A hybrid episode! We run the risk of oversimplifying educational concepts, packaging them in seminars and professional development sessions for sale, and actually HARMING students. Or at least not helping them. Educational theories often carry precious little evidence, but we as educators frequently feel ill equipped to question them. Often times these oversimplifications are simply Utopian visions of education. One of the buzzwords that gets this treatment in my view is “Belonging.” I have been reading a book called “Belonging Through a Culture of Dignity” by Cobb and Krownapple. In that journey, as well as in my conversations on the show, in real life, and online it has become clear to me that there are many questions still to be ASKED about this topic before we can even begin to have enough hubris to think we can answer it.
This episode started out as a car thoughts episode, which I extended with a walkthrough of two graphics that I see as questionable from the book.
Episode 285: Teach Choir Like Band. And Band Like Choir with Matthew Arau
What can vocal and instrumental music education learn from each other? At what point does specialization become uneccessary siloing of what should be a “music ‘education” profession? Matthew Arau is the guest. Yes… ANOTHER band teacher… Back in January, I accidentally attended Matthew’s session at the recent Missouri Music Educator conference. You read that right.…
Episode 284: Is the Ensemble Model Outdated? With Kevin Droe
I’ve said for a long time that music education is at a crossroads—but depending on who you ask, we’re either evolving… or we’re missing the point entirely. Are traditional school music programs—band, choir, orchestra—reaching enough students? And if not, why? There’s a growing narrative in music education right now that what we’ve been doing for…
Episode 283: Beyond the Buzzwords Live at SWACDA
A one of a kind event happened at this year’s convention of the Southwest Region of American Choral Directors. We gathered a panel of thoughtful professionals and an inquisitive crowd of colleagues and had an “unsafe” conversation in public. And what do you know? No one threw tomatoes! Are we speaking a language our communities…
One Reply to “”