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HOLLY BURDICK
Special to The Leader
“I’m really excited about this,” Dr. Vernon Huff, a professor in the School of Music, stated, talking about the Music Education Summit that occurred last Saturday. The ultimate goal, or the the goal “in the lights,” was to invite students to experience the real-world classroom. What should one really be looking for to teach correctly and successfully?
This event was designed to answer that question. Huff was very excited about the real-world experience the students would gain from this, and he also brought up the idea of networking — students getting their names “out there” and meeting people and making connections for the future.
The event included four session leaders who brought their own students with them to demonstrate a typical rehearsal. To close the summit Grammy-Award Winner Kent Knappenberger delivered the keynote speech.
The four sections included the Amherst Concert Choir, run by Justin Pomietlarz; the Amherst String Ensemble, run by Matthew Pendrak; a General Music Session, led by Jennifer Hearne and Kimberly Kane; and the Westfield Concert Band, led by Helen Ihaz.
During each of these sessions, students heard different stories and learned strategies to handle a successful class. The students received take-home notes, sang with the choir and even became one with their inner first-grader. Keeping students learning and focusing was the key point during each session.
The chorus session brought the students to the stage to warm up and learn different singing techniques such as how to warm up student’s voices and how to keep them focused while doing so. There were fun ways to do it. One technique Pomietlarz used was having students “chew bubblegum” and greet their neighbor without being able to talk due to the large amounts of invisible gum.
The String Ensemble showed students different ways to run a rehearsal. Tips and strategies were given to make it flow more smoothly as well as learning techniques such as slowing down the tempo or completely changing the rehearsal seating. There was also a rehearsal schedule included in the notes to show a used schedule and things to incorporate.
General Music was the session in which the students got to act like children. They learned fun ways to experience rhythm and beats. Scarves and “rhythm sticks” were incorporated into the class.
The class was staggered with lessons utilizing moving participation as well as lessons taught while sitting and using “listening ears” and eyes. Songs and patterns were also taught.
Helen Ihaz, who taught the band session, talked about helpful tips in rehearsal and discussed why it’s so important to choose the right repertoire. She also shared experiences that she had with her students and how she handled any issues. Teacher evaluations and NYSSMA were also discussed during this session.
Knappenberger was very impressed with the turnout. He was especially excited that his former student Matthew Pendrak was one of the session leaders. Knappenberger was able to listen in on his “class” and flip the student-teacher roles. He was also able to learn and quote new information in his keynote speech at the conclusion.
“What I Wished I had Known my First Year of Teaching” was the title of Knappenberger’s keynote. He discussed stories of his experiences and told students some of the little things he learned, emphasizing one major point he wanted to get across: aspire to be a mentor.
He wanted to be the one who the students could look up to and trust. The suspenseful last piece of advice for aspiring educators was, “when it comes to your first year, you just need to live through it. Because if you do, you will have a different bag of tricks for the next year.”
Aside from being a mentor, Knappenberger enjoys seeing kids grow, and learn who they are and who they wish to become. Knappenberger talked about one student who sang in pitches that were from “an alternative pitch universe” and was able to audition for the musical properly. He was able to see him grow and accumulate a proper pitch universe.
Many students and teachers learned new things about the education industry. Huff hopes the summit will grow larger in the years to come. Attendance numbers, educators and student participation are expected to increase in the future.