Innovative Program Gives Aspiring Music Teachers In-Depth Public School Experience

Visit the Pritzker public school in the West Town neighborhood any Thursday afternoon and you’ll hear a transformation. The sounds of chattering school children and teachers reciting lessons give way to the music of violins, pianos, xylophones, recorders and singing children.

Five years ago the Pritzker School, 2009 W. Schiller Court, could not provide free music education for its children, many of whom come from impoverished homes. But a partnership between DePaul University’s School of Music and the grammar school now means that the children can learn to play instruments, sing, compose, read and appreciate music every Thursday from 1:30 p.m.- 3 p.m.

For each of the 15 DePaul Music Education juniors who teach in the program, the lessons provide a unique opportunity to plan and tutor a music class of their own for an entire school year.

"While other university music education programs involve some classroom experiences, there’s nothing like this in the state in which college juniors have weekly ownership of a classroom, September through June," said DePaul music faculty member Judy Bundra. Bundra co-directs the program with faculty member Michael Smith. "Teaching music to school children from a wide variety of backgrounds is a valuable experience for college students," Smith said.

The program is so innovative that Bundra and Smith were asked to give presentations on it at the Music Educators National Conference last year and the Illinois Music Educators conference in January. The associations consider it a model for other university music education programs.

"The program is unique because it allows college students to take what they learn in their teaching methods classes directly into the classroom," Bundra said. The students learn how to use discipline effectively, give direction, plan lessons and organize a classroom. Through the program, students earn about one-third of the 100 hours of classroom experience required by the Illinois State Board of Education before they can begin student teaching.

Bundra said when she studied music education most college students did not get classroom

experience until the final quarter of their senior years. "This program helps affirm the decision that they want to teach music much earlier," she said. "Most students decide they would like to become teachers, but if they don’t, that’s fine. I’d rather have them make that decision sooner than later."

Each September Bundra said Smith enter the Pritzker classrooms and introduce the DePaul students to their classes. "It’s like training wheels," Smith said. "Judy and I teach the first three classes and the DePaul students observe. After that, the students teach pieces of the lessons. Eventually they take over the full period and we jump in only when they need help."

During the Thursday lessons, Bundra and Smith watch and take notes, sharing their observations with the college students in hallway meetings after class. The college students and professors meet on Tuesdays at DePaul to discuss their experiences further and go over lesson plans. The students also keep journals that they e-mail to Bundra and Smith.

On a recent Thursday the DePaul students sang songs with children in the lower grades, accompanying them on piano, violin or xylophone. The children learned about rhythm and the progression of notes up and down the scale. Meanwhile, students in the upper grades played "Mary Had a Little Lamb" and other songs on recorders, learning to read music. In some classrooms the student teachers use recorded folk, classical, pop and country tunes to introduce musical concepts.

In DePaul junior Rachel Mathys’ classroom, about 20 bilingual first, second and third graders sang a song about rabbits. As they sang, Rachel passed out paper cutouts of bunnies.

"Just like rabbits, music sometimes hops, too," Mathys told the class. "When musical notes go up gradually, that’s called steps." As they sang, the students waved their paper rabbits high and low along with the notes.

DePaul students in the program say the sessions help build confidence and develop teaching style. "This has been a very good experience for me," Mathys said. "The more you teach, the more comfortable you become. I feel like it’s a half-way point between school and teaching. The program gives us a taste of teaching and helps us make the transition into the real world."

The Pritzker experience has helped DePaul students land plum music education positions, Smith said. For example, five of the eight instructors in the Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s ECHO program, a music education program for children and adults, are current DePaul music education students or alumni.

Bundra said that in addition to its value as a training ground for aspiring teachers, the Pritzker program is an example of DePaul’s Vincentian tradition of providing service to others. "The music instruction has a tremendous effect on the children," she said. "Our students serve as important role models for these Chicago public school students, in addition to helping the children find the joy that comes with the study of music."

"I like the teachers because they understand the kids and are up to date," said Pritzker student Taisha Worlds, 10. "I’ve taken music since 1^st grade and they taught me how to read notes. I take piano at home now and the classes at school have helped me memorize notes."

The school children will get a chance to showcase their talents at a special musical assembly that is planned for May 27 at the school.

"We enthusiastically support this program because it’s a win-win situation for the music students and the Pritzker students," said Miguel Valasquez, assistant principal. "The students really look forward to their lessons on Thursdays and the annual assembly."