Give Them A Boost! by Jonathan Tesser
Your students will feel an immediate impact after spending time with a guest clinician
Perhaps the greatest challenge music educators face on a daily basis is inspiring their students to maximize their abilities and stay excited about music. All of the other elements that go into administering a successful music program — whether it's ensuring that everything's on track for the holiday concert or fighting the school board to keep the elementary school music program alive or simply finding space on the auditorium schedule — can make it difficult to focus consistently on this vital responsibility.
Of course, sometimes it doesn't matter how fired up you are about teaching because, somehow, aliens have seemingly spirited away your students and replaced them with still-life cutouts. Finding ways to keep the motivation flowing is key, and one of the best is to put in a call for outside reinforcements — better known as guest clinicians.
Educators who use clinicians have seen firsthand the effect these artists have on their students. "It's such a rich experience for the kids," says Eric Graybill, the band director at Crossroads Middle School in Lewisberry, Pennsylvania. "You bring in a professional musician who is a great role model for what they can do with their instruments. It's equivalent to a middle school basketball team bringing in a professional basketball player."
Hearing concepts and examples from a different voice, even if it essentially echoes the same material you've been using, is also beneficial for students. Vince Macrina, the director of music for public schools in Brockton, Massachusetts, understands why this is so. "Sometimes, your kids in school start to become like your kids at home," Macrina explains. "If Dad says it, well, that's just Dad, but if somebody else says the same thing, 'Hey, it's What's-His-Name,' so they listen to him. The kids get a big kick when they hear the clinician say the same things their teacher says, because it shows them the teacher knows what he's talking about."
Someone who has seen that from both sides is Lisa Bontrager, a Holton horn artist who teaches at Penn State University and has also been giving clinics for 15 years.
Whether a clinician repeats what she teaches her students or she returns the favor when giving a clinic for another educator, Bontrager is keenly aware of the strong reinforcement that occurs.
"It's exciting when you hear somebody else say the same things," Bontrager says, "because it validates what you're trying to do. It encourages me as a teacher, plus it's great for the students to hear the information said a little differently by someone else. When somebody comes from out of town, they're always more 'spectacular' in students' eyes, so the kids perk up."
To ensure your students get that reinforcement, you need to discuss with an artist what he or she should cover before they come to your school. Although some clinicians prefer more specific information and instructions than others, it is the rare person who doesn't want to hear more than just the basics from an educator.
For example, Bontrager prefers to have a common goal with a teacher. "It's fun to interact with them and ask them what they'd like," she says. "I like it when they're specific: 'Well, my students have trouble sight-reading,' or 'My students don't play in tune as a section — can you work specifically on that?'"
Eric Graybill shares this approach in preparing clinicians for his students. "I always try to tell them what I work on," he says, "and give them a really good idea of what I do with the kids and what the kids know. That way the artist is not walking into something blind."
Not surprisingly, experienced clinicians can size up the situation pretty quickly after their initial conversation with a teacher. "If the teacher is gung ho, enthusiastic and has a lot of energy, then I know it's going to be a good clinic," says Musser vibe artist Jerry Tachoir, who's been giving them for more than 25 years. "The opposite is also true. When I talk with a percussion teacher and he's tired, been there for 40 years and seen it all, it's a total reflection of how his students will be too. I'll have to work harder to get the kids excited about music and creativity."
It's equally important you prep your students beforehand — tell them what to expect, and have them thinking about how it will apply to their instruments. Also be sure they're thinking of questions to ask the clinician and that they understand this will be an interactive experience. Students will come away with much more when it's over if they're ready to dive in right from the start.
Your clinician can help in that regard as well. Selmer saxophone artist Chris Vidala is a 20-year veteran who works some 50 clinics a year, and he has no doubt that getting off on the right foot is crucial.
"I try to capture their attention right off the bat," Vidala says. "If you just stand up there and talk, turn it into a lecture, then that's just another classroom situation for them.
"I either perform for them or get them to perform right away so they're active and engaged. I tell them, 'All you have to do is try.' I can usually get them to react, particularly if it's an improvisation class where they can all participate. It's like public speaking with your instrument; everybody will have something different to say. As a result, they'll all appreciate the effort to get up and engage in this kind of atmosphere."
Bach trombone artist Conrad Herwig agrees that performing at the beginning helps students focus. Herwig, who has been giving 15?20 clinics a year for the past two decades, believes that students will better value what a clinician has to say if they first hear a solid performance.
"I think of it as an 'informance,'" Herwig says. "You're informing the students by performing and giving them an idea of what you do. After that I'll discuss some things and then play again, illustrating some of the points I'm making."
Keep in mind that students aren't necessarily the only ones who can benefit from exposure to a clinician. Chris Vidala puts it this way: "Maybe there's a terrific concert band director who hasn't worked with jazz that much. He'll ask me to come in and work with his jazz band. I won't go in front of the band and say, 'Wow, this director has no clue.' What I'll do is make some suggestions to the kids in a way that won't embarrass anybody. Then I'll take the director aside and say, 'Here are some suggestions, and here's a handout that might help you feel a little more comfortable when you're in front of this group.'"
There's no doubt that bringing in a clinician provides the kind of stimulation that keeps students excited about music and dedicated to their program. If you'd like to have a guest artist but are not sure how to initiate the process, check with your local music dealer, who should have clinician contact information and be able to help you with the arrangements. Your program will reap the rewards afterward, and your kids will thank you.
