Author Archives: mllama4

grades

Posted on December 8, 2012 by mllama4

R – I hate grades. I love assessing, I don’t mind “grading”, but I hate grades. What’s the point? “I got a B”. SO? What in the world does THAT mean… As school teachers we are required to give grades … Continue reading →

Posted in Assessment, Standards | 1 Comment

standards, assessment, blah blah blah… part 4

Posted on November 24, 2012 by mllama4

R – I have a strong conviction that standards based assessment in music begins as a mindset first and a series of actions second. If a teacher were to ask, “what should I do to make this happen?”, the answers … Continue reading →

Posted in Advocacy, Assessment, Standards | Leave a comment

standards, assessment, blah blah blah… part 3

Posted on November 17, 2012 by mllama4

R – Implementing standards based assessment into a music program can appear to be a daunting task. But I have a conviction that it doesn’t have to be. In practice, standards articulate critical stepping stones in the educational journey of … Continue reading →

Posted in Advocacy, Assessment, Standards | 4 Comments

standards, assessment, blah blah blah… part 2

Posted on November 3, 2012 by mllama4

R – Old model: what we teach matters. New model: what our students learn matters. That’s standards in action. But these two things are the same thing you say? I used to agree. I don’t anymore. Read on. I touched … Continue reading →

Posted in Advocacy, Assessment, Standards | 1 Comment

standards, assessment, blah blah blah… part 1

Posted on October 26, 2012 by mllama4

R – I’ve spent a lot of mental time recently thinking about where music assessment stands in the great state of Maine right now. And my concerns lie around lingering misunderstandings of 1) what a “standard” is, 2) what it … Continue reading →

Posted in Assessment, Rehearsal, Standards | 3 Comments

high school music requirement

Posted on October 20, 2012 by mllama4

R – I have three questions for you High School teachers out there. Here’s question #1: “Should music education be for every student?” I wish I could hear your own individual response to this… is it “yes”, “no” or “depends”? … Continue reading →

Posted in Advocacy, Etcetera | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

letters to PCC: not-so-psycho analysis

Posted on October 13, 2012 by mllama4

R – I don’t sing so much any more (conducting really is my first love) but when I was teaching in Vermont in the early 1990’s I decided for a term to commute to Worcester, Massachusetts to perform with the Worcester Chorale under the … Continue reading →

Posted in Music is work, Rehearsal | 2 Comments

role playing

Posted on October 2, 2012 by mllama4

R – Role playing… I think that we as music educators do this better than anyone else I can think of. The variety of hats we wear seems to transcend anyone else’s definition of “normal” except for ours. Think about … Continue reading →

Posted in Etcetera, Music is work | Leave a comment

sacred music police

Posted on August 31, 2012 by mllama4

R – preface: I have spent 11 of my 25 years in this profession as a president or president-elect of a state ACDA or NAfME organization. All that means is that I have been in a position to hear what’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Advocacy, Etcetera, Programming, Rehearsal | Tagged | 8 Comments

what would betty atterbury say

Posted on August 26, 2012 by mllama4

R – I never met Betty before she passed away in 1998. I was still teaching in New Hampshire at the time and had not crossed paths with her while I was up in Orono doing my graduate work a … Continue reading →

Posted in Advocacy, Etcetera | 5 Comments