This photo was taken at Disneyland
as the Harney Middle School
Bella Voce performed
Reading response from chapters 5 through 8 of The Art of Possibility, by Rosamund Stone Zander and Benjamin Zander.
I first have to say that every time I pick up and read this book, it relates to things that are happening in my life. Chapter 5 discusses how to lead from any chair, and more specifically it refers to experiences being a conductor. It talks about the power that an orchestral conductor has in the music world and how conductors can often be dominating. I can attest that these traits can still be seen today because of the many conductors that I know or have worked with.
I direct 6 different choirs at the middle school level and never really gave much thought as to how my students view me. I often do what I need to do to get the results that are needed. After reflecting on my teaching and classroom management I realized that what makes my teaching so effective is that I build a family environment. Everyone feels safe in the classroom and I often encourage student ideas, which gives them a sense of ownership.
I really enjoyed reading about the effectiveness of the “white sheets” where students can write down their criticisms and observations during rehearsals. I am going to start trying to use this in my rehearsals to see what my students are thinking and find out how I can better serve their needs. It will also be a great way to have more personal feedback about my teaching and conducting.
The other chapters (6-8) had many great ideas as well to offer. Chapter 6 talks about the Rule Number 6, which basically means to lighten up. I find that I already do this in my classroom by adding humor to my lessons. I often use humor to effectively get my points across rather then coming off demanding and authoritative. I have found better success in the over all sound of my choirs by lightening up and this principle is one that everyone should follow.
Chapter 7 talks about the practice of the way things are. This chapter discusses how we should accept reality the way it is and work with reality to created more positive experiences. There are some things that we cannot change and it is our goal to be happy and positive. There are always positive ways to look at every situation and it is important for us to focus on the positivity to ensure our own happiness and the happiness of others around us.
Chapter 8 discusses the practice of giving way to passion. This was another chapter that really spoke to me. Most people view me as a passionate individual who is driven for success. I often use my passion for helping others and success to inspire and motivate myself. Sometimes I do set up barriers on myself and releasing these barriers is something that I need to first work on. I found that this chapter was more about channeling ones energy to help convert passion into action. This practice is not an easy thing to accomplish however once we can tap into our inner passion and drive we can accomplish
My Response
I appreciate your thoroughness and detail when describing the chapters in the book. I wanted to speak to the idea of the "white paper". Feedback is certainly a valuable commodity. Companies practically bend over backwards to get customer feedback, offering trips, prizes, and the like if you fill out one of their surveys. It seems that they are even moving into Facebook to build a customer base. Like Redbox always asks questions of its "fans". I never feel compelled to answer those questions, as I don't have time to spend answering such frivolous questions only to increase some corporate bottom line. However, the point is that getting feedback is certainly recognized as being valuable, but as a teacher, getting such feedback is a threat to power. We open ourselves up to criticism and self-doubt. The more students feel like they have a stake in things, the more they will question our decisions and even the assignments we give them. Therefore, the notion of even allowing such feedback is a package deal, in that we must accept the assumption that student performance speaks louder than our instruction. Like a conductor, if our performance is measured by student performance, then we have no choice but to distribute power to them. The "white pages" is more than a novel idea, it is a political revolution! I have provided an exit survey for my students with these prinicples in mind and have found it helpful. Here is link so you can take a look at it; but you don't need to answer them, of course.
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