Hey everyone,

PUMPKIN SPICE IS AWFUL.

Now that I’ve alienated 60% of you, let me double down with another hot take:

PROJECT-BASED LEARNING IS NOT A POSTER PROJECT.

Real PBL isn’t “Research Mozart and here’s some poster board.” It’s about solving authentic problems and creating work that actually matters.

Think:

Curating a playlist for an event, and defending your choices

Composing music for a short film/clip, presenting your creative process

Designing and teaching a rhythm game to your peers

(Bloom’s nerds, notice how high those verbs are. That’s the power of PBL.)

Process > Product

When concerts feel like the boss level, don’t forget the side quests!

Music is naturally performance-driven, but learning happens in the process, not just the final product. So what if we treated concerts themselves as projects?

The major benefits of PBL, snobby and academically speaking, are:

• Sustained inquiry: repertoire just challenging enough to keep engaged
• Reduced context switching: focusing on a few meaty works instead of scattered exercises
• Organized cognitive load: rehearsing in meaningful patterns
• Applied knowledge: performance as the application of technique and theory

But…

Do concerts truly measure individual growth? NO!

Do they cover more than 25% of state or national standards? Not even close.

Are “ensemble assessments” blatantly self-sabotaging music education. YES!!!

PBL Planning

So what does good PBL planning look like? Start here:

1. Identifying the standards for project alignment; pick a couple that may have synergy.
2. Design the outcome and objective that drives standard alignment (in both rigor and content).
3. Define how to measure mastery of that outcome.
4. Build instruction that scaffolds toward success.

Major takeaway:

PBL and Backward Design are natural partners (Standards → Objectives → Assessment → Instruction), and done well, PBL is actually easier to plan than a hodgepodge of unrelated lessons under a vague “unit.”

This is what haphazardly shoving instruction into a project and then trying to find standards to align to looks like:

Strategies for Effective PBL

Some key considerations to make projects thrive:

Thoughtful Student Choice

Too much freedom, and students get lost. A little choice gives them ownership and accountability.

➡️ Example: Instead of “Compose an 8 measure melody that uses XYZ” try: “Compose a new jingle for your favorite restaurant using XYZ.”

Build in Connections

PBL shines when it stretches beyond the classroom walls. Cross-curricular ties are gold.

➡️ Example: Create foley art to represent 3 different systems of your body. Music and science standards, BAM!

Design for Failure

Failure isn’t the enemy, it’s where the best learning happens!

➡️ Example: A student’s film score melody doesn’t fit the visuals. Instead of scrapping it, they diagnose the mismatch (tempo? harmony? instrumentation?) and revise just that element.

Reflection + revision = deeper growth.

Updates From the Music Room

Instagram: I started one and have no idea what I'm doing, LFG! LINK​

New release: Dreamcatcher — a free marching band show (preview it here). Cover art by a fantastic visual artist from many years ago, check out more of their work here.

Also out now: The Swan and the Squirrel — a free “easy” string orchestra piece with narration so word painting is the major educational objective (preview it here).

Conferences:

• Oct. 17 — Presenting at the Maryland In-Service Conference on program evaluation frameworks (plus an exhibition booth).
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• Jan. 30 — Presenting at DC’s Conference on learning design strategies.

Your Thoughts

Have you implemented a PBL approach before? If so, what was it and how did it go?

​Share your thoughts here​

Get Inspired,
Evan

​​Previous Issue: Start as You Mean to Go On​

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