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