June has always been one of the most demanding months of the school year. Exams, control tasks, final projects. When it comes to music and music schools, the final concerts are the ones that mark the whole month. Of course, the repertoire cannot be prepared in those few weeks, because constant exercise in the previous months is just as important and necessary. But this finish is crucial.
Essentially, all our work in the last few weeks is based on preparing the students for that day, when they will have their performance. Some students will have their first participation in a concert as the previous two years we had to skip those events. We all know the reason for it. Although, last year in June we did a kind of a video concert, which was not the same... actually, far away from the real experience of playing on the scene in front of people. Having an audience gives a completely different feeling.
The "different" feeling while performing applies to everyone. For us, adults, and also children. For those that are talented and the same, for the not that talented ones. However, there is a slight difference in the attitude between those that are skilled and prepared and those that are the same skilled but lazy. Those who think it's easy and can allow themselves the luxury of not practising. Even if they are self-confident when the day of the concert arrives some fear can come. In the end, the consciousness speaks, but it's late to study on the day of the performance.
The complete opposite of the latter is when a student is not talented but is hardworking. They struggle more in the beginning, it takes them more time to learn a piece and maybe they don't have that "something" that touches the soul of the audience. But, many times they perform better in exams and concerts.
In all these cases we, as teachers, have to recognize the problem on time and guide the students in the right way. If more study is needed, then we try to motivate (whatever way it is :D ) them to learn well that composition. If they already know the subject, but details and polishing are needed, then we work on that. All in all, a long and active process that requires a lot of energy, from both parts, teachers and students.
So, that is how my last weeks look like, motivating, motivating and you guess, more of that! Sometimes blackmailing motivating the older ones {teenage group} brings me a lot of fun! I know that in the end, they will learn well their compositions. The small ones need an additional effort and energy from us, as we have to prepare them for everything. How to bow, how to take a seat on the stage, what to do if they make a mistake, to be elegant, even to behave well {hahaha}. But it is all another story when they find themselves in the concert hall and not in the classroom.
The adrenaline level and excitement are at a high level. When the parents come to see their little ones, we are also excited and a bit nervous. Will all that we have been showing and teaching to the students give some fruits? Will they perform well as they learned? Those questions are the joy of a teacher, that at the same time gives also some interesting lessons through this last teaching month before the summer break.
So, dear fellow teachers from hive, what do your lessons look like in June? Is it the last month of the school year in your country? Do you have to prepare your students for exams, events, performances or similar? If you are not a teacher but a parent, what your children are expected to do in June? Do they have more exams? Let's share our experiences and help each other to survive this month :))
Oh man I feel this post so bad. The rest of June is probably gonna be a hellscape. There’s a mock exam in math tomorrow which means I’ll have to grade 22 tests that takes around 20 minutes each. Then I need to grade 45 embroideries from arts & crafts class. Then I’ll need to decide on around 12 final grades. Luckily some of them are from the same students across multiple subjects. Just 20 more days and it’s over and I can enjoy that 7 week holiday.
Yes, just around 20 days and we are free!
Well, free from teaching, not from other tasks in life :D
Wow, you will have to dedicate a lot of time to grade the tests and give scores and all. I feel for you too!!
And I forgot to mention that part haha, I will have to do also evaluations, and describe how they did this year, all individually, and have meetings with the parents but I would so much like to skip all of that :D
Let's just visualize the end of June to feel better 😁
Have a nice meeting with the parents of students, and a pleasant and interesting summer vacation!
Thank you.
Still, the whole month is busy, but once we are on summer vacation, I will be more free 😇
Good post, I am not a teacher, but I am a mother and this last month is a bit exhausting because I have to play the role of teacher for my children, practically I have to prepare them for the exhibitions and exams that they must present and sometimes it is quite strong and busy, since they are the last evaluations. You do a good job with the little ones, it is admirable considering that it is not easy to lead a group of people and prepare them. But it's like you say, when you are on stage everything changes, it's an adrenaline rush and excitement at the same time.
As mothers, we also do a great teaching job. Though, speaking about my subject, I don't teach my son, it is just impossible 😂 I don't have the same level of patience with him as with my students, as I expect from him more... So, I prefer not helping him.
Yeah, being at the stage is different but very exciting, a special feeling I really (mostly) like ☺️🌟🌟
I understand what you are saying, not all of us have patience to teach especially to our children, the same thing happened to me, I thought I had no patience to teach my children, but I decided that I had to put myself in their shoes to understand them, understand them and I had to encourage them in words and tell them positive things every day so that they would feel supported.
It feels great when we do something we love and are passionate about.
Definitely. And I think everything we do is much easier and way better if we do it with passion 😎
I totally agree with you, friend @mipiano and I think that applies to everyone in general because if we do something we are not passionate about, we will feel uncomfortable and discouraged. The best thing in life, is to do what we like and motivates us, in your case you have something that motivates you and encourages you to give the best of you that is very good. I think we all have something in life that we are passionate about, just that sometimes there are people who still do not have it clear in their lives or have not found it, but that you have it you have it. I am glad to have interacted with you. Sorry for not responding to you at the time. Greetings.
No, no worries, it was me who was late in responding. The strange thing is that time sometimes fly away...
I am also glad I interacted with you @carmary. Gracias y un saludo 🙂
I'm not a teacher but I can imagine that this month would be a lot of work and additional stress. It will be nice to have the exams in person again though. Like you said, a video conference is not the same as it is live.
Good luck in the coming days and weeks :)
Thanks, I will need some luck hahaha, well, more patience and energy. But then, when it's over, summer break will come :))
First of all, I'm happy to learn that we are colleagues dear @mipiano . I have been a literature teacher for seven years. When June comes, the temperatures suddenly rise, so my students get very relaxed, and I can easily observe this. Our report card, exam and grade arrangement density is quite high.
Families are also impatiently waiting for the report cards to be distributed, as many will go on vacation to the Aegean and Mediterranean coasts. :)) Of course, they are also curious about the success of their children. :))
In addition, I think that the lessons that my students can adapt to the most in June are sports lessons. I notice that they are happier when they are outside and during sports.
I didn't know you were a teacher. A literature teacher, that's nice 👍
Outside activities and sports, excursions are something that students like indeed. A lot more interesting than just sitting inside in lessons, or writing exams.
Sometimes, they are just tired
at the end of the school year, but should give now some extra efforts to finish well the year and then - vacation time!!!
No lessons never. Fortunately! Ha, ha, ha. Reading this is refreshing to say the least. I've missed some of this good train of thought. I'll make sure to check on you frequently if the job gives me a break.
It must be pretty interesting. Reminds me a lot for the concert I attended weeks ago. That was a close of the school year of El Sistema. Of course, something like that has a whole lot of political agenda. Here I guess it's just more grounded on the educational level. I think I'm on the same page with the talented and lazy. I can brag about good memory, but the movement requieres practice and more practice. It helps a lot when you like the stuff you're supposedly to play or learn.
An example of that would be that I have already ditched some of the solos I performed earlier in the year just because they were stepping stones towards certain goals in technique. I kept the technique, tho.
And about the stage part, I don't think there's a human being able to shut that nervous part of their brains before a performance. I remember could feet were the kind of symptom I had when I used to be on stage. Fortunately, I was never a soloist in anything. Recording has its difficulty as well, but one can argue it gets easier not performing in front of a crowd.
About the methods, I believe fear, rewards and pep talks do the same job. The key fact there is knowing where you need to put that kind of motivation at work. As everyone's learning style differs greatly from others even in the same spectrum.
Hopefully, all your students will do great! Around here classes tend to extend to the first half of July. So there's more time for the lazy to keep being like that. 😂
Yes, I guess you are happy as you are not a teacher :))) I kinda feel that from your words :D
So you are the talented but the lazy one. Wasn't you bored at the lessons? As I see those students get everything easily and later they are bored but don't want to practice to some fine details by themselves.
Oh no, in Venezuela the lessons last until the middle of July? But when they start again later? In september?
Very happy I'm not a teacher. That thing about having to be reminding people of the stuff they ought to be doing is too tiresome.
I was always bored at classes. Never took too much music lessons. Just for 6 months or so. And of course I never practiced the important stuff. It was until a few years ago that I realized you don't gett better if you don't do the fine and boring work of practising. Life and its essence.
Yeah, schools work like that. They end up mid July and start again on the last days of September.
Not always tiresome, sometime it is interesting :D
It's all a matter of perspective. I don't like because I'm independent on the learning department.
👍
"Autismo: Un Mundo Excepcional"Hola @mipiano. Tu publicación ha recibido un voto de parte de ahora con presencia en HIVE, gracias a su nuevo Proyecto @mundo.autismo.
"Autism: An Exceptional World "Hi @mipiano. Your post has received a vote from now with a presence in HIVE, thanks to their new Project @mundo.autismo.
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