Anonymous
Post 09/10/2023 12:49     Subject: Instrumental music?
Anonymous wrote:Why is the school even offering lessons? Seems like it makes things more complicated. Have kids do private lessons and then do the rehearsals after school. That’s what I did when I played cello from 3rd-12th grade. Same thing when DH played viola.


So that kids who can't afford private lessons can benefit from instrumental music.
Anonymous
Post 09/10/2023 12:01     Subject: Instrumental music?
Why is the school even offering lessons? Seems like it makes things more complicated. Have kids do private lessons and then do the rehearsals after school. That’s what I did when I played cello from 3rd-12th grade. Same thing when DH played viola.
Anonymous
Post 09/10/2023 11:22     Subject: Instrumental music?
Anonymous wrote:At BTSN DS’s 4th grade teacher seemed to be discouraging instrumental music. She kept mentioning that kids miss instruction time and have to make up on their own with the parents help. She also mentioned that it’s better to start in middle school etc. This is my youngest kid and the first time any teacher has discouraged taking instrumental music in 4th grade. My 3 older kids all did it and had no issues and I didn’t get this negative/discouraging rant from any of their 4th grade teachers. In fact they were all very supportive.
Anyone else experience this ?


That’s so weird. I would ask more questions. There’s no reason kids should wait until middle school to do music.
Anonymous
Post 09/10/2023 11:17     Subject: Instrumental music?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:At BTSN DS’s 4th grade teacher seemed to be discouraging instrumental music. She kept mentioning that kids miss instruction time and have to make up on their own with the parents help. She also mentioned that it’s better to start in middle school etc. This is my youngest kid and the first time any teacher has discouraged taking instrumental music in 4th grade. My 3 older kids all did it and had no issues and I didn’t get this negative/discouraging rant from any of their 4th grade teachers. In fact they were all very supportive.
Anyone else experience this ?


We got that too - many kids miss compacted math, which already goes so fast. So if a kid is borderline, it can be a problem to miss half a class a week.


This is why the instrumental teachers rotate the lesson times, so the same group is not always missing the same portion of the teaching day. Sometimes it can be tough for the kids to keep track, but that, too, is a good life lesson.


That’s not the case at our school. Kids have the same lesson time each week.
Anonymous
Post 09/10/2023 09:09     Subject: Instrumental music?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:At BTSN DS’s 4th grade teacher seemed to be discouraging instrumental music. She kept mentioning that kids miss instruction time and have to make up on their own with the parents help. She also mentioned that it’s better to start in middle school etc. This is my youngest kid and the first time any teacher has discouraged taking instrumental music in 4th grade. My 3 older kids all did it and had no issues and I didn’t get this negative/discouraging rant from any of their 4th grade teachers. In fact they were all very supportive.
Anyone else experience this ?


We got that too - many kids miss compacted math, which already goes so fast. So if a kid is borderline, it can be a problem to miss half a class a week.


This is why the instrumental teachers rotate the lesson times, so the same group is not always missing the same portion of the teaching day. Sometimes it can be tough for the kids to keep track, but that, too, is a good life lesson.
Anonymous
Post 09/10/2023 08:28     Subject: Instrumental music?
Anonymous wrote:At BTSN DS’s 4th grade teacher seemed to be discouraging instrumental music. She kept mentioning that kids miss instruction time and have to make up on their own with the parents help. She also mentioned that it’s better to start in middle school etc. This is my youngest kid and the first time any teacher has discouraged taking instrumental music in 4th grade. My 3 older kids all did it and had no issues and I didn’t get this negative/discouraging rant from any of their 4th grade teachers. In fact they were all very supportive.
Anyone else experience this ?


MoCo is extremely fortunate that instrumental music is offered in ES. I know HS band directors in districts where it doesn’t start until MS and everyone says it is best for children to start in fourth grade. Strictly from an educational perspective, the multidisciplinary aspects only enhance classroom learning. I am sort of aghast that a classroom teacher would say this, especially at BTSN. Frankly it should be reported to the principal and serious thought should be given to firing the teacher for gross incompetence.
Anonymous
Post 09/10/2023 08:23     Subject: Instrumental music?
Anonymous wrote:I think the reason behind her discouragement is that she doesn’t want to do any extra work if the kids miss something important. I don’t blame her. Teachers are burdened with too much work and get paid too little. Why would they want to reteach a lesson if the students miss it because of music?


This.

It’s a pain for the teachers because random groups of kids miss class at different times.
Anonymous
Post 09/10/2023 07:19     Subject: Instrumental music?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:At BTSN DS’s 4th grade teacher seemed to be discouraging instrumental music. She kept mentioning that kids miss instruction time and have to make up on their own with the parents help. She also mentioned that it’s better to start in middle school etc. This is my youngest kid and the first time any teacher has discouraged taking instrumental music in 4th grade. My 3 older kids all did it and had no issues and I didn’t get this negative/discouraging rant from any of their 4th grade teachers. In fact they were all very supportive.
Anyone else experience this ?


We got that too - many kids miss compacted math, which already goes so fast. So if a kid is borderline, it can be a problem to miss half a class a week.


But do they tell it doesn’t matter because it will be a sh:;show in MS anyway? Due to the lack of staffing allocations kids will be combined by level and grade to make the allocations fit their schedule. Don’t be naive thinking if your kid is in a specific math class in 5th grade their entire future is already mapped out. MCPS is misleading parents in many ways
Anonymous
Post 09/09/2023 20:43     Subject: Instrumental music?
Anonymous wrote:At BTSN DS’s 4th grade teacher seemed to be discouraging instrumental music. She kept mentioning that kids miss instruction time and have to make up on their own with the parents help. She also mentioned that it’s better to start in middle school etc. This is my youngest kid and the first time any teacher has discouraged taking instrumental music in 4th grade. My 3 older kids all did it and had no issues and I didn’t get this negative/discouraging rant from any of their 4th grade teachers. In fact they were all very supportive.
Anyone else experience this ?


We got that too - many kids miss compacted math, which already goes so fast. So if a kid is borderline, it can be a problem to miss half a class a week.
Anonymous
Post 09/09/2023 19:58     Subject: Instrumental music?
Anonymous wrote:I think the reason behind her discouragement is that she doesn’t want to do any extra work if the kids miss something important. I don’t blame her. Teachers are burdened with too much work and get paid too little. Why would they want to reteach a lesson if the students miss it because of music?


Reteach? That implies she actually taught in the first place. Schools are now using Zearn, the free website that goes with Eureka to deliver the math curriculum now. Teacher just has to get the kids plugged in
Anonymous
Post 09/09/2023 19:56     Subject: Re:Instrumental music?
Anonymous wrote:This is odd advice from an elementary school teacher. I've never heard any teacher talk down about the benefits of music education. The reason on the cognitive benefits of learning how to play an instrument are well known.

Maybe she has beef with the instructor? I do know that many MCPS elementary schools don't have a dedicated teacher, but a shared resource who rotates between the schools. So I get why some might not like that model, but honestly, I don't see how that makes much of a difference since it's not like kids had music daily before that anyway.


This 4th grade teacher was asleep at the wheel during contract bargaining season. MCEA was trying to increase the chorus and instrumental music specials to give homeroom teachers more planning time 🙄
Anonymous
Post 09/09/2023 19:54     Subject: Re:Instrumental music?
Anonymous wrote:When my kid was in 4th grade, the teacher discouraged the kids from doing both Chorus and Instrumental Music and suggested they pick one of them because of missing too much class instruction. Our DD chose instrumental music. The band teacher was great at scattering the lessons so a different class was missed each week. She is still playing now and loves it. Yes, they have beginning band in middle school, so you could wait, but she liked being in Band 1, which is for 6th graders who have experience. Learning in 4th and 5th gave her a nice base, but her instrumental playing really took off in 6th when it became a regular class and not just a weekly pullout. She only really didn’t like being pulled out during math in 4th and 5th. Any other subject was easy for her to jump right back into. Math sometimes took some extra work on her part to figure out the missed instruction.


Not every MS has band 1 and many combine beginners with experienced players.
Anonymous
Post 09/09/2023 19:53     Subject: Instrumental music?
Anonymous wrote:Middle school does not teach individual instruments. Much better to start now. You have a bad teachers


Exactly. As a middle school instrumental teacher I’m mad this 4th grade homeroom teacher thinks she knows anything about the music curriculum.
Anonymous
Post 09/09/2023 17:23     Subject: Instrumental music?
Do both. It is grade 4. They will manage. Music is very enriching for many kids and it is free in school.
Anonymous
Post 09/09/2023 17:10     Subject: Re:Instrumental music?
When my kid was in 4th grade, the teacher discouraged the kids from doing both Chorus and Instrumental Music and suggested they pick one of them because of missing too much class instruction. Our DD chose instrumental music. The band teacher was great at scattering the lessons so a different class was missed each week. She is still playing now and loves it. Yes, they have beginning band in middle school, so you could wait, but she liked being in Band 1, which is for 6th graders who have experience. Learning in 4th and 5th gave her a nice base, but her instrumental playing really took off in 6th when it became a regular class and not just a weekly pullout. She only really didn’t like being pulled out during math in 4th and 5th. Any other subject was easy for her to jump right back into. Math sometimes took some extra work on her part to figure out the missed instruction.