Musician Vol. 69 No. 3

TMEA STATE ORCHESTRA CHAIR’S MESSAGE
Michelle Clupper
While attending quality sessions can be invaluable, so
can collaborating with another colleague. I am constantly
amazed when I chat with a fellow educator and they mention
a teaching technique like it’s the most obvious and simple
tool and all I can think is “why didn’t I think of that”?
What does it mean to be a lifelong
learner? One definition
describes it as “the self-directed,
continuous quest to seek
formal or informal education
for personal enjoyment or to develop career
skills.” 1 I don’t know about you, but after
spending five years in college, I was excited
to get out into the classroom and begin my
hands-on learning process. And learn I did.
I watched and listened as the more experienced
directors around me showed me how
it was done. Learning new techniques and
out-of-the-box ways to reach students made
my first years of teaching seem exciting and
new every day. And then . . . I got into a routine.
For the record, I think that routines
are wonderful and they can help you build a
stable foundation as an educator. But I have
come to realize that I had become settled
in that routine to the point where I was no
longer searching for those “aha!” moments
as an educator. I loved seeing those same
moments happen for my students but had
forgotten what it was like to have them
myself. And I wondered: am I the only one?
Are there others out there like me that love
teaching but have begun to think of clinics
as a place where I chaperone students instead
of a place where I can learn and recharge?
As we rapidly approach the 2017
TMEA Professional Development Conference,
I would like to challenge all of you to
do two things in Nashville: find a session
that will increase your skill set as an educator
and enlarge your professional circle by
introducing yourself to another educator.
There are so many creative and engaging
sessions that are being planned for the conference.
As I looked at the list of proposals,
I got more and more excited about attending
in April. Professional development is
one of those things that I have begun to
think of in the “I’ll do it when I have time”
realm. I’m beginning to realize that I need
those opportunities to stretch my boundaries
as an educator, get me to step outside of
my comfort zone and remind me that there
are techniques that can better my routine.
In my area, ETSBOA has started offering
Directors Sessions at All-State East. Even
though we don’t all teach AP Music Theory
at our schools, the AP Board Theory course
at Texas Christian University gave me
many tools to increase the understanding
and use of theory in my performing ensemble
classes. Organizations like ASTA and
Music for All offer sessions for directors
that can energize your teaching. And no list
of professional development opportunities
would be complete without mentioning the
Midwest Clinic.
While attending quality sessions can be
invaluable, so can collaborating with another
colleague. I am constantly amazed
when I chat with a fellow educator and
they mention a teaching technique like it’s
the most obvious and simple tool and all
I can think is “why didn’t I think of that”?
One stumbling block to collaboration is
not knowing who to talk to or how to reach
them. That is why I think it is so important
that we develop and maintain a statewide
contact list of orchestra directors and
identify those directors who are willing to
serve as mentors. I hope to have the statewide
contact list put together and available
by the time we meet in Nashville.
As much as we can learn from attending
sessions and collaborating with colleagues,
sometimes the best learning can
come from leading. Recently, I have had
the privilege of being the clinician for two
clinic ensembles. To be honest, I was nervous
about both opportunities but decided
to accept anyway. When both clinics
were all said and done, I realized that I had
gained an enormous amount of experience
and knowledge in the combined four days.
One of my best professional development
experiences this year came from standing
in front of a group, not from sitting in
a classroom. I want to encourage each and
every one of you to consider leading a session
at your local, regional or state conference
in the coming year. I have spoken with
so many educators from different content
areas lately, and their response is always
“I don’t have anything to say that someone
would find interesting.” To that, I reply that
is simply not true! I have learned so much
by walking into my colleague’s classrooms
or talking with them at local events and figuring
out why and how they do what they
do. The orchestra educators in this state,
both new and experienced, have so many
different ideas about how to boost student
achievement in their classrooms. Sharing
your knowledge and experience with educators
across the state ensures that our
craft will continue long after we retire.
In looking toward the conference, there
will be a state orchestra caucus, which I encourage
everyone to attend. I would like to
discuss names that we can add to the list of
possible clinicians for all-state and also the
creation of a state repertoire list for concert
performance assessment. There will also
be an ASTA meeting, and I know that they
would love to see all of us attend. I am looking
forward to seeing all of you at the TMEA
Professional Development Conference.
1
Cooper, D. (2003-2017) What is Lifelong
Learning? Definition & Benefits. Study.
com. Retrieved from http://study.com/
academy/lesson/what-is-lifelonglearning-definition-benefits.html
Tennessee Music Education Assocation | www.tnmea.org | 23