Q: What do award ribbons, slogan contests, disco balls, and nursing homes have in common? A: They can all be used to motivate student achievement. Let me explain…
As a middle school band director, I discovered that some of my students were self-motivated, driven by their love of music, as well as their desire to achieve. Conversely, I also discovered that some of my students were lax, needing constant prodding for simple tasks, like taking their instruments home to practice. Eventually, I realized that the apathetic students responded most favorably to novel motivational strategies and experiences. Enter award ribbons…
Research shows that extrinsic motivation, driven by external rewards, can elevate student engagement, resulting in increased performance. Consequently, I created a SCALE MASTER program in which students earned professionally-embossed ribbons for each level achieved. Levels were as follows: Major Tetrachords (a.k.a. “Follow the Yellow Brick Road”), Major Scales, Natural Minor Scales, Harmonic Minor Scales, and Melodic Minor Scales. To achieve a SCALE MASTER RIBBON, a student had to demonstrate all 12 scales from memory with two or fewer mistakes. Once achieved, we held an immediate awards ceremony in which students had their photo taken with instrument and ribbon in hand. Photos were then uploaded to the music department website so that friends and family could join the celebration. Soon, learning scales became trendy, and achievement ribbons were added for method book completion, as well as for participation at honor band events. Because this program focused on playing, other pathways to musicianship were soon to be explored.
While band and orchestra are performance-based classes, there are other ways besides playing in which students can interact with music. Such avenues include listening, singing, clapping, improvising, conducting, composing, arranging, studying music theory, studying music history, and writing about music. At the middle school where I taught, the language arts faculty did a fantastic job engaging students in writing. So, I decided to tap into that culture. Enter the slogan contest…
For the annual contest, each student could enter one slogan (10 words or less) that emphasized the importance of music, or that celebrated our school’s music culture. To encourage participation, a local instrument dealer agreed to judge the entries, and then donate appealing prizes to the third place, second place, first place, and grand prize winners. Over the years, students created many endearing slogans that became trademarks of the program. Some of my favorites are as follows:
“We’re all sound bound!
“It’s music, it’s fun, it’s band!”
“To keep the beat, tap your feet!”
“Band – the only class where you get to pass notes!”
Enter the disco ball…
Perhaps the biggest impediment to at-home practice is leaving one’s instrument at school. To enforce practice, I would check practice cards at each weekly lesson. I would also check instrument cubbies each Friday before heading home for the weekend. If one’s instrument or music folder was left behind, points were deducted and grades were docked. Although that process held students to account, it did little to change their behavior. In a move of crazed inspiration, I mounted a disco ball toward the front of the band room and announced that the space would be converted into a Friday after-school discotheque. I further stated that students who took their instruments and music home for the weekend would be welcome to see me bust some disco moves. When the bell rang that Friday afternoon, I fired up the disco ball, turned down the lights, and cranked “I Will Survive.” As students entered the band room to get their belongings, I hit the dance floor with classic finger-pointing and wrist-swirling moves. The following week, word spread like wildfire that I was a disco dance maniac. (Imagine the disappointment of those who missed the spectacle!) In time, strobe, nebula, and emergency beacon lights were added. As a result of this Friday tradition, more students practiced and many non-band students joined the program. (My only regret was not installing a fog machine!)
Enter the nursing home…
So often, directors seek and schedule outside performance opportunities that center around assessment. While contests and festivals have merit, they miss the point and purpose of musical sharing – to unite and to move people through expressively shaped sound. For this reason, I favored outside performances in which my students could bring joy to others. Such events included playing holiday music at the local shopping mall, marching in the village’s annual Memorial Day parade, performing jazz music at the local seniors’ monthly meeting, and taking field trips to nearby nursing homes. (As a side note, music combats memory loss greater than any other domain of learning; see the award-winning film: ALIVE INSIDE.) For our nursing home trips, eighth grade students would be organized into small ensembles, allowing for movement throughout the facility. Recently, I came across an old letter that a band parent sent to our School Board after one such trip. An edited synopsis is as follows:
“On December 17, I was a chaperone for the 8th grade band field trip to the British Home in Brookfield, Illinois. The British Home is an assisted living facility where 15 of our students played as five separate trios, and also as a complete band. Students played in the main living room, then roamed the halls and played for residents confined to their rooms. Students also played in the main dining hall for residents who lived independently.
I want the School Board to know that we should be extremely proud of these students. They were respectful and polite and showed a maturity beyond their years.
I think that exposing students to care-center residents is a valuable experience. If any band students felt uncomfortable, they handled it well. Also, non-band students participated by making greeting cards and holiday ornaments to be distributed throughout the home. I know that these decorative items were very much appreciated!”
As instrumental music teachers, we can repeat the monotonous routine common to daily lessons and rehearsals, or we can utilize “outside-the-box” motivational strategies and experiences to make musicians and to make them stronger. It’s up to you. You can stay stuck in a rut, or you can put on that leisure suit, fire up the disco ball, crank “Y.M.C.A.” and electrify your teaching and your classroom!
