College Information

Learning Sessions

Framework: Sessions begin by creating a conceptual framework for string teachers. Treating the orchestra position much as a sole proprietorship for a small business, a philosophy with clearly articulated goals will be established.

Systems: The systems of pitch and rhythmic notation will be broken into their simplest and most intuitive forms. Ways to teach complete structures instead of teaching disjointed pieces of information will be explained. At the end of the session students will know how to teach note and rhythm reading, key and meter signatures, and how to teach students to intereact with this knowledge to learn for themselves.

Group Lessons for Beginners: This session focuses on working with beginners from the very start. It shows aspiring teachers what to do on the first day with new students, and how to expand from that point. Techniques with background music for movement, drill work, pitch work, and flash cards will be discussed. Creating a demanding yet motivating and positive environment will be a major focus of the session.

Winning Your First Rehearsal This session helps future teachers understand what needs to happen in rehearsal to be successful, and gives a step by step plan for assessing the skills possessed by their first class, and how to react to those skills and create a sense of improvement and excitement on the first day.

Sound, Rhythm, Pitch: This session focuses on the three performance aspects of creating a good orchestra. The session focuses on techniques for both class and individual lessons for improving the quality in each area of performance. All techniques are centered on creating independent learners.

Classroom and Program Management: This session includes pragmatic suggestions on how to run an orchestra classroom in both good and poor environments. It will look at assessment of orchestra students and the structuring of multi-level classes. It will also look at how to create a total program structure that achieves the desired results of the teacher.

In many colleges the string teachers on staff come from the performance realm, and not from the realm of
classroom teaching. While these teachers may be outstanding in many respects, their lack of classroom
experience and their unfamiliarity with the problems associated with public school string teaching may make
them ineffective in preparing string teachers for their future profession. Many colleges have professors from
the choral or band tradition teaching all music education methods courses without experience or recognition
of the differences between the three disciplines in the public school setting. Of the three disciplines, the
string teachers are likely to be the most isolated when they begin their teaching career and for this
single reason will need the best and most complete training available.

Using "Orchestra Triage" his recently
completed book on public school string
teaching philosophy and technique
Jerry Henry will visit your school
and work with aspiring string
teachers on all aspects of
their chosen profession.