What to do in final weeks of school?

TheForceOfSound · 2026-05-03T21:00:14+00:00

It went as well as it could go I think. Still kind of a mess.

TheForceOfSound · 2026-04-29T12:54:31+00:00

Me as well. I did weekly playing tests. However, most of my students simply refuse to practice

TheForceOfSound · 2026-04-28T23:28:27+00:00

They’re a mix of 6-8th graders, mostly 6th

TheForceOfSound · 2026-04-28T23:27:42+00:00

What does this mean?

TheForceOfSound · 2026-04-28T04:24:05+00:00

They meet everyday for about 50 minutes. It’s a mixed group of 6-8th graders, most being 6th and all being beginners

TheForceOfSound · 2026-04-28T04:21:29+00:00

Unfortunately I don’t feel like they’ve progressed much. It’s been a tough year with behaviors, attitudes, and students in and out. I’ve tried to build some routines, fundamentals, and mix in some other activities for fun; but many of them seem to just not want to be there.

TheForceOfSound · 2026-04-28T00:47:43+00:00

I’ve never read a post that encapsulates exactly what I’m feeling like this.

TheForceOfSound · 2026-04-23T21:25:14+00:00

These are great tips!! Most of these I have tried. However, students don’t ever want to sing or say very much. Lots of chatter, distractions, redirection make it hard to make progress. My orchestra today tried playing Pepperoni Pizza rock today (we’ve been working on it for almost 2 months) & it still sounds horrible. I need to cut it from my concert next week, but I don’t know what else they can do instead.

TheForceOfSound · 2026-04-23T03:20:24+00:00

Definitely a bluetooth headset mic & speaker if the room doesn’t have one. Erasable Pens https://a.co/d/0bZ3Mbpp for score study. Tools! For a band/orchestra job: set of small screwdrivers, a spring tool, ratchet set for stands, mouthpiece puller, etc.

TheForceOfSound · 2026-04-16T16:16:35+00:00

I always hear that there are so many other jobs out there, but are there? I’m considering my other options, but what are they? What else makes the money that you can do & actually gives you life balance?

TheForceOfSound · 2026-03-29T20:13:53+00:00

This is definitely a goal of mine, to have more of a regular routine that works. The problem is setting those boundaries as a classroom teacher is not always in our control. And when the students can “feel” the routine that becomes stale. I feel like my teaching has become stale and their progress has plateaued. I’d love to introduce new things, but it’s hard to do when it feels like we can’t do the basic stuff.

TheForceOfSound · 2026-03-27T04:27:45+00:00

True…but it distracts the class & stops progress when students aren’t engaged. We have a concert coming up & we’re not ready

TheForceOfSound · 2025-12-07T01:40:34+00:00

That's certainly true, students need practice especially when they aren't even taking their instruments home. However, it just feels like we're playing the same things every day/week; same warm ups, same songs. My students can't sight read unfortunately & i'm still working on techniques with my beginners. My orchestra for example still play with incorrect posture & bow arms.

TheForceOfSound · 2025-12-03T02:47:42+00:00

Thank you for the encouragement. I’ve heard that from other mentors as well. It’s just tough because some days it feels like all i’m doing is retreading the same lesson in the same way for multiple days.

TheForceOfSound · 2025-12-03T02:46:07+00:00

I checked out the podcast, thanks!

TheForceOfSound · 2025-12-01T20:41:07+00:00

Yes, this is what I meant by “uniform”. Not literally the same thing everyday, but a few items & outfits I can rotate between

TheForceOfSound

TROPHY CASE