ACG turns 30 this year! In celebration, one of our generous supporters is matching every gift up to $50,000 between now and our opening concert with maestro Pepe Romero on September 26th! Make a gift today.
Adjusting to the “new normal” with COVID-19 has been a whirlwind as we navigate different approaches to exist and be productive in our new socially-distanced reality. As musicians and music educators, it’s tricky to grasp how to make a hands-on artistic and education process effective virtually. Our staff has collaborated with educators around the globe to share creative solutions to be successful despite these circumstances.
This summer we held our National Teacher Summit via Zoom and Canvas, online platforms that schools commonly use for interactive teaching. We held the Summit to introduce the technology, but also as a way of putting the participants in the seats of their students. Through these interactive lessons, they were able to experience first-hand how online music education could work in these unusual circumstances.
After the Summit, we had the opportunity to speak with some of the educators that participated. Michael Kagan, a high school teacher in Kentucky, expressed a sense of relief for the upcoming school year after attending.
“It’s important that I find meaningful ways for students to collaborate with one another. In the spring, I was happy that my students were able to focus on solo literature and etudes, but it was a little insular. Participating in the Summit affirmed my commitment to make ensemble playing work. Now I’m finding an opportunity to teach my kids how to use recording software: how to take someone else’s track, drop it in, and play along to contribute to a multi-track.”
Steven Sabet, a high school teacher from New Jersey, was grateful that the Summit was free.
“I imagine some teachers lost their jobs, so a free professional development opportunity would be needed. I signed up because it gave us resources to use during the pandemic, and showed us different techniques to make remote teaching and learning work. I learned a lot, and got to meet and share ideas with teachers from around the country.”
Many of the other teachers we spoke with had similar experiences and responses. The most common reaction was recognizing their position as a student during the training.
“The most helpful sessions were those in which the instructors used zoom as they would with their students. It was fabulous to see modeling, and very enlightening to take on the role of a student and complete assignments in the form of small tasks delivered in a personable video. Doing it myself gave me a better understanding of what I may ask my students to do, as well as building my confidence for providing personalized content during remote teaching.”
Despite the challenges presented to us by this pandemic, we are looking forward to making music with teachers and students near and far this fall. The courage, imagination and dedication we’ve seen both from young people, and from the professionals we’re working with, is truly inspiring. We can’t wait to share the results in the months to come!
“It was a truly beautiful experience to share and learn from one another. The ACG staff created a warm, inclusive culture for all the participants – there were orchestra and band teachers, guitar virtuosos, nationally acclaimed conductors, and everyone in between. We all came to grow and learn how to better serve our students.”
-Michael Kagan