Let’s talk about the elephant in the virtual classroom: student engagement. We’ve heard about students quitting music for a variety of reasons, but the truth is if they are still loving music then they will either not quit, or if they do, they will come back.
The question is, how do we keep students engaged when we feel so limited, when we feel like we can’t keep their attention? How do we even know if they are watching when we can’t force them to keep their cameras on? How do we choose quality assignments and activities that are still teaching them musical skills, but also keeping them loving the class and excited to show up?
To help us answer these questions, I’ve brought on one of my favorite people in the world, a 2-time GRAMMY® Music Educator of the Year Finalist, and one of the most engaging teachers I know, Courtney Powers. As you’ll hear in our chat today, Courtney isn’t having issues keeping students wanting to come to online music class—in fact, she has a waiting list. We’re going to delve into what keeps her students engaged, some of the activities they do to advance their musical skills, and how she’s approaching ensembles right now.
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An experienced K8 music educator, Elisa Janson Jones specializes in helping music educators build, manage, and grow thriving school music programs and have long and happy careers. She holds a Bachelor of Music, a Master of Business Administration, and is currently pursuing a Doctorate of Education in Instructional Design.
Elisa uses her vast and diverse skill set to help nonprofits, businesses, and music educators around the world. She serves as conductor of her local community band, a columnist for SBO Magazine, and maintains a private lesson studio. Elisa is an internationally-recognized speaker, and has presented at national, state, and local conferences as well. She is the host and producer of the Music Ed Mentor Podcast, founder of the Society for Online Music Education, and author of The Music Educator’s Guide to Thrive and The Music Booster Manual.