Interview with Daniel Brown, October, 31, 2019

Partial Transcript: I would say it's on the small side. It's probably about 900 in the high school grades.

Segment Synopsis: Brown decribes the demographic of the school in which he teaches.

Keywords: New York; arts emphasis; suburban; upper middle class

Partial Transcript: I think I always wanted go into teaching. It wasn’t necessarily until I got to college that I was convinced that I wanted to teach music.

Segment Synopsis: Brown explains the experiences that led him into teaching music. Brown also describes his nervousness for the challenges his program faced from his first day of teaching.

Keywords: Gettysburg College; first day; history

Partial Transcript: I can remember going back to my professor the first year and saying, Oh wise Obi Wan, you were so correct about this and that."

Segment Synopsis: Brown describes how he had to gain the trust of his students. He also had to learn to be patient with himself and advices other new teachers to be patient with themselves and the students..

Keywords: allegience; middle school; patience

Partial Transcript: I’d have to say it was good. I’d have to say it was difficult

Segment Synopsis: Brown shares how his rigorous education helped to prepare him for teaching.

Keywords: methods classes; traditional teacher's college

Partial Transcript: I think because i believe in the profession. I believe in the importance of teaching.

Segment Synopsis: Brown discusses how the benefits of music has kept him teaching young people in spite of how difficult the work can get. He also describes a situation in which what happened after a board member decided to retire into substitute teaching and another situation where the students decided what material they would master.

Keywords: 5 year mark; accountibility; facilitator; politics; proud moment; under-appreciated

Partial Transcript: It was the first experience of incorporating students with exceptional needs into a larger performing ensemble and finding a place for them to be successful.

Segment Synopsis: Brown discusses one of his many challenges in learning to adapt to the needs of his students. He also discusses what he has learned through his experience as a teacher, what encourages the students to stay interested in music and some of the stumbling blocks tha occur in their personal lives they need help to overcome..

Keywords: charter school; concert; hope in teaching; special needs; structure; testing

Partial Transcript: Usually at my expense.

Segment Synopsis: Brown describes an April Fool’s joke that one of his classes pulled on him as well as a few other ways that the students have made him laugh.

Keywords: song switch; stands

Partial Transcript: In terms of my career, not just the balance right now of trying to figure out how many years I have in me for public school.

Segment Synopsis: Brown describes an opportunity that has been presented to him to change careers but decided he would remain in teaching.

Keywords: antiques

Partial Transcript: They'd say I pull form a lot of different ingredients.

Segment Synopsis: Brown describes how he uses different tactics to teach in order to keep his students from getting too comfortable.

Keywords: predictibility

Partial Transcript: Know your subject. Know it inside and out, back and forth.

Segment Synopsis: Brown describes how his mentors had knowledge of their subject, the ability to be flexible and listening skills. He also speaks on how he uses these skills and professional learning to motivate his students and even used these skills to mentor a student teacher.

Keywords: collaboration; motivating students

Partial Transcript: One was a student that got away.

Segment Synopsis: Brown shares the story about a student that no matter how hard he tried, he was not able to reach him on a professional level even though he still stays in touch.