Jason Werden
Intro to Music Education
Mrs. Usher
April 25th, 2005
Interview
I chose to interview my former band director, Brian Monroe, because I feel that he impacted my decision to become a music educator. I also think that he is an excellent role model and the prototype music educator. To start the interview, I asked two of the most basic questions. I asked him why did he choose to become a music educator and what part of his job is the most rewarding. He responded that he always enjoyed playing in band and helping other students. He talked about his aunt, who was also a music educator, and how she impacted his decision to teach. As far as the rewards, he commentated that he enjoyed getting to know all of the students for a longer period of time.
I asked him to describe the difference between teaching middle school students and high school students. I asked him if he had a preference and I wondered what were the challenges of working in a school system that required him to teach many different grade levels. Surprisingly, he responded that he did not believe that there were too many differences teaching different grade levels. He commented that all students make the same musical mistakes - rhythms, fingerings, note reading - but on a different level. He also pointed out that the biggest challenge was staying organized and understanding what you can accomplish with each grade level. He also stressed the importance of setting realistic goals. I asked him how he dealt with disruptive students and asked him to describe his overall policies on classroom management. He stressed that a teacher has to be fair and set a standard. He also said that he would normally remove a disruptive student, take away their credit for the day’s participation, and give them what he called BSP’s, or “Band Service Projects.” He believed that those were more effective than writing detentions. Next I asked him several questions regarding his grading system and how he recorded attendance. “When I grade a student, I look at a few things. How much progress have they made? Are they actively participating? Are they improving? Are they trying their best? I look at all of these things.” As far as attendance, he stated that it was one of the most important parts of a student’s grade simply because if a student is not there, they can not participate.
I wanted to ask him some tougher questions that dealt with situations outside of the band room. We started to talk about the financial aspect of teaching music, and he commented that most instrumental music teachers can support themselves and their families well and that they are able to supplement their income in other ways. He spoke about teaching private lessons for several minutes and discussed why it was an important part of his income. “Ultimately, if you love teaching music to children, then money is not the biggest issue,” he said. We also talked for several minutes about the way that some parents decide not to support their children when they decide to major in music. Mr. Monroe stated that even though his father wanted him to help run and eventually take over the family farming business, he always supported his decision to go to college and study music. It was obvious to me that Mr. Monroe and his father were incredible close and that it must have been difficult for his father to accept that his son would not continue the family business. Mr. Monroe’s father passed away a few days after Christmas this past year. Because of the current situation here in Akron with the administration and the AAUP, I asked him how he felt about the unions and the types of situations that they present. He stressed that you have to work a careful line. “You need to support your colleagues because they are fighting for you. But personally I feel that if you call yourself a professional, regardless of whatever job title you have, you cannot strike. You have to do something else. It only hurts the kids.” I really respected him for all of his honest answers on these difficult topics.
I asked him what kind of non music related skills are vital for being an effective music educator. He said that every music educator needed to know something about accounting, budgeting, communication, sales, and public relations. But he also responded that above all else, a music teacher has to be prepared to work hard everyday and spend lots of time on the job. We also spent several minutes talking about Mr. Monroe’s first year of teaching after graduating from college. He described how he felt very confident in the beginning because of his strong education, but he had difficulty with classroom management. Also during his first year he realized the importance of looking to others for advice and guidance. He commented that you have to surround yourself with people that you know will give you straight answers and offer honest opinions. He talk about a recently retired Stow band director, Richard Oliver, and how important he was in helping Mr. Monroe deal with some of the challenges of running a huge music program. We also discussed the importance of building relationships with administrators and teachers outside of the band department. “You must appear to be interested in what they do and be knowledgeable in their fields. If you can do that, it is easy to make connections with them. They consider you part of the team.” He also discussed the importance of maintaining good relationships with parents and the band parents association. He talked about the importance of communicating effectively and often with many as many parents as possible. He felt like he could always communicate well with parents, either through emails, voicemails, or over the web. To conclude the interview, we discussed several people that he felt impacted his career. He mentioned several educators and administrators that he looked up to: Jim Kirk, Bill Racey, David Burroughs, his aunt Sue Monroe, Dr. Guegold, Bill Davis, and Michael Burritt. But I was most impressed when he mentioned that of all of his influences, he looked up to his father the most. “My dad taught me work is not done until it is completely done. He gave me the work ethic that I use daily. He also taught me to be humble in everything that I do.” I really related to him when he said this because I also feel that my father has been the biggest influence in my life. He has taught me so much about a strong work ethic and always being humble, just as Mr. Monroe has learned these things from his father. I really admire Mr. Monroe for the way he continues to successfully run a large program and works hard to be a role model for all of his students.