Travis J. Weller

Some quick reflective thoughts as 2011 closes, and 2012 begins from my small corner of the podium: Read more…

The recent Holiday concert which the students at Mercer presented was really well done, and as their teacher I am especially proud of their efforts over the past two months. There were some very traditional settings like “Do You Hear What I Hear?” and “Winter Wonderland” (both older arrangements by Jerry Nowak), mixed in with some newer and interesting settings of familiar Christmas carols like “Hey Man Christmas Swings!” by Larry Clark, “Passacaglia on an English Carol” by Robert Longfield, and “Bell Carol ala Big Band” by Rob Romeyn. I have to give full credit to Michael Worthy at Ole Miss for the moment that took the audience’s breath away and brought tears to the eyes of many moms. During the Middle School Band’s performance of “Christmas Time Is Here” (from A Charlie Brown Christmas, arranged by Michael Sweeney), we played a pre-recorded audio clip of each senior band member in the wind ensemble and concert band wishing their parents Merry Christmas, sharing a Christmas wish, or thanking them for all their support through the years. Michael shared the idea at the Midwest clinic last year, and it worked really well. Read more…

On my way to work today I ran into the baseball coach at my school. His son plays trombone in the bands where I teach, and he was in attendance at the spring concert last night.

“How come you never have a losing season?” he asked with a smile.

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            What does it mean to say a school is making “adequate yearly progress”? What is the value of a standardized test that produces an aggregate score for a group of students in one school and has it compared in the local newspaper against scores from another? How does student performance on a standardized exam relate to future vocational aspirations? Are teachers really able to teach skills necessary for success in future student endeavors or are they simply trying to teach concepts that will enable students to pass a standardized examination? Read more…

In considering what instrumental music education may look like in the future to the music education profession, there are a number of themes, ideas, and philosophies that must be carefully examined.  Issues related to the relevancy of music education in today’s education system come to the forefront of the discussion in the light of teaching in age where “high-stakes” testing results influence curriculum decisions and dictate policy to local administrators.  Instrumental music educators as a profession have a unique opportunity and responsibility to examine their role, their philosophy and teaching, the heritage of instrumental music, and the manner in which students are connected to music to better demonstrate the need for band, orchestra, and other ensembles to be a part of a 21^st century education.  With that in mind, I have set forth nine tenets for consideration from my personal philosophy of music education including issues related to diversity, balance of process and product, technology, teachers as musical role models, and the connection between music in education and society.

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