Daily Student Journal

So, in some of our classes this past year, students had a very difficult time getting started. We gave the students two minutes after the bell to be seated with their music stand, instrument and binder. We then started class by saying, "Hey, band!" to which they responded, "Hey what?!" in the same tone. We then said, "Tennyson band students are three things, they are..." to which they responded, "Respectful, Responsible, & Hardworking." This was a great class starter for some of the classes, but not for others. It always seems like there is never enough time in class to teach everything I want my kids to know - performance techniques, vocabulary, music theory and music history. 

Well, my solution is having the students complete a daily journal entry. So, next year students will walk into the band hall silently while listening to the daily listening example and will gather everything they need for class. They will then take out their band binder and copy the projected slide. See example here:

They will write in the counts for the rhythm as well as the stems for the notes and the note names. When the listening example is complete, I will do a very brief lesson over the information on the slide. This will be their start-of-class bell-ringer. It will take a little time, but in the long run will help the kids immensely when it comes to sight-reading. The vocabulary words will teach the students what symbols in their music mean as well as performance concepts. The rhythms and note identification will help the students with reading music more successfully. As the days progress, I have added more complicated rhythms and notes that extend beyond the staff with ledger lines. The listening examples will allow me to teach the students about the history of wind band music, different composition styles, different composers and their rich backgrounds and what great bands sound like. 

In order to make this happen in our rehearsal spaces outside of the band hall will require some creativity and special technology. In the band hall, we have a projector on a rolling cart. We can connect our laptop up to the projector and the speaker system in order to play the listening example (I used YouTube links to make it possible for any one of us directors to play the example) and show the slide. In the cafeteria, there is a mounted projector and pull-down screen so that part is good. I'll have to put the hand-held microphone on the computer speaker though for the listening example to be heard. For the front elevator foyer, I'll have to get a TV monitor that can project my computer screen as well as a portable speaker for my computer to play the listening example. 

I will be assembling band binders for all of the band students and will grade them at least once a six weeks. I will make sure to grade these daily journal assignments. For those students who are absent, I will print out the daily slide and label it with their name so they can just include it in their binder. 

I have completed the slides for the first six weeks and am currently working on the slides for the second six weeks right now. I am using canva.com to create the slides. Using the lines and shapes feature is allowing me to create the rhythm and note identification images - it's a lot of work, but will be worth it in the end. 

I also have created my own personal teacher planner and will share a blog entry about that soon. Stay tuned.