Year 9: Week 19 – Post-Show

What do you do after a concert?

Over the years I’ve tried a lot of different things. Giving time for reflection, simply handing out new music and getting to work, having some kind of celebration, or taking some time to do something completely different.

Some type or level of reflection is essential. No matter what happens at a concert, good or bad, taking time to think about the experience helps process a performance.  When a concert is happening, it is hard to comprehend what is happening. During the arc of a concert, there’s so much focus on doing well in the moment, it’s difficult to think about how things actually went.

With my older students, reflection includes watching a recording of the performances, with my beginning band, I’ve moved away from doing this. Beginning band students’ perceptions of their success often run contrary to how they sound on a videotape. At times, I have found that the experience of watching a performance for younger students can be more discouraging than productive.

One thing I did this year is that when I had my 8th graders watch their own performance, they did it individually on their iPads. Reflection of a performance is a personal and private experience. Watching a performance as a group may change how students feel about a performance. For example, if a student with social capital says a performance was bad, other students might agree, as opposed to expressing their own feelings to the contrary.

With my 6th graders, I did them a break, a sort of celebration the classes after the concert. In addition to doing some reflecting, we prepared for our “Band Olympics.” A bonding activity that let the instrument sections compete against each other. I’ve structured this to have some musical relevance including events around breathing, note-reading, and notation. Then there is the bonding stuff like having the make a domino run which is no easy task with a group of ten people.

In the process of this competition, something the students really want to do, I am reinforcing classroom norms, and giving kids an opportunity to see and work with each other in a different way.

8th grade band is taking a break from “band,” and is doing electives: projects based on their individual interests like Garage Band, rap music, and chamber music. This important change of pace will help students follow their interest while working in a different context. We lose time working as a large ensemble, but the hope is that because they have had some time away, they will be more into that type of work when we finally get back together.

I’m excited for the work we’ve done after our concert last week. It feels right. I’m glad that we can build excitement back up slowly while having some time to celebrate our accomplishments with new experiences.