The county music teachers had a two-hour inservice this afternoon. The guest speaker, Marcia Neel, is a consultant whose specialty is the recruiting and retaining of music students. She shared many practical and effective strategies to get and keep kids in music. Much of the emphasis was placed on communication: with students, parents, administrators, and elementary music teachers!
This last group is the foundation to any successful K-12 performing arts program. They are the vacuum cleaner salesmen who are able to get into the house and start the sales pitch. It is then up to the middle and high school teachers to carry on from there: the process, the product, the support. Sadly, many of these teachers want the "customer" to come to them, and it doesn't happen.
Our county has won the NAMM Foundation's award for one of the nation’s Best Communities for Music Education. This accolade is due to our strong leadership at the top and the strong teaching at the "bottom": our elementary schools. These teachers are at it day after day motivating students to learn about and enjoy music. I wish the teachers in the upper grades could spend a week with their elementary counterparts to see what is involved in "getting a foot in the door". Maybe then they can appreciate the job that is done at this level.
Until next time....recruit away!
1 comment:
Well said!
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