East Side High

Today I spent a class period observing and helping the instrumental music teacher at East Side High School in Newark. It was the first time I had been to an urban school since about fourth grade, when I went to a high school in Jacksonville, FL to see some sort of rain forest thing. So this basically a new experience for me.

The atmosphere was much different from the music program where I went to high school, or where anyone I know went to high school. Just about all the students were beginners, and the ones that had had prior instruction had only had a very small amount, something that I have never heard of at the high school level. The teacher explained to me that instrumental music is not offered in many elementary and middle schools throughout the district. Newark is the only place he knows of where the high school instrumental music courses are comprised of mostly beginners. Also unlike other music programs, all the instruments were in the same class. Usually when a student begins learning an instrument in school, they are put in a small class with other students learning the same instrument. This class was large (29 students) and made up of different instruments. So there were some challenges that I had not thought a high school music teacher might face.

When a student first learns an instrument, individual or at least grouped attention to like instruments is needed to help them learn their instruments. At East Side, everyone was grouped together, so the teacher had to come up with other ways to give this instruction. He put sections (i.e. percussion, trumpets, trombones, saxophones, etc.) into separate rooms. He then assigned a section leader who either already knew how to play a little bit, or was a little bit ahead of the other students. The section leader would be responsible for teaching the other students in his or her section the day's objective. The teacher then bounced from section to section, giving extra help to those students who needed it, and encouraging students who were doing well to push themselves further. I helped with the saxophones for the class period I was there, showing them fingerings and making suggestions for their embouchure.

While this setting allowed some individualized and small group instruction, it did have its drawbacks. Discipline was a problem, as the teacher was not able to pay attention to all the students at once. At one time, the trumpets left their room and began banging away at the piano in the main band room. The teacher had to stop what he was doing with the clarinet and flutes and address this disruption. The setting also made it easy for students to lose focus on what they were supposed to be doing. This problem was exacerbated by the length of the class, which was approximately eighty minutes.

There were other challenges the teacher faced that I had yet to see in any of the suburban schools I have attended or visited. Several of his students were English language learners, and understood only a small amount of English. The teacher was bilingual, speaking fluent Spanish, which helped with this problem, but it was a challenge for me while I was working with some of the students. I frequently had to motion or demonstrate the concepts I was trying to teach. While the students usually understood eventually and were able to do what I was asking, it was more difficult and time-consuming than it is with my English-speaking private students.

The teacher also explained to me that he usually got a large proportion of special-needs students, and that many students had not chosen to take the class. He described it as somewhat of a "dumping ground" for problem students. This was another factor that made discipline and motivation difficult, although in the class period I spent at the school the teacher had a good handle on the students' behavior and there were no major problems or disruptions.

Despite these challenges and problems, the teacher had a very positive outlook of the students and his program. This was mirrored in the students' attitudes. While it was obvious many of them were particularly concerned with music, when they had an instrument in their hand, all of them were eager to learn and put in some effort. Some of them were visibly surprised and pleased when they were able to do something they had been trying for a while. I was surprised at how far some of the students had progressed considering they had only started the class two weeks ago.

One major problem within the district from a music education perspective is that many students who have already had musical instruction are attracted to the magnet high schools that already have established instrumental music programs. This makes it extremely difficult to get a band program going, as the talent that could attract new students into the band or marching band are not even there. Good musicians help everyone around them, and an absence of established musical peers makes it all the harder for students to learn and improve.

Going into East Side was a very illuminating experience. While the largest challenge the teacher faced is unique to the Newark school district, many of the things he had to deal with were ones commonly associated with urban education. In addition, the setting was one in which creative teaching practices would be rewarded, as many of the problems faced are almost unheard of in music education and require a unique look at music. I know this is a cliche, but I came away with more questions that answers, and I'll probably be thinking about them for a long time to come.