Temple University – Boyer College of Music and Dance CMENC Chapter 51 General Member Meeting Minutes 22 October 2008  Guests in Attendance: Mr. Patrick Urban  * Call to Order at 6:40 P.M.- T. DiMeglio * Next meeting- 13 November, guest speaker- Louise Anderson       - Temple Ph.D. student       - Specialty in Choral/General Music in Secondary Ed * Polycom Conference meeting- 19 November, presentation on auditory health       - 7:30 P.M. at TECH Center       - Visitors from West Chester University MENC * Caring People Alliance- Teaching at the RW Brown Community Center       - Gain experience teaching music to children in the Philadelphia community       - Every Wednesday 3:00 P.M. and 3:30 P.M.       - Every Thursday 9:00 A.M. and 9:30 A.M.       - Contact Jill Reese at jill.reese@temple.edu * Registration       - 50 members signed on, but 30 of those need to register online       - Log on to www.pmea.net       - E-mail cmenc@temple.edu with questions * Guest Speaker: Patrick Urban       - Temple c/o 2006       - Former CMENC president       - Take advantage of many opportunities CMENC offer       - “Children are bored by mediocrity, turned on by greatness”       - Music teachers can teach all, but all can’t teach music       - Music for music’s sake vs. music for all other academics       - Music teachers teach students, specialize in music       - Urban education             - transition to teaching                   - must know what/where to teach                   - find comfort area                   - may be discerned in student teaching                   - similar to choosing a college             - go and get the job you want             - don’t rule out teaching in the city             - not “inner-city”                   - generational poverty and racial isolation                         - no choice of poverty or wealth                         - children must be told they are behind and should be      inspired to move faster             - parents                   - get large part of blame                   - not well-educated                   - work 2-3 jobs to make minimum wage                   - often work extremely hard             - What poverty is                   - children hear more negativism than positive feedback                   - child knows considerably less words than  middle class child                   - only source of entertainment is television                         - no adult to read to children                   - corporal punishment                         - physical punishment is only answer to stop child behavior                         - no parent patience, no time, and exhaustion             - How bad it is for some children                   - had 2 young boys in class whose mother was stabbed to death     and died in their arms                   - constant sexual abuse                   - young boy had father killed by gunshot       - “Things I wish I knew ahead of time”             - 1. Need great desire             - 2. Need great skills                   - Temple will lead you there                   - Be confident             - Milk classes for all they’re worth                   -mentioned sever MusEd classes plus GenEd classes             - Books to read before teaching                   - 36 Children, Kohl                   - There Are No Shortcut, Esquith                   - Teach Like Your Hair’s on Fire, Esquith                   - The Dreamkeepers, Ladson Billings                   - Other Peoples’ Children, Delpit                   - A Framework for Understanding Poverty, Payne                   - Come on People!, Cosby/Poussaint                   - Whatever It Takes, Tough                   - The Germanium on the Windowsill Just Died but Teacher You     Went Right On, Cullum       - Music Learning Theory             - Skills for teaching                   - embody the importance, kids will follow                   - audiation is very important       - Practice your teaching!       - Teach the blues, not about the blues       - Make own lesson plans       - After-Performance celebrations             - children must have celebration             - instead of all merely returning home                   - most have no money for celebratory snacks/ice cream             - families are together, talking about child achievement       - Teaching is not an 8:30 to 3 job       - First 3 years             - Be a role model (firm, fair, fun)                   - can’t be students’ friend                   - what you say, goes                   - never renege on a promise             - An emotional roller coaster             - Be prepared for students to completely reverse your expectations             - Classroom must physically be in order                   - create a trust/learning atmosphere                   - do not teach before this is accomplished       - Whatever it takes             - most children lack 7 essential resources, must be provided by the school                   - 1. Financial                   - 2. Emotional                   - 3. Mental                   - 4. Spiritual                   - 5. Physical                   - 6. Support Systems                   - 7. Role models       - Teach, not tell             -Urban’s mission statement             - Be careful to use trust, not fear                   - can’t fix a broken trust                   - students long to have trust             - Discipline                   - penance and forgiveness                   - consistency is important       - Pace yourself – You are more valuable to students alive than you are dead.       - Be honest       - Give of yourself- support students’ activities       - You can only give students the skills to make decisions       - Questions: e-mail Pat Urban at paurban@hotmail.com       -Pat has also offered to allow CMENC members to observe him in the classroom,  which is just one block off of campus! More info to follow…        Respectfully Submitted, Nick Pignataro Chapter Secretary Temple University CMENC Chapter 51 26 October 2008