Approaching Education in an Urban Classroom: A Discussion with Dr. Preston Wilson Libby Gopal East Orange Campus High School libby.gopal[at]eastorange.k12.nj.us
Introduction: Describe your experience teaching in an urban setting. I am a product of urban public schooling. From 6th to 12th grade, I attended an urban arts school: Durham School of the Arts. When attending undergrad at Fisk University, both of my student teaching experiences were in urban public schools During my masters at Bowling Green State University, I worked with the Music Plus program. Once a week, selected students were bussed from Toledo Public campus for two hours: one for private lessons, one for piano and composition My first job out of graduate school was at an urban charter school, L. Hollingworth School for the Talented and Gifted. After that, I started working for Toledo Public Schools: 2 years in elementary schools, 3 years in high schools. What are some recurring issues a new choral director might face when teaching in an urban setting? I have found that many music educators made the decision to become music educators because of the experiences they had in school music. And when new teachers get their own classrooms they attempt to recreate those experiences. However, they are sometimes frustrated because they attempt to recreate those experiences they had but the context is different. Because of the transient nature of urban populations, assumed musical skills may not always be there. So be ready to teach them. Not in all urban contexts, but many times urban schools do not always have resources that make success easy. Therefore, be prepared for creative fundraising and innovative lessons. Urban settings may present some behaviors not often discussed in teacher education programs. Did you ever feel compelled to modify some pedagogical tools and/or resources in order to make them conducive for the setting in which you were teaching? For one, I understood that in order to have a successful program, I had to have students in my class; I had to make my class worthy to be an elective. One strategy was relinquishing some of my repertoire selections. In my high school choir, I had a working agreement: if they worked hard at the music I selected, I would work hard on the music that I selected. If I selected a song in another language, the students worked TEMPO
hard on the IPA and technical things. So, when my students selected a song, I made sure they had lights and staging, edited backing tracks, and choreography. I also consider the student that knows the least (musically) in all of my lessons. If the student in my class that knows the least (musically) will not be able to grasp the content without assistance, I change the presentation of the content. I ensure that the images in my class and video selections for my lessons always include people that look like my students. I freshen routine things up: add click track to the warmups, play random music at the beginning of class, some classes just talk to the students as people. And when they talk, allow them to be honest and authentic. Students come to class carrying so much, both good and bad, and they deserve the opportunity to express it. What are some ideas you would like to share that could be helpful for getting students interested and familiar with choral singing? Make it accessible and make it engaging. I am not saying the tried and true classics of choral music should be abandoned. I am saying they should be approached in a new way. Connect them to the students and who they are. For example, many operas are rife with drama…like many of the reality TV shows. Mozart’s Cosi Fan Tutti is literally like watching an episode of Cheaters. Listen to your students' music; you’ll be surprised. And you might not hate it (although the content and language can be a bit much). But then ask the student’s to tell you why they like the song or artist, and they must use vocabulary you've taught them in class. They must articulate why they like it. Recruit in unconventional ways. I would go to the cafeteria or listen to students sing in the hallway, then would march them to the counselors office to get a schedule change. I had students who were wonderful rappers and lyricists but not the best singers: guess who’s getting a solo? I would see some students singing in their church choirs and ensembles, and I would of course ask them to join one of my choirs. I had amazing dancers that were not singers: guess who’ll be choreographing? Crowdsource your enrollment by telling your students to bring their friends. Be just as unconventional in fundraising and promotion. Use social media, 22
MAY 2022
