You may have heard that instrumental music, band, and orchestra (in grades 5-8) will look different next year. We are working with our music teachers to develop a model that protects instructional time in other subjects while supporting a first class band and orchestra program.
Under our new model, by the time students arrive in high school, they will have had 45% more instructional time in band/orchestra than they would under our old model. Band/orchestra will be offered every day of the week in middle school, generally with two instructors per classroom. One will be working with the large group, while the other with smaller groups of students.
Because of shifts in how instrumental music is provided, students who would have been pulled out of other classes under the old model will also realize 90 more hours of instructional time in those other courses, over the four years of grades 5-8.
Ultimately, we want to make some “tweaks” at high school so that students are not pulled out of academic subjects for sectionals, but we haven’t worked out a plan for that yet. We believe most of the pull-outs now are from study hall or lunch, plus there are small group lessons before and after school. Until we get a detailed model worked out for high school, there won’t be significant change in that approach. Click here to see a letter for Elementary parents: English, Spanish, Bosnian.
Our focus to date has been on grades 5-8, and that’s where we’ll begin full scale implementation first. We will be able to focus on high school planning as soon as next year. See below for more information. Instrumental Music FAQs
NEW MODEL FOR INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC
Grades 5-8
Waterloo Schools music teachers and administrators have been working for several years to develop an effective model for instrumental music that will provide our students with a strong foundation for instrumental music (orchestra or band) by the time they leave middle school, while protecting instructional time in the essential core subjects.
These have been our guiding values:
· To dramatically improve student achievement in all areas.
· Specifically to improve achievement in Language Arts, Mathematics, Science and Social Science.
· To have one of the strongest music programs in Iowa.
By no means, do these goals have to be in conflict! School districts all across the nation are pursuing and attaining these goals. To make sure we learn from the best, we spent time exploring, examining and experimenting with new models in Music Education.
Teachers have visited music programs in other districts and have hosted visits here from teachers in successful music programs, all with the goal of building a program that will support guided instruction time in instrumental music, for strong skill development by the end of 8th grade.
This school year, Hoover and Carver are piloting large group instrumental music as a daily class under the guidance of two instructors. Our experience in the new model has shown that middle school students, even if starting at a lower skill level, progress faster with the daily guided instruction in middle school.
How It Will Work
-Recruiting 5th Grade Students: The middle school band and orchestra students will perform for elementary students at scheduled times throughout the year. Students will be well informed of the opportunity to play an instrument in middle school. All 5th grade students will have an orientation to band and orchestra instruments by an instrumental music instructor through collaboration with the 5th grade general music teacher. Information about obtaining an instrument, etc., will be given at this time. Students will be able to sign up for the 4 week summer lesson program.
-6th Grade Registration (August): Middle school band and orchestra instructors will have a display where information, including how to obtain an instrument and materials needed, will all be available. 6th graders not yet registered for instrumental music may do so at that time.
-6th grade: Students will have the opportunity to be in both instrumental and vocal music daily. Instrumental music students will receive both large group and small group instruction from a team of teachers, based on their needs and instrument.
The bottom line is that by the end of middle school, students will have had the opportunity for approximately 45% more instructional time in instrumental music than has been available to them under the current model, with faster growth in their skills. Traditional instrumental music, using pullouts from other class times, will no longer be provided in elementary starting in the 2012-2013 school year.
SPECIFICS ABOUT THE MODEL:
1) Most often, two instructors are needed to facilitate small and large group instruction simultaneously within this model.
2) Elementary instrumental teachers are utilized at the middle schools to ensure adequate staff exists to provide large and small group instruction simultaneously.
3) Professional development is currently being provided during 2011-2012 and beyond to enhance our educators’ ability to provide research-based music instruction and to ensure the effective implementation of the model.
4) Facilities may need to be modified to support this model. Several additional ensemble rooms may need to be created in middle schools. It is not expected that will be a huge problem.
We appreciate the work of the Music Task Force and Music Planning Committee! The Music Task Force studied best practice in other districts and has now grown into a larger planning committee with the majority of our 5-12 instrumental and vocal teachers working towards implementation and growth of this model. While we fully intend to continue to study research and gather data, the recent work of these teams has been effective in moving us forward! THANK YOU!
**the information in the attached charts represents the most recent data analysis. These numbers may be slightly different than earlier projections. Instructional Music Data Charts
