Patrick Hait
Synopsis of Graduate Work at Queens College 

            In preparing young adults to become teachers, a college takes upon a great responsibility.  In my experience, Queens College has stepped up to this responsibility, providing me with an incredible education full of appropriate hands-on development.  I feel that the quality of the curriculum and the faculty at Queens College have enabled me to achieve my goals and have given me the tools to set my sights on larger projects.

            As I completed my Bachelor of Arts degree at SUNY Stony Brook, I could not wait to begin the advanced certificate program at Queens College.  My first semester as a graduate student at Queens College was quite labor intensive.  It was in this semester that I completed the bulk of the general education component.  The four classes that were part of the general education program – Educational Psychology, Educational Foundations, Language Literacy and Culture, Childhood Development – provided me with four unique aspects of how education relates to the child.  I did not know quite what to expect as the classes began, but as time went on they proved to be very worthwhile.

            Each of the general education courses were run in a very practical and useful way.  The foundations course provided me with the knowledge and background of the forefathers of today’s educational system.  One of the topics that this class challenged me to look at was the problems that face the students of today.  Upon re-reading a paper that I wrote for this class, I see how absolutely pertinent it was to my present teaching assignment.  Many of my students come from unstable living environments and suffer from a host of different situational problems.  The material presented in this course has helped me to notice students in need of assistance.

Other general education classes at Queens College have given me similar tools that I can use to help my students learn.  I enjoyed learning about different educational philosophers, different learning styles and learning theories.  Three of my general education courses were run in a seminar type format.  This allowed each of the students to share their views in an open, non-judgmental forum.  I feel that this style of class was beneficial to my development as a teacher because I got to hear several different opinions and views on each topic that was discussed.  The material presented in the general education classes, the manner in which it was presented and the professors that taught the courses are an indispensable asset to Queens College.

I feel that the graduate music education courses have prepared me to be an excellent teacher.  Combined with the well-thought-out curriculum, the networks of teachers and professionals connected to the college have proved to be outstanding resources that I have called upon several times.  The courses that I took in the instrumental music education track – instrument method classes, conducting, general music and research – have provided me with a great base of information on which to build my teaching skills.

The instrumental method classes were taught by excellent musicians who helped us to always focus on how we were going to teach the instrument.  Each week, the students in the class learned new techniques on the instruments and discussions were spawned into pedagogical methods.  We were taught about common problems that young students often have in mastering certain techniques and how to overcome them.  By the end of each semester, each student had the opportunity to teach concepts to the class.  The teaching exercises were then critiqued by the professor and students in an effort to help the rest of the class.

An important element of the coursework in almost every class at Queens College focused on critiquing ourselves and our peers.  I feel that the ability to communicate the positive elements of ones teaching, as well as the areas that need improvement, are tools that a teacher must have.  This was extremely helpful in the general music classes that I took with Professor Bell and Professor Smith.  Throughout those classes, I had the opportunity to teach some mini-lessons to my peers and receive some constructive criticism from them.

The seminar classes – Teaching Instrumental Music, Student Teaching Seminar and Research – have provided an invaluable depth of analysis into how, what and why to teach music.  These classes have allowed me to focus on the bigger picture of the profession as a whole, and what my larger objectives of teaching should be.  I really enjoyed these classes because they taught you to think and be critical of your environment in terms of the worth and practice of musical education.

The conducting classes helped my teaching immensely – partially because the only conducting experience that I had prior to this was in fourth grade general music class.  Within the conducting classes we not only learned how to conduct and shape the music, but we focused on how to study and interpret the score.  I feel that conducting an actual ensemble, as we did in Advanced Conducting, was an incredibly valuable experience.

As I hold the music education program at the Aaron Copland School of Music in the highest regard, there were some elements of professional development that I feel were not represented in the curriculum.  As a student in the ‘Instrumental Track,’ my program did not include any vocal pedagogy courses.  I have certainly made connections within the department that I could call on if I had a question, but I feel that I would have benefited from a course in vocal pedagogy.  I also think that my classmates and I would have benefited from a workshop in instrument repair.  I learned some different repair techniques from my cooperating teachers during student teaching, but I wish that I knew more about instrument repair.

Setting those comments aside, I am completely satisfied with my education at Queens College.  The connections that I have made here will last throughout my career.  I feel that the professors at Queens College have given me the tools, knowledge and experience necessary to be an effective and dynamic educator.

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