The Orchestration of Education: Analysis not Paralysis

These are Random thoughts not yet complete - feel free to complete them

1. First, there needs to be a desire to play an instrument or to play in the band. Students have heard, seen, or felt something that captured their heart and imagination. Sometimes an external force (like a parent) gets them into it.
2. Certain skills are taught on an individual basis. Reading music, playing scales. The fundamentals are given to individuals. The instrument is technology. It is the means through which we create the music.
3. Section skills are taught, i.e., trumpets can go into a separate room and try playing certain passages of a song. More experienced students can help the less experienced students.
4. Every lesson needs to be Schlechty-ized to engage as many students as possible. The juice has to be worth the squeeze. If all the student’s are playing and if the director knows the score, the director can hear a general area where someone isn’t quite right with their playing. So the director focuses in on that section, 3rd trumpet for example, and has only that section play until the person making the mistake is recognized and corrected either immediately, if possible, or later if the individual skill has to be re-taught. We need to recognize those few who aren’t playing their instrument, and raise the level of desire or the level of anxiety so that they will want to play the instrument.
5. Like a band class, everybody needs to perform
6. Every body needs to practice, but there always has to be a way that the practice is efficient and that everyone practices the right things. People have to have immediate, individual response during practice. Skills must be taught and re-taught so that the student has a good vision of what is right and if something goes wrong, how to self-correct. What are individual tendencies, how to be aware of those tendencies, and how to correct ourselves. Self correction is a must because the teacher can not always be there during the practice time. In sports, it’s muscle memory or feeling how to start a golf swing, to feel where the back swing goes, to feel how to transition to the fore swing, and then trusting to let it go. See it. Feel it. Trust it. In music, could it be hear it, feel it, trust it.
7. Change our focus of assessing. In other words, if everyone is playing their “instrument, it’s the one’s with the wrong notes that we hear and need to correct immediately. The other students who seem to be proficient (who aren’t playing the wrong notes) need to have direction on “where do I go from here.” In other words, what fine tunings are necessary and how do I get to the next level. There should always be a “where do I go from here” for everyone. On the other hand, there should always be an opportunity to sit back momentarily and enjoy what one has accomplished. This is also a “learned” behavior, and it’s necessary to keep the motivation up and moving forward.
8. So now, let’s apply this to every subject. Math, science, language arts, etc.


a. Individual Motivation
b. Confidence
c. Must have the skills needed to perform
d. Must be able to recognize when you aren’t in tune or sounding good.
e. Must be able to self-correct
f. Always think about how to reach another level
g. Enjoy your success
h. Be able to move on.

Now, let's think like a scientist. Let's assume that all things are possible. Let's look at a "Space Elevator" and think: if this can be accomplished, what can we do in our schools?