Courtney Vetter, Elementary East curriculum officer Elementarywest@wmea.org
What Now? From Planning to Be a Secondary Teacher to Actually Being an Elementary Teacher: How it happened, what I did, and tools to help you succeed
I remember the day I decided I was going to major in music. I was
together, and I had no idea how to put all those lesson ideas into a coherent scope and sequence. My point being, there wasn’t just one thing that was the magic solution to my problem. It took a variety of resources, trial and error, and time to start to feel like I was doing an effective job. The next year, I applied for another elementary music job (this time because I actually wanted to) and was hired full-time at my current school. I am now in my seventh year here and don’t have any plans to leave. I fell in love with teaching elementary music and have enjoyed building my own program. You may or may not get a secondary music job right away. You may or may not end up in an elementary music position. You may or may not stay there for more than a year. Whatever path you take, I urge you not to treat any position (particularly elementary music) as a “filler” until you get to the next step. Understand the vital role you play in students’ music education at every level, recognize the strengths you have as a music educator, and remember your “why.” You can do this! If you find yourself in an elementary music position and have no idea where to begin (or even if you just want some ideas), I hope these resources are helpful. By no means is this an exhaustive list. It is merely a starting point to give you some support and confidence as you navigate this year. Curriculum • Get familiar with the materials (books, online, etc.) • Reach out to colleagues in your district and ask about possible trainings (from the district or the curriculum company) • If you are in a small district and don’t have a lot of resources, see if there is an online group specifically for your curriculum • If your curriculum is outdated, ask your support system (fellow teachers and/or online group) about ways to supplement Attending workshops, conferences, and meetings is a great way to connect with other elementary teachers and learn how to approach lesson plans in ways that are more elementary-focused • Orff workshops o American Orff-Schulwerk Association - American Orff-Schulwerk Association (aosa. org) o Evergreen Orff Chapter - Evergreen Orff Chapter o Inland Empire Orff Chapter - Inland Empire Workshops/Conferences/Meetings •
sitting in band class in September of my senior year of high school. I realized that, although I loved school, band was the one class I consistently enjoyed. I felt like myself. So, I majored in music education because I wanted to help other students find a place where they felt like themselves. Every time I imagined myself as a music educator, there was no doubt that I was going to be a high school band director. When it came time to pick either elementary or secondary education courses, I was confident picking secondary because I just knew that’s where I was going to end up. Thankfully, I had a great elementary placement for my first quarter of practicum, but with four hours of observation a week, there were only so many tools I could gather. The rest of my practicum and student teaching were in phenomenal middle and high school band programs with phenomenal cooperating teachers. Every day I spent with them I became more anxious to be the director of my own program. After substitute teaching for a year (an eye-opening and invaluable experience), with fresh letters of recommendation and an updated resumé, I was all set to apply for the – wait for it – zero middle or high school band positions in my area. I live in Spokane, which means I have many school districts around me with decent commute times. The fact that none of these districts had openings was very disheartening, although not surprising. I started the next year as a substitute teacher once again before getting hired for a .5, one-year elementary music position – in November. I had no idea what I was doing, but I thought, “Hey, it’s a job. I can do this for a year, get some experience, then hopefully transfer into a secondary position.” It took very little time for reality to sink in. I was an accomplished musician who knew these concepts like the back of my hand, so why were my lessons consistently falling flat? Because I taught them as if my students were younger versions of high school students (structuring my lessons as rehearsals/lectures) while simultaneously avoiding using any instruments because I was worried they “couldn’t do it.” I quickly learned that my original mindset of this being a transitional position was not only completely inappropriate as a music teacher, but a huge disservice to those students. All students deserve a foundational music education from someone who will meet them where they are and challenge them to grow as people and musicians. At that moment, I was not fulfilling that role. So, I got to work. I clung desperately to the curriculum, I learned as much as I could from the other music teacher at the school (whose influences I still use in my teaching; thank you, Ashley Castillo, you are a lifesaver), I looked for and used any lesson idea I could find, and I soaked up every piece of advice and suggestion I could from district collaborations and outside workshops. Of course, the curriculum was 20 years old and quite outdated, the other music teacher taught at two schools so we had very little time
Elementary, Continued on Page 43
Voice of Washington Music Educators Association January 2023
36
Made with FlippingBook - professional solution for displaying marketing and sales documents online