Thinking of opening my own school. What would you like to see?

madgolfer

Senior Member
I am getting closer to finishing my PhD in education and am totally disgusted with the way our education system works. I can't think of going back to a regular teaching position and watching students suffer through year after year of BS and questionable pedagogy, so I think I might open my own private school. I need your input to help make this a great experience for students.

A very brief academic philosophy:

There would be (out of necessity) a strong emphasis on academics, but with a contemporary music vibe. Most importantly, students should have the opportunity to focus on the music that is most important to them. I don't necessarily want to prepare students for music careers (unless that is what they want) or specifically for college music exams, but rather I would like to see the focus be on learning how the personal characteristics they develop through music training (focus, time management, communication, etc.) can serve them on whatever path life leads them on. I am not saying this school would not prepare students for college, it definitely would. I am simply saying we wouldn't necessarily push students toward music degrees.

The other thing is, the curriculum would be integrated, meaning If you are in an ensemble learning a rock song (for example) your other academic classes would add to your productivity. So once you get to perform it, your technology courses would show you how to record the performance, your business/math courses would show you how to market your music and make a profit (while you are in school!), your art class would help you design media for its promotion, your history course would show you what was going on at the time that contributed to the creation of that song, etc. Hopefully that makes sense?

Apart from that, however, what would you like to see in a private school? Please be serious. I know it should be affordable, so let's not focus on $$$. Some areas I would like your input on are:

1) Environment (rural vs. urban, residential vs. day school)

2) Personal characteristics of potential teachers

3) Types of classes (beyond the basic academic curriculum)

4) College placement

5) Technology

6) Performance emphasis

7) Extra-curricular activities

**please feel free to add anything else you think is important, just please be serious**

Would you be more or less likely to attend if it were a residential campus (meaning you stay in the school dorms, away from home). Would a rural or urban campus make a difference? If anyone is a parent here, I would like to hear your thoughts on what would convince you to send your child to a particular school.

Thanks in advance.
 
well i'm a little confused, is this a music school or like your every day general purpose school? it kinda sounds like a standard academic school like any other grade school but centered around music, which i like the idea of yet would be a little hesitant to send my kid to.

for one wouldn't a whole curiculum centered around music be a bit unhealthy for a kid who's not really in to music as much as others? i don't know about private schools but i know public schools are held to a certain standard of what they teach and how, how would this type of a set up work for everyday life of somebody who's not in a music career?

i guess over all i would feel like this would be pushing a child too much into a certain direction that they may not even want to go in. perhaps i thinking of too young of children, maybe this would be completely appropriate for a highschool of sorts for older teens that have already expressed a desire to persue music as a career, maybe that is your intent since you mentioned dorms and college placement.

but to answer your question, my kid starts kindergarten next year so i've already been giving this a lot of thought and this is what i'm currently looking at for schools. type of enviorment first and formost, i don't want my kid to be going to a school he's afraid of getting beat up or mugged, granted bullying is bound to happen and i can't protect him 24/7 but to what degree? to be blunt he's not going to a ghetto school period. quality of the teaching second, how do they rank among other schools in the area, what do other parents and kids say about teachers there, how involved is the school int he students lives? to the teachers just teach and care less about anything else or rather kid even passes the class? does the school have a position on teaching values and morals? lastly location, i'd gladly drive 2 hours each direction to get him in a better school but i doubt i would be comfortable sending him to live there, at least not til maybe 10th grade anyway. and actually one more, does my kid actually enjoy the school, i won't force him to be somewhere he doesn't wanna be in the first place....
 
Will it be a drum school or a golf school? I'd go to either one.
 
well i'm a little confused, is this a music school or like your every day general purpose school? it kinda sounds like a standard academic school like any other grade school but centered around music, which i like the idea of yet would be a little hesitant to send my kid to.

for one wouldn't a whole curiculum centered around music be a bit unhealthy for a kid who's not really in to music as much as others? i don't know about private schools but i know public schools are held to a certain standard of what they teach and how, how would this type of a set up work for everyday life of somebody who's not in a music career?

i guess over all i would feel like this would be pushing a child too much into a certain direction that they may not even want to go in. perhaps i thinking of too young of children, maybe this would be completely appropriate for a highschool of sorts for older teens that have already expressed a desire to persue music as a career, maybe that is your intent since you mentioned dorms and college placement.

but to answer your question, my kid starts kindergarten next year so i've already been giving this a lot of thought and this is what i'm currently looking at for schools. type of enviorment first and formost, i don't want my kid to be going to a school he's afraid of getting beat up or mugged, granted bullying is bound to happen and i can't protect him 24/7 but to what degree? to be blunt he's not going to a ghetto school period. quality of the teaching second, how do they rank among other schools in the area, what do other parents and kids say about teachers there, how involved is the school int he students lives? to the teachers just teach and care less about anything else or rather kid even passes the class? does the school have a position on teaching values and morals? lastly location, i'd gladly drive 2 hours each direction to get him in a better school but i doubt i would be comfortable sending him to live there, at least not til maybe 10th grade anyway. and actually one more, does my kid actually enjoy the school, i won't force him to be somewhere he doesn't wanna be in the first place....

Sorry for the confusion. It would be a like a performing arts high school, only with the emphasis on music, rather than a range of arts subjects. There will definitely be a core curriculum (math, science, etc.). It won't be only music, just an emphasis on music. I was thinking that the target student would be one who has an interest in music to the point of wishing to study it more in depth in a supportive environment, without necessarily committing to a complete immersion. I would like it to be an alternative to many performing arts high school music programs where there is an assumption you wish to pursue a university degree in music or a career in music.

I just think that an education with an emphasis on music is beneficial in more ways than just preparing a student for a music career. For example, the most successful applicants to medical schools are ones with musical training. That isn't because medical colleges are asking their applicants to perform the 26 rudiments. It's because there are other desirable qualities people develop while studying music. That is what I want to focus on. I want to tell students "you don't need to go on to a music career (unless you want to), but here are ways an education in music can benefit you regardless of the field you choose." Or words to that effect.

Safety would go without saying. There will be a zero tolerance for drugs or violence. Luckily, music students are generally a more mellow group, although things can happen. The teachers would be top shelf, with a masters degree minimum, and would be expected to be quite involved with the educational process. If they work for me, they will have distinguished themselves in some way before being hired, and will be expected to continue that trend while employed. I am not going to hire people who are only great players, pedagogical skills are equally important. As far as teaching values, there is a lot of that built into any good music curriculum already. There would be a code of conduct and a general set of values that would be emphasized, but it wouldn't be faith-based.

This is good. I am already getting more ideas. Please keep them coming!
 
Anyone else have some ideas?
 
Very personal experience. Not just here is your lesson nice knowing you see you next week and don't forget your money. I don't know very many drummers at all....actually none other than my instructor. However when i send him a text saying that I mastered a lesson or lick or for advice on technique I almost always get nothing back.

That makes me feel like he could care less. Now I know you may have many students, but still how long would it take to just send a reply.
 
Personally I think most teachers downfall and the reason they loose pupils interest is the lack of explanation and the lack of listening to what the pupil wants out of it.
I gained a music scholarship on Trombone, Piano, Euphonium and singing and I still didn't know what the purpose of scales was and that if you were writting or playing a piece of music certain sets of notes worked within certain keys.
I then took up drums and whilst self taught initially on a kit until I thought I'd get some lessons at school, the person they had teaching me was very old and whilst I wanted to be a rock drummer and play a big kit (as most kids do) he sat me in front of a snare drum and started teaching me rolls and paradiddles.
NOW if he had of sat and played an F*-* off fill made up of paradiddles (or similar) and then said right that's made up off - - - - I could of related to it and I would have been practicing paradiddles all day long. Instead with no explanation I really didn't get it and I sat there throughout the lessons thinking why's he teaching me this crap - I don't want to be in a marching band - I want to be a rock drummer !!!!
Whilst I was reluctant to practice my grade pieces and it was like dragging a horse to water, one of the best pianists in my year - the books his teacher had given him were all pop songs like Elton John, David Bowie and anyone else that was in the charts at the time - you didn't have to ask him to practice - he wanted to !!!
I really do think teachers overlook what to them is obvious sometimes.
 
I just think that an education with an emphasis on music is beneficial in more ways than just preparing a student for a music career.
Hmm . . . I'm just skeptical that there would be that many kids attracted to a school with a heavy emphasis on music who aren't interested, at least at that point, at pursuing music in a university and/or as a career.
The teachers would be top shelf, with a masters degree minimum,
The degree requirement is one thing I'd change if I were doing this. People who would be "top shelf" teachers do not necessarily have degrees, and of course, people with degrees are not necessarily "top shelf" teachers (not that you were saying that, though).

I find our culture of requiring degrees for many things disturbing--and I'm saying that as someone who has multiple graduate degrees. One can be just as educated, just as talented in a field--if not moreso, while only having a background of independent study and experience. I do not like the idea of persons being penalized for not having the time or money to attend school for an additional four to eight (or more) years. I see universities in the US as a money-making racket as much as anything else. In my opinion, that should not at all be the point of them.
 
Did you ask him?
Not only the teacher have a responsibility, the student does so too!

When you're 13 years old and you really don't know any better nor ever been told otherwise and probably largely also out of respect to an older person and having been bought up to respect my elders - - - - - - - No - - - - - I didn't !!
I would now though because I'm older and wiser !!!
 
I find our culture of requiring degrees for many things disturbing--and I'm saying that as someone who has multiple graduate degrees. One can be just as educated, just as talented in a field--if not moreso, while only having a background of independent study and experience. I do not like the idea of persons being penalized for not having the time or money to attend school for an additional four to eight (or more) years. I see universities in the US as a money-making racket as much as anything else. In my opinion, that should not at all be the point of them.

+1 !
 
I am getting closer to finishing my PhD in education and am totally disgusted with the way our education system works. I can't think of going back to a regular teaching position and watching students suffer through year after year of BS and questionable pedagogy, so I think I might open my own private school. I need your input to help make this a great experience for students.

A very brief academic philosophy:

There would be (out of necessity) a strong emphasis on academics, but with a contemporary music vibe. Most importantly, students should have the opportunity to focus on the music that is most important to them. I don't necessarily want to prepare students for music careers (unless that is what they want) or specifically for college music exams, but rather I would like to see the focus be on learning how the personal characteristics they develop through music training (focus, time management, communication, etc.) can serve them on whatever path life leads them on. I am not saying this school would not prepare students for college, it definitely would. I am simply saying we wouldn't necessarily push students toward music degrees.

The other thing is, the curriculum would be integrated, meaning If you are in an ensemble learning a rock song (for example) your other academic classes would add to your productivity. So once you get to perform it, your technology courses would show you how to record the performance, your business/math courses would show you how to market your music and make a profit (while you are in school!), your art class would help you design media for its promotion, your history course would show you what was going on at the time that contributed to the creation of that song, etc. Hopefully that makes sense?

Apart from that, however, what would you like to see in a private school? Please be serious. I know it should be affordable, so let's not focus on $$$. Some areas I would like your input on are:

1) Environment (rural vs. urban, residential vs. day school)

2) Personal characteristics of potential teachers

3) Types of classes (beyond the basic academic curriculum)

4) College placement

5) Technology

6) Performance emphasis

7) Extra-curricular activities

**please feel free to add anything else you think is important, just please be serious**

Would you be more or less likely to attend if it were a residential campus (meaning you stay in the school dorms, away from home). Would a rural or urban campus make a difference? If anyone is a parent here, I would like to hear your thoughts on what would convince you to send your child to a particular school.

Thanks in advance.

Okay, first thing about this:

Give both options for day school and a residential school. You'd be simultaneously increasing your potential student population and saving money on dorm space.

Personally, musical types of people my age are also the "free spirit" type. Having fairly open curricula is a good idea, and Even though it kind of goes against traditional private schools, consider scrapping uniforms.

The environment directly correlates to what students are going to be attending, unless somehow your school becomes a nationally recognized institution. If you're going to be setting up shop in an urban area, you'll probably have a more diverse crowd, in every criteria possible, but depending on tuition price you might narrow that down a bit(or more than a bit). Some people find the urban atmosphere exciting and inspirational, some find it choking. The same could be said for a rural setting, but I personally find the country to feel kind of lonely, isolated. I'd go for a city, or closer to one.

Teachers should, of course, be experienced in their field, as opposed to a lot of public school teachers. If you'd be hiring directly, then make sure they have something interesting about them. Being normal and responsible isn't always the best way to be a teacher.

Make sure a lot of different physical activities are available as part of an extra-curricular system. And I mean everything. Exotic things are good for these kinds of things; rugby is a good example.

Try to keep technology fairly up to date. Maybe a two or three-year span between updates. Macs are good classroom computers, as they're hard to mess up.

The thing about performance expectations is that in music, anything below 100% is unacceptable. Thus, if you require musical classes as part of the curriculum, the students are more likely to do well, assuming they care about their classes.

That's just my opinion.
 
Hmm . . . I'm just skeptical that there would be that many kids attracted to a school with a heavy emphasis on music who aren't interested, at least at that point, at pursuing music in a university and/or as a career. The degree requirement is one thing I'd change if I were doing this. People who would be "top shelf" teachers do not necessarily have degrees, and of course, people with degrees are not necessarily "top shelf" teachers (not that you were saying that, though).

I find our culture of requiring degrees for many things disturbing--and I'm saying that as someone who has multiple graduate degrees. One can be just as educated, just as talented in a field--if not moreso, while only having a background of independent study and experience. I do not like the idea of persons being penalized for not having the time or money to attend school for an additional four to eight (or more) years. I see universities in the US as a money-making racket as much as anything else. In my opinion, that should not at all be the point of them.

I agree with this. I am not implying that teachers with masters degrees are, by nature, great teachers (I've had plenty who were dreadful). Rather, the expectations would be having a masters degree AND being a great teacher. The best college instructor I ever had did not have a degree. He was a nationally recognized composer and drummer and didn't need it. The reality of attracting students (or rather parents) to the school tends to require formal credentials in order to offer a sense of "legitimacy," despite the potential individuals without those degrees may have, unless of course they have equivalencies through other professional and high profile endeavors.

I like that you recognized the profiteering aspect of U.S. universities as well as access issues. This is something I want to avoid with this school, at least in terms of how it affects students.
 
Okay, first thing about this:

Give both options for day school and a residential school. You'd be simultaneously increasing your potential student population and saving money on dorm space.

Personally, musical types of people my age are also the "free spirit" type. Having fairly open curricula is a good idea, and Even though it kind of goes against traditional private schools, consider scrapping uniforms.

The environment directly correlates to what students are going to be attending, unless somehow your school becomes a nationally recognized institution. If you're going to be setting up shop in an urban area, you'll probably have a more diverse crowd, in every criteria possible, but depending on tuition price you might narrow that down a bit(or more than a bit). Some people find the urban atmosphere exciting and inspirational, some find it choking. The same could be said for a rural setting, but I personally find the country to feel kind of lonely, isolated. I'd go for a city, or closer to one.

Teachers should, of course, be experienced in their field, as opposed to a lot of public school teachers. If you'd be hiring directly, then make sure they have something interesting about them. Being normal and responsible isn't always the best way to be a teacher.

Make sure a lot of different physical activities are available as part of an extra-curricular system. And I mean everything. Exotic things are good for these kinds of things; rugby is a good example.

Try to keep technology fairly up to date. Maybe a two or three-year span between updates. Macs are good classroom computers, as they're hard to mess up.

The thing about performance expectations is that in music, anything below 100% is unacceptable. Thus, if you require musical classes as part of the curriculum, the students are more likely to do well, assuming they care about their classes.

That's just my opinion.

Many thanks for this.
 
I like the idea of requiring the purchase of a laptop. Each student would have the same laptop with the same DAW installed. For some classes, mixing, mastering etc could be a homework assignment. They can learn about EQ, compression, reverb, etc. The laptop should also be equipped with software which helps them to write music, maybe where you can write it, and hear it played back with midi.

I like the idea as well, of issuing electric drum kits, so they can practice in their rooms at home or in the dorm. Having dorms would actually be really cool, except I'm not sure parents are ready to let their kids move out of the house so soon. Then again it's a private school, so people might attend from all over, so dorms may be necessary.

You need to somehow stay clear of generics, stress creativeness. As assignments have students try to demonstrate this by experimenting forcing them to think outside the box.

One thing I would like to see, is the subject of music and psychology be probed more. Music is a form of communication and letting go, but also taking in.

I would like to see teachers who are constantly introducing students to good music, and to give suggestion on who to listen to etc.
 
Since this concept sounds like an 'alternate' type of High School, which I think is a great idea. I was wondering what would the electives be? Would the electives be the music related classes? Or would they be the core (state required) classes like Math, English, History, Science etc...

Also would you be using teachers from the NEA or NFM unions?

What are your plans for meals? A cafeteria or bring your own meal daily requirement?

Transportation to and from school and before and after hours classes?

Just wondered what your plans in these areas might be...
 
1) Environment (rural vs. urban, residential vs. day school)

Urban- someplace where students can see pros play live, and stand a chance of gigging themselves.

2) Personal characteristics of potential teachers

Personally, I'm a little tired of teachers (or at least their videos) who try to win me over with their infectious enthusiasm, but end up sounding like they're interviewing for a management position at Applebee's. Get at least one major bastard on the staff.

3) Types of classes (beyond the basic academic curriculum)

Private lessons, combos, perc ens, perc tech, piano, theory, arranging, composing, recording, business, music history.

4) College placement

Wait, I thought we were talking about a college-level place. Anyway, how about professional placement instead?

5) Technology

Drums, practice pads, sticks. Music stands. An amplified metronome would be lovely. A stereo.

OK, I guess AV recording facilities would be nice.

6) Performance emphasis

Not sure what this means.

7) Extra-curricular activities

Pilates, yoga, basic physical fitness. Cooking. Spanish club.
 
Off topic posts deleted. If anyone has an axe to grind regarding public schools, I'm sure there are some great places out there on the world wide web to express your thoughts.
 
I like the idea of requiring the purchase of a laptop. Each student would have the same laptop with the same DAW installed. For some classes, mixing, mastering etc could be a homework assignment. They can learn about EQ, compression, reverb, etc. The laptop should also be equipped with software which helps them to write music, maybe where you can write it, and hear it played back with midi.

I like the idea as well, of issuing electric drum kits, so they can practice in their rooms at home or in the dorm. Having dorms would actually be really cool, except I'm not sure parents are ready to let their kids move out of the house so soon. Then again it's a private school, so people might attend from all over, so dorms may be necessary.

You need to somehow stay clear of generics, stress creativeness. As assignments have students try to demonstrate this by experimenting forcing them to think outside the box.

One thing I would like to see, is the subject of music and psychology be probed more. Music is a form of communication and letting go, but also taking in.

I would like to see teachers who are constantly introducing students to good music, and to give suggestion on who to listen to etc.

I like this. Having an up to date media lab would seem to be a given. There are plenty of funding options (like grants) to support implementing one. Having a dedicated drum lab with electronic instruments is a good idea. The State of Maine had a laptop initiative, and it was really fun to create assignments which used them.

Speaking of Maine, there was a Math/Science school in northern Maine where students stayed in dorms. There were really no problems, and the majority of students liked it. That said, I think I would like to offer dorms as an option alongside a day-school concept.
 
Back
Top