Music 23241
September 22, 2011
Getting the Most Out of Going to Convention
Barton takes the time in this article to go through how to get the most of your experience at convention. Barton suggests making your schedule in advance. He writes that he personally leaves very little breathing space in his days at any conference and that he has a back up plan in case he misses a session for any reason. He also suggests taking a fair amount of time to explore the exhibit hall but not spending the entire time there in place of too many concerts or sessions. He also suggests that there is not a concert that has no value. He explains that it is important for educators to see how others not only interpret particular music, but what and how the students are doing what they do.One of the last points that Barton makes is making sure that you are having fun at convention. Convention is not only a place to learn but to have fun with peers and have an enjoyable time making connections with fellow music educators.
I have always enjoyed going to these confrences but i have never taken the time to make out a schedule before hand. I will look at the full schedule and find sessions that look interesting but for the most part i have flown by the seat of my pants at convention. Luckily it worked out for me, I still learned a lot and did not spend to much time on the exhibit hall floor. But I really feel that following in Bartons' experienced footsteps might be a nice change of experience.
I feel that attending as a staff can be a very good thing. The phrase divide and conquer comes to mind because there is only so much one person can take in within such a short time. I agree with the ideas that Barton introduces to maximize time. I think that they are valuable because you are paying to be there and with the amount that it costs to go to this convention every bit of information is worth something.
Great comments here! Making a schedule is highly encouraged, as it maximizes your time and learning experience.
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