A deep dive into Bandcamp to accompany the marking.
One of the biggest parts of a teacher life beyond the day-to-day firefighting, classroom endeavours and relentless admin is MARKING. And when assessments rear their head as they do at least twice a term, depending on the nature of your subject(s) and the level that you teach them the amount of marking can be colossal. Imagine 4 classes in one year sit a single paper where the expectation is 3 sides of A4 as an answer. So that’s over a hundred papers that need marking whilst still teaching and preparing other lessons and homework. Imagine that you teach 4 classes in 3 year groups – that a minimum of three hundred papers to mark and the expectation is that theses are turned around in a week… or less! And every child has to have good feedback and clear examples of how to improve. Most of the time these assessments do not coincide but sometimes… they do. I have a colleague who develops a thousand-yard stare as he meticulously works his way through Politics essays creating individual targets and reports for each piece of work. It is seriously tiring as the hours slip between the fingers.
I am lucky I have not so much as others being a Drama teacher in the main, but I recognise the sheer hard work it takes to do it right; but as with most things it does go easier with something to look forward to and so I piled up the papers and hacked my way through over the course of weekend knowing I had lined myself up some new treats to listen to on completion with a large glass of something good.
I love Bandcamp and the app works just great on the phone and artists get paid properly as well as developing relationships with their audiences at a grass roots level. It is a place to mooch around and find new things from people you have never heard of … much like this site… and this week’s offerings are all things I have come across recently.
Firstly the excellent Henry Parker, who sounds somewhere between Ryley Walker and John Martyn but is from Yorkshire and yet perfectly original. I bought the last cassette of a limited release which I received with a lovely handwritten note – why not.
Next up Matt Tipton from Houston with a track from his new album out this weekend, no video but here’s the song on Bandcamp.
Never Claimed to Be by Matt Tipton
And finally Elbury with their song Popular Hero, from another album out this week these guys are Brisbane based and I know nothing about them but it’s great. As ever take what you want or need.
