Approaching Education in an Urban Classroom: A Discussion with Dr. Preston Wilson - Libby Gopal

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 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,

make flyers, use coupons, beg. Most importantly, always keep your why of teaching music at the forefront of your intentions. In all aspects of preparation for class, why do you do it? I feel reasonably assured in saying that none of us went through the trudges of college and certification programs just to teach a half note gets 2 beats in 4/4. We don't want to teach notes on a page, we want to make music; we want to create independent musicians. Yes, we want students to identify a ritardando in a piece of music, but most importantly, can the student perform it in the appropriate way of their own volition?

What do you see as possible solutions for the choral director navigating potential issues common in urban school districts?

Relationship building is critical: with students, their families, your administration, the school community, and the surrounding community. It takes all of these cogs to make the machine that is music education run smoothly. Be your honest and authentic self as the teacher. You can not be everything to everybody, being the best you is the best thing. And if there is something that you do not know, bring in somebody that does. Change the rhetoric of urban music programs. When people hear the word urban, it is often attached to negative stereotypes and deficit perspectives. But urban music classrooms are very special places that are quite unique. Students possess so much talent. They merely need a safe space to cultivate it. In all my years of teaching in Toledo, I can look back and say that I never had a dull moment…ever.I would create opportunities to showcase my students' versatility, talent, tenacity, resilience, and humor.

ADVOCACY IN NJMEA

What is Advocacy in Music Education? • Connecting with our community of music educators through the act of verbal and written support. •Contacting local political stakeholders & administrators to express why equitable access to a viable, sequential, and enduring arts program is important for all students and the communities that they serve.

Advocacy Statement

NJMEA joins our music students, educators and communities in celebrating the power of music education. Our advocacy work, therefore, focuses on raising awareness of the lasting positive impact of music education on the academic, personal, and professional growth of our students.

Music education is part of a well-rounded education for every student as outlined in the Every Student Succeeds Act. The National Core Arts Standards guide us to Create, Perform, Respond and Connect. Arts education shapes the way our students understand themselves and the world around them, allowing for a deep engagement with learning.

Students and communities throughout New Jersey demonstrate the importance of quality music education programs to the lives of young people. Therefore, we encourage all citizens to celebrate and acknowledge the importance of arts education to remain fully funded because it is an essential part of the well-rounded education of every student.

Philosophy

NJMEA celebrates & acknowledges the importance of the arts in our educational institutions & its connection to the social-emotional well-being of students. We will work with educational stakeholders so that it remains fully funded & recognized for its central role in a student’s well-rounded education.

Advocacy Goals

For teachers: to have a plethora of diverse resources & access to meaningful, purposeful, & effective professional development opportunities. For students: to be provided with equitable musical opportunities & be celebrated, acknowledged, & recognized for their accomplishments. For community members: to have equitable access to a viable, sequential, & enduring arts program in their public schools. For administrators & policy makers: to fully fund, support, and promote the art’s central role in education. Advocacy Resources

NJMEA Advocacy Website: https://sites.google.com/view/advocacyinmusiceducation/home

NAMM: Why Music Matters: https://www.nammfoundation.org/why-music-matters ?gclid=CjwKCAiAyPyQBhB6EiwAFUuakjzu1mSBhmKg6ROb8XTCaYScK7m2fRtVBn91VmVtlx1WXfpdVpVFPBoCt2AQAvD_BwE

Music For All Bill: https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/5581/ text?r=45&s=1

State Music Education Advocacy Grant: https://docs.google.com/ presentation/d/1zEZo-eFuKF4GjPgut0KzU1O9VAktYMmH/edit?usp=sharing&ouid =113988211313961463587&rtpof=true&sd=true

Arts Ed NJ: March Forward - 2022 Guidance for Arts Education: https://www.artsednj. org/september-forward/

Cares Act II Funding Guidance: https://www.artsednj.org/wp-content/uploads/AENJCARES-II-Guidance-2021-03-18.pdf

Crescendo Foundation Assistance Application: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/ e/1FAIpQLSeybhlFLl48_cE__kcHxRMadGcrpdYGRY7dSnwwE2CZbeEteQ/viewform

Questions? Contact:

Libby Gopal NJMEA Advocacy Chair libby.gopal[at]eastorange.k12.nj.us

Katy Brodhead Cullen IDEA Committee Chair, NJSMA Diversity & Inclusion Chair njmea.idea[at]gmail.com diversity[at]njsma.com

Bobby Hamm IDEA Committee, Data Lead njmea.idea.research[at]gmail.com

Isaiah Mason CJMEA Diversity & Inclusion Chair imason[at]cjmea.org

The Crescendo Foundation is a Not For Profit Corporation initially formed by leadership of the New Jersey Music Educators Association, who serves as the registered agent. The Association’s mission includes the advancement of music instruction in New Jersey’s educational institutions at all levels that provide in-service and enrichment opportunities for music educators, as well as sponsoring various festivals and All-State performing groups for K-12 students. As a result, the Foundation’s goal is to provide financial support to underserved students and communities to create access to the aforementioned festivals and performing groups. In this first phase of giving, funds will go to a scholarship model geared towards students aspiring to participate in All-State ensembles.

The Scholarship Framework

Through data assessment, it has been identified that All-State ensemble participation is not reflective of statewide total population demographics when comparing race and socio-economic status. The scholarship opportunities from the Crescendo Foundation gifts will allow students to apply for financial support to assist with any or all of the fees associated with participation including: • Audition Fee - $25 • Participation Fee - $35 • Housing - $315

As part of the All-State experience and upon acceptance, students are housed together throughout the performance weekend. Scholarship opportunities would be available to cover the entire cost of this invaluable experience. In subsidizing these costs for qualified students and easing the burden of financial access, it is the hope of the Foundation that our All-State programming will become more inclusive, diverse and equitable.

We Need Your Help

We acknowledge that the Foundation’s ability to realize the plans outlined in the Scholarship program will require the generous support of the community. The initial phase of the program will require $50,000 which aims to assist 150 students over the course of the next three years in the areas of All-State Orchestra, Choir, Band and Jazz. All-State ensembles contribute to a total of 6 concerts annually in both Atlantic City and Newark. The vision for the Foundation is to eventually go beyond the scope of All-State ensembles to positively support several aspects of music education programming both at the State and Region levels, making this an important first step.

All gifts are tax deductible and there are many ways and opportunities to support this important effort. We thank you in advance for your support of our state’s students and providing transformative experiences outside of their school programs.

Giving Opportunities

Large Ensemble Concert Sponsorship - $5,000 • All State Orchestra and Mixed Chorus, Atlantic City • All State Orchestra and Mixed Chorus, New Jersey Performing Arts Center, Newark • All State Symphonic Band, Wind Ensemble and Treble Chorus, Atlantic City • All State Symphonic Band, Wind Ensemble and Treble Chorus, NJPAC, Newark

Concert Sponsorship - $2,500 • All State Jazz, Atlantic City • All State Jazz, New Jersey Performing Arts Center, Newark

Crescendo Giving Level - $1,000

Sforzando Giving Level - $500

Arts Advocate - $250

Friends of the Arts - $100

Other $_____________

All gifts and giving levels will be recognized in programs for that school year and program cycle, including concerts listed above, as well as NJMEA conference materials.

All gifts are tax deductible. Checks should be made payable and sent to:

The Crescendo Foundation 300 W Somerdale Road, Suite C Voorhees, NJ 08043-2236

Please include contact information and appropriate name listing for program printing.