Pep Talk:

Applying Learning Theories to the Start-Up High School Pep Band

Sarah Bost

University of Washington

MUSED 561

December 13, 2016

Pep Talk 2

INTRODUCTION

In the typical high school band classroom one will find various personalities, abilities,

and types of learners: the class clown, the perfectionist, the model citizen; the drum major, the

All-State performer, the last chair trombonist; students who prefer visual, aural, or kinesthetic

learning experiences. As a band director responsible for rehearsing and performing with twenty

to eighty of these beings at one time, how does one offer a substantial music education to meet

each individuals needs? Gaining an understanding of learning theories can help teachers access

students learning and performing potential.

The purpose of this reflection is to define three major learning theories and to analyze

their use in high school pep band rehearsal and performance at a specific Northwest high school.

This paper will provide concrete examples of these learning theories in action and argues that

using each of them throughout rehearsals will best serve student learning and leadership.

Overview of Pep Band Timeline and Band Director Responsibilities

This particular high school is different than most in that it has not had an instrumental

program for several decades. The administration decided to create a pep band because of the

strong student support of varsity sports teams. The new band director had to be in contact with

prospective students over the summer and plan a first year of instruction centered around

proposed student numbers and instrumentation; music, equipment, and drum line percussion had

to be purchased, summer band camp had to be planned and a minimum of 10 performances were

expected between September and March.

During a week-long August band camp, the director quickly assessed students strengths

and weaknessescould they sight read sufficiently? Did they have confidence when learning
Pep Talk 3

music aurally? How long would it take before they could play cohesively as a group? A very

important question arose which pertained to the sustainability of the ensemble: what was the

identity of this ensemble? Developing culture seemed as important as advancing musicianship.

During the school year, it was the directors responsibility to recruit new students to grow

the program, to teach music fundamentals, to train musicians in drum line performance, to get

new students up to speed quickly (those who joined after band camp), to get students prepared

for executing their first public performance (the Homecoming football game!), to build the

bands repertoire list over fall and winter sports seasons, and to plan for expanding the band

program for the next school year.

The final instrumentation came to two flutes, two clarinets, two alto saxophones, one

sousaphone, two snare drums, one quad tenor drum, and one bass drum, with one flutist and one

clarinetist who filled in on bass drum and crash cymbals for drum cadences only. What follows

is a reflection of student learning experiences between August and December through the lenses

of Behaviorist, Cognitivist, and Constructivist learning theories.

BEHAVIORISM

Behaviorism is a learning theory that implies conditioning and rote learning; it is more of

a teacher-centered, top-down approach to education. It produces observable external behaviors

that can be measured, which works well for the motor skills (posture, fingerings, stickings,

embouchures) involved in music learning. It requires programming students to produce

specific results and does not necessarily promote critical thinking; Behaviorism is more product-

oriented than process-oriented. Repetition is a key part of Behaviorism, and so is sequence;

Schunk (2012) asserts that skills should be taught in an order which pertains to their use, their
Pep Talk 4

utility, and when the learner has the necessary foundation of knowledge. It would be difficult to

teach an instrumental ensemble and not include some Behaviorist principlesBehaviorism is

centered around instilling correct habits which are taught in the way they will be used.

Behaviorism in the Pep Band Rehearsal and Performance

This being a pioneered ensemble, students had many new routines and procedures to

learn. Most students had never performed in an outdoor venue before; a field trip was scheduled

two weeks before the first football game to the football stadium in another neighborhood (this

small urban school did not have its own stadium) so that students could perform their set list in

the elements. Students learned that hearing is more difficult outdoorsones sound disperses

quickly, making the group sound diminished to the players themselves. This realization affected

the collective efficacy mindset of the group, which will be discussed later. They also learned that

intonation becomes more troublesome when various temperatures and humidity levels are

introduced. Students had to adapt to these new challenges and perform as if they were in the

most accommodating environment. Students also had to adapt to attaching lyres and flip folders

to their instruments (adding weight) and to reading from very small copies of music, versus their

usual letter-sized page of music on a music stand.

New performance behaviors were instilled in students during rehearsal and continued to

imprint during performances at football and basketball games. In the fast-paced, loud,

distracting environment of a game, musicians had to watch their director for laminated signs

which indicated the next tune to be playedsometimes added gestures would specify the time at

which the tune would be played, such as a sign language zero to indicate playing the tune at
Pep Talk 5

0:00 on the clock (end of the quarter). Students learned that at 0:20 on the clock they needed to

be in position to play between quarters.

The percussion section included a mix of former percussionists, a musician who did not

play percussion but who read music and had a great sense of rhythm, and a musician who did not

play percussion and who did not read music. Behaviorist approaches were used in limited

rehearsal time to teach some percussion parts by rote. Again, this does not encourage critical

thinking and a deep understanding of rhythmic learning, but it produces a product in a short

period of time to meet a performance deadline (Schunk, 2012). Recordings were utilized in

rehearsal and over email for outside listening. In certain instances, the director would have

students watch their parts and finger (or stick) silently as they listened to a recording, or as the

teacher conducted and sang a certain part; then the director would have students play their parts.

Schunk (2012) states: Conditioning theories explain learning in terms of environmental events.

Mental processes are not necessary to explain the acquisition, maintenance, and generalization of

behavior. These student behaviors (routines, protocols) were all necessary to the public

performances at gamesin the given time frame from August to September, with 45-minute

rehearsals every two days, with an inexperienced ensemble, the question emerges: were

Behaviorist principles the best call for obtaining the desired results?

COGNITIVISM

Cognitivist theory is based on the internal processes that take place in a students mind; it

is more difficult to measure because the minds inner workings cannot be seen. Metacognition is

a crucial factor in Cognitivism; students can be trained to trace their thoughts and to articulate

their thinking processes in real time. Teachers can aid student understanding of metacognition
Pep Talk 6

by using cognitive modeling; they can choose to incorporate mistakes in their cognitive

modeling to help students with cognitive navigation. They can also choose to include self-

efficacy statements in their cognitive modeling (Schunk, 2012). Efficacy and motivation play a

big role in Cognitivism because mindset either enhances or inhibits learningthis will be

discussed in detail in the classroom segment. Unlike Behaviorism, Cognitivism is learner-

centered and can have social components; it also encompasses the idea of Self Regulation, which

instills student agency, a boon to a budding band program.

Cognitivism in the Pep Band Rehearsal and Performance

With a brand new group of musicians in an ensemble which often requires memorized

music, the band director was interested in exploring some aural learning and proceeded with a

Cognitivist approach. Before a first experiment in learning music by ear, the teacher asked

students to reflect on their experience with aural learning had they ever done it before? Was it

a strength or a weakness? Did they feel confident or timid? Students wrote their responses for

the teacher to review later; she then proceeded with aurally teaching two two-bar phrases in a

familiar key. Students were allowed to help each other and to write down the note names. After

the exercise, she asked students to describe their metacognitive experience: What was going on

in your mind as you were learning the new tune by ear? Were you seeing the notes on the staff,

or the note names, or the fingerings, or the scale degrees? Were you audiating it? Students

reflected on the exercise and responded with a variety of answers. A similar exercise was

utilized when new warm-ups were learned by scale degree instead of by note name or by reading

notes on the staff. Students had to mentally picture the correct scale for their instruments

transposition and find the scale degrees to fit the warm-up pattern. The teacher asked students to
Pep Talk 7

reflect again on their mental processes for this type of music-making and discussed their

responses.

During band camp, students were asked to write about their musical backgrounds

(including strengths and weaknesses), their reason for joining a new pep band, their personal and

collective goals for that school year in band, and their music preferences. This period of

reflection not only gave the director a sense of their musical skills and interests, it portrayed the

groups motivations and mindsets. Motivation and self-efficacy (and for these purposes,

collective efficacy) play a large part in Cognitivism, and these are important for a teacher to

understand about her students for proper lesson planning, performance preparation, and culture

development.

A mindset issue cropped up before the first performance (after the field trip to the football

stadium). When students left the aural familiarity of the band room, they felt smallthey

worried that their National Anthem would be lost on a large crowd and began to have self-doubt,

hesitancy, and embarrassment. They articulated this, and the teacher was able to respond over

the next two weeks with encouragement and practicality. Much of self-efficacy relates to

successful performancesit was helpful that students were able to articulate their thoughts and

feelings so that the director knew to give them more rehearsal time outdoors (Schunk, 2012).

Peer modeling also relates to student self-efficacy (Schunk, 2012). Having a teacher

model raises self efficacy, but a peer model raises it higher. In rehearsal the director would

sometimes ask a player, Would you mind playing that for us? or Can you demonstrate that for

us? Students could not only learn from their peers, but feel motivated by them as well.

Self Regulation is one facet of Cognitivism; it exists when students are given choices

which increase their agency (Schunk, 2012). Due to the bands infancy, the band director made
Pep Talk 8

student decision-making a cornerstone of the programstudents were expected to share their

opinions about music selection, band identity, performance opportunities, and student leadership

roles for the development of the program. This gave students a greater sense of ownership of

their band and responsibility to their bandmates. This was apparent in their treatment of the

classroom environment, of the shared equipment, and of each other.

CONSTRUCTIVISM

Cognitive Constructivism

Cognitive Constructivism is based on learners constructing knowledge on their ownthe

basic principle is that knowledge is constructed, not acquired. This is similar to Cognitivism in

that it can include self-talk, reflection, and metacognition.

The argument is often made that simply learning by doing is not enough for

constructivist learning to occur. It must go deeper by encouraging the learner to link the

new with the old by using collaborative communities and engaging in questioning and

problem-solving techniques (Webster, 2011).

This is where we come to discover the balance between process and product (Webster, 2011).

Students need the agency (and time) to solve their own musical problemsthis is how they truly

become musicians (Scott, 2006). When students begin correcting their own mistakes, deeper

knowledge is settling in.

Cognitive Constructivism in the Pep Band Rehearsal and Performance

Flutist, early in the school year: I would love to play bass drum if you ever need

another drummer.
Pep Talk 9

[Same flutist, day of first basketball game. Bass drummer is absent from performance.]

I know all the bass drum parts.

The flutist was seated in front of the bass drummer during every rehearsal of the school

year; she had learned the bass drum parts to all the cadences by listening and watching. She sat

in on bass drum for all the cadences during the first basketball game performance. Webster

(2011) asks: Can [we] trust students to accept responsibility for their own learning?

The aforementioned bass drummer began building his knowledge of drum line cadences

from the first day of class. He began thinking about the role of each percussion instrument in the

overall sound of the drum line and he paid attention to percussion notation on his parts (which

included the other percussion partsin class he could always see a full score of percussion on

cadences). He sought advice from his director to be able to write a cadence that sounds really

cool. He went home and began writing a drum line cadence of his own; he will teach it to his

drum line mates when he finishes composing it.

Social Constructivism

This is where the band program can blend improving musicianship with developing

identity and culture. Webster (2011) says, Learning is, in large part, a social activity. Social

Constructivism takes the principles of Cognitive Constructivism and puts them in the hands of

ones peers. Communities of practice become the learning source for each student (Scott,

2006); knowledge is made by interacting with others. Webster suggests asking: How am I using

students to teach one another? How do we honor the experiences that students themselves bring

into the classroom? How do I change my thinking of not being center stage as the central focus

of learning?
Pep Talk 10

Social Constructivism in the Pep Band Rehearsal and Performance

It is Day One of August band camp; students have packed up their instruments and music

and are scattered across the band room, opening giant cardboard boxes of drum line equipment.

Cardboard, plastic, packing tape, large copper staples, and paper giblets cover the floor.

Excitement is in the air; students partner up and begin putting together drum carriers, attaching

straps to crash cymbals, strapping on percussion instruments and trying them out, figuring it all

out as they go.

Allowing all band students to get their hands on the new percussion equipment not only

taught them about assembling and playing it, but gave them a greater sense of ownership of their

program. Day One of band camp was the day that the flutist and clarinetist felt the draw to the

drum linea dream which was later realized.

In the above section on Cognitivism, Webster asks if we can trust our students to take

responsibility for their own learning. Students in this band had two opportunities to run their

own rehearsal when their director had to be absent. Through the teachers use of scaffolding, the

students were able to have a semi-productive first rehearsal and then a very productive second

rehearsal, which included student-run percussion and wind sectionals. Students would report

back to their director after each student-run rehearsal. During the first of these rehearsals,

students opted to take an additional performance opportunitythey informed their teacher of

this, having set their own call time for the performance!

Moments before the first football game, the director returned to the stands to find her

students crowded around a tuner, getting ready for their performance. Students influence each

other to be responsible and ready for a performance. The organization becomes collaborative on
Pep Talk 11

many fronts, and the teacher can trust that the students will each do their job to make a

successful performance.

Through the teachers facilitation, students engaged in several discussions over the first

two months about the bands identity: A constructivist approach requires teachers to consider

how to achieve greater democracy within their classrooms by moving away from teacher-

centered approaches and encouraging students to lead the decision-making process (Scott,

2006). Students created a name for their ensemble, voted on a shirt and jacket design, discussed

their collective sound goals and their music selection, and made changes as a group to existing

music arrangements.

CONCLUSION

Utilizing the Constructivist theory in the band classroom leads not only to better

musicianship, it leads to thinking musicians, to respectful citizens, and to student empowerment.

However, due to lack of rehearsal time and constant performance deadlines, Behaviorist theory

can be a useful tool in becoming performance ready. Cognitivist theory sits in between the other

two theories and allows us to know more about how our students learn. This reflection proposes

that using a blended method of all three theories can reach all aspects of the band rehearsal and

performance: growing as a unified team, becoming better musicians, and building confidence

from successful performances.

Pep Talk 12

REFERENCES

Schunk, D.H. (2012). Behaviorism. Learning theories: An educational perspective (6th ed.)
(pp. 71-116). Boston, MA: Pearson.

Schunk, D.H. (2012). Social Cognitivism. Learning theories: An educational perspective

(6th ed.) (pp. 117-162). Boston, MA: Pearson.

Scott, Sheila. (2006). A Constructivist View of Music Education: Perspectives for Deep
Learning. General Music Today, 19(2), 17-21.

Webster, P. (2011). Construction of Music Learning. In MENC Handbook of Research on Music

Learning (p. MENC Handbook of Research on Music Learning, Chapter 2). Oxford
University Press.