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#hottaketuesmused one of my absolute biggest questions in this profession. Mostly surrounded by the equity issues ignored by “go home and practice”. https://twitter.com/StevesMusicRoom/status/1346592312751742976
Before I get too woke here, there will be a recurring bottom line: musicians practice. They play music, and if they want to build skill and knowledge and all that, they’ve got to play.
PE isn’t enough if you love
. Band isn’t enough if you love 
PE isn’t enough if you love
. Band isn’t enough if you love
Now to the discussion at hand.
“Practice” is what I’m going to call all outside-of-school music-making. What I mostly mean is playing alone, doing exercises and assignments and learning rep. But that’s not the whole picture.
“Practice” is what I’m going to call all outside-of-school music-making. What I mostly mean is playing alone, doing exercises and assignments and learning rep. But that’s not the whole picture.
A lot of musical growth also happens in churches, jam sessions, figuring out tunes by ear, improvising with or without external context, listening and audiating... when I was a kid I practiced by transcribing on my fingers silently.
But I was (am) weird.
But I was (am) weird.
Kids who will make the most growth likely have diverse musical experiences, and motivation to find success with them. Youth choir, praise band, private lessons, jam band, etc.
Kids who see the next most growth will just love band and love their instrument and do their assignments.
They’ll see steady progress, hustle through method books, and contribute to rewarding school concerts.
They’ll see steady progress, hustle through method books, and contribute to rewarding school concerts.
How many assumptions do you have to make to think that all of this is up to the kid? A few dozen, skipping a lot of real life circumstances. The following tweets will all be things kids can’t control, which have arisen in my real teaching.
1 can’t bring instrument home. Lived in public housing projects where trying to carry a trumpet case to and from school would mean it is likely stolen. Instrument must stay at school or it disappears.
2 can’t practice at home due to family circumstances, like a newborn baby or a parent who works nights. I had a kid who’s brother had severe ASD and attacked her violin every time he heard it.
3 can’t practice at home due to what home physically is. Many of us have students who live in a trailer, or a small apartment. Making any sounds, let alone the mistakes that come with practicing, brings what I’ll call “social unpleasantness”
3a I’ve had parents send kids outdoors to practice. In the winter. In upstate NY. With a hat and gloves and coat.
4 can’t practice at home because they don’t have a home.
5 don’t know how to practice. Such little grasp on what to do that they don’t know whether they’re anywhere near right. I’ve made YouTube videos to help my students with this but that makes even more assumptions about technology
6 low quality instruments are like payday loans. Parent will find something cheap and decent looking and it will never, ever sound good. Discouraging. Kid thinks it’s their own fault.
7 instrument breaks, can’t afford to get it fixed. Violins never in tune. Trombone develops “frets”. Valves stick constantly. Discouraging. Parents made sacrifices to get instrument, no more budget to fix it.
8 home responsibility. Many students are carrying significant burdens at home, helping with meals and with siblings. Hard to justify closing the door on that to go play an instrument.
9 societal pressures and distractions. Kids deserve time with their friends, but those friends are much more appealing to many kids than playing music alone.
As they get older, social activities take on other meanings.
As they get older, social activities take on other meanings.
10 parental support. So many families are hustling just to survive, parents get home and just don’t have the energy to make sure kids are doing their lip slurs.
*I say parent, but I really mean parent/guardian/the kid’s raisins... whoever’s raisin’ em
*I say parent, but I really mean parent/guardian/the kid’s raisins... whoever’s raisin’ em
These are children we are teaching. They aren’t all motivated. They need help building and maintaining habits. So many kids I see wander in and out of music who never really got to enjoy it because nobody ever helped them over that first hump.
Almost every issue I mentioned there was a poverty issue, or at least poverty-adjacent.
Our programs, as traditionally constructed, favor homes with space, money, time, and supportive parents.
Our programs, as traditionally constructed, favor homes with space, money, time, and supportive parents.
My first solution is to have part-time employees, volunteers, or mentors oversee practice rooms. At school, before or after. Teachers have a#enough on their plate and there are always music-supporting community members.
Could be @ community centers, YMCA’s, B&G club, wherever
Could be @ community centers, YMCA’s, B&G club, wherever
Anyway this is something I think about a lot because I feel like my program, more than nearly any other in public schools, is not equitable for all students. I try. But it’s hard.
