I like how the author of the book talks about how the differentiated classroom is a way of life in the classroom that doesn't follow a recipe, but is adjusted based on what the teacher learns about her students. I find that I am constantly adjusting my choir classes based on how students respond. If I plan one strategy to teach students how to sight read a section of music, use a more supported tone, improve intonation, or modify vowels, and it doesn't work, I will try a different strategy. If this doesn't work, I will pull something else out of my "bag of tricks." Each time I try a different strategy, more students grasp the idea until something clicks and we get it, or I wait till the following day to try something new or review and we are good to go. I think one the strengths of music is that it lends itself to using multiple approaches to content and the learning process(pg. 4). It is natural to incorporate kinesthetic, visual, and auditory learning into many music lessons. I do feel like I have a pretty limited understanding of DI in my classroom at this point, so I am interested to learn how I can incorporate it more consistently and effectively.
Courtney