I'm sure it could be extracted to other instruments as well (with some tweaks)!  It's been amazing for me to see how some students have used this system from 5th-8th grade, moving through the tiers from where I give them the color-coded music to a place where I give them regular sheet music, and they are able to write in what they need to themselves!

Tier 1

If a student needs just a little extra help, I write fingerings above the music - no colors.  This is not that different from what I do to remind myself of tricky passages!

Tier 2

If a student needs a little more support, I write in the fingerings (in pencil or pen) and use highlighters to denote which string the notes should be played on.  

Orange = C or E string

Blue = G String

Green = D String

Pink = A String

Yellow = dynamics, pizz/arco, or other relevant information

Tier 3

If students need less visual clutter (for whatever reason), I have made sheets that look like this one.  The rhythmic representation is a little tricky (I try to use spacing, but it is not precise), but usually these kids will figure out the rhythm by ear.

Tier 4

Finally, if students do not have the coordination to use their left hand fingers, I have open-string versions so they can play along with us.  I like to avoid this if possible, because then they aren't hearing the melody of the song coming out of their instrument, but I have had a couple of instances where this seems to be the best option.  This can be combined with a little bit of colored tape (think washi tape) on the edge of the fingerboard beneath each string to make it clear which one is which.

Over the past five years, I have used this system with about 40 students, with great results!  This doesn't always mean that they learn to play really well or that they necessarily continue playing, but I have gotten positive feedback from the students, their families, and the special education professionals at my school.  In the end, it helps the students be included, accepted, and able to play along with us without the barrier of reading.

I feel a constant tension of pushing students to be able to read music (and up the tiers) while still providing them with the tools to have a positive experience in orchestra.  I don't pretend that I get it right all of the time, but I do know that I have some students in 8th grade now who would never have found the joy in making music if they hadn't gotten a little help with reading music in the beginning!  To me, that is worth it.

As always, I am happy to share the materials I have made - feel free to send me a Tweet (@ms_a_yeh) or leave a comment if you are interested!

ALL Means ALL - Accessibility in the Instrumental Music Classroom

Music is for everyone.  The more I teach, the more I become convinced of that fact.  But I've also noticed that at conferences, in professional journals, and most other places, when we are talking about inclusion in the music classroom, we are focused on elementary general music.  What happens after that?

In my district, students are given the opportunity to learn an instrument starting in 5th grade, and continuing through high school.  We work very hard to create this opportunity for 100% of our students, regardless of their abilities or financial circumstances.  Over the past few years, it has become a passion of mine to help all students find a way to participate and be successful in learning an instrument!

How can we do this?  Here are some of the ways:

Helping students choose an instrument that is right for them - their body, their learning style, and their preferences
If a student struggles with fine motor skills, a woodwind instrument might be a challenge!  If they only have use of one hand, perhaps a trumpet might work well.  If they are very sensitive to squeaky sounds, then a cello might work well.  Learning about a student and being able to encourage them in the right direction will give them a better chance at being successful!

Modifying the way the instrument is physically played if necessary
People come in all shapes and sizes, and sometimes modifications are necessary!  In my orchestra classroom, I have had a handful of students learn to play an instrument "backwards" (right hand doing the fingering, left hand bowing), due to the structure of their hands and/or some hearing loss they have experienced.  I have also worked with the OT at my school to create some adaptive devices to make things like holding the bow easier for students with limited range of movement.

Engage peer buddies
One of my favorite things from last year was watching the relationship grow between a 5th grade student and her 8th grade peer mentor.  They loved working together!  This is a great way to provide options for simplifying the playing - if coordinating two hands is too much, or they only have use of one hand, then have a peer finger the notes while they concentrate on the bow or vice versa.  They are still an integral part of making and experiencing the music!

Think about seating & materials
As a violinist, I know exactly what it's like to sit in the back of the 2nd violin section with the piccolo pointed straight in my left ear - not pleasant (sorry, piccolo players)!  I can only imagine how our students with a sensitivity to sound feel in the middle of a chaotic music room!  Think about seating - where is the best place for this student?  Is it a little bit removed from everyone, to dampen the affects of the sound?  Is it right up front, where they are in close proximity with the teacher?  If a student has vision issues, where can they see the best from?
Let's be honest, playing an instrument requires you to keep track of a lot of materials - there are all of the parts to your instrument, any accessories or cleaning supplies that go along with it, your music, and a stand.  This can be a lot for kids with executive functioning challenges, or those who don't have a good awareness of themselves and the space around them (proprioception).  Providing separate folders for home and school, directly teaching about how to ensure students have enough space, and giving a structure for where to store all materials (both when playing and when packing up) can help these kids!

Make reading easier
This one is a big deal to me - whether it is copying music on different colored paper, englarging the music, or color-coding fingerings (check out Part 2 of this post, explaining the method I use to help with fingerings)!  I wholeheartedly agree in the value of learning to read music, and every student in my class works on that goal.  In the end, though, I just ask myself what's more important to me - that a student can read or that they can play with us?  If the reading is so frustrating that they can't access the music and play with us, then it's a barrier in the way!  Usually, with these students, I separate the two pieces - I have them work on reading music and correlating notes with fingerings, but for the repertoire we are playing in class, I modify it in some way to make it easier for them to just play.  I understand that this might be controversial in the music ed world - but it's something I've come to believe in very firmly!  I could tell story after story of kids (with autism, learning disabilities, processing delays, motor delays, etc) who have been successful in orchestra and stuck with their instrument because they felt like they could play with us.  That is worth it to me!

Make expectations clear
Some students need a little more help with knowing what is expected.  A visual checklist, self-monitoring system, and established routine can help lower anxiety for some and keep others on-track.  Sometimes this is challenging for me, because rehearsal can be a very free-flowing time, and I will hear different things that I want to respond to than what I had originally planned in my lesson.  In these instances, I try to be very explicit about what will be changing and why, so kids don't feel caught off-guard.

Create a community
This just wraps everything together - as one of my students wrote this week, "Teamwork is everything in orchestra."  Very few classes require the same amount of collaboration and teamwork as a music classroom, and what a beautiful thing that is for those who can often get left on the outskirts!  Don'e we all long for a sense of belonging to a group?  Especially in middle school, and especially for students who have some added things they are dealing with, having a positive group to identify with can do wonders.  My students proudly proclaim themselves #orchedorks.  Intentionally building community, valuing the contributions of every student in the room, and finding way to let them know they are ALL adding to the music brings out the social/emotional learning in a music class!

Does including take extra work?  Absolutely!  Every time we get a new piece of music, I spend at least an hour making sure everything is set for my kids who need a little extra support.  Setting up connections with peers or making assistive devices for playing takes time.  But is it worth it?  YES!

When we say that we are educating all students, that includes educating them in specials/electives as well.  Music is important for ALL of us - so let's make ALL mean ALL in an instrumental music classroom!   So much of this has come for me through experimentation and just trying to see what works with individual students.  Take the jump and try something to make music more accessible!

How do you purposefully include all students in your class?