I originally did a mock lesson that was based around the song "Hey, Harmonica Man" performed by Stevie Wonder. The mock lesson was 10 minutes long (I however went past that) and even I lost sight of what my objective was. So in lieu of that, I made some revisions to the mock lesson.
One of the 'students' (real class student, but was also my fake 8th grader) asked me "What's the monkey watusi?" which was referenced in the song. I responded with a textbook answer of "The watusi was a popular dance in the late 1960's. It was second most popular, the twist was the most popular." What a simple, concise response. It was also the response you would get from typing 'watusi' into google.com (which I had done prior to the lesson).
Then it dawned on me! Instead of briefly mention the watusi, why not teach the watusi? Absurd right? (That was sarcasm). So that was the basis of my revised lesson. The lesson was under the impression that we had already analyzed "Hey, Harmonica Man", it was now the following lesson, and we were about to learn, the watusi!!
Here's where I went wrong. My objective was simple; students will learn how to dance the watusi. Assessment is based on visually seeing the students dancing the watusi. My 'students' were great sports about it and seemed to enjoy it! Where did I go wrong? Once more, I strayed away and tried to give too much information at once by playing various versions of the song "The Wah-Watusi", performed by three different groups. In a full length class this would be appropriate, but was too much for a 10 minute mock lesson.
Where else did I go wrong? I didn't teach the dance moves that well! I used youtube clips (Watusi dance ) to show how the dance went, after briefly describing the dance. I should've broke it down without the music in the background so that they could learn the steps, and accurately gain the muscle memory. My dance teacher would've been disappointed in me if she had been there! I did not do a good enough job of first breaking down the dance steps. Step to the right on beats 1 and 2, to the left on 3 and 4, etc etc. It's nearly impossible to teach a dance through text, I failed them by not leading by example and showing the moves up front, breaking it down step by step, and giving them the counts so they had a point of reference, and could further internalize the pulse. It was only because I was in a room full of college students and fellow professionals, that they were able to follow along so well and dance the watusi! Which was a credit to them, not my teaching capabilities.
What did I do right? Well personally I'm proud that I used the SmartBoard with little to no problems. nI tend to shy away from technical advances in the classroom setting, but I saw the benefits it brought to the class. I definitely am over that now, I intend on incorporating technology when appropriate in my future classes.
What else can I reflect positively on? They were all smiling! Some were a little confused, but they bounced along, and jumped in when they got the moves down. It was an enjoyable moment that got the students out of their seats, interacting with one another in a productive manner, and was a learning moment. In the context of a full class, I believe teaching the watusi will add deeper meaning to the students knowledge of 1960's dance music. This paired with history and society's views and stand points at this time, will make for a more holistic classroom environment.
Thursday, May 9, 2013
Sunday, May 5, 2013
"Thunder Soul"
Thunder Soul : Documentary on Conrad O. Johnson and the Kashmere Stage Band from Houston, Tx.
This documentary starts off by bringing back the Kashmere High School Stage Band, nearly 30 years after last performing together; for a benefit show that contained 25-30 of it's original members. At a time when most stage bands were playing Jazz, Conrad (Prof) had his students playing a lot of Funk pieces. In fact, Prof (their high school band director) wrote over 50 tunes and arrangements for his band to play. This school and community were predominantly black, and Prof was a positive, African-American, male role model for many of his students. Prof saved many of his students by teaching them how to be musicians. He taught them community, respect, pride, as well as the technical musical skills and disciplines that clearly followed them through life. Prof believed that if he could get his students to see that they could play and sound like good, quality musicians, that they would prosper; and they did.
Conrad was a musician first, but he fell in love with a woman named Bertie, and they soon after started a family. Conrad decided to be a family man, stay at home and help raise his family rather than be a traveling musician. He became a high school band director instead, where he earned the nickname, "Prof". Prof's family was also family to his students. He was married 52 years to his wife, "Momma Bertie" as his students referred to her. About 10 years before the making of this film, Bertie passed away.
Prof got his band from just being able to play the music, to being able to perform the music, he made them into a stage band. Prof got his students to play funk at a time when most bands were playing jazz. He listened to his students and found their strengths and personal styles were in the 'funk' realm; and because of his skills as a musician (and composer), Prof was able to write arrangements and pieces for his students that both challenged them and drew them in.
The Kashmere Stage Band traveled to different cities and towns, as well as to Europe. They also were able to record their own albums (which were predominantly popular to people who were middle-aged and white). These students and the school did not have a lot of funding to go on all these trips to perform and compete, so they got the community involved. The students rallied together, brought pride and tradition to their community, and were able to collect necessary funds for these competitions. When the Kashmere Stage Band was able to go to the Reno Jazz Festival to compete (largely in part to the community support), they had an opportunity to be on the radio and on television, and also not only recorded, but released their music.
It wasn't until the Kashmere High School had a new principal hired; one who did not fully comprehend all the positives and educating Prof had given to his students over the years. Without the backing of Prof's administration, and their push for him to retire, along with the funding they had lost, Prof opted to retire. The administration had also disrespected Prof not just to him, but in front of his student population, which is never acceptable in any situation. Arts should never be cut from spending, or thought little of. Athletics are important, but there's a certain age when the individuals body is no longer able to perform at the necessary level. Prof was in his 80'd and still playing that saxophone with such a natural grace, as if it were effortless. His students also proved that music carries with them, so long as they had the opportunity to build the necessary foundation. Some of those former students of his hadn't touched their instrument since leaving High School, but they were able to get the ball rolling again with some hard work and practice.
Prof's former student, Craig Baldwin ran the benefit show. He carried on Prof's legacy and emotion, in part to show Prof that all his years of hard work really stuck with his students, that what he did was for them and they would always be eternally grateful to him. Prof saved many of his students by giving them a place where they belonged, where they were a part of something great. He opened doors for his students and showed them what they were capable of, so long as they were willing to work for it. These individuals developed musicianship, technical musical skills, theory, composing, improvisation, they moved, felt the beats, sung, hit all the music standards and then some.
Another reason that this benefit show was put into place was to show the current Kashmere Stage Band what they could accomplish if they put their minds to it. It also showed them the legacy they should strive to live up to. When the final performance was done, it was so uplifting to see the current students literally jump out of their seats, flabbergasted at the show put on before their eyes. You knew some of those students ( before the show) just thought it was a bunch of 'old people' trying to relive their youth. But by the end of that performance, every member of that audience was in awe. Prof had tears in his eyes, you could tell he felt nothing but pride and gratitude. Prof was a true educator, up until his last breath. Prof had what it took to be an educator, and the lives of his students and the community were forever changed for the better because of his existence.
This documentary starts off by bringing back the Kashmere High School Stage Band, nearly 30 years after last performing together; for a benefit show that contained 25-30 of it's original members. At a time when most stage bands were playing Jazz, Conrad (Prof) had his students playing a lot of Funk pieces. In fact, Prof (their high school band director) wrote over 50 tunes and arrangements for his band to play. This school and community were predominantly black, and Prof was a positive, African-American, male role model for many of his students. Prof saved many of his students by teaching them how to be musicians. He taught them community, respect, pride, as well as the technical musical skills and disciplines that clearly followed them through life. Prof believed that if he could get his students to see that they could play and sound like good, quality musicians, that they would prosper; and they did.
Conrad was a musician first, but he fell in love with a woman named Bertie, and they soon after started a family. Conrad decided to be a family man, stay at home and help raise his family rather than be a traveling musician. He became a high school band director instead, where he earned the nickname, "Prof". Prof's family was also family to his students. He was married 52 years to his wife, "Momma Bertie" as his students referred to her. About 10 years before the making of this film, Bertie passed away.
Prof got his band from just being able to play the music, to being able to perform the music, he made them into a stage band. Prof got his students to play funk at a time when most bands were playing jazz. He listened to his students and found their strengths and personal styles were in the 'funk' realm; and because of his skills as a musician (and composer), Prof was able to write arrangements and pieces for his students that both challenged them and drew them in.
The Kashmere Stage Band traveled to different cities and towns, as well as to Europe. They also were able to record their own albums (which were predominantly popular to people who were middle-aged and white). These students and the school did not have a lot of funding to go on all these trips to perform and compete, so they got the community involved. The students rallied together, brought pride and tradition to their community, and were able to collect necessary funds for these competitions. When the Kashmere Stage Band was able to go to the Reno Jazz Festival to compete (largely in part to the community support), they had an opportunity to be on the radio and on television, and also not only recorded, but released their music.
It wasn't until the Kashmere High School had a new principal hired; one who did not fully comprehend all the positives and educating Prof had given to his students over the years. Without the backing of Prof's administration, and their push for him to retire, along with the funding they had lost, Prof opted to retire. The administration had also disrespected Prof not just to him, but in front of his student population, which is never acceptable in any situation. Arts should never be cut from spending, or thought little of. Athletics are important, but there's a certain age when the individuals body is no longer able to perform at the necessary level. Prof was in his 80'd and still playing that saxophone with such a natural grace, as if it were effortless. His students also proved that music carries with them, so long as they had the opportunity to build the necessary foundation. Some of those former students of his hadn't touched their instrument since leaving High School, but they were able to get the ball rolling again with some hard work and practice.
Prof's former student, Craig Baldwin ran the benefit show. He carried on Prof's legacy and emotion, in part to show Prof that all his years of hard work really stuck with his students, that what he did was for them and they would always be eternally grateful to him. Prof saved many of his students by giving them a place where they belonged, where they were a part of something great. He opened doors for his students and showed them what they were capable of, so long as they were willing to work for it. These individuals developed musicianship, technical musical skills, theory, composing, improvisation, they moved, felt the beats, sung, hit all the music standards and then some.
Another reason that this benefit show was put into place was to show the current Kashmere Stage Band what they could accomplish if they put their minds to it. It also showed them the legacy they should strive to live up to. When the final performance was done, it was so uplifting to see the current students literally jump out of their seats, flabbergasted at the show put on before their eyes. You knew some of those students ( before the show) just thought it was a bunch of 'old people' trying to relive their youth. But by the end of that performance, every member of that audience was in awe. Prof had tears in his eyes, you could tell he felt nothing but pride and gratitude. Prof was a true educator, up until his last breath. Prof had what it took to be an educator, and the lives of his students and the community were forever changed for the better because of his existence.
Saturday, May 4, 2013
"Creating Musical Flexibility Through the Ensemble" by Brandt Schneider
I read this article and all I thought about was the Elementary school that I currently intern at. It just so happens to be the district that Brandt talks about in his article. He mentions in his article that he started with the 6th grade band because they were the youngest band members (now the band starts in 4th grade, chorus starts in 3rd). I see the progress the district has made since Brandt's impact on them. The last 2 years the music teacher in the Elementary schools (there are 2 in this district), started the 3rd grade on recorders, which is wonderful. They even have a thing called "Recorder Belts" in which students test for different color belts (which are pieces of string, that hang off the bottom of the recorder). So cute! One of my students asked why my recorder and their teacher's recorder are black (the students are off-white), I said because we reached our black belts in recorder. The kids love it, and the learn a lot. More so then that, it helps to recruit band members since they're a year away from being able to join the school band.
Some teachers in this district have been there for years and they do like to talk about other teachers (whether it's positive or negative feedback). In particular they have spoken to me about their views on Brandt's predecessor. Who was a 'very nice older man', 'worked there for many years', 'was boring', and 'the kids never did anything except read books and listen to old tapes'. Teachers have said that the teachers who came since the man who was there before Brandt, got the kids to sing, to dance, to improvise, compose and have since learned skill sets to help build a proper foundation for future musicians (if they so choose). It's nice to hear how much the program has changed and grown for the better.
Brandt touches upon four essential things he focused on to build this music program: musical discipline, technique, theory and composition. I personally am a music theory junkie, I truly am quite a dork when it comes to theory. I understand that this is not the norm for most musicians. A lot of teachers I've come across do not look forward to teaching music theory, because they (and the students) find it boring. I'm an exception, but it's also how you 'sell it' to your students. Brandt uses these four things (musical discipline, technique, theory and composition) repetitively in his band rehearsals, making it fun for his students. I did roman numeral analysis almost daily in my high school music theory classes, and I loved it because I'm a dork. Did it help me musically though? Yes and no. If I wasn't a music dork though I probably would've dropped the class or failed, maybe squinted my eyes while looking at my teacher, pretending to smush his head in between my index finger and thumb. Brandt has his students play in through different keys, develop their own melody lines, switch off parts, and things are constantly changing. It's not the same ol'drone key scales and fingerings, he shows his students that they can play musically, switch genres and styles, and develop their skill sets. Students may grope about it in the beginning, if it's something new. It's a lot easier to say "put your fingers on these keys, press here, blow the reed softer, etc. etc. Anyone can memorize how to play a song on any instrument, that's not hard. It is semi-mindless though and does not truly teach in a way that is most effective and productive.
This article helps to open the educators keys, to help get them to think of different ways to educate. We're all so accustomed to how we learned to be in a band or a chorus. I refuse to put my students through hours of mundane roman numeral analysis, playing the same scales just because the book we're playing out of only uses those scales. It won't do my students justice, and they deserve more than that.
Some teachers in this district have been there for years and they do like to talk about other teachers (whether it's positive or negative feedback). In particular they have spoken to me about their views on Brandt's predecessor. Who was a 'very nice older man', 'worked there for many years', 'was boring', and 'the kids never did anything except read books and listen to old tapes'. Teachers have said that the teachers who came since the man who was there before Brandt, got the kids to sing, to dance, to improvise, compose and have since learned skill sets to help build a proper foundation for future musicians (if they so choose). It's nice to hear how much the program has changed and grown for the better.
Brandt touches upon four essential things he focused on to build this music program: musical discipline, technique, theory and composition. I personally am a music theory junkie, I truly am quite a dork when it comes to theory. I understand that this is not the norm for most musicians. A lot of teachers I've come across do not look forward to teaching music theory, because they (and the students) find it boring. I'm an exception, but it's also how you 'sell it' to your students. Brandt uses these four things (musical discipline, technique, theory and composition) repetitively in his band rehearsals, making it fun for his students. I did roman numeral analysis almost daily in my high school music theory classes, and I loved it because I'm a dork. Did it help me musically though? Yes and no. If I wasn't a music dork though I probably would've dropped the class or failed, maybe squinted my eyes while looking at my teacher, pretending to smush his head in between my index finger and thumb. Brandt has his students play in through different keys, develop their own melody lines, switch off parts, and things are constantly changing. It's not the same ol'drone key scales and fingerings, he shows his students that they can play musically, switch genres and styles, and develop their skill sets. Students may grope about it in the beginning, if it's something new. It's a lot easier to say "put your fingers on these keys, press here, blow the reed softer, etc. etc. Anyone can memorize how to play a song on any instrument, that's not hard. It is semi-mindless though and does not truly teach in a way that is most effective and productive.
This article helps to open the educators keys, to help get them to think of different ways to educate. We're all so accustomed to how we learned to be in a band or a chorus. I refuse to put my students through hours of mundane roman numeral analysis, playing the same scales just because the book we're playing out of only uses those scales. It won't do my students justice, and they deserve more than that.
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
How I bombed my mock lesson.
I was given 10 minutes to do a mock lesson plan of the song "Hey, Harmonica Man" performed by Stevie Wonder. I had my mock class listen to the recording, discuss instrumentation, dynamics, the lyrics, gave some background on Stevie, asked to have the compare and contract this piece to other pieces that we 'analyzed' in this hypothetical class. Where did I go wrong? Well not only did I exceed the time frame allotted, but I tried to jam all this information down my 'students' throats all at once. Seems I should've taken the 'less is more' approach, amongst a few other things.
I was excited about getting to analyze this song! It's so fun and lively, full of character and I thought it would really be a nice piece to add to a students' repertoire. So I wonder how I was able to suck all the fun out of it in this lesson? Well I took the textbook approach, discussing basic music facts, and facts about Stevie (his birthday and basic life story). I was fortunate to have a group of graduate students as my mock high school students, they were so kind. I'm certain I would've either been eaten alive by real high school students, or just had them drooling and disengaged for most of the lesson. I will not ever pry away from the textbook knowledge that is so vital, not for anything. However, I will add in other factors that are both engaging and educational.
I didn't exactly give myself butterflies when I researched Stevie's life, to give that basic background knowledge on him. I did however get butterflies by listening to and analyzing this song (I'm a bit of a music geek though, I don't think that is a quality all my future music students would have though). So what would engage them? Part of the lyrics mentions the 'monkey watusi'. What in the world is that? A little research later, I found out that it was the second most popular dance in the early 1960's in America (second to the twist). Do the wah-watusi!! Why not dance in class? It can be turned into a unit about the 1960's in America, or act as a solo lesson. Teach the "Hey, Harmonica Man" piece, teach the dance associated with this song. Maybe add another lesson to study the most popular dance song of that time, "The Twist". Back to the watusi, it is a dance used in any basic duple meter song. So I could use any song that fits the criteria from that time frame to dance to, maybe something with a simple melody line and memorable lyrics? It would get the students not only up and dancing, but singing as well.
For the purpose of a mock 10 minutes lesson, I would go in with the notion that we had already learned some textbook facts, and now are going on to learn the dance moves associated with the era of that piece. It would also be good for the teacher too, I don't want to spend a class standing in front of a computer droning through a powerpoint presentation, or writing everything on the board, or consistently reverting to 'teacher talk, student listen' to get information across. Even sitting behind a piano is less informal then being with the group of students. A more hands on approach would give the students an opportunity for them to have some direct impact on their learning, they'd resort to working in co-operative groups with their peers to perfect their dancing, it would give camaraderie for them to sing amongst their peers, while dancing and probably feeling slight foolish (especially if their teacher is joining along). This is clearly a more engaging part of the assignment, not to mention it will allow for a quick student assessment. The dance calls for particular moves on the one beat, another on the second beat, and another on the third. The students would have to keep a beat, recognize where the beats fall and keep time. Of course the best part of all is it's fun, and nothing can compare to that.
I was excited about getting to analyze this song! It's so fun and lively, full of character and I thought it would really be a nice piece to add to a students' repertoire. So I wonder how I was able to suck all the fun out of it in this lesson? Well I took the textbook approach, discussing basic music facts, and facts about Stevie (his birthday and basic life story). I was fortunate to have a group of graduate students as my mock high school students, they were so kind. I'm certain I would've either been eaten alive by real high school students, or just had them drooling and disengaged for most of the lesson. I will not ever pry away from the textbook knowledge that is so vital, not for anything. However, I will add in other factors that are both engaging and educational.
I didn't exactly give myself butterflies when I researched Stevie's life, to give that basic background knowledge on him. I did however get butterflies by listening to and analyzing this song (I'm a bit of a music geek though, I don't think that is a quality all my future music students would have though). So what would engage them? Part of the lyrics mentions the 'monkey watusi'. What in the world is that? A little research later, I found out that it was the second most popular dance in the early 1960's in America (second to the twist). Do the wah-watusi!! Why not dance in class? It can be turned into a unit about the 1960's in America, or act as a solo lesson. Teach the "Hey, Harmonica Man" piece, teach the dance associated with this song. Maybe add another lesson to study the most popular dance song of that time, "The Twist". Back to the watusi, it is a dance used in any basic duple meter song. So I could use any song that fits the criteria from that time frame to dance to, maybe something with a simple melody line and memorable lyrics? It would get the students not only up and dancing, but singing as well.
For the purpose of a mock 10 minutes lesson, I would go in with the notion that we had already learned some textbook facts, and now are going on to learn the dance moves associated with the era of that piece. It would also be good for the teacher too, I don't want to spend a class standing in front of a computer droning through a powerpoint presentation, or writing everything on the board, or consistently reverting to 'teacher talk, student listen' to get information across. Even sitting behind a piano is less informal then being with the group of students. A more hands on approach would give the students an opportunity for them to have some direct impact on their learning, they'd resort to working in co-operative groups with their peers to perfect their dancing, it would give camaraderie for them to sing amongst their peers, while dancing and probably feeling slight foolish (especially if their teacher is joining along). This is clearly a more engaging part of the assignment, not to mention it will allow for a quick student assessment. The dance calls for particular moves on the one beat, another on the second beat, and another on the third. The students would have to keep a beat, recognize where the beats fall and keep time. Of course the best part of all is it's fun, and nothing can compare to that.
Monday, March 18, 2013
Piano fears and teaching a choir
So anyone who knows me knows that piano is not exactly my instrument of choice. Sure, we've have our up's and down's in the past... but I feel the piano and I have come to better terms with our relationship. We're not in love, but we respect one another. I can bang out simple things on the spot, and with enough practice time I can play basic songs. So when I was asked to do a mock choir warm-up lesson, I decided to focus it on stretching the body, more so than the vocal chords. Good choice on my part? Not so much. If I did that in a real life classroom not only would my students trample me and start complete chaos, but I'd lose me job and fail my students for being a shotty teacher. I avoided the piano, since singing isn't exactly my forte either. I know what you may be thinking. Not fond of piano, or singing? But you want to be a music teacher? Now I didn't really mean that either. Singing and playing in front of your own students in your own classroom, well that's fairly different from playing and singing in front of a class of your fellow colleagues. While it's a warm, inviting environment, I freaked! I'm getting over that though the more I get used to it. Playing some scales, chords and notes on a piano? Well that's easy-cheesy stuff. Singing, not so bad either (so long as my throat isn't all tensed up!) How can I expect my students to belt out those lovely notes if I don't first make myself vulnerable and show them what is it we do in a choir! Lead by example, that's the key.
So if I didn't have my 'students' sing, or stretch/warm-up their vocal chords, then what did we do in our mock choir warm-up? I applied some basic things I learned body stretches for singing, playing an instrument, and utilized some of my dance background for what I felt was applicable to the situation. We did some shoulder rolls, head rolls, neck stretches, chest and back stretches, touch your toes, some basic 'get the blood circulating' stretches. We did some breathing exercises. Deep inhales through the nose, out through the mouth with a hissing sound, and each time we did so we increased the duration to help develop and control the breath.
What else did I learn? Well not only did I have the luxury of playing teacher, but of playing student! I have to say my first 'real' experience as a choir member was in this mock trial of one. I was in choir in elementary school, but we didn't read music, learn how to breath, or stretch, or anything really. We just squawked out words loudly, sometimes we read lyrics off of a typo-ridden page, and most of the time instead of singing the students would huddle in the middle or the back and just talk amongst one another. So needless to say, that was a very unproductive experience. It deterred me from choirs, until I was older and realized that real choirs actually do stuff that is musical! So being in this mock choir I learned a few things.
One thing I learned was, if you're going to count, then count. If you're going to conduct, then conduct. Don't do both. Maybe in the beginning you might need to, but eventually let the training wheels come off. Also, try not to sing (or mouth the words) to your students. Same applies, in the beginning you're probably going to have to sing quite a bit with them, but eventually momma-bird is going to have to let the chicks fly and let the song birds sing!
As music teachers we tend to stress the importance of sight-reading and sight-singing. Yet many of our warm-ups omit sight-reading. Why is this? Sheer malarkey I believe. While it should never be the entire basis of any music class, it still has it's place. Especially when it comes to warm-ups. At least try to incorporate one sight-singing warm-up for your choirs. It'll help get their eyes and brains better at deciphering that secret code we call music notation. Thinking back to my first guitar lessons, I always warmed up with sight-reading. I remember playing a series of E notes, then F. Then alternating. Changing the duration. Then learning more notes and adding those to the mix. I'd warm-up with sight-reading scales, until of course they were memorized. It helped not only my sight-reading skills, but helped my technique as my fingering got faster and more precise. No reason why we shouldn't train the vocal chords that way too.
I took a lot from this experience. It's a really great opportunity to get to study with and explore these various approaches to teaching music with others just starting out like myself, and with people who are veterans at it. Everyone has their own special flare that they bring to the experience and I feel we're all gaining so much from working collaboratively and trying things out. If it crashes and burns, we talk about why and how to turn that around. Now, I'm not so scared of teaching a choir or popping on a piano. I think I might wear a cape the first day I teach a real choir. Okay, so maybe it's going to be a mental cape. Either way, good things will happen.
So if I didn't have my 'students' sing, or stretch/warm-up their vocal chords, then what did we do in our mock choir warm-up? I applied some basic things I learned body stretches for singing, playing an instrument, and utilized some of my dance background for what I felt was applicable to the situation. We did some shoulder rolls, head rolls, neck stretches, chest and back stretches, touch your toes, some basic 'get the blood circulating' stretches. We did some breathing exercises. Deep inhales through the nose, out through the mouth with a hissing sound, and each time we did so we increased the duration to help develop and control the breath.
What else did I learn? Well not only did I have the luxury of playing teacher, but of playing student! I have to say my first 'real' experience as a choir member was in this mock trial of one. I was in choir in elementary school, but we didn't read music, learn how to breath, or stretch, or anything really. We just squawked out words loudly, sometimes we read lyrics off of a typo-ridden page, and most of the time instead of singing the students would huddle in the middle or the back and just talk amongst one another. So needless to say, that was a very unproductive experience. It deterred me from choirs, until I was older and realized that real choirs actually do stuff that is musical! So being in this mock choir I learned a few things.
One thing I learned was, if you're going to count, then count. If you're going to conduct, then conduct. Don't do both. Maybe in the beginning you might need to, but eventually let the training wheels come off. Also, try not to sing (or mouth the words) to your students. Same applies, in the beginning you're probably going to have to sing quite a bit with them, but eventually momma-bird is going to have to let the chicks fly and let the song birds sing!
As music teachers we tend to stress the importance of sight-reading and sight-singing. Yet many of our warm-ups omit sight-reading. Why is this? Sheer malarkey I believe. While it should never be the entire basis of any music class, it still has it's place. Especially when it comes to warm-ups. At least try to incorporate one sight-singing warm-up for your choirs. It'll help get their eyes and brains better at deciphering that secret code we call music notation. Thinking back to my first guitar lessons, I always warmed up with sight-reading. I remember playing a series of E notes, then F. Then alternating. Changing the duration. Then learning more notes and adding those to the mix. I'd warm-up with sight-reading scales, until of course they were memorized. It helped not only my sight-reading skills, but helped my technique as my fingering got faster and more precise. No reason why we shouldn't train the vocal chords that way too.
I took a lot from this experience. It's a really great opportunity to get to study with and explore these various approaches to teaching music with others just starting out like myself, and with people who are veterans at it. Everyone has their own special flare that they bring to the experience and I feel we're all gaining so much from working collaboratively and trying things out. If it crashes and burns, we talk about why and how to turn that around. Now, I'm not so scared of teaching a choir or popping on a piano. I think I might wear a cape the first day I teach a real choir. Okay, so maybe it's going to be a mental cape. Either way, good things will happen.
Sunday, March 10, 2013
Must have trades/skill sets of a Music Educator!
"Let's face it, one can't dedicate one's life to teaching without being an optimist. We take those who don't know, and believe that we can help them to learn." (Boonshaft, 'Teaching Music with Purpose" p.217). Being optimistic does not mean that you without a question of a doubt, 100% of the time, believe that the world is comprised of rainbows, unicorns and puppies. Oh no. That's just nauseating and no one wants that. No one. It's certainly a key component to teaching with purpose. This optimism is applicable to you (as a teacher, human being, lifelong learner, etc) and also to your students, ensembles, choirs, bands, and fellow musicians. Optimism gives us the mindset in order to move to the next level, it helps us grow and to celebrate even the 'smallest' milestones. You as the educator, need to have that positive mental outlook on life, especially when you have that student who is stuck in that rut and needs that nudge to get out of it. I remember my first Aural Theory I class at the University of Bridgeport. I felt extremely confident in my level of expertise in music theory, and music in general. (Singing was never my forte). Sight-reading reading, oh yeah, I have the skills for that. Solfege syllables, I pretty much knew as well. So here I am, first Aural Theory course ever, Junior year of college. It was a small class, and everyone seemed nervous about singing. Some did not know how to sight-read, others had no notion of what solfege is, or how to read a note or tell a time or key signature. So I felt pretty confident that I'd do well in this class, and be able to help teach some of my peers. Well I was the third person to sight-sing on the spot. First person who went, sung on the syllable 'loo' and it was pleasant and beautiful. Next girl who went, was weary because she did not know solfege.... but when she sang it was gorgeous. Absolutely gorgeous. (Come to find out later, she was taking private voice lessons, specializing in an operatic style) So now, that was the act I had to follow. Last 'singing' experience I had (omitting singing in my car or the shower) was seventh grade choir; which had no warm-up, no music, just some lyrics, and a bunch of adolescents screeching and screaming to a poor accompaniment on an out-of-tune piano. So here I am, about to follow up the up-and-coming opera singer, and I panicked. Needless to say this was not a good 'performance' on my part. After class, I had an emotional break down! I actually cried. It was a pitiful sight. Luckily, he (Prof. Frank Martignetti) is a phenomenal teacher. He was calm and collective, had me take some deep breaths, showed me some basic breathing techniques and worked with me. He was optimistic and I saw an instant result as I echoed what he sang and played on piano. It truly helped settled me, and (although I am still not an exemplar singer) I feel more confident in my ability to sight-sing. He always kept an optimistic attitude and would point out the things that I sang in tune, or if I finally was able to sing certain intervals, he truly embraced even the smallest milestone with constant encouragement. Always embracing the growth that I made in my sight-singing abilities. For this reason (and many more) I will try to emulate these skill sets and personality traits that make him an exemplar teacher.
"When I think of excellence- true excellence- I think of the drive to do more than what is required, to do better than what is needed, and to go further than what is necessary." (Boonshaft, 163) It is implausible to think that it is possible to be a master at everything. Besides, what fun would that be? To be a 'know-it-all' at anything and everything? 1. You wouldn't be able to learn anything new and 2. Most people would probably really dislike you, especially if you had a constant arrogance about you. It's the strive to exude excellence. To always be grow and be better. Excellence comes in a plethora of forms. It can be proper posture, good breath control for a singer, utilizing proper stretches and muscle warm-ups, developing aural skills, sight-reading abilities, proper embouchure for brass and wind players, accurate body map, and so on and so forth. But the mindset of excellence will be the true driving force to get carry you through life with purpose. Excellence is not about gauging your skill sets to those of others, striving to be up to par with another, or better. Oh no. Excellence is linear, and based on you and your personal gains. No steps backwards, either stagnant lack of motion, or expelling that motion forward. It's about your own personal gains and triumphs! True triumphs of your students is not your doing as the educator, it's their strive to learn. That's their accomplishment. You giving them the basic skills and knowledge to help propel their inner desire to learn and grow, that's your doing. You as the educator plant the seed, you may need to tend to that seed and help it along, but it's only going to grow if it has the willpower to do so. True excellence cannot be taught. You can (actually, should) emulate it for your students through yourself. Let your students see you fail, bomb and go down with the ship! Then let them see you swim to shore, jimmy-rig another ship and succeed! Let your students see your practice, point out when you mess up, and let them see you figure it out. If they ask a question to which you are not very knowledgeable about the answer, let them know that you do not know. But then follow up by telling them that you'll figure it out for them, and encourage them to do the same. I learn the most about myself from my students. After all you're only human and no one can know everything, and that's one of the beautiful things that makes life so great. Just because you're the teacher does not mean your students are the only ones that get to experience the joy that is learning! Do not deprive you or your students of that constant thirst for knowledge. Excellence in a nutshell.
I feel that a lot of educators (while good and with the best of intentions for their students) forget what it is to be a student. We've all been a student, for me all I've ever known is how to be a student. I was in school since I was four years old, I'm 24 now and I'm still a student. While I'm excited to soon have my Masters, I never to stop learning, whether I'm in a classroom setting or not. I've had more experience being a student than being a teacher. So that's my strong skill. I don't want to forget the feeling of being at the receiving end of learning, asking questions and developing critical thinking skills, those late nights of little to no sleep perfecting that paper, hours of practice time until I fall asleep with the guitar in my arms, nestling it like a newborn child, having your hands and fingers fatigue from pages of note taking, and dreading every and any power point presentation, being perplexed and wondering 'why on earth is this teacher having us do this?' and trying to apply it to real life situations. I can't even begin to explain how many teachers I've had tell me 'you'll use everything you learn in this class', "the $175 mandatory book you buy will be a staple in your library" and we probably went over one chapter in that book during the duration of the course, and the book serves better as a shim for a wobbly table than a good read. I vow to have my students be the top priority. Now note taking, papers, hours of practice, and yes, even pricey books may all be necessary at one point or another, but I will only utilize these options when they are pertinent and applicable to the needs of my students. For the students that need to work two, three jobs to just be able to survive or pay tuition, I feel you. I've been there (am still there) and I will applaud their valiant efforts to stay in school and better their lives. For the students who do not have to work to live, but apply themselves and focus on their education and bettering their lives, I applaud them too. Good work ethic comes in many forms. I swear, if you cut my veins open in my undergraduate pure caffeine would've oozed out, for coffee is my college drug of choice and was my saving grace to get me through triple shifts and a course overload. I intern at an elementary school and let me tell you, those 4-12 year olds work incredibly hard. Their life is a series of post tests, tests and pre-tests. Learning how to read and write is incredibly hard, especially for a five year old. But it is such a necessary skill set to have. Multiplication and division, golly. It's easy for us now, but for the kids just learning it, it takes a lot to master these skills. It's easy to lose sight of where you came from. Kids need to learn certain things (like basic math, reading and writing) in order to be productive members of society, of course. But be sure to allow creativity and time to be a kid! Some kids have such a difficult time using their imagination, if it's not on a note card or in a text book, they've been brought up to believe it isn't pertinent to know. How horrible! Luckily as music educators, we have that ability to incorporate creativity and imagination in our lessons! We also incorporate math, science, English, history, etc (mwahaha, our students will be none of the wiser! And when they do realize it's all related, it won't be so scary for them). It's extremely difficult to make memorizing a multiplication table fun, but sneaking in fractions in music, oh man, now that sounds like a party to me.
"When I think of excellence- true excellence- I think of the drive to do more than what is required, to do better than what is needed, and to go further than what is necessary." (Boonshaft, 163) It is implausible to think that it is possible to be a master at everything. Besides, what fun would that be? To be a 'know-it-all' at anything and everything? 1. You wouldn't be able to learn anything new and 2. Most people would probably really dislike you, especially if you had a constant arrogance about you. It's the strive to exude excellence. To always be grow and be better. Excellence comes in a plethora of forms. It can be proper posture, good breath control for a singer, utilizing proper stretches and muscle warm-ups, developing aural skills, sight-reading abilities, proper embouchure for brass and wind players, accurate body map, and so on and so forth. But the mindset of excellence will be the true driving force to get carry you through life with purpose. Excellence is not about gauging your skill sets to those of others, striving to be up to par with another, or better. Oh no. Excellence is linear, and based on you and your personal gains. No steps backwards, either stagnant lack of motion, or expelling that motion forward. It's about your own personal gains and triumphs! True triumphs of your students is not your doing as the educator, it's their strive to learn. That's their accomplishment. You giving them the basic skills and knowledge to help propel their inner desire to learn and grow, that's your doing. You as the educator plant the seed, you may need to tend to that seed and help it along, but it's only going to grow if it has the willpower to do so. True excellence cannot be taught. You can (actually, should) emulate it for your students through yourself. Let your students see you fail, bomb and go down with the ship! Then let them see you swim to shore, jimmy-rig another ship and succeed! Let your students see your practice, point out when you mess up, and let them see you figure it out. If they ask a question to which you are not very knowledgeable about the answer, let them know that you do not know. But then follow up by telling them that you'll figure it out for them, and encourage them to do the same. I learn the most about myself from my students. After all you're only human and no one can know everything, and that's one of the beautiful things that makes life so great. Just because you're the teacher does not mean your students are the only ones that get to experience the joy that is learning! Do not deprive you or your students of that constant thirst for knowledge. Excellence in a nutshell.
I feel that a lot of educators (while good and with the best of intentions for their students) forget what it is to be a student. We've all been a student, for me all I've ever known is how to be a student. I was in school since I was four years old, I'm 24 now and I'm still a student. While I'm excited to soon have my Masters, I never to stop learning, whether I'm in a classroom setting or not. I've had more experience being a student than being a teacher. So that's my strong skill. I don't want to forget the feeling of being at the receiving end of learning, asking questions and developing critical thinking skills, those late nights of little to no sleep perfecting that paper, hours of practice time until I fall asleep with the guitar in my arms, nestling it like a newborn child, having your hands and fingers fatigue from pages of note taking, and dreading every and any power point presentation, being perplexed and wondering 'why on earth is this teacher having us do this?' and trying to apply it to real life situations. I can't even begin to explain how many teachers I've had tell me 'you'll use everything you learn in this class', "the $175 mandatory book you buy will be a staple in your library" and we probably went over one chapter in that book during the duration of the course, and the book serves better as a shim for a wobbly table than a good read. I vow to have my students be the top priority. Now note taking, papers, hours of practice, and yes, even pricey books may all be necessary at one point or another, but I will only utilize these options when they are pertinent and applicable to the needs of my students. For the students that need to work two, three jobs to just be able to survive or pay tuition, I feel you. I've been there (am still there) and I will applaud their valiant efforts to stay in school and better their lives. For the students who do not have to work to live, but apply themselves and focus on their education and bettering their lives, I applaud them too. Good work ethic comes in many forms. I swear, if you cut my veins open in my undergraduate pure caffeine would've oozed out, for coffee is my college drug of choice and was my saving grace to get me through triple shifts and a course overload. I intern at an elementary school and let me tell you, those 4-12 year olds work incredibly hard. Their life is a series of post tests, tests and pre-tests. Learning how to read and write is incredibly hard, especially for a five year old. But it is such a necessary skill set to have. Multiplication and division, golly. It's easy for us now, but for the kids just learning it, it takes a lot to master these skills. It's easy to lose sight of where you came from. Kids need to learn certain things (like basic math, reading and writing) in order to be productive members of society, of course. But be sure to allow creativity and time to be a kid! Some kids have such a difficult time using their imagination, if it's not on a note card or in a text book, they've been brought up to believe it isn't pertinent to know. How horrible! Luckily as music educators, we have that ability to incorporate creativity and imagination in our lessons! We also incorporate math, science, English, history, etc (mwahaha, our students will be none of the wiser! And when they do realize it's all related, it won't be so scary for them). It's extremely difficult to make memorizing a multiplication table fun, but sneaking in fractions in music, oh man, now that sounds like a party to me.
Monday, March 4, 2013
I vow to teach in a way that is inviting and encourages a learners' growth and confidence.
So I taught a 5 minute mock first trumpet lesson to a '6th grader'... I thought my objective was how to breath, for the trumpet of course. Whether that was conveyed to my 'student' or the observing class, is another story. It was certainly the main focus point of the lesson, but then it went into actually making a sound on the trumpet. Anyone who's had the misfortune of hearing me play a brass instrument knows that it's not exactly my forte, but I tried going into the lesson excited and eager to teach. Now the hypothetical student actually knows way more than I do when it comes to trumpets, but it was still nice. What I did realize is that if you have to choose the 'easiest' student to teach, it would have to be one that knows basically nada, zilch, zip! It's a 'fresh slate' so to speak, no bad habits to break, no time spent trying to figure out what they know/don't know as of yet. Now of course in real lessons, I'll have students that know nothing, or a little, maybe even more than me. Now the latter of those, is an issue. While it's impossible to know everything, you at least need to know more than your student. Otherwise, how can you teach them the subject matter? Now while it's perfectly acceptable to own up when you don't know something, you need to make sure you follow up by learning it. Set that example.
To be completely honest, band instruments used to scare me! I took my first instrument in the fifth grade, it was trumpet. It was also the last time I played an instrument, until I was 15 and took guitar lessons. My elementary school band teacher scared me, I remember her just yelling and shrieking like a banshee in class. She wasn't the music teacher for the school, and none of us knew how to read music or play instruments, because we were never taught. So when she tried teaching band, it was a mess. I wanted to be the student who could figure it out, after all it was only three valves. I thought, 'How hard could it be?' Hah. I learned how hard when I was practicing at home and my mother asked me very sweetly, 'Sweetie, why don't you practice outside?' That would've been a lovely option, omitting the fact that it was pouring outside! That's how awful it sounded. Without the right guidance and a teacher with no patience, I soon thereafter quit the trumpet and evaded any situation involving an instrument thereafter.
I have since then learned a lot more about music, how to play instruments and so on. It's not scary to me anymore. I did not take up band in high school, because that same teacher was the director there. As I go into my student teaching next year, I refuse to work with that teacher, although the school is literally down the street from where I live.
So what did I learn from her? Well, I learned that I never want to be that kind of a teacher, or scare my students. So when I went into this mock lesson, I tried to treat it as though it was a real lesson. I felt I was positive, friendly and patient. I hope that was conveyed to my 'student' and future students. I don't want to scare students, or make them feel as though they can't accomplish anything or learn. Who wants that? I had a teacher who failed me, but it was because of good teachers that I found my way back and guess what? The trumpet, not so scary anymore. I'm no Louie but I can play that thing. I can play it because I was taught the SKILLS to play it. I wasn't told to 'blow like this and push that' in any order, essentially memorizing songs and not knowing why it works like that. I learned how the instrument works, how to breath, stretches, how to sight-read, music theory, aural skills, etc etc. So now I can pick up the trumpet, fidget around with it and make something happen. I no longer need a teacher by my side holding my hand.
But it all starts with that first lesson, which can either make or break the students interests. Most importantly, I learned that it's vital to get students to learn how to make a sound as quickly as they can, otherwise they might become easily discouraged. Even the squawking of a saxophone is better then vacant huffs of air.
To be completely honest, band instruments used to scare me! I took my first instrument in the fifth grade, it was trumpet. It was also the last time I played an instrument, until I was 15 and took guitar lessons. My elementary school band teacher scared me, I remember her just yelling and shrieking like a banshee in class. She wasn't the music teacher for the school, and none of us knew how to read music or play instruments, because we were never taught. So when she tried teaching band, it was a mess. I wanted to be the student who could figure it out, after all it was only three valves. I thought, 'How hard could it be?' Hah. I learned how hard when I was practicing at home and my mother asked me very sweetly, 'Sweetie, why don't you practice outside?' That would've been a lovely option, omitting the fact that it was pouring outside! That's how awful it sounded. Without the right guidance and a teacher with no patience, I soon thereafter quit the trumpet and evaded any situation involving an instrument thereafter.
I have since then learned a lot more about music, how to play instruments and so on. It's not scary to me anymore. I did not take up band in high school, because that same teacher was the director there. As I go into my student teaching next year, I refuse to work with that teacher, although the school is literally down the street from where I live.
So what did I learn from her? Well, I learned that I never want to be that kind of a teacher, or scare my students. So when I went into this mock lesson, I tried to treat it as though it was a real lesson. I felt I was positive, friendly and patient. I hope that was conveyed to my 'student' and future students. I don't want to scare students, or make them feel as though they can't accomplish anything or learn. Who wants that? I had a teacher who failed me, but it was because of good teachers that I found my way back and guess what? The trumpet, not so scary anymore. I'm no Louie but I can play that thing. I can play it because I was taught the SKILLS to play it. I wasn't told to 'blow like this and push that' in any order, essentially memorizing songs and not knowing why it works like that. I learned how the instrument works, how to breath, stretches, how to sight-read, music theory, aural skills, etc etc. So now I can pick up the trumpet, fidget around with it and make something happen. I no longer need a teacher by my side holding my hand.
But it all starts with that first lesson, which can either make or break the students interests. Most importantly, I learned that it's vital to get students to learn how to make a sound as quickly as they can, otherwise they might become easily discouraged. Even the squawking of a saxophone is better then vacant huffs of air.
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