New Berlin Band Teacher Uses Creative Ways To Teach Virtually

NEW BERLIN, WI—Music has always been a part of Ryan Meisel's life. The New Berlin Eisenhower middle and high school band director loves teaching kids how to be musicians, he told Patch.

Meisel teaches band for students from seventh grade through high school. "The most rewarding part of being a music teacher is to get out of them what they didn't know was there," Meisel said.

The challenge is trying to give all students the same experience. "It is hard when students are dealing with different challenges that they are not used to facing," he said.

One of those challenges over the past year has been the pandemic. "It hasn't affected what I teach but how I teach," he said.

Meisel added that the School District of New Berlin has been very supportive. The district allowed teachers the freedom to find the right tune and method to educate students.

Virtual Ensemble

The music teacher brings in guest artists, sponsored by the Ike Band Boosters, to work with students. The Eisenhower Band Booster Association supports the activities of the band, from fundraising to volunteering at marching band competitions.

"We were able to hire a professional composer to come and do a clinic with our band," Meisel said.

Meisel and his symphonic band welcomed internationally renowned composer and clinician Darryl Johnson II into the classroom in February for a virtual clinic. Johnson spent three class hours with students through Zoom. Meisel set up projectors for the composer to interact with in-class students as well as virtual students.

Johnson covered compositional devices and inspirations and shared what it is like being a professional composer in the music business. "Some of our students were fascinated by this," Meisel said.

Johnson took time to work with Meisel's students as they played his piece "X." "'X' is a sci-fi scavenger hunt set in the year 3057," Meisel said.

How They Created A Virtual Concert

The company, Our Virtual Ensemble, made it possible to create a video performance for the composer. Students recorded themselves performing their part of the ensemble. The videos were then uploaded using the digital tool.

"The company took all the students videos and edited and spliced [them] together to create a video wall," he said.

The end result incorporated everyone's sound clips to appear as if they were playing at the same time.

The goal of the tool, according to Meisel, was to teach students independence, responsibility and how to use the digital tool.

"What we are missing when students are virtual is the interaction of the ensemble," he said.

Meisel's class is made up of 25 percent virtual students and the rest in person. The challenge is to give both populations of students the same experience.

"Doing activities like this puts the students on the same playing field," he said. "Everyone is learning at the same time."

In the final video, "We don't see who has been quarantined, everyone is equal and it is all inclusive experience," Meisel said.

The bright spot of dealing with the pandemic is noticing a high retention rate of musical students. Meisel assumed there might a number of students who would want to try something else because of virtual learning.

"I'm very impressed at how many students are going to continue," he said. "Despite the fact that things like marching band, pep and jazz band have been impacted by it. We are limited on getting together."

By high school, band students are playing because they love the instrument, he said. "Making sure I give the kids that experience is my biggest priority," he said.