I've
come to believe that "classroom management" is a term that
confuses the issue and does nothing to address the problem it
purports to solve.
We
hear things like "Ms. Smith has excellent classroom management
skills." But what exactly are these skills?
You
can find books and websites with lists of "classroom management
skills" like "You need to be determined to establish
your authority in the classroom at all costs," or "In order
to maintain good working relationships with the students that you
teach, you need to be able to demonstrate patience." At first
glance, these pronouncements seem right, but on closer inspection
they are too vague to be really useful, especially to a less
experienced teacher. I admit, it sounds like a good idea, but HOW
does one establish authority? Or HOW does one demonstrate patience?
It's difficult to say, really. But let me move a step ahead and say
that those things are not really necessary if you have good
repertoire and good pacing.
I will take it on faith that you know
your stuff. You've mastered your instrument, and you understand what
it took to master it. I think, to get students to pay attention to
you, they must feel that you've got something they want. They want to
be able to play or sing - like you! Maybe not your style. Maybe in a
completely different genre of music. But they recognize that you
can do it - you can really play.
Almost everyone loves music. And almost
everyone would LOVE to be able to play or sing like you do. You make
it look so easy. So this much I'll take for granted.
The real clincher is: can you find the
appropriate piece of THEIR music to teach them that next technique,
get them to that next plateau of proficiency? You understand
that musicians need to progress toward mastery in small steps. (Think
back to Kodaly, above.) You can't really skip any steps, or they'll
come back to plague you later, right?
But kids are kids. They're sometimes
lazy. Sometimes they're just tired and sleepy. They're sometimes
contrary - they want to see whether they can annoy you. I don't know
why - they just do. But if you've got a SONG they really, really
like... they're going to pay attention. They're going to try and try,
and forget about the lunch period coming up. They're no longer
interested in trying to annoy you. That's not nearly so interesting
anymore. They'll try and try again, and they'll look over at the kid beside
them, and see that he's getting it... and they'll ask him for help.
And they won't want to give up, even after the bell has rung.
So the two things to keep in mind are
1. Have a collection of THEIR music,
sequenced carefully, to enable them to play songs they love in a
gradual progression always toward increasing technical mastery.
2. Don't kill their enthusiasm. In a
given session, don't spend too long on any one song. As soon as
possible, develop a repertoire of 5 or 6 songs, each perhaps focusing
on a particular skill or technique, and move to the next song as soon
as (or before!) the kids get restless.
These two points are the same as what I
said above: have good repertoire and good pacing.
Good repertoire is simply repertoire
they really, really like. (Keep asking them for suggestions. Don't
ever stop searching for fresh, useful repertoire.)
Good pacing is paying attention to the
class's responsiveness and moving to the next activity before you
"lose" them.
Postscript:
If you're more of a purist than I am,
let me reassure you on one point. Over the years - and I have been
teaching for many years - I have noticed that, without fail, as my
students' technical proficiency has reached even what we would call a
modest level, their taste in music begins to broaden. They begin to
take notice of genres of music they had previously ignored, and
appreciate what they're hearing. Of course I make a point of having
some "other" kind of music playing when they enter the
classroom or the studio. I may even say, "Oh, there you are. I
was just listening to this piece by Bach. Do you like it?" Or -
even better! - I'll make a point of being in the process of
practicing something as they walk in, and say "I'm playing this
on Saturday night. I was just stealing a few minutes to practice
while I was waiting for you to arrive."