Notes from the Cougar Band Room

One of my favorite band director sayings is "Excuses are like dirty gym socks... everyone has them and they all stink." Well today, not only were we able to debunk the "I'm not in choir, I'm in band" excuse regarding singing during rehearsals, but did so with an enthusiastic (!!) response.  Here's how it happened... In honor of the 200th anniversary of the classic holiday tune Silent Night , all three concert ensembles are currently working on Mannheim Steamroller's Stille Nacht for our upcoming Winter Concert. It's a beautiful arrangement by Chip Davis of this timeless melody; I've enjoyed both playing it and directing it with many ensembles. The last time I directed it was during my first year at SCHS as our very first "megaband" piece (meaning all three concert ensembles learn the piece and then we perform it together for our concert grand finale). It was during that performance that our headlining picture for our website was s...

We've anticipated problems. We've brainstormed solutions. We've established our norms, and selected our pieces. (We can rebuild him. We have the technology.) The only thing left to do is to start doing the thing itself... Student-Led Rehearsals: Weeks 1 & 1.5 (November 12-16, 19-20) Everyone in the room (myself included) felt a degree of awkwardness upon my stepping off the podium. The palpable weight of freedom and space hung in the room until broken by the bravery of a few students to lean into it. Inevitably, a few students in each class period stepped up and began by inviting other students to speak their mind: Does anyone have an opinion on what we should do? How should we start? Is there anything anyone needs?                                                                        ...

After we became parents a few years ago, my husband and I started noticing was the number of weird sentences we never thought we'd say. As my daughter has grown, so has our list of awkward phrases: "We don't eat applesauce with hands." "Please don't put the doggie's tail in your mouth!" "The refrigerator magnets won't work on the wall, kiddo..." The more I started noting these sentences, the more I realized "never thought I'd say" teacher list is actually longer (and equally awkward)... "Put your pants on!"- said to MB kids running around in shorts before changing into uniforms "Please don't use the chair carts as go-karts." "Why do you have a rotten pumpkin in your locker?" - painted pumpkin gone missing in Oct, found in June The more we live with our kids (and students), the more likely it is we are going to say things we never thought we'd have to say and do things ...

After identifying possible problems earlier this week, we moved on to discussing possible solutions and processes for how to collectively make decisions... We had lots of great discussion on who/how rehearsals should work, information they would like from me (a schedule for the week of how much time they can have on each piece was almost agreed upon by everyone), as well as brainstorming ways to make sure everyone's voice is heard-- even if they do not care to speak up in class. (I especially loved the idea of using technology so everyone in the group, no matter where they are from, can type out/give each other feedback to read through and use for future rehearsals!)   ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ We also finished out the week by introducing the short list of pieces from which each group will choose and reading through each selection: Wind Ensemble: Queen City March or Men of Ohio March (We perform a special concert for 5th graders in our district in December...

Today I introduced the task at hand: Each class will be selecting, as a group, one piece to perform for our Winter Concert-- without my direction. The Goal: To perform this piece to the best of our ability; to make it "YouTube"/Social Media worthy, something that everyone at the end of the experience would be proud to share with their friends and social circle. Surprisingly, it did not scare them as much as it does me. But, I did see my fair share of skeptical eye rolls. The first step towards our goal was to identify possible problems/roadblocks in accomplishing our goal. Each class was asked to create a list on the board of potential challenges we may face before we begin. It was very interesting to observe the dynamic of each class as they navigated even this first step, communicating with one another to complete their list. Sometimes, they chose to continue the "teacher/student" paradigm where one person wrote on the board and called out to others with their...

It all started when this happened... George Couros came to Rochester Community Schools yesterday, inspiring hundreds of teachers in his wake. If you are not familiar with George Couros (@gcouros), he is the author of the widely recognized, highly regarded educational manifesto entitled "The Innovator's Mindset" as well regularly writing on his blog, The Principle of Change . There are many aspects of the "Innovator's Mindset" that I find appealing. We agree on many, many points: the power of positive connections, cultivating passion, and the need for teachers to give students space and voice to take charge of their learning. This tweet though, sums it up for me: When you have a compelling reason, you can learn ANYTHING. #RCSInnovate — Kristine Balinski (@MathTeacherMrsB) November 5, 2018 If students have a compelling reason to connect, they will put in the work. Teachers are the resource, students direct their own learning. As educators, espec...

On Halloween, a  group of students went out “Halloween Caroling”. They selected a festive tune, practiced it together ahead of time, and performed it at each door they visited as they went trick or treating. This was all their idea- I can take no credit for it. They took the initiative to cultivate their love of making music on their own. They took pride in their work; not simply making music, but crafting their sounds into something they would be proud of in performing. And they were brave enough to share it with the world.  When they told me what they were going to do, m y heart burst with pride-- the courage, leadership, and beauty of the moment is all a teacher could ever want for their students. They get it. If my heart wasn’t already bursting enough, it sure did the following morning. Upon my arrival, they approached me with over $100 in monetary donations they collected while playing the previous night. They put it in an envelope, wrote their names on it, and p...