How To Guide High School Students Into An Undergraduate Degree With Dan Wendelken

Guide high school students into college

In this episode, I interview a colleague and great friend Mr. Dan Wendelken, an elementary band director from Long Island, New York. We have a wide ranging conversation surrounding his career now having taught elementary through college students.

We start by discussing the differences between the emotional displays of elementary students and those of high schoolers. Dan explains that while elementary students are more likely to show their emotions, high schoolers are much better at hiding them. We then discuss a few ways to intervene in order to keep things as positive as possible for students who might be falling behind and feeling left out.

We then get into the issues surrounding high schoolers who are transitioning to college. We consider whether it’s better for students to take more advanced courses, more career specific prep courses or more individual mentoring such as private lessons and leaving more time to hone their craft (in this case, their abilities on the instrument).

Our conversation today offers teachers important thoughts to ponder so they can help guide high school students into college based on the specific needs of each teen.

You can see Dan perform with the Brooklyn Wind Symphony here!