The Musician Before the Music: Teaching Orchestra in a Post-Pandemic Environment

Even though the height of the COVID pandemic was in 2020, Patricia De Orio focuses on the challenges and new realities faced by orchestra teachers in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. The central theme is the shift in focus from solely teaching musical skills to also addressing the social-emotional needs and mental health of students.

The pandemic disrupted traditional music education, forcing a move to virtual and hybrid instruction. This created significant stress and trauma for both students and teachers. The experience has fundamentally changed the teaching environment. It reassesses the identity and expertise of experienced music teachers, highlighting the need for adaptability, flexibility, and resilience in the face of future disruptions.

De Orio made the following recommendations in meeting the needs of current student musicians: using more visual aids, slowing the pace of instruction, scaffolding in smaller (or more manageable) steps, color coding notation, and changing the notation size/font. De Orio noted that there is a wider spectrum of learners today compared to pre-COVID school interruptions. To address a wide range of student needs, educators must exercise a wider range of approaches.

We make observations of our teaching approach and how students learn over time. The evolution of our observations and measurements of students’ learning is meaningful. This (hopefully) brings about positive change and greater efficacy in student experience. Helping to guide the next generation of musicians will always require a varied approach. This helps the future generation of musicians to innovate and evolve musical art and appreciation. De Orio’s message encourages us to evolve our teaching practice.