Travis J. Weller

The recap from PMEA 2011: Read more…

A busy week begins at school tomorrow (after an unexpected four day layoff on Doctor’s orders), then a trip to Kent State. On Wednesday I will be leaving for Hershey, Pa. for the PMEA 2011 State Conference. I will be presenting on Thursday about “Raising the E.E.Q. (Ethical and Emotional Quotient) of Your Ensemble” at 2:00 p.m. If you cannot attend, following the Live-Blog taking place thanks to Dr. Jospeh Pisano and his ace team of undergrads from Grove City College. Check out Andrew Ritenour’s website for all the details! I will be putting in a few hours late Thursday afternoon with FJH, and will be at the Grove City College Reception on Thursday evening.

            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…

I don’t even know where to begin after the last 30 days, but it has been exciting, thought-provoking, reflective, and emotional. Read more…

It was a great day yesterday at Marion Center with the PMEA District 3 Junior High Honor Band. I was able to share some good music with a great bunch of students and directors – including “Supsended Animation” (Patrick Burns), “Marching Song” (Holst), and the world debut of “For the Love a Soldier”.  The 6th Grade Honor Band was under the direction of friend and colleague Mike Grady – it was great catching up with him and hearing the debut of his “Gift for Band”.

Be sure to bump on over to Travis J. Weller on myspace to hear the PMEA District 5 Band recording of “Moravian Dance”.  Jack Anderson did a great job with the band, and I am so proud of the students for what they did with the music.  The piece will be available from FJH this summer.