HeritageBands

Podcast #6: Just Open the Case

kkeena@lps.k12.co.us (Kevin Keena) — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 21:25:00 +0000

Sometimes the toughest problems have the simplest solutions. Finding the motivation to practice can be difficult. Start by simply opening your case...

Dinner With the Kids (and their parents)

kkeena@lps.k12.co.us (Kevin Keena) — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 04:48:00 +0000

Tonight we dined. We laughed. We hobnobbed. We rubbed elbows. We made a little money. It was fun!

One thing we started doing with my band program a few years ago was setting up "Dine Out Nights." We have an extremely supportive community and local restaurants have always stepped forward to provide places for our events. Here's how we got going:

A band parent inquired with local proprietors about hosting a "Dine Out Night."
She then contacts a few places and gets available dates. These are usually slow nights where we can help boost business. Restaurants will then usually donate a percentage of the night's sales back to the band.
We set a date that is open and away from concerts, rehearsals, and parent meetings.
We make fliers available to our band students and talk up the events in my classes.
Families get together for dinner and time together out of the rehearsal room and away from my instruction.
We celebrate the community formed through the band program and share stories.
We go home full.

Some tips for the busy band director when establishing his/her own version of "Dine Out Nights:"

Go to the event! Don't skip it. People expect to see you there and when they don't they think less of you. There were a couple I didn't attend and the next day was pretty awkward for me. I'm just sayin'...
Try to bring your family. Your students and their parents want to meet your wife and see your kids. I have even brought my own mom and dad. It allows your program to see a different and more personal side of you.
If you mingle, try to get to the whole room. If not, don't be surprised if folks come say hello to you.

The conversations with students and their families are always memorable. I enjoy getting to know these wonderful people that have committed no small amount of time to music education. In addition to knowing my clientele better, the conversations will sometimes yield volunteers for the program that would have otherwise never stepped forward. I have drivers, cooks, chaperones, and photographers that have helped out each marching and concert season because of these great events. Everyone wins.

Also, we make a few bucks for the band. Not thousands, but enough where after two or three events, I have some discretionary money to replace a horn or bring in a clinician that wouldn't have been possible before.

Tonight we had a great two-for-one night! Dinner was at the Shack (great burgers!) and dessert was across the parking lot at Baskin-Robbins. The shack donated 20% of the total checks attached to the flier back to the band and Baskin-Robbins donated 31% of the sales after 6 PM to the band. It was really great to see so many families out! What a great reason to give the kitchen the night off!

Happy music making!

Making an Impact at Back to School Night

kkeena@lps.k12.co.us (Kevin Keena) — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 22:41:00 +0000

"Welcome to Back to School Night, or as I like to call it, the cleanest the band room will look this year!..." Here a few things high school band directors should not tell parents at back to school night:

"Has your son ever considered the cello?"
"Um...no, I'm the tennis coach...(nervous laugh)...the band director went to the bathroom..."
"I really have no idea what that money gets used for...that will be $342.19. Will that be cash or check?"
"I'm not really that into teaching music, actually. I'm just collecting a check from this place until my acting career takes off..."

A lot of teachers I know hate back to school night. It makes for a long day, we have to dress up and stuff, it's one more presentation we have to prepare, and we generally end up missing CSI: New York that week.

I love back to school night! Seriously. In 14 years, I have seen BTSN done many different ways, but I like ours the best: "Beat the Clock!" Each class that meets at least three days a week gets seven minutes with the teacher. You basically go through your child's schedule like you're shot out of the blocks racing Usain Bolt in the 100 meter final. I have exactly seven minutes to tell parents how I grade their kids, what my hobbies are, when the concerts are, how much it costs for the band uniform cleaning fee, how to sign up for chaperons and fund raising, what literature we'll be preparing, and how much music affects the SAT scores!

Up until last year, I never completed a back to school night presentation in the time I was given with the parents. I had to completely rethink this. I had been tinkering with a web 2.0 app called Voki (a free avatar service) for my band's web site. I investigated further and found that I could record my own voice with whatever message I wanted and upload it to my Voki and embed it into my web pages.

I wrote out a script. I included everything I wanted in my presentation and recorded it with a seven minute limit. I even included some scripted moments where I (the live teacher in the classroom) interact with the avatar version of myself (my likeness and voice on the screen at the front of the room). I had it timed so that as soon as the bell rang to start each period, I had about 15 seconds to wait for late arrivals.

It was a smash! The parents ate it up! The entire administrative team asked for an encore presentation so they could see it. The best part of the whole night was this: everyone in attendance remembered what I wanted them to remember. Everything from concert dates to web URLs, I had nearly zero calls and emails asking about something I said at BTSN. It was awesome! My avatar stole the show.

This year, I wanted to keep the tech component of my presentation but vary it up a bit. The Voki thing was effective, but I was already getting questions about what I was planning, and I needed another cool concept.

Enter Blabberize! I have done basically the same thing as with the Voki: record my own voice (this time with a bit of really, really bad acting!) and import it into a picture. Blabberize adds a mouth that I can manipulate and it makes the picture look like it's animated (sort of the way South Park characters look animated, but it's still really cool!). I tried about 12 different photos of people from Bach and Brahms to Bon Jovi and Elway. Anthony Robbins even makes an appearance! You can see and hear a few of them here.

I had to talk a little more this year, but I still managed to get through my presentation and the feedback was awesome. Parents loved the material that was covered and the manner in which it was presented.

I believe that Back to School Night is a critical time to give a fantastic first impression to the parents of fine arts students. If there is something out there that will allow me to wow the parents and get the important information to them to start the year off right, sign me up!

Happy teaching!

Ten Fun Tips for the Young Music Teacher

kkeena@lps.k12.co.us (Kevin Keena) — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 04:34:00 +0000

I noticed a lot of teachers on musicpln.org and on Twitter that are either still in school or just a few years into their teaching careers. Welcome to the greatest job ever! I know you're getting a TON of useful stuff out of your teacher prep programs. I know I did, but there are some things for which my formal education did not prepare me.

Since we're getting a new school under way, I though it would be fun to reminisce a little. Perhaps you've heard these before, but some of them may be new. I am fortunate to have many people I look to as mentors in my fourteenth year in the rehearsal room and on the practice field, and they have offered many of these along my way. Some of them just came from experience. The comments in parentheses tell you where I first heard it. I hope you enjoy some of my favorite advice for the young music teacher (and a refresher for the rest of us!):

When rehearsal goes south and you want to rip part of the group, say the SECOND thing that comes to mind. I guarantee it will be more constructive than the first thing.
Begin with the end in mind (Steven Covey)
Forward all compliments to your principals. When the principal has to deal with an upset parent (and it will happen...) arm him/her with some nice things other parents have already said about you and your program.
If it's wet and it ain't yours, don't touch it! (Marc Stine)
Remaining in good standing with the administration is important, but a plate of brownies for the custodial staff and and Starbucks for the office secretaries once in awhile will get that lock fixed and that invoice paid in no time!
When taking an issue to your principal, have a couple of solutions in mind. Make your complaints less than half of the things you bring to him/her. (Dr. Richard Mayne)
In rehearsal, talk less - play more.
When in need of parent volunteers, target a couple of folks and ask them directly for help. General calls for help in an email newsletter rarely do the trick. Parents have a more difficult time saying no to a direct request for help than one directed at no one in particular. They like to help and many of them enjoy the feeling of being needed. Delegate and get the heck out of the way!
Find time on a regular basis to play music. For your family, for your students, in a garage band or community orchestra, whatever! Keep your musical sensibilities sharp.
Finally, write lots of thank you notes. Emails aren't the same. The handwritten kind on school notecards are the best! (W.L. Whaley)

I hope you all have the best year of your career! Happy music-making!

60 Picnicers, 13 years, 2 schools, and 1 Facebook Page

kkeena@lps.k12.co.us (Kevin Keena) — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 07:11:00 +0000

I attended a picnic recently. There were lots of things to eat. It was hot out. Kids ran around and played together. To many, it seemed like a normal picnic. Not to me.

It was held at a high school, next to the football field, on a Sunday. None of the people there attended the school. At least, not anymore. A reunion of sorts. A 10-year-"ish" reunion of the classes between 1998 and 2002. I was their teacher.

I don't teach at that school anymore. It was a great job when I was there though. I didn't think it could have been better, until today.

I began my teaching career in 1997 at Rangeview High School in Aurora, Colorado. Big school, small band and orchestra. I taught instrumental music classes there for five years and we grew in size and achievement. It was a great gig, but for reasons having more to do with timing than anything, I moved on to another school. It happens.

Not quite a year ago I joined Facebook and slowly, my old students found me. It was neat to see what they do now, family pictures, where they live, and such. I stumbled upon a FB group calling themselves "The Keena Kids." The group's wall was fun to read. There was a little chatter about a reunion, and I posted something about showing up whenever and the next thing I know, the date is set.

We showed up with a cooler and two boxes of chicken. As soon as I saw one of the planners of the event, John (now a PhD candidate), I was transported back to the time when I was still their teacher. A few commented on my tardiness ("You always told us that on time was late..."). There were husbands, kids, wives, girlfriends, graduate schools, careers, and really great stories told about this one time at band camp...

There were two common themes to the stories: how much fun we had and how hard we worked. I appreciated that, especially since I tended to emphasize the hard work a little more...

My wife took pictures and as I looked through them the other night, I felt like I was watching an episode of Cold Case (minus the heinous crime!). Ya know how that show changes from the present to the past and they show what the characters look like now and 15 years ago and back and forth? That's what kept happening as I looked at pictures. The flash from youth to maturity. Innocence to experience. It was a really great feeling seeing where so many people got started on the track to adulthood and what they have achieved so far.

I didn't plan on creating an environment where kids felt so connected with each other. It was sort of a by-product of the expectation that they work hard together for a common goal. And I certainly have no misconceptions about a Utopian band where we all got along and swore to stay in touch for the rest of our lives. There were plenty of old students not at the picnic. All I wanted was for them to grow beyond their limits, to push themselves past what they thought was possible to what I saw as their potential. Did we win? If you mean first place, maybe not. If you mean create lasting experiences relationships and prove that music is valuable and relevant in an increasingly digital society, then Hell yeah!

We educators have an unknown influence on their students because we can never tell where our reach has stopped. I figured that our class was really important for a few of these students and was not surprised to see them. I incorrectly assumed that band was just another class and was stunned to see a lot of them. I'm thrilled I was wrong. Things we teach may not be important to our students for the reasons we want them to be important. Kids have their own reasons for taking our band classes, and all the reasons are important. I need to remember that. Do I think that their lives were enriched because of a music class? No. I know they were. 'Cuz they told me so.

These people have gone to be bioscientists, mechanical engineers, sailors, choreographers, software designers, soldiers, entrepreneurs, nurses, teachers, and yes, musicians. John later told my wife that I had no idea how much I meant to that group of kids back then. He's not exactly correct, because those kids stuck with me as I got me teaching career out of the starting gate, and they meant just as much to me. (by the way: thanks, John. That was a sweet thing to say!)

My point is this. Rangeview's band created a community. Facebook allowed this community to stay connected long after it's normal "shelf life." Would this community stayed in touch this long otherwise? Hard to say, though it is likely not near as many. Former students at my current school have stayed in touch (at least with me) since they graduated as well. This social network has validated beliefs I have held since day one: music teaches things that cannot be quantified and measured on a standardized test, but does teach things that can be measured on the test of life. These are the things that the students talked about that day. Maybe we could use this "anecdotal evidence" on our next check for AYP. I think they passed...

Because I wondered if there are alumni groups of chemistry classes, German classes, or AP Calculus classes on Facebook, I checked. One search I tried yielded significantly more high school band groups than any of these others. That at least tells me kids think music is as relevant as their other classes, even if they don't need as many music credits to graduate. Hmmm...

In a teaching world polluted by political agendas, arts education is mattering less and less. I fight for every kid that I enroll in my band classes, not with the kid, but with the system: schedules filled with unbalanced and questionable graduation requirements, ill-informed community members pressuring the school for high test scores and a great government report, legislators with as much teaching experience as my son's toy dump truck ignorantly deciding what's best for schools. These former students told me music was valuable to them and it was a part of who they are today. It's a noble fight, and after this small gathering of 20-somethings and their music teacher, it's one fight I intend to continue.

Because of Facebook, I am more motivated than ever to be a great music teacher! I get to hear about how music impacted my students years later and in real time. Things my kids learned after I said things like, "You'll understand when you're older," and "Trust me, this will come in handy long after you graduate," things that I forgot I said, are coming full circle. And so far, it looks like I wasn't completely full of it those years ago, that one time at band camp...

My Candle Problem, part 1

kkeena@lps.k12.co.us (Kevin Keena) — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 06:51:00 +0000

I know that a LOT of cyber-savvy folks out there are familiar with TED talks, but I saw one that really punched me in the brain. I am relatively new to TED and everyone I ask about it seems to respond with "Koppel or Danson?"

Okay, if you haven't yet discovered TED, go there now. WAIT! Read the rest of this first so that I didn't waste a bunch of time writing this stuff down! Your outlook on the world will never be the same. I discovered Gustavo Dudamel on TED before his appointment to the LA Philharmonic. I learned on TED that Second Life wasn't just some cool virtual reality thing in a CSI:NY episode. And so on...on every topic smart people (like you!) would find fascinating! I was overwhelmed...at first. Now I love searching TED talks for the relevant and the interesting. Like this one, which is both.

While I was browsing the TED Talks recently I recognized one of the names. Somewhat of a intellectual accomplishment right there! Daniel Pink was the speaker and I first heard about him about a year ago. I watched this video and I began COMPLETELY rethinking how I run my high school band program. You will rethink yours, too. Not your band program, but you know what I mean.

Pink's presents a strong case for re-examining how we motivate others to do things. His example are primarily business-based, i.e., how to raise employee productivity, but it is crystal clear that the education system in this country could learn a lesson or two. I just started reading the book that this talk accompanies and I will have additional thoughts in a few days.

For now, however, watch this!

Podcast #5: "What do mean, play EXRESSIVELY? I'm playing as loud as I can!"

kkeena@lps.k12.co.us (Kevin Keena) — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 04:58:00 +0000

Great musicians are a lot like great public speakers. They can capture and audience by OWNING their performance and being genuine about it.

ISTE Wrap-Up: Holy Crap!

kkeena@lps.k12.co.us (Kevin Keena) — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 01:51:00 +0000

I saw Adam Frey (co-founder of Wikispaces) and tech guru Vicki Davis introduce Wikis two a room full of eager teachers wondering how to integrate this popular tech tool in their teaching. I had been introduced to them by our tech coach, Heidi Dudley, but at the time, I don't think I was prepared to absorb the info. Too bad...my kids have missed out!

Steve Dembo from Discovery Education did a hilarious presentation introducing web 2.0 ideas to novice techies. And if if you haven't checked out Wallwisher (wallwisher.com) you should. Its a great (by that I mean EASY) way to involve kids who may not leap at the chance to speak in front of the class in things like brainstorming or test review activities. I also learned about Blabberize (blabberizer.com) adds a goofy moving mouth and sound to any picture. Look out Heritage! My back-to-school-night presentation just went to the next level!

I finished up with a session on PLNs (professional learning networks). As the only band teacher in my building (and one of three in my district at the high school level), online learning networks intrigue me! As a result of this session, I now follow a few more music ed and advocacy folks and techies on Twitter and read a few more blogs than I did before.

I met with a colleague for coffee today to share notes on our ISTE experience. We agree that there is a ton of good tech now at our disposal. I'm excited to get going on Google docs, class blogs, and a PLN.

It will take the same as my wife's new vegetable garden: patience, attention, time, and getting a little dirty (making a few mistakes) along the way!

ISTE 2010 Day 2: Um, I have work to do...

kkeena@lps.k12.co.us (Kevin Keena) — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 22:30:00 +0000

Remember that Far Side comic with the teacher standing in front of the class and that one kid in the middle raises his hand and says, "May I please be excused? My Brain is full."

I saw some great stuff but I want to focus on the last presentation of my day.

I just saw a talk by Ian Jukes and Lee Crockett: Looking at the Extreme Future. Now, to these two, the extreme future refers to the next 10 to 20 years because, as they put it, from the tech perspective, it's nearly impossible to see beyond that. They referred frequently to Moore's Law: "the processing speed of any electronic computational device would double every 24 months, while the cost of its production would simultaneously decline by 50 percent—so you’d get twice the power for half the price every two years." (committedsardine.com). He has been scary accurate for 50 years or so! Fast forward to 2022 (my oldest son will be a junior in high school). "Imagine a computer with 200 terabytes (200,000 Gb) of RAM and a 40 terabyte (40,000 Gb) hard drive. Imagine these machines processing at 1.2 terahertz (1,200,000 MHz). Would you be willing to spend $1.37 for such a device?" (committedsardine.com). At the core of the presentation was the conclusion that our schools are not preparing our kids for the world that lays ahead, but due to its industrial model, are preparing them for the world of 1955. Scary!

As they went along, I started getting nervous. I didn't see yet how music education fit in with where Jukes was going. Then he said it.

"In his book The Rise of the Creative Class, Richard Florida says you can divide American workers into four basic groups.

Agricultural Class—In 1900, almost 40 percent of workers were involved in agriculture. Today,
that’s down to less than 2 percent.

Working Class—These are the classic manufacturing jobs. These jobs peaked right after
World War II and have been in steady decline ever since.

Service Class—The service professions, or helping professions, peaked in 1980 and are now
shrinking primarily because of the personal computer.

Creative Class—These are people who do non-routine cognitive work and apply abstract skills on
a regular basis.

In 1900, only 10 percent of the workforce needed those abstract creative cognitive skills. Today,
that number is estimated to be 35 percent, and this number continues to accelerate, primarily
driven by digital technologies." (committedsardine.com)

Aha! CREATIVE! Non-routine cognitive work! ABSTRACT CREATIVE COGNITIVE SKILLS! YAY! I about jumped out of my chair in the last row! I teach music and music helps develop abstract cognitive skills! AWESOME!

Jukes continued. In ten years, it is likely that most of the jobs in the US and Canada will require this creative, abstract cognitive ability.

I am convinced that music education must play a role in the future of education. How? Um...I don't know how...yet...I have some work to do...

I feel like I woke up in a new world. Things have changed for me...

Reflections on my ISTE 2010 Experience: Day 1

kkeena@lps.k12.co.us (Kevin Keena) — Sun, 27 Jun 2010 23:40:00 +0000

Okay. I really like technology. REALLY like it. I love looking for ways to integrate technology into my class on a regular basis. Most people in my position tend to teach the way they were taught and that means very little in the way integrated tech. I thought I was really doing some neat things in my classes, and after going to a one-day workshop through my school district, I felt prepared and confident going into the ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education) convention. Until this year, I had not heard of this group of people numbering more than 22,000 strong, but since I REALLY like technology, I took advantage of the opportunity provided me by my school district to attend, for free! I got down to the convention center this afternoon after battling a little fatigue this morning and walked into a brick wall. I have never seen so much high tech stuff manned by people who seemed to have it all under control. Thousands of people working on laptops in the cafe, browsing their conference planner in their iPhones, tweeting, demonstrating interactive media. It was overwhelming, but very, very cool!

As I went through the bag I got at the registration booth, I began thinking about all the different ways we educators have to get our students from not understanding something to understanding it. It used to be, even when I was in school, that all my teachers taught all the different subjects and concepts one way: teacher speaks, student listens and absorbs some of what comes at him.

It's different today. Teachers in the same building are starting to teach similar concepts USING different subject areas, in dramatically different ways, to teach similar - if not the same - basic concepts.

Some teachers incorporate more small group settings, multi-media, web-based research, and other non-sit-and-listen-to-the-teacher methods. Some don't include any new methods.

Lots to think about...how can my rehearsals be more efficient through the use of this magical stuff I see at the ISTE conference?

Sitting on he floor at the first session watching this great digital media presentation, it occurs to me that there needs to be a balance between the skills used to create mind-blowing compositions and the content understanding that needs to be demonstrated. This is very demanding but extremely important. It is all too easy to hide a lack of understanding behind digital razzle-dazzle.

The rest of Day 1 was great. Brian Hatak (Arapahoe HS, CO) and pals blasted through the steps to getting a podcast published on iTunes. It was a great refresher and the kick in the butt I needed to get back into the "studio." Cheryl Lemke and Hall Davidson finished up my day. What great ideas they had! Make sure you look them up!

I'll try to get day 2 wrapped and up tomorrow night. TTFN

Podcast #4: The Perfect Audition

kkeena@lps.k12.co.us (Kevin Keena) — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 22:11:00 +0000

Nervous? Don't be! It's just an audition, and here are some tips to help you get through it like a pro!

Podcast #3: Audition Preparation Tips

kkeena@lps.k12.co.us (Kevin Keena) — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 21:23:00 +0000

Eight useful tips to help you get the most out of your pre-audition practice time!

Podcast #2: 7 Steps to Better Concert Etiquette, Part 2

kkeena@lps.k12.co.us (Kevin Keena) — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 22:56:00 +0000

The final steps for better concert audience behavior.

Podcast #1: 7 Steps to Better Concert Etiquette, Part 1

kkeena@lps.k12.co.us (Kevin Keena) — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 22:59:00 +0000

The first steps are the easiest!