Student Retention and Time Management Tips with Band Director Kelsey Chinn

Where, and what grade levels/subject do you teach?

I teach at Van Hoosen Middle School in Rochester Hills, MI, 6th-8th band.

How long have you been a band director?

5 Years

What is your teaching philosophy when approaching beginner clarinet and saxophone?

All of our students start their instruments in the beginning of 6th grade. I will start them on clarinet and saxophone (it depends where they're placed). I have a fitting company go in to the elementary schools. Based on what the kids want to play they get to choose. I know some schools start on clarinet first and then transfer them, but I will start beginners on both of them.

I start them first with making sure they can form the correct embouchure and I find it's most important for them to have a good tone production first before they move onto anything else.

I do a lot of mouthpiece work with them. I'll have them play on the mouthpiece with just the reeds, mouthpieces, and ligatures for the majority of the first week. They learn how to build the instrument to completion and they learn how to hold it with correct posture. But, I don't have them start playing on the full instrument until about the second week that they’ve had their instruments.

I went to the American Band Masters College for my master's degree, so I utilize a lot of those tips and tricks that I've learned from there!

Have you ever used JUNO reeds? If so, what did you think?

I didn't know about JUNO reeds until a couple of years ago when my reps came in and mentioned using JUNO reeds because they were a little bit cheaper but were still within Vandoren. I've been using them ever since when I demonstrate for my students and I tell my students and parents to purchase them.

Out of most of the different reeds and brands that I've tried, I feel like they have a good heart and I like the thickness. It gives the tone production a bit of a boost.

What is the greatest challenge you face as a band director and how do you address it?

The greatest challenge I've encountered so far is time management. It's a big deal. With the size of my program (it's a nice size program), making sure that you give enough time to each student is important, especially when they're beginners. I make sure I set goals for myself as well as my students. One of the ways I keep on that is to involve the kids in the goal making.

At the beginning of the year, we'll create goals for ourselves and then those students will be able to share them with me. We use Google Classroom a lot since we're a Google-based district, so they perform their playing quizzes and assessments on Google Classroom and upload the videos. I can converse with them back and forth through Google Classroom, and adjust based on if they're achieving their goals or not.

What are some method books you recommend to your beginner clarinet and saxophone students?

Our classes are mixed. This year I'll have all woodwinds in one class. If I was to just recommend a book for private lessons I would recommend the Rubank books. I like how they progress with Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced methods.

We use Sound Innovation books in my classroom right now and I really like using the Sound Innovations: Ensemble Development book with my 7th and 8th graders because it has technique and scale builders, and chorales. It gives them a mix of everything to work on, especially when they're developing their fundamentals.

What can be done to encourage students to continue with band after their first year and beyond?

I think retention is a really big thing that every band director wants to make sure happens. For me, a lot of what I do is to try and make the classroom a comfortable atmosphere for the kids, so that they're understanding no matter what squeaks and squawks they're making as a beginner, they're going to be ok because they're learning.

It's important to take their input too. We'll pick out new music to play for an upcoming concert and I try to pick a student piece that's on each concert. On the flip side, I know there's a lot of great music out there for them to learn and they might not be exposed to it outside of what I'm doing. I want to make sure they learn things from classical and standard band literature, too.

This past year, my eighth-grade group played an arrangement of the Lost Lady Found by Grainger. I had them sight read the piece and listen to a recording because I thought it was something they would be interested in. It's a great learning tool! If they're playing well and making good music, they'll want to continue doing it.

What makes you proud about your band program?

I like my program because the kids that are in it are very hard workers. From day one, I instill in them this is a place of learning, but it's also a place of fun. It somewhere where they can make their own, come and go as they please, but with an expectation of this is what we do and how we work. You're going to put in as much effort as you can. Whatever you put in is what you're going to get out. I set those high expectations and goals and the kids really have risen to the occasion every single year.

Not only do they show that they're willing to put in that work and dedication, but they also demonstrate the same work and dedication outside of the classroom in everything else they do. I think how they carry themselves as people not just as young musicians is an important thing for them to learn.

What do you think one of the most common reason is a student might quit?

Sports are a very big deal in my district. A lot of times it's not always how they want to play sports but the fact that they're limited going from year to year with the elective choices they can have. There's so much that's offered to them now. They only have two elective choices, and with so many requirements and AP class offerings now, it’s challenging for some students to rationalize taking Band over Stem, or another college prep course.

Was there anything when you first started, was there anything that took you by surprise and no one prepared you for this aspect of your job?

I think you learn as you go. The first couple of years are trial by error. Going into that first year, the one thing that I learned is that it's OK to not know everything and it's OK to ask.

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