| Many current music educators grew up in a time when | | | | they come to earn the A that they received? Was it |
| being in an ensemble was solely about playing the | | | | simply for showing up to class or was there real, |
| music for the next concert. I personally cannot recall | | | | verifiable learning going on? |
| ever doing a worksheet or any real music theory work | | | | The day that I realized my mistake and started |
| while in high school. It seemed that all I had to do to get | | | | requiring more work from my students the ensemble |
| an "A" was come to my lessons, play at the concerts, | | | | seemed to blossom almost overnight. I began requiring |
| and otherwise stay out of trouble. Outside practice | | | | two hours of home practice each week, weekly |
| was expected but not enforced. I did not realize until | | | | theory worksheets, and mandatory private lessons or |
| many years later that this method of teaching had set | | | | group sectionals. By the next concert I was already |
| me up for years of mediocrity and frustration. | | | | seeing a difference. By the end of the third quarter the |
| The primary effect of giving a student an A for doing | | | | new scale memorization requirements I threw in had |
| very little work produces much the same effect that | | | | turned my jazz and pep bands into the best groups |
| we see in society where people become dependent | | | | that I had ever conducted. The attitudes of my |
| on entitlement programs. Being given something for | | | | students also changed. They realized that they were |
| nothing slowly undermines a person's motivation and | | | | improving and that their hard work was indeed paying |
| softens their personal initiative. In the music classroom | | | | off. This in turn made them more interested in |
| this translates into producing a stagnant musician that | | | | performing and made them want to practice even |
| has no driving force to improve his or her musical | | | | more. |
| abilities. For many years I suffered with wondering why | | | | Perhaps most important of all, requiring more of my |
| the members of my ensemble wasn't improving the | | | | students also required more of myself as a teacher. I |
| way I felt they should. Finally I concluded that it was | | | | started reading educational journals again, determined |
| my fault for not pushing them hard enough. I had fallen | | | | to improve myself as a conductor and as a teacher. I |
| back into my mentor's footsteps and had been | | | | started writing about my experiences to help other |
| cranking out the easy A's to my students regardless | | | | people improve and learn from my mistakes. These |
| of what they truly deserved. | | | | simple things breathed new life into a career that was |
| The grading rule of thumb that is used in other classes | | | | on the verge of being consumed by apathy. I love |
| should also be used in the music classroom. This rule | | | | teaching again, and it is all because I finally broke free |
| of thumb states that an A is to be reserved for | | | | from the bonds of being a mediocre band director. If |
| excellent work while a C is given for work that is | | | | you care for your students and want them to come to |
| simply average. If you were to take this rule and apply | | | | love and appreciate music as much as you do, never |
| it to your students, would they get the same grade | | | | again give away and easy A. |
| that you gave them on their last report card? How did | | | | |