Tuesday, April 29, 2008

Teaching music can be frustrating

While I mostly enjoy teaching orchestra, there are those days....!?!? I teach orchestra at the elementary and middle school levels. Most of my frustration comes from teaching in the elementary schools. Orchestra class for them is held 2 days a week for 30 minutes! In this time I am supposed teach 11/12 year olds the fundamental of playing an instrument, reading music, composers, musical terms, rhythm reading, etc. IF all of my students attended every rehearsal AND brought their instrument/book all the time then this would be almost manageable. Unfortunately, my attendance is awful!! Students come to orchestra when they feel like it (despite my unfailing efforts) so I am forced to teach and reteach the same materials over and over and over and over.....AHHHH!!!

If I had it my way things would be different...its too bad that music is no longer a priorty at the elementary level. Students should not be forced to choose between recess and playing an instruement.

Oh well...

1 comment:

Ice Cream said...

You mean they get an option? That is ridiculous. They should at least make a permanent choice.