Whimsical artwork, shelves of student keepsakes, a six-foot furry orange monster staring inquisitively from a corner 小蝌蚪APP collectively, the memorabilia in Scott Durbin小蝌蚪APP檚 小蝌蚪APP office illustrate his journey as an educator and music industry professional.
This December, Durbin can add another signpost to his collection: Master of Education in Curriculum and Instruction.
Durbin planned to earn his master小蝌蚪APP檚 degree immediately following his undergraduate studies in the early 小蝌蚪APP90s, but, with a wedding on the horizon, instead he earned an alternative teaching certification and began working in New Orleans schools.
Although music had long been part of his life, Durbin says he largely put it aside until he began having children.
小蝌蚪APP淲hen you have children, you小蝌蚪APP檙e born into that world of children小蝌蚪APP檚 programming 小蝌蚪APP TV, music, and movies that you小蝌蚪APP檙e evaluating. For me, the lack of real people in children小蝌蚪APP檚 programming was obvious,小蝌蚪APP he says.
Durbin小蝌蚪APP檚 response was to gather a group of friends 小蝌蚪APP Rich Collins, Dave Poche and Scott 小蝌蚪APP淪mitty小蝌蚪APP Smith 小蝌蚪APP and to make a music-based television show with real people and real music.
In 2002, the were born.
小蝌蚪APP淥f course, my experience as an educator informed what the Movers were,小蝌蚪APP Durbin says. 小蝌蚪APP淚小蝌蚪APP檇 done a lot of research-based best practices to create an educational philosophy for that program. And we just had an idea that we knew would work.小蝌蚪APP
They were right.
The group signed a contract with Disney in 2007 and ultimately filmed 75 episodes, winning an Emmy along the way. This year, the Movers released their , which includes a track featuring Lisa Loeb.
During the last 17 years, Durbin amassed some serious credibility and experience in the music entertainment industry. When the UL Lafayette School of Music & Performing Arts began piecing together its music business major, Durbin was a great fit.
But to continue in academia, Durbin needed one more credential 小蝌蚪APP he needed to finish his master小蝌蚪APP檚.
小蝌蚪APP淪o here I was juggling three balls: creating a curriculum for a program that really didn小蝌蚪APP檛 have it, earning my masters, and continuing my work with the Imagination Movers,小蝌蚪APP he says. 小蝌蚪APP淭he online master小蝌蚪APP檚 program was really the only way I could小蝌蚪APP檝e accomplished it.小蝌蚪APP
Specifically, Durbin wanted to complete his master小蝌蚪APP檚 in curriculum and instruction, which built on his early experience as a technology and then writing specialist and would inform his new role.
小蝌蚪APP淚 had a lot of real-world experience but it was a matter of taking my experience and creating an instructional scope and sequence that made sense for the music business program and would lead the program in the future,小蝌蚪APP he says.
小蝌蚪APP淎ll that knowledge with regards to curriculum and instruction, I could apply to my present situation here at UL Lafayette and really strengthen the program because of it.小蝌蚪APP
UL Lafayette小蝌蚪APP檚 online M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction prepares teachers to reform, refine, and develop curricula and instruction techniques primarily at the elementary, middle, and high school levels.
Durbin says as a 小蝌蚪APP instructor, he was an 小蝌蚪APP渁nomaly小蝌蚪APP within the curriculum and instruction program but was able to work with professors to apply coursework to his subject matter at the university level.
And he小蝌蚪APP檚 already begun applying those lessons directly to the classroom. By learning about active-learning instructional formats, Durbin says he小蝌蚪APP檚 been able to transition his instruction from a lecture-model to a more student-based model.
小蝌蚪APP淚n the music business program, it小蝌蚪APP檚 really about how they can apply what they小蝌蚪APP檙e learning once they leave here. I felt student-centered instruction and active learning was a really helpful way to facilitate that,小蝌蚪APP he says. 小蝌蚪APP淢oving away from lecture-based instruction is not something I would have done if not for the online learning experience.小蝌蚪APP
Becoming a student again shaped Durbin小蝌蚪APP檚 perspective in other ways, too, from engaging with other educators to using tools in different ways.
小蝌蚪APP淏eing a student allows me to see things from a student小蝌蚪APP檚 perspective, which further informs my point of view,小蝌蚪APP he said. 小蝌蚪APP淲e had a lot of online discussions so you were interacting with other professionals regarding the course material so it wasn小蝌蚪APP檛 just my point of view; I could see other people小蝌蚪APP檚 points of view and how they experienced the content, which I think rounded it out.
小蝌蚪APP淚t小蝌蚪APP檚 been a great experience, quite honestly, to do the online master小蝌蚪APP檚.小蝌蚪APP
Durbin said he planned to take two courses each semester but had to adjust his plan. The online Master of Education program gave him the flexibility to set his pace.
Even when the Imagination Movers had a tour in Asia, Durbin was still enrolled in one course. And when his mother became ill, he was able to take a semester off.
小蝌蚪APP淥bviously, those types of situations impact where you are in life,小蝌蚪APP Durbin says. 小蝌蚪APP淔ortunately, when you小蝌蚪APP檙e doing an online learning situation it allows you to manage your time. I could still get it done, even if I had to take care of the things life threw at me.小蝌蚪APP
What小蝌蚪APP檚 next for Durbin? More juggling.
The Movers have more tour dates scheduled for the spring, and in March all of the episodes produced with Disney will be available on the new Disney+ service. Meanwhile, Durbin will continue sharing his expertise with future music industry professionals at UL Lafayette.
小蝌蚪APP淲e always have an iron in the fire. It definitely gives the program extra validation that I小蝌蚪APP檓 still a practicing professional member of the industry, whether I小蝌蚪APP檓 writing or publishing,小蝌蚪APP Durbin says. 小蝌蚪APP淚小蝌蚪APP檓 still doing a lot of the things I小蝌蚪APP檓 teaching about in the program. I can talk to students about how to face these issues when they leave here with their degree.小蝌蚪APP