Ed Castro's Blog

Four weeks before the school year begins, I am already thinking about classroom culture.

I’m thinking about the music, of course. I’m thinking about repertoire, instrumentation, projects, performances, and the skills I want students to develop. But underneath all of those decisions is another set of questions: What kind of room do I want students to walk into? What will make them feel safe? How will they know what is expected of them? What will happen when they make a mistake?

For me, those questions are connected.

The beginning of the school year is an opportunity to establish a culture where students understand that mistakes are not something to be avoided. They are part of learning. In an arts classroom, this matters because so much of what we ask students to do requires vulnerability. We ask them to play an instrument in front of other people, sing, improvise, perform, create, share an idea, or try something they have never done before. Sometimes they will succeed. Sometimes they will fail spectacularly.

I want students to know that both are okay.

If a student knows they are safe to make a mistake, learn from that mistake, and grow as an artist, something begins to change. The classroom becomes a place where students can take ownership of their learning. They can experiment. They can ask questions. They can try again. Eventually, the culture of the space becomes something they help create.

But creating that kind of environment does not mean creating a classroom without structure.

As a teacher, I want a certain amount of order. I want students to know where they should be, what we are doing, and what is expected of them. I want transitions to work. I want students to be prepared. I want everyone to have opportunities to participate. I want the ensemble to make progress.

There is a tension there that I think about a lot.

Too much structure can make a classroom feel controlled. Too little structure can make it difficult for students to feel secure. Somewhere between those two is the culture I am trying to build. So, four weeks before I meet my students, I begin thinking about how my curriculum can help create that balance.

I think about the activities I will use during the first few weeks. Not simply whether they will learn a particular musical skill, but what I want them to practice. Will they listen to the music we pick? Will they have to collaborate with each other? Will they have opportunities to lead? Will they have to perform something before they feel completely ready?

These are musical questions, but they are also questions about culture.