In case you ever wonder if AIW is really making a difference with teachers: Jenni Thomas (5–8 band teacher) found that students are very difficult to motivate after the spring concert each year. In an effort to change this dynamic, she is creating a unit that will allow students to create their own music using the concepts they have learned in class and software that allows them to create their own piece of music. The final project will be presenting their solo, duet, or ensemble in a performance setting. She has done some pilot projects and the kids are going crazy over the opportunity to "create their own knowledge." I shared with Jenni that band (which should be a creative situation) is focused on playing set music for a performance over and over again. While that aspect is important, students often get little freedom to work with music and create their own stuff. She is creating the task with AIW in mind—a strong task, good instruction, and hopefully high quality student work. It has the possibility of turning a pretty mundane time of year in the band room into the best part of the course. We will see how it goes, but she is really pumped up about it.
Chris Billings
Middle School Principal
Gilbert Community School
515.232.0540
The Gilbert Learning Community will foster a passion for learning and empower each student to become a productive citizen in today’s global society.
↧
Band Teacher from Gilbert Develops an AIW Pride Point!
↧