Each Monday evening at 8PM EST, music teachers get together and share ideas about important topics within music education. It’s a great chance to interact directly with educators from all over the world and to get new tips and tricks to help you succeed in the classroom. The entire #musedchat discussion is organized and moderated by Joe Guarr.
Q1: What are your favorite and least favorite interview questions to answer? What's a question that has been particularly thought provoking? #musedchat
A1.2: Favorite question is anything that lets me give some specifics. "Tell us about a favorite lesson." Though provoking "talk about an experience that you learned from" #musedchat
And I agree with @AmyLynnRever about wanting to talk specifics in an interview. Makes me feel confident to speak about content area details. #musedchat
#MusedChat Hello, friends! I'm Taylor, a junior MUED major at North Texas, and one of my life goals is to collect as many wacky-printed socks as possible.
A1: (not from an ed interview) Tell me about a negative experience you had with a customer (parent) and how you handled it. How would you handle it differently if it happened again? #musedchat
I'm here! Taylor...MS Band for 17 years, currently between jobs, OH. One very perplexing question was "What would you do for our community *besides* be a band director?" I did a hail mary pass on that one for sure. I would now love 2 answer any question about band! #musedchat
You know, my first four years of teaching I went on a lot of interviews, and I was asked a musical question exactly twice in all that time. It was kind of disheartening #musedchat
#MusedChat A1: My least favorite so far have been questions about implementing core subjects into my curriculum and the dreaded fiscal management question. I don't have a lot of experience in both, so it's been a challenge to come up with good answers.
A1- love telling about favorite lessons. I hate sight-reading piano (prepared pieces are fine) and also wasn’t too fond of performing 2 arias- one in a foreign language. I get performing, but I would rather give a demo lesson- esp for elem. #musedchat
A2- I always ask what the team loves about working at the school. Tells a lot about the school culture and is something you can’t find with research. #musedchat
#musedchat A2: What are the administration's goals for the band program, and how do they interpret their role in assisting the director obtain those goals?
#musedchat A2: I've only been in a whopping two interviews so far, but I like to ask what surprised my interviewees about their schools whenever they started their jobs.
A2: Chance to clarify anything that comes up in the interview. Maybe follow up on a previous question. Ask about school culture, scheduling, vision they have for the program, etc. #musedchat
A2: I used to struggle with this so much when I was young. I was afraid to be too forward and scare them off. I think if I were out there now I might have too many questionsmaking sure it’s something that will fit me. #musedchat
I always felt important to ask about expectations for performances (quantity, frequency, previously held traditions, etc.) and also about time allotted for music department meetings. So rare and so important. #musedchat
A2 I want to know what HAS worked from past music leadership so that I have some success to build upon. Being rather young and unsettled in one community it's worth knowing what a district enjoys and values when it's not your own "home"! #musedchat
A3: when I was a senior in high school I was on a panel for my band director being hired. One of the references made a comment about how he wore a shirt and tie everyday. That stuck with me for some reason. #musedchat
Q3: Candidates who can specifically answer the question asked truly stand out. Vague, generalized statements are a turn off! Also, for #elmused, I want to know you’re not just here as a stepping stone to get to band or choir!!! #musedchat
A3: I think someone who has a vision of where they would like to take a program and a reasonable plan for getting from here to there is very impressive #musedchat
No worries! Small schools and younger grade levels can often get the feeling of being "just" a stop on the way to the upper grade levels or bigger schools. #musedchat
Good job connecting and collaborating with your tribe tonight via chat! Let this group of music educators feed you... I know you have energy to give right back to #musedchat as well! Thanks for continuously growing as an educator of @ISD728
A4: Practicing answers to typical questions. Having things in mind that you want to work into the conversation that highlight your strengths. Research on the district/school where you're interviewing. #musedchat
A4 Talking it out with other working educators both in and out of your field. I can imagine conversations and have car conversations with myself all day but it's not valuable until someone bounces it back to me. #musedchat
A4: Do your homework. Learn about the school and its community. Also, be prepared to say why you should get the job, and what makes you stand out from the other candidates. #musedchat
A4 For my last interview I took the job description and tarted making bullet points saying what experience I HS that made me qualified. That ended up turning into an interview portfolio that is probably the reason I got hired #musedchat
A4- talking to others who have been on the panel/ casual mock interviews etc. Actually talking through answers to questions is what helps me most. #musedchat
Our old superintendent was always in charge of the final round of interviews. She loved asking people questions about the community to see if they'd done their research. #musedchat
A5: It is not about getting A job. It’s about getting THE RIGHT job for you. You have to be the right fit for the position AND it has to be the right fit for you. 🙂 #musedchat
