From Sit-and-Get to Grow-And-Show: Rethinking Professional Learning in Music Education

For years, I’ve sat through one size fits all professional development. This kind of professional development rarely benefited myself or the students in my classroom, because it was never about us. Truthfully, I just got tired of pretending that “one-size-fits-all PD” works for music teachers. I have learned more from a 30-minute clinic on my beginner oboes and bassoons than I have from a full day of PD sessions. That was my wake-up call.

I found myself questioning so why we don't get to rehearse our teaching. Instead, I envisioned a model where music educators receive musical and ongoing support rooted in real rehearsals, real ensembles, and real student growth.

In other words, I didn’t invent a new PD method — I simply recognized that we already have one. It’s called rehearsal.

Band directors thrive in collaborative, performance-based environments. We rehearse, model, assess, and refine every day. Our PD should reflect that same active learning model. Don’t tell us how learning works. Model it for us, coach us, and let us practice it.

Project Audience: This project is designed for fine arts colleagues, campus administrators, and district leadership who are exploring more meaningful professional learning models for music educators.

From Sit-and-Get to Show-and Grow Presentation

The Story Behind the Story: Why This Shift Matters

The Why

For years, I attended PD that didn’t reflect the reality of ensemble teaching. Literacy rotation strategies and math frameworks didn’t help my clarinets tune or my brass section balance or help teach the musical skills that actually matter in performance and assessment.

Our students grow through rehearsal. We provide hands-on learning, feedback, modeling, and reflection opportunities, so why don't we get the same opportunities as music teachers?

This project grew from the belief that music educators deserve PD aligned to the ways we teach and learn.

The What

This presentation makes a case for shifting PD from passive compliance to rehearsal driven professional learning aligned with:

• Extended duration

• Ongoing coaching

• Active engagement

• Modeling

• Music-specific pedagogy

The goal: make teacher learning feel as authentic, structured, and musical as an ensemble rehearsal.

The How

I built this project using:

• Microsoft PowerPoint for presentation design

• Duarte’s “What Is → What Could Be” storytelling structure

• Research from Gulamhussein (2013), Learning Forward (2019), Daniels (2013), and TNTP (2015)

I kept the slides super simple on purpose. I didn’t want to read a script to the audience. I wanted them to hear the thinking and feel the contrast between sit-and-get and rehearsal-style learning.

The Why Behind the Why Video

Transcript

The transcript of my reflection video is included to support accessibility, clarity, and academic transparency.

Final Thoughts

Music educators don’t need more meetings. We need meaningful rehearsal style professional learning. If we wouldn't teach our students that way, we shouldn’t be taught that way either.

References

Duarte, N. (2010, December 10). The secret structure of great talks [Video]. TEDx. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1nYFpuc2Umk

Gulamhussein, A. (2013). Teaching the teachers: Effective professional development in an era of high-stakes accountability. Center for Public Education. https://www.centerforpubliceducation.org/system/files/2013-176_ProfessionalDevelopment.pdf

TEDx Talks. (2013, November 6). Empowering the teacher technophobe: Kristin Daniels at TEDxBurnsvilleED [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=puiNcIFJTCU

TNTP. (2015). The mirage: Confronting the hard truth about our quest for teacher development. https://tntp.org/publications/view/evaluation-and-development/the-mirage-confronting-the-truth-about-our-quest-for-teacher-development

Standards for Professional Learning: Quick Reference Guide. (2019). Learning Forward. https://learningforward.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/standards-reference-guide.pdf

Note: I wrote this in my own voice because this topic is very personal to me as a band director. ChatGPT supported me for idea organization and polishing phrasing the same way Grammarly or a writing coach would, but the ideas, tone, audience, and content are completely mine. Every example comes from my real teaching experience and professional growth journey.