My Academic Life
Outstanding Teachers - Professional Website Review - Professional Development Plan
My Professional Development Plan
The following is a plan for my development as a teacher according to the National Standards for Music Education.
Part I. National Standards
Standard #2 – Performing on instruments, alone and with others, a varied repertoire of music.
I will prepare myself to teach this standard by practicing it myself. Prior to college, there are not very many venues for public performance, so it is hard to learn and understand how to perform. At Penn State, there are many sites for performance.
• Participate and perform during common hour as much as possible
• Plan and perform a solo recital.
• Keep notes about performance techniques in the larger ensembles such as Glee Club and
Symphonic Band.
Standard #3 – Improvising melodies, variations, and accompaniments.
I have almost never played in a setting where improvisation is part of the music. I played in jazz band during 8th grade, and I have played various orchestral pieces that include limited, structured improvisation. Beyond the basics, I do not know how to improvise and I am not sure how I am going to learn.
• Spend part of my 80-hour requirement in a jazz situation, with the specific goal of learning about
improvisation.
• Taking or observing the Jazz improvisation classes that are offered at Penn State.
• Explore an independent study in piano accompaniment.
Standard #6 – Listening to, analyzing, and describing music.
These are skills that will come with exposure to music over the next four years. As musicians, we are expected to think critically about the music we are playing in order to understand it.
• Practice thinking critically about music I listen to (both in class and on my free time) and music that I
play including solos and ensemble pieces.
• Observe teachers and pay attention to how they lead us into discovering and describing the music.
Standard #9 – Understanding music in relation to history and culture.
Similarly to Standard #2, I have never been exposed to the historical aspect of western music. For that reason I feel inadequately prepared to teach this subject. As a music major, I am now expected to know more about the music I play than I was in high school.
• Research composers and background on pieces I prepare and method books that I work on.
• Participate and take notes in Music 162 (Music History). I will transfer these notes to an electronic
format and create a Music History reference for my future use.
The most important aspect of my professional development is my attitude towards classes. I chose write about this outside the constraints of the explanations of the National Standards because it applies to all of them and it is such an important idea. Over the past year, I have found myself more and more interested in my classes, but looking beyond the information taught in the course. I find myself observing the teaching styles of the instructor. Observation of mentors and teachers is an extremely important aspect of education and in order to maximize my learning from observation, I plan to keep a journal of positive and negative teaching methods and techniques that I observe.
Part II. Personal Professional Development Goals
I. Learn how to interact and manage parents of students.
• It is very important to be able to communicate with parents who have concerns about their student. I
have already been presented with a situation where a parent felt I had been unkind to their child
when I was in a teaching situation and it was very interesting discovering how to manage that
situation.
• I plan to learn and improve this skill by constantly being aware of what I am saying and how I am
phrasing my words.
• Talking to my current teachers about their opinions on the matter will also be very helpful.
II. Learn how to advocate for music in schools.
• Often, the needs of an arts department are overlooked by the administration and our funding needs
are placed on the backburner while other academic programs get their requirements met easily.
• Learn how to “play the game” with the administration and advocate for the arts in schools.
• Stay up-to-date with research and technology that promotes the arts.