This week we discussed implementing the national standards into the music classroom. While I think the point that every piece does not need to cover the standards may have been over looked, the point that it is important to get them in your program was very evident. Some of the national standards take care of themselves (playing alone with others, reading and notating music) while others are much harder to implement in the instrumental classroom. What I took away most from this week was that it is possible, you just have to be creative.
In my opinion the more you collaborate the better off you are. If you can have a think-tank working on ideas for a band program you will have much more success than going at it alone. While we did not really cover this in class, I was able to see the necessity that is collaboration. Just hearing all the different ideas that came from everyone was really cool. Everyone has a different way of teaching and when we are able to share, we all become much more inspired and better at our professions.
Something that worries me is the implementation of the standards that I consider harder to do. The phrase, 'do it from the beginning' was used over and over again in the reading and in class. While the concept is not lost on me, I do find that to be a bit of a sham. I have experienced the tension that occurs when something is used that breaks a norm or the way the band functions. I can remember times in high school when I tried very little in band at the 'extracurricular' work because I was convinced it would not do me any good. While I was not off from the truth (for the most part) I realize now the benefit it had on me.
I wish I had the opportunity to actually know why I was doing work outside the classroom and how that would affect my playing. I know that when I put in that extra effort now I am a much better player because of it. I think that this is the key that gets students to perform weird or new tasks is to show them the benefits of doing them. Find people that use what you are trying to teach and show your students how much good it actually does.
Lastly I would like to touch on something that I wanted to cover in class; knowing your students. Before we talked about knowing your students in order to know who will be a leader, who can play what parts, and who is able to promote your band. What I found was that this is all fine and dandy, but I do not just want to know my students for those reasons. I want to know my students so I can be a better teacher and so that I can find ways where I can better mentor them based on what they like and are interested in in their own lives.
If I am able to know who sings in their church choir or who volunteers at a shelter on the weekends I am better able to teach concepts if I use their strengths. This is also beneficial because you can start to network a bit and start reaching out into the community and becoming a face instead of a name on a piece of paper. If a teacher knows their students they can better relay messages to them, use them to promote the band, use the band to promote their students, and, overall, have the respect of their students because they know that you are invested in their lives more than just as a teacher.
Running a band or orchestra is a lot of work. There is no way that one person can do it all, no way. But that is why it is a band or orchestra program you have students and other teachers willing to help out because they love the same thing you do. Students love music and each other. Music educators love music and teaching. Other teachers love teaching and the students they teach. As long as a teacher is able to connect and find ways to help themselves they will continue to be successful.
Saturday, April 23, 2011
Sunday, April 17, 2011
MUED 352: Week 13 (But should be week 12)
Because this will be a very retrospective blog, I apologize for any ranting that may appear due to some massive time thinking about the topics discussed.
Anyway, this week we covered assessment and its importance in the musical classroom. The first point in which I would like to cover is a bit of a rant, but it has to do with application. I honestly have no chance to implement what I am learning about assessment until I student teach. This, to me, is highly ineffective because I would like to have the chance to use some assessment skills other than 'aural observations.'
So, what we experimented with in class was some extreme ways to give assessment to students. While I thought this 'game' was very educational, I was saddened because I realized it would be a while until I even get to try to give any form of assessment and even longer until I can give students any feedback. I would have liked to have had a chance to actually design and give some for assessment to students to 'get my feet wet.'
Another topic that is interesting to me is one about grading. In high school almost everyone got an 'A' and that was the standard. Now, I was wondering if that is because the grades are only for paper and the real grading is based off of children making music.
Part of me understands why grading and assessment is very necessary and that it should be essential in the music classroom. However, a big part of music is learning how to create music, and that I do not think can be graded. If a student does not conceptually understand what a slur is, but is able to perform one in order to make a piece as musical as possible, I think deserves an 'A'.
Grading in a band is very difficult in this regard because I think that the understanding part does not have to come from any written test or exam; and, instead, can come from a completely musical understanding. One of my teachers always advocates a spiritual part of music that is inherent in it. This sense of spirituality is quite hard to comprehend unless you have experienced it yourself. However, I think it is very easy to tell when someone has.
I guess my real point in writing is asking what do I do to hone my skills at assessment when I do not have a chance to really practice at all? I can read everything I can, but I cannot do anything unless I get a classroom full of students. I really would not like to get 'rusty' (although I cannot rust because I have not been made yet) at assessment. I wish that we had some opportunity to assess some people and have it count for something.
Anyway, this week we covered assessment and its importance in the musical classroom. The first point in which I would like to cover is a bit of a rant, but it has to do with application. I honestly have no chance to implement what I am learning about assessment until I student teach. This, to me, is highly ineffective because I would like to have the chance to use some assessment skills other than 'aural observations.'
So, what we experimented with in class was some extreme ways to give assessment to students. While I thought this 'game' was very educational, I was saddened because I realized it would be a while until I even get to try to give any form of assessment and even longer until I can give students any feedback. I would have liked to have had a chance to actually design and give some for assessment to students to 'get my feet wet.'
Another topic that is interesting to me is one about grading. In high school almost everyone got an 'A' and that was the standard. Now, I was wondering if that is because the grades are only for paper and the real grading is based off of children making music.
Part of me understands why grading and assessment is very necessary and that it should be essential in the music classroom. However, a big part of music is learning how to create music, and that I do not think can be graded. If a student does not conceptually understand what a slur is, but is able to perform one in order to make a piece as musical as possible, I think deserves an 'A'.
Grading in a band is very difficult in this regard because I think that the understanding part does not have to come from any written test or exam; and, instead, can come from a completely musical understanding. One of my teachers always advocates a spiritual part of music that is inherent in it. This sense of spirituality is quite hard to comprehend unless you have experienced it yourself. However, I think it is very easy to tell when someone has.
I guess my real point in writing is asking what do I do to hone my skills at assessment when I do not have a chance to really practice at all? I can read everything I can, but I cannot do anything unless I get a classroom full of students. I really would not like to get 'rusty' (although I cannot rust because I have not been made yet) at assessment. I wish that we had some opportunity to assess some people and have it count for something.
Friday, April 15, 2011
MUED 352: Week 12
This week in class we discussed the many ways that a instrumental music ensemble could be rehearsed. While, in all honesty, this topic is lost on me because I have very limited experience leading, I have formed my own opinions of how a rehearsal should be run and the styles that I find most useful.
First, I think that a rehearsal is very amorphous and needs to take the form of whatever needs to happen for the ensemble. Many of my rehearsals that I have been in have been, "Go, go go!" rehearsals. This is where you pummel through your music and do not give much thought to the musicality of what you are playing. This is the opposite of what I feel is a good rehearsal technique.
The rehearsal should be specific to the needs of the ensemble. One of my 'mentors', although he is more of a sage, is Dr. Peter Boonshaft and I would model my ensembles after his. Dr. Boonshaft tells marvelous stories of how when he was honest to his students, and to himself, how his rehearsals would pick up and be much more beneficial.
What I am able to take away from these stories is that the band is made up of living, breathing beings who need to experience a director who is just as real as them. Being able to run your rehearsals with that in mind, that is treating your ensemble as a living being, will be more beneficial than if you do as a machine.
A topic that we discussed in class was the podium. The podium is a place of teaching, not just of conducting. The podium signifies dominance over the players. But, a director cannot abuse the power that comes from his spot at the front of the classroom. Because the students literally look up at the conductor the conductor needs to epitomize what their band represents.
To me, the director is the band. I know that the band, or orchestra, is made up of many members, but to me, the director is the leader and the face of the organization. They are responsible for the learning of the members and in charge of the musical abilities that they will learn.
Briefly, we covered blending and intonation within the ensemble. This concept, in my opinion, is the hardest to relay to students. As a saxophonist I was encouraged to find my own sound and my own style. So when it came to time to blend, I was a bit lost because I had to match so many other people.
In the reading there was a technique that, I think, could have helped me a great deal when I was in band. The reading talked about hiding your sound. In this technique, you tried to hide your sound in the full ensemble by playing very brash and bombastic and then refining your sound until it was "lost" in the sound of the ensemble.
For me, I think this makes a lot of sense. I feel that it would be very beneficial to have students hear their sound in contrast with the band and then change it themselves to what they hear. This helps in so many ways it is tough to explain them all. The biggest way, I believe, is that it gets students to 1) play out and 2) play with an ensemble. Very cool indeed.
First, I think that a rehearsal is very amorphous and needs to take the form of whatever needs to happen for the ensemble. Many of my rehearsals that I have been in have been, "Go, go go!" rehearsals. This is where you pummel through your music and do not give much thought to the musicality of what you are playing. This is the opposite of what I feel is a good rehearsal technique.
The rehearsal should be specific to the needs of the ensemble. One of my 'mentors', although he is more of a sage, is Dr. Peter Boonshaft and I would model my ensembles after his. Dr. Boonshaft tells marvelous stories of how when he was honest to his students, and to himself, how his rehearsals would pick up and be much more beneficial.
What I am able to take away from these stories is that the band is made up of living, breathing beings who need to experience a director who is just as real as them. Being able to run your rehearsals with that in mind, that is treating your ensemble as a living being, will be more beneficial than if you do as a machine.
A topic that we discussed in class was the podium. The podium is a place of teaching, not just of conducting. The podium signifies dominance over the players. But, a director cannot abuse the power that comes from his spot at the front of the classroom. Because the students literally look up at the conductor the conductor needs to epitomize what their band represents.
To me, the director is the band. I know that the band, or orchestra, is made up of many members, but to me, the director is the leader and the face of the organization. They are responsible for the learning of the members and in charge of the musical abilities that they will learn.
Briefly, we covered blending and intonation within the ensemble. This concept, in my opinion, is the hardest to relay to students. As a saxophonist I was encouraged to find my own sound and my own style. So when it came to time to blend, I was a bit lost because I had to match so many other people.
In the reading there was a technique that, I think, could have helped me a great deal when I was in band. The reading talked about hiding your sound. In this technique, you tried to hide your sound in the full ensemble by playing very brash and bombastic and then refining your sound until it was "lost" in the sound of the ensemble.
For me, I think this makes a lot of sense. I feel that it would be very beneficial to have students hear their sound in contrast with the band and then change it themselves to what they hear. This helps in so many ways it is tough to explain them all. The biggest way, I believe, is that it gets students to 1) play out and 2) play with an ensemble. Very cool indeed.
Friday, April 1, 2011
MUED 352: Week 11
A topic this week that I would like cover is competition in instrumental music. Another topic that will find its way into competition will be the 'band philosophy'. I think that competition is a very useful tool and that every instrumental program should adopt some form of competition.
In my opinion competition is inherent to everything living. From a very basic perspective; buying toothpaste is a competition. Do you buy the toothpaste that is less expensive? That tastes better? That has a nice looking label? These question are very minute competitions that you make in order to decide what toothpaste you want to use. Competition does not have to be anything like the world series, it can be something very simple. Relating this back to instrumental music, competition can range from chair placement, repertoire selection to solo and ensemble competitions.
Now, I do not think that 'competition' in the sense of pitting one person against the other is not for all people. I also do not think that 'competition' in the sense that one person beats another is not for everyone. But, both of these concepts can be utilized in a band setting in order to improve musicianship.
Although having a pure competitive style program will not be beneficial (because you will lose out on a lot of musicality and camaraderie). But, a band director will need to use competition to aid them and they must keep a competitive mind set if they wish to have their program flourish. Again, in my opinion, competition is inherent to humans, and therefor inherent in music (because, again, in my opinion, music is inherent to humanity).
So how should a band director incorporate competition into the band philosophy? I do not actually know how to do this. If a band program happens to take on the personality and philosophy of the band teacher(s) then the competition would be inherent. But, the band is made up of so many individuals that I have a hard time believing that one band director influences so many students.
I really think that the teacher should adopt a strategy that Dr. Peter Lowell Boonshaft repeats over and over. "Praise, tact, and kindness." Right now I am having a hard time understand how to utilize competition correctly. I would like my own personal program to have a strong foundation in competition, but have it be intrinsic.
After I wrote that last statement, I realize how hard that sounds, and also how ridiculous. Honestly I do not know what my program should be, as I do not have one.
This week has really opened my eyes to the fact that I am still very inexperienced when it comes to music education. I see the benefits of creating my own philosophies now, but I am still weary of many of them. I am learning so many new things that I find my beliefs changing all the time. I am certain that I want to be a music educator, and I am willing to learn as much as possible until I can become one.
In my opinion competition is inherent to everything living. From a very basic perspective; buying toothpaste is a competition. Do you buy the toothpaste that is less expensive? That tastes better? That has a nice looking label? These question are very minute competitions that you make in order to decide what toothpaste you want to use. Competition does not have to be anything like the world series, it can be something very simple. Relating this back to instrumental music, competition can range from chair placement, repertoire selection to solo and ensemble competitions.
Now, I do not think that 'competition' in the sense of pitting one person against the other is not for all people. I also do not think that 'competition' in the sense that one person beats another is not for everyone. But, both of these concepts can be utilized in a band setting in order to improve musicianship.
Although having a pure competitive style program will not be beneficial (because you will lose out on a lot of musicality and camaraderie). But, a band director will need to use competition to aid them and they must keep a competitive mind set if they wish to have their program flourish. Again, in my opinion, competition is inherent to humans, and therefor inherent in music (because, again, in my opinion, music is inherent to humanity).
So how should a band director incorporate competition into the band philosophy? I do not actually know how to do this. If a band program happens to take on the personality and philosophy of the band teacher(s) then the competition would be inherent. But, the band is made up of so many individuals that I have a hard time believing that one band director influences so many students.
I really think that the teacher should adopt a strategy that Dr. Peter Lowell Boonshaft repeats over and over. "Praise, tact, and kindness." Right now I am having a hard time understand how to utilize competition correctly. I would like my own personal program to have a strong foundation in competition, but have it be intrinsic.
After I wrote that last statement, I realize how hard that sounds, and also how ridiculous. Honestly I do not know what my program should be, as I do not have one.
This week has really opened my eyes to the fact that I am still very inexperienced when it comes to music education. I see the benefits of creating my own philosophies now, but I am still weary of many of them. I am learning so many new things that I find my beliefs changing all the time. I am certain that I want to be a music educator, and I am willing to learn as much as possible until I can become one.
Friday, March 25, 2011
MUED 352: Week 10
The subject matter of this week was very similar to that of last week.
The main point that I took away was that every piece of music has an infinite number of teaching concepts contained within it. While this idea has not been lost on me at all, I never really noticed it until now. Just viewing the different interpretations of the pieces that we reviewed was very interesting.
There was a clinic at OMEA that was very helpful for me. It was given by Dan Crain, Brad Hruska, and Ryan Huch. The clinic was incorporating all of the national standards for music into a band curriculum. Again, many of the concepts that the trio covered were not new to me, and most of them I have either done or would consider using in my own classroom.
What I found most interesting was how each teacher chose a different piece of music to play with their band and, furthermore, how they would teach the standards with them. Like this weeks class, I was surprised at how differently I would have chosen literature as well as what I could get out of each piece. This is a fun aspect of teaching instrumental music that I think I can really enjoy.
On this subject, I have been pondering a subject that I hope we will cover, programming music for a concert. I also attended another clinic at OMEA about programming. Instead of answering my questions, it made my questions more in depth and intense. I was surprised by how much I wanted to know about programming. I never really put any thought into picking music for an ensemble. I hope that we can have a lesson, soon, on how to pick a program that suits your band, community, and school.
The main point that I took away was that every piece of music has an infinite number of teaching concepts contained within it. While this idea has not been lost on me at all, I never really noticed it until now. Just viewing the different interpretations of the pieces that we reviewed was very interesting.
There was a clinic at OMEA that was very helpful for me. It was given by Dan Crain, Brad Hruska, and Ryan Huch. The clinic was incorporating all of the national standards for music into a band curriculum. Again, many of the concepts that the trio covered were not new to me, and most of them I have either done or would consider using in my own classroom.
What I found most interesting was how each teacher chose a different piece of music to play with their band and, furthermore, how they would teach the standards with them. Like this weeks class, I was surprised at how differently I would have chosen literature as well as what I could get out of each piece. This is a fun aspect of teaching instrumental music that I think I can really enjoy.
On this subject, I have been pondering a subject that I hope we will cover, programming music for a concert. I also attended another clinic at OMEA about programming. Instead of answering my questions, it made my questions more in depth and intense. I was surprised by how much I wanted to know about programming. I never really put any thought into picking music for an ensemble. I hope that we can have a lesson, soon, on how to pick a program that suits your band, community, and school.
Saturday, March 19, 2011
MUED 352: Week 9
This week we conversed on score study and selecting repertoire; both of which I do not get to do very often. After my readings I have a few topics which lingered all the way through my reading process. While they cover both subjects of the week, I think that may be more geared to score study.
The first topic: when is score study a hindrance? I have had access to the score of "Molly on the Shore" by Percy Grainger. If you have a kickin' high school band, this is a piece to play. Now, I have had ample time to delve into its intricacies (of which there are many). What I have been noticing is that I have become very critical of the recordings that I own. I do not like this feeling.
None of the recordings are bad, in fact they are very good and I love listening to them. But when I put on my Skull Candy ear phones, I am saddened by all the mistakes that I find. It is at this point where I feel bad that I have studied the score so much. Like, I know what I want to hear, and what I should hear, and when I don't I am let down or put off.
I am hoping that this is because I am noticing what I have studied and am making educated choices. But, when do I put my score down and say, that was a beautiful performance? I feel that since I have such a knowledge of the score that it is taking away from the piece that I love. When should I let go of the music and praise the ensemble for doing a wonderful job? It has been lingering in my mind since the reading. I understand how important it is to know your scores, but at what cost?
My next topic: chances to study score and have access to literature. As a student at Case I have many opportunities to play great literature, but not chose it. I see this as very detrimental to my education. I have been lucky to work with the marching band here at Case, and I have been doing some limited study and choosing, but I feel that it is not enough.
I guess my question is, how can I start to learn to read scores and choose repertoire? I really hope that I do not have to wait until I get a job, because I think that it would overwhelm me very much. So if anyone who reads this has any suggestions, please let me know, I would love the opportunity to sit down and work through some literature.
Third topic: a list of band piece please! So I have been searching, for my own edification, for a compilation of band works that fits certain criteria. I have found some wonderful material like Dr. Ciepluch's publication and an online guide. But, I think there should be something like a database. One that details the specifics of pieces and what they can teach your band.
From my experience, certain composers have strengths at writing for specific instruments and specific styles. Philip Sparke writes very emotional slow movements, and David Gillingham writes very nice percussion works for example. I think it would be wise for some band directors to get together and compile a database of the band literature and what function they best serve. I think that would be very handy.
Lastly: I want to vent about teaching this week. I do not know what I did, or what I did not do, but I felt horrible after my teaching this week. I am proud that I tried, I really am. I am proud that I tried to do so many new things in my lesson. I tried really hard to think of ways in which I could relay my concepts to the students, and how I could scaffold the information to make it more accessable to the students.
Unfortunately I felt like I crashed and burned. I remember a certain point in which I intrinsically gave up because I just did not want to keep beating a horse to death. For a lot of the lesson, I felt like I was being fought; like there was a struggle between some of the students and the material I wanted them to learn. And by the time I wanted to get to the important musical techniques in my piece, I had lost the students.
I guess the lesson was not all lost, I am just very new at this type of teaching. I mean I remember that the students played a phrase well out of context, but had trouble playing it in context. So, I achieved .5 of that goal. The students also played the rhythms in the variation well, so again, another positive. I wish that I did not lose as much control as I did.
Oh well, things to work on. Till next week!
Ian
The first topic: when is score study a hindrance? I have had access to the score of "Molly on the Shore" by Percy Grainger. If you have a kickin' high school band, this is a piece to play. Now, I have had ample time to delve into its intricacies (of which there are many). What I have been noticing is that I have become very critical of the recordings that I own. I do not like this feeling.
None of the recordings are bad, in fact they are very good and I love listening to them. But when I put on my Skull Candy ear phones, I am saddened by all the mistakes that I find. It is at this point where I feel bad that I have studied the score so much. Like, I know what I want to hear, and what I should hear, and when I don't I am let down or put off.
I am hoping that this is because I am noticing what I have studied and am making educated choices. But, when do I put my score down and say, that was a beautiful performance? I feel that since I have such a knowledge of the score that it is taking away from the piece that I love. When should I let go of the music and praise the ensemble for doing a wonderful job? It has been lingering in my mind since the reading. I understand how important it is to know your scores, but at what cost?
My next topic: chances to study score and have access to literature. As a student at Case I have many opportunities to play great literature, but not chose it. I see this as very detrimental to my education. I have been lucky to work with the marching band here at Case, and I have been doing some limited study and choosing, but I feel that it is not enough.
I guess my question is, how can I start to learn to read scores and choose repertoire? I really hope that I do not have to wait until I get a job, because I think that it would overwhelm me very much. So if anyone who reads this has any suggestions, please let me know, I would love the opportunity to sit down and work through some literature.
Third topic: a list of band piece please! So I have been searching, for my own edification, for a compilation of band works that fits certain criteria. I have found some wonderful material like Dr. Ciepluch's publication and an online guide. But, I think there should be something like a database. One that details the specifics of pieces and what they can teach your band.
From my experience, certain composers have strengths at writing for specific instruments and specific styles. Philip Sparke writes very emotional slow movements, and David Gillingham writes very nice percussion works for example. I think it would be wise for some band directors to get together and compile a database of the band literature and what function they best serve. I think that would be very handy.
Lastly: I want to vent about teaching this week. I do not know what I did, or what I did not do, but I felt horrible after my teaching this week. I am proud that I tried, I really am. I am proud that I tried to do so many new things in my lesson. I tried really hard to think of ways in which I could relay my concepts to the students, and how I could scaffold the information to make it more accessable to the students.
Unfortunately I felt like I crashed and burned. I remember a certain point in which I intrinsically gave up because I just did not want to keep beating a horse to death. For a lot of the lesson, I felt like I was being fought; like there was a struggle between some of the students and the material I wanted them to learn. And by the time I wanted to get to the important musical techniques in my piece, I had lost the students.
I guess the lesson was not all lost, I am just very new at this type of teaching. I mean I remember that the students played a phrase well out of context, but had trouble playing it in context. So, I achieved .5 of that goal. The students also played the rhythms in the variation well, so again, another positive. I wish that I did not lose as much control as I did.
Oh well, things to work on. Till next week!
Ian
Friday, March 4, 2011
MUED 352: Week 8
I GOT TO TEACH!
It really is hard not to focus on anything else at the moment. There are so many things that I wish to tell everyone about my experience teaching trumpet, and yet I am speechless. I guess this is because I am so happy that I got to teach, I got to lead a classroom of students, I got a taste of what my future job could be. I am so excited.
There is no feeling, for me, greater than watching children learn. Watching the students play and absorb the information that I was giving them was truly enjoyable. What is most amazing to me is the dichotomy of feeling that you can have right before teaching, during teaching, and after teaching.
Before I was in the front of the class, I was so nervous; running through every possibility of what could go wrong, what I would do if a student fainted, what I would do if I fainted. And then when it was my turn to teach, I was fine. I knew what my job was and I knew how I was going to accomplish it. In fact during my lesson I started walking around more because I was letting off energy rather than actually listening to the students. Although that is not the best thing to emit, I think it did more positive than negative.
After I taught I was all smiles, I was on a cloud that didn't even have a number, I was just so happy that I was able to teach again. So to review, at first I'm wondering what to do if I lose consciousness and I end with wanting to keep on teaching. Wow!
I am saddened by one fact, however. I know that these students only have a few chances to learn from me. So my question is, how can I make each of my lessons meaningful? I am saddened because I feel that my lessons are but a tiny chunk in an otherwise vast musical world. I know that what I teach has to be powerful enough and meaningful enough for it to stick in the minds of the students. Even though they are not my students, I am treating them like they are. And knowing that I have a limited time with them, I am going to really miss them when I have to go.
What was best about teaching the trumpets was the self realization that I am in the right profession. I loved every second that I was in front of those kids, and I didn't want it to end. I was just so happy to actually realize that I am one of the lucky few who have found their passion and have a chance to use that passion every day of my life. For me, there is nothing more amazing than that.
It has been a good week!
It really is hard not to focus on anything else at the moment. There are so many things that I wish to tell everyone about my experience teaching trumpet, and yet I am speechless. I guess this is because I am so happy that I got to teach, I got to lead a classroom of students, I got a taste of what my future job could be. I am so excited.
There is no feeling, for me, greater than watching children learn. Watching the students play and absorb the information that I was giving them was truly enjoyable. What is most amazing to me is the dichotomy of feeling that you can have right before teaching, during teaching, and after teaching.
Before I was in the front of the class, I was so nervous; running through every possibility of what could go wrong, what I would do if a student fainted, what I would do if I fainted. And then when it was my turn to teach, I was fine. I knew what my job was and I knew how I was going to accomplish it. In fact during my lesson I started walking around more because I was letting off energy rather than actually listening to the students. Although that is not the best thing to emit, I think it did more positive than negative.
After I taught I was all smiles, I was on a cloud that didn't even have a number, I was just so happy that I was able to teach again. So to review, at first I'm wondering what to do if I lose consciousness and I end with wanting to keep on teaching. Wow!
I am saddened by one fact, however. I know that these students only have a few chances to learn from me. So my question is, how can I make each of my lessons meaningful? I am saddened because I feel that my lessons are but a tiny chunk in an otherwise vast musical world. I know that what I teach has to be powerful enough and meaningful enough for it to stick in the minds of the students. Even though they are not my students, I am treating them like they are. And knowing that I have a limited time with them, I am going to really miss them when I have to go.
What was best about teaching the trumpets was the self realization that I am in the right profession. I loved every second that I was in front of those kids, and I didn't want it to end. I was just so happy to actually realize that I am one of the lucky few who have found their passion and have a chance to use that passion every day of my life. For me, there is nothing more amazing than that.
It has been a good week!
Friday, February 25, 2011
MUED 352: Week 7
After reading some of the comments that were posted, I will attempt to cover more of the readings in my weekly updates. So without skipping a bit, I want to focus on two topics that really struck me from the readings; summer work, and outcomes.
So, the article by Roger R. Rideout was an eyeopener for me. I never really gave much thought to how much work a band/orchestra teacher has to do over their summer break. That is to say, I have never actually experienced a teacher doing any work during their much deserved summer break. However, because many band/orchestra teacher live music, whereas a math teacher may not live math, the summer tasks are fundamental to the running of the band/orchestra program.
I will definitely keep "Summer Tasks for the First-Year Band Director" handy because of its value as a reminder and motivator. While I have considered the majority of suggestions that Rideout suggests, I never really thought about how I would implement them.
The other topic of the reading that struck me was outcomes, and how we as educators are supposed to come up with them. This is a topic that I feel has been neglected for a long time in my education. I have had to write lessons with outcomes in them, but never really thought about what the outcomes mean. As a future teacher, I feel that I should take the outcomes much more seriously.
What has me thinking the most is; "Wow, I am in charge of what these students learn, and the method which they learn it." Now, while I could write a long narrative about how much this scares me to death, I would rather express a fear that is probably much more pertinent to my situation this semester.
After observing this week, I noticed how different my methods and outcomes were for the students than the teacher/program at the school were. I was very aware of all of the techniques that I do not wish to emulate and the techniques of mine which would probably not work in the situation. But, I found that I had way more problems with the outcomes and methods than I did my own teaching style.
First off, I would never use a given tempo as much as the educators I observed. This ranges from Dr. Beats to snapping or clapping. I do not think that this is okay. In fact I have been learning how to teach very differently in my method classes; where students need to be able to keep a steady pulse.
Lastly (I know there are only two), the topic which I was most concerned with was one of the outcomes that was expressed. Again, this may be my 5+ method classes talking, but not having the students watch a conductor at the beginning of their musical training is absurd to me.
What is so concerning for me is that, I would want my students to be conducted and learn/get used to having a conductor. To come full circle, I am not sure I am equipped to teach in the manner that these students have been learning and how the music program wishes the students to learn. Although I am looking forward to teaching, I am very frightened that I will break some norm of teaching that may hurt the students in some way. For my lesson plan, I plan on emulating a lot of techniques that I observed, but I will put my own flavor into them, because I would like to see some different outcomes for these students.
So, the article by Roger R. Rideout was an eyeopener for me. I never really gave much thought to how much work a band/orchestra teacher has to do over their summer break. That is to say, I have never actually experienced a teacher doing any work during their much deserved summer break. However, because many band/orchestra teacher live music, whereas a math teacher may not live math, the summer tasks are fundamental to the running of the band/orchestra program.
I will definitely keep "Summer Tasks for the First-Year Band Director" handy because of its value as a reminder and motivator. While I have considered the majority of suggestions that Rideout suggests, I never really thought about how I would implement them.
The other topic of the reading that struck me was outcomes, and how we as educators are supposed to come up with them. This is a topic that I feel has been neglected for a long time in my education. I have had to write lessons with outcomes in them, but never really thought about what the outcomes mean. As a future teacher, I feel that I should take the outcomes much more seriously.
What has me thinking the most is; "Wow, I am in charge of what these students learn, and the method which they learn it." Now, while I could write a long narrative about how much this scares me to death, I would rather express a fear that is probably much more pertinent to my situation this semester.
After observing this week, I noticed how different my methods and outcomes were for the students than the teacher/program at the school were. I was very aware of all of the techniques that I do not wish to emulate and the techniques of mine which would probably not work in the situation. But, I found that I had way more problems with the outcomes and methods than I did my own teaching style.
First off, I would never use a given tempo as much as the educators I observed. This ranges from Dr. Beats to snapping or clapping. I do not think that this is okay. In fact I have been learning how to teach very differently in my method classes; where students need to be able to keep a steady pulse.
Lastly (I know there are only two), the topic which I was most concerned with was one of the outcomes that was expressed. Again, this may be my 5+ method classes talking, but not having the students watch a conductor at the beginning of their musical training is absurd to me.
What is so concerning for me is that, I would want my students to be conducted and learn/get used to having a conductor. To come full circle, I am not sure I am equipped to teach in the manner that these students have been learning and how the music program wishes the students to learn. Although I am looking forward to teaching, I am very frightened that I will break some norm of teaching that may hurt the students in some way. For my lesson plan, I plan on emulating a lot of techniques that I observed, but I will put my own flavor into them, because I would like to see some different outcomes for these students.
Friday, February 18, 2011
MUED 352: Week 6
This week our class gave presentations on different method books for the beginning band and orchestra. And while everyone showcased the pros and cons of their chosen material, I was astounded by how much detail must go into each and every one of these method books. The amount of topics that one (method book) has to cover is really mind-blowing. I probably would not have noticed if it were not for having to sift through my method book with a fine-toothed comb.
I noticed that most method books are just extremely well defined crutches for music educators; not in a bad way though. I think that every teacher has a natural style to their teaching. It's because of this personal knack that I think method books act as crutches, again, not in a bad way. It would be too daunting for one human to teach all of their band students, and be successful at it. A method book is a tool designed to ease the stress of having to 'go it alone'.
This belief of mine takes into account the teacher retaining their specific style. Once a teacher starts to lose their personal flair, then they will fall back on the method book as a crutch; yes, in a bad way. The method book is a manner which to relay musical concepts to students, not to teach them. It is one of many different ways a teacher can help their students understand what concepts are essential to their musical development.
Although I enjoyed coming to these conclusions, I did find that the best part about MUED 352 this week was going into the schools; particularly South Euclid: Lindhurst (SEL). Being at SEL was quite an experience. Many of my prior experiences with schools have either been top notch or, to put it nicely, not so top notch. SEL has a program that has a feeling of top notch, in a not so top notch environment, which is how I prefer it.
I got to see teachers work in an environment that was not optimal, but achieve great results. I enjoyed this because it gave me a lot of hope that I can be placed in a location that is not musically fit, but have musically fit students.
After my observations I would only have one major critique, "Why so much Dr. Beat?" My word, my head is still ringing. I did not see a benefit to using the Dr. Beat that much, in fact I would like to see the students in a Dr. Beat-Free zone. I would like to see how they would start to develop as musicians if the "Dr. was not in the house."
I am super excited to start teaching at SEL because I feel that a lot of my learning can come from teaching in the schools, instead of reading books. Again, experiential learning is probably the best for beginning teachers because you have to deal with the scenarios in real time, not on paper. So I am hopeful that I get to test my skills in a real classroom! So excited!
I noticed that most method books are just extremely well defined crutches for music educators; not in a bad way though. I think that every teacher has a natural style to their teaching. It's because of this personal knack that I think method books act as crutches, again, not in a bad way. It would be too daunting for one human to teach all of their band students, and be successful at it. A method book is a tool designed to ease the stress of having to 'go it alone'.
This belief of mine takes into account the teacher retaining their specific style. Once a teacher starts to lose their personal flair, then they will fall back on the method book as a crutch; yes, in a bad way. The method book is a manner which to relay musical concepts to students, not to teach them. It is one of many different ways a teacher can help their students understand what concepts are essential to their musical development.
Although I enjoyed coming to these conclusions, I did find that the best part about MUED 352 this week was going into the schools; particularly South Euclid: Lindhurst (SEL). Being at SEL was quite an experience. Many of my prior experiences with schools have either been top notch or, to put it nicely, not so top notch. SEL has a program that has a feeling of top notch, in a not so top notch environment, which is how I prefer it.
I got to see teachers work in an environment that was not optimal, but achieve great results. I enjoyed this because it gave me a lot of hope that I can be placed in a location that is not musically fit, but have musically fit students.
After my observations I would only have one major critique, "Why so much Dr. Beat?" My word, my head is still ringing. I did not see a benefit to using the Dr. Beat that much, in fact I would like to see the students in a Dr. Beat-Free zone. I would like to see how they would start to develop as musicians if the "Dr. was not in the house."
I am super excited to start teaching at SEL because I feel that a lot of my learning can come from teaching in the schools, instead of reading books. Again, experiential learning is probably the best for beginning teachers because you have to deal with the scenarios in real time, not on paper. So I am hopeful that I get to test my skills in a real classroom! So excited!
Friday, February 11, 2011
MUED 352: Week 5
This week we focused on teaching elementary instrumental music. To be honest, all of the discussion have melded together in my head, and they are very hard to separate. But there are some very interesting points that keep bubbling up through the swamp of thoughts in my head.
I keep feeling very discouraged whenever we talk about actually teaching. The first thing that I feel discouraged about is the success rate of educators. Not in the concept that I cannot relay material to children, but more the fact that I will not have an easy time handling all of the duties of an educator. There is just way too much for me to even process at this point, and it becomes very daunting.
I feel as though I will burn out very quickly because of all the work that I am expected to accomplish. Part of my brain is confident that I will be able to manage the work load, another part tells me that there is no way. The biggest part of my thoughts is taken up by, what may be a fallacy, the fact that this music education thing really isn't as hard as it is being made out to be.
This single thought permeates throughout all of my daunting tasks, because I want to think that this profession is something that I wish to accomplish, and therefor will have success in. Whether this is selfish or whimsical, or wrong, I want to make a point to say that I never thought this profession was easy. I think that, sometimes, some facets of the profession, as I have heard in class, have been blown out of proportion. Another point that I want to make is that regardless of the work, I will be fully dedicated to my future job.
Another (separate) thought that I continue to have is once that deals with support. From the way I have experienced it in this class, I will get little to no support when I am in the school system. My program will be on the eternal back-burner of the board of education. Again, I have a problem taking this grain of information as a truth; and the grain of salt I take it with is quite large. I have a hard time truly believing that I will receive no to little support in music education. From I have seen, even if my department/community does not give support my fellow band directors and music lovers will come to my aid.
A topic that I would like to discuss in class is a healthy band program beyond the 'compartmentalized' ones we have been talking about. By compartmentalized I mean not specific to a specific level of schooling; middle, high, or elementary. Obviously the programs at each of the levels have a strong relationship and need to be developed and mapped out. A good example would be the Shaker Schools. The band program over in Shaker Heights is quite advanced, almost running on autopilot in some cases.
However, I know that this program has been built for many years and continues to be developed. I know that it is the relationship that this program has with all three schools that make it such a powerhouse in the band world. The Shaker Band Program, in my opinion, is set up for success because the educators who are a part of it coexist in such a way that there is a perfect balance and harmony that will benefit the bands down the road.
So, I would like to talk about networking and gaining the level of professionalism and dedication that the Shaker Bands have. Something that will help us as students understand how to develop a program that is both musically rich and meaningful.
I keep feeling very discouraged whenever we talk about actually teaching. The first thing that I feel discouraged about is the success rate of educators. Not in the concept that I cannot relay material to children, but more the fact that I will not have an easy time handling all of the duties of an educator. There is just way too much for me to even process at this point, and it becomes very daunting.
I feel as though I will burn out very quickly because of all the work that I am expected to accomplish. Part of my brain is confident that I will be able to manage the work load, another part tells me that there is no way. The biggest part of my thoughts is taken up by, what may be a fallacy, the fact that this music education thing really isn't as hard as it is being made out to be.
This single thought permeates throughout all of my daunting tasks, because I want to think that this profession is something that I wish to accomplish, and therefor will have success in. Whether this is selfish or whimsical, or wrong, I want to make a point to say that I never thought this profession was easy. I think that, sometimes, some facets of the profession, as I have heard in class, have been blown out of proportion. Another point that I want to make is that regardless of the work, I will be fully dedicated to my future job.
Another (separate) thought that I continue to have is once that deals with support. From the way I have experienced it in this class, I will get little to no support when I am in the school system. My program will be on the eternal back-burner of the board of education. Again, I have a problem taking this grain of information as a truth; and the grain of salt I take it with is quite large. I have a hard time truly believing that I will receive no to little support in music education. From I have seen, even if my department/community does not give support my fellow band directors and music lovers will come to my aid.
A topic that I would like to discuss in class is a healthy band program beyond the 'compartmentalized' ones we have been talking about. By compartmentalized I mean not specific to a specific level of schooling; middle, high, or elementary. Obviously the programs at each of the levels have a strong relationship and need to be developed and mapped out. A good example would be the Shaker Schools. The band program over in Shaker Heights is quite advanced, almost running on autopilot in some cases.
However, I know that this program has been built for many years and continues to be developed. I know that it is the relationship that this program has with all three schools that make it such a powerhouse in the band world. The Shaker Band Program, in my opinion, is set up for success because the educators who are a part of it coexist in such a way that there is a perfect balance and harmony that will benefit the bands down the road.
So, I would like to talk about networking and gaining the level of professionalism and dedication that the Shaker Bands have. Something that will help us as students understand how to develop a program that is both musically rich and meaningful.
Saturday, February 5, 2011
MUED 352: Week 4
This week we discussed two topics; method books and planning instruction. So, I will be covering these two topics first before I discuss the remainder of my OMEA clinics.
There are so many different method books out in circulation that it stands to reason that an educator needs to pick the right one for his students. The research that should go into picking the correct method book is something that I have personally never done. A previous teacher of mine told me that it is not the book that is important, but the information inside. This same teacher stressed the importance of finding a method book, but it is how you relay the information, engage the students, and how you view music that will inspire your students to keep playing.
For the most part I think that the previous statement is true. Most of the method books teach the same exact material (in my experience) what is more important is how you relay the information inside the book to your students. Now, having a preferred book is not a bad thing, but knowing how to utilize the book is, what I consider to be, more important than the book itself.
I think, in terms of keeping students, that a teacher needs to show how music has impacted their lives and demonstrate how to live a musical life. I know many kids are motivated by a teacher who they respect and who they want to be similar to. This means that these students are watching everything that the teacher is doing. Even students who are not interested by a teacher are always learning from what the teacher does. Thus a teacher has to show that they believe in what they are teaching.
I think that this is where picking a method book could be very handy. Choosing a book that you enjoy teaching from shows your students that you are invested in what you are doing and that they should be too. This, again, is an example of how the method book is used more as a tool rather than as a curriculum. The function of the book does not have to be its information.
Before a method book can be discussed the first lesson must be taken into account. It has been reiterated to me more than once (too many to count) about how important the first lesson is. So I am going to detail what has been on my mind since it was first brought to my attention; this will be the scariest and most daunting moment of my educational career. The weight of the world feels like it is on my shoulders.
From this one lesson I need to do many things; teach posture, embouchure, buzzing/tonguing, producing a tone, using your wind/space, and, most importantly, keeping the student motivated to go home, practice, and come back, only to reinforce and add to what I taught in my first lesson. Oh boy.
This, to me, is very frightening. How can I be expected to to all this, plus many more objectives that I did not list, all in one lesson? INSANE!!!! What is a comfort to me is that my goal is small, minuscule, and in the shallow end of the musical pool. My goal is to spark a love,or less than that, an interest in the art of music. That concept needs to stick with the student. When they are fascinated, I can be there to answer questions and to further their learning.
As my previous post stated, I was not blown away by OMEA this year. But the three clinics that I went to spoke volumes to me.
The second of my three clinics was with Dr. Tim Robblee and was on improving communication through meaningful warm-ups. While this was not the most exciting clinic, I gained some very valuable tools from it. One of these tools was about not always conducting, and instead, listening and evaluating. This concept seemed really foolish to me especially when Dr. Robblee stopped conducting and the ensemble almost stopped.
What this showed me was a problem with the pattern of conducting. The kids that he was conducting were very used to seeing a baton during warm up so when one was not there, they stopped playing. Aha! This means to me that I need to keep my students on their toes, they can be musical without the conductor. The conductor is there to be a leader and shape the music for the students so they can better navigate it.
Another concept that I took away was that a note needs to be treated like a good book; every aspect of it is important, beginning, middle and end. Even the parts in between are important. Your students can learn how to be mindful of their notes by watching a solid conductor. The conductor shows the length of the note, style, dynamic, texture, articulation, and cutoff all with the baton. If the conductor is willing to put in the time to conduct well, the students will learn how to respond appropriately, and all without using words.
The third and final session that I attended was given by three CWRU alum, Brad Hruska, Ryan Huch, and Dan Crain. This session meant the most to me because I have worked directly with all of these teachers and we have watched each other grow and become who we are. I highly respect the trio that was in front of me and I relished in the moment because I was being taught by them.
The session that Dan, Brad, and Ryan gave was on implementing the national standards with a band/instrumental program. And without going into all of the info which was given (a lot) I can say that this session made me think about what I would do if I were teaching in a high school right now. Needless to say, I would be scared out of my mind, but I would at least have some ideas.
This session made me happy because I found that I really understood what was being said to me. I think that this session gave me a lot of confidence to try new techniques and explore my teaching skills. I really think that Dan, Brad, and Ryan all have the potential, and in my eyes, are great educators and will heavily impact the lives of the students that come through their programs.
There are so many different method books out in circulation that it stands to reason that an educator needs to pick the right one for his students. The research that should go into picking the correct method book is something that I have personally never done. A previous teacher of mine told me that it is not the book that is important, but the information inside. This same teacher stressed the importance of finding a method book, but it is how you relay the information, engage the students, and how you view music that will inspire your students to keep playing.
For the most part I think that the previous statement is true. Most of the method books teach the same exact material (in my experience) what is more important is how you relay the information inside the book to your students. Now, having a preferred book is not a bad thing, but knowing how to utilize the book is, what I consider to be, more important than the book itself.
I think, in terms of keeping students, that a teacher needs to show how music has impacted their lives and demonstrate how to live a musical life. I know many kids are motivated by a teacher who they respect and who they want to be similar to. This means that these students are watching everything that the teacher is doing. Even students who are not interested by a teacher are always learning from what the teacher does. Thus a teacher has to show that they believe in what they are teaching.
I think that this is where picking a method book could be very handy. Choosing a book that you enjoy teaching from shows your students that you are invested in what you are doing and that they should be too. This, again, is an example of how the method book is used more as a tool rather than as a curriculum. The function of the book does not have to be its information.
Before a method book can be discussed the first lesson must be taken into account. It has been reiterated to me more than once (too many to count) about how important the first lesson is. So I am going to detail what has been on my mind since it was first brought to my attention; this will be the scariest and most daunting moment of my educational career. The weight of the world feels like it is on my shoulders.
From this one lesson I need to do many things; teach posture, embouchure, buzzing/tonguing, producing a tone, using your wind/space, and, most importantly, keeping the student motivated to go home, practice, and come back, only to reinforce and add to what I taught in my first lesson. Oh boy.
This, to me, is very frightening. How can I be expected to to all this, plus many more objectives that I did not list, all in one lesson? INSANE!!!! What is a comfort to me is that my goal is small, minuscule, and in the shallow end of the musical pool. My goal is to spark a love,or less than that, an interest in the art of music. That concept needs to stick with the student. When they are fascinated, I can be there to answer questions and to further their learning.
As my previous post stated, I was not blown away by OMEA this year. But the three clinics that I went to spoke volumes to me.
The second of my three clinics was with Dr. Tim Robblee and was on improving communication through meaningful warm-ups. While this was not the most exciting clinic, I gained some very valuable tools from it. One of these tools was about not always conducting, and instead, listening and evaluating. This concept seemed really foolish to me especially when Dr. Robblee stopped conducting and the ensemble almost stopped.
What this showed me was a problem with the pattern of conducting. The kids that he was conducting were very used to seeing a baton during warm up so when one was not there, they stopped playing. Aha! This means to me that I need to keep my students on their toes, they can be musical without the conductor. The conductor is there to be a leader and shape the music for the students so they can better navigate it.
Another concept that I took away was that a note needs to be treated like a good book; every aspect of it is important, beginning, middle and end. Even the parts in between are important. Your students can learn how to be mindful of their notes by watching a solid conductor. The conductor shows the length of the note, style, dynamic, texture, articulation, and cutoff all with the baton. If the conductor is willing to put in the time to conduct well, the students will learn how to respond appropriately, and all without using words.
The third and final session that I attended was given by three CWRU alum, Brad Hruska, Ryan Huch, and Dan Crain. This session meant the most to me because I have worked directly with all of these teachers and we have watched each other grow and become who we are. I highly respect the trio that was in front of me and I relished in the moment because I was being taught by them.
The session that Dan, Brad, and Ryan gave was on implementing the national standards with a band/instrumental program. And without going into all of the info which was given (a lot) I can say that this session made me think about what I would do if I were teaching in a high school right now. Needless to say, I would be scared out of my mind, but I would at least have some ideas.
This session made me happy because I found that I really understood what was being said to me. I think that this session gave me a lot of confidence to try new techniques and explore my teaching skills. I really think that Dan, Brad, and Ryan all have the potential, and in my eyes, are great educators and will heavily impact the lives of the students that come through their programs.
Sunday, January 30, 2011
MUED 352: Week 3
This weeks blog comes a bit late because the music education department went on a trip to the 2011 OMEA conference in Cincinnati. However, I will discuss some of the clinics I attended as well as class discussion. I'll start in chronological order with last Monday's class.
Once again we discussed recruitment for band programs. Again, I have not seen or heard anything that has really surprised me about having to recruit students to participate in band. While my questions from last week about money and budget was not discussed in this class, I am still hopeful that they will be in the future. I still see it as an essential subject to cover.
However, I was very interested about one particular topic that we discussed;personal contact. I would really like to become a high school band director, and I think it would be necessary to be involved in some way in the lives of the students at the other schools.
As a high school director I would like to see the students entering my program to be very musical by the time they get to high school. In order to see that my future students are doing well, I believe that I would need them to know what is expected of them by the time they reach high school. a very important way to do this would be through physical contact.
By being involved in the lives of the students, current as well as past and present, it shows that an educator really cares for every student and that they are important to the band program. Young kids could be able to see what it is like to be a band student in the future, current students learn that you care for them outside of the classroom, and former students realize that you were sincere and that you still care how they get along in their life, musically or not. No matter what, I see it imperative to have physical contact in some way with all of the students that you may come in contact with.
As for OMEA, I was a bit disappointed. I was expecting to find many clinics and events that I would want to attend. Unfortunately I did not find many that I wanted to attend, or concerts that I wanted to hear. Maybe I am jaded to the thought of OMEA, the glitz and glam being gone after three years; but I refuse to accept this. Instead I believe that this OMEA was not a 'high profile' as the former that I have attended.
However, I did find three clinics that I felt would really help me further in my career. The one that I would like to share was not an instrumental session; but it dealt with a facet of all music performance areas that is super important, programming music. The session was very informative and had a lot of important information. I liked the medium in which the material was presented and the speaker himself.
The session was presented by Dr. Joe Miller from Westminster Choir College. His focus was on proper programming, in other words, how to pick the music that will fully benefit your program. He included six different topics which one could consider when picking music. They include; personal inspiration, the needs of students, the community, musical balance, marketing, and assessing your outcomes.
Dr. Miller was very helpful and inspiring. I was very weary of the fact that I was out of my element when I first heard it was a choir event. However, it was truly inspirational and a great enjoyment. We ended the session by singing a newer piece called "Newlyweds" by Nathan Jones. It was so simple and gratifying that I wished I could end all of my sessions by performing a truly beautiful piece like this one.
I will be writing about my other clinics later on this week, by Friday, once I have had time to discuss them in class. But I am very excited to explain and detail what I saw at OMEA.
Once again we discussed recruitment for band programs. Again, I have not seen or heard anything that has really surprised me about having to recruit students to participate in band. While my questions from last week about money and budget was not discussed in this class, I am still hopeful that they will be in the future. I still see it as an essential subject to cover.
However, I was very interested about one particular topic that we discussed;personal contact. I would really like to become a high school band director, and I think it would be necessary to be involved in some way in the lives of the students at the other schools.
As a high school director I would like to see the students entering my program to be very musical by the time they get to high school. In order to see that my future students are doing well, I believe that I would need them to know what is expected of them by the time they reach high school. a very important way to do this would be through physical contact.
By being involved in the lives of the students, current as well as past and present, it shows that an educator really cares for every student and that they are important to the band program. Young kids could be able to see what it is like to be a band student in the future, current students learn that you care for them outside of the classroom, and former students realize that you were sincere and that you still care how they get along in their life, musically or not. No matter what, I see it imperative to have physical contact in some way with all of the students that you may come in contact with.
As for OMEA, I was a bit disappointed. I was expecting to find many clinics and events that I would want to attend. Unfortunately I did not find many that I wanted to attend, or concerts that I wanted to hear. Maybe I am jaded to the thought of OMEA, the glitz and glam being gone after three years; but I refuse to accept this. Instead I believe that this OMEA was not a 'high profile' as the former that I have attended.
However, I did find three clinics that I felt would really help me further in my career. The one that I would like to share was not an instrumental session; but it dealt with a facet of all music performance areas that is super important, programming music. The session was very informative and had a lot of important information. I liked the medium in which the material was presented and the speaker himself.
The session was presented by Dr. Joe Miller from Westminster Choir College. His focus was on proper programming, in other words, how to pick the music that will fully benefit your program. He included six different topics which one could consider when picking music. They include; personal inspiration, the needs of students, the community, musical balance, marketing, and assessing your outcomes.
Dr. Miller was very helpful and inspiring. I was very weary of the fact that I was out of my element when I first heard it was a choir event. However, it was truly inspirational and a great enjoyment. We ended the session by singing a newer piece called "Newlyweds" by Nathan Jones. It was so simple and gratifying that I wished I could end all of my sessions by performing a truly beautiful piece like this one.
I will be writing about my other clinics later on this week, by Friday, once I have had time to discuss them in class. But I am very excited to explain and detail what I saw at OMEA.
Friday, January 21, 2011
MUED 352: Week 2
Due to the shortened week, we were only allowed one class to discuss the intricacies and importance of recruitment. I felt kind of 'shafted' by this topic, only because I have had many experiences with all the effort it takes to recruit. Recruitment is not so different for an instrumental ensemble than it is for a youth group or bowling league. I have also attended a good number of clinics on recruitment and support. So I felt that I wanted to see a bit more from this topic.
It is for this reason that I felt inclined to ask about budget and money. I understand that a lot of work goes into recruitment, and it is an ongoing process, but I do not fully understand the fiscal side of recruitment. In order to visit new students or travel to schools, bring in help, or hold an event; I think it is safe to assume that some sort of money must be exchanged.
Now, I was heavily involved in many of my high school band's activities, and I noticed that there was two funds that could be used; school funding and band funding. The most basic question that I have is, when do you use school funding versus band funding? Most of my other questions can stem from this question; as can another question can be brought forth, is music a curricular subject.
Again, Being heavily involved in my high school, I was a part of many extracurricular clubs. For these clubs, we had to fund our own money and only the most distinguished and special events could even be considered in asking for school money. Since this is the case, then the band, as a curricular activity, would use only school funds. I have not witnessed an science or math department funding their own money. So why must band?
While this is a bit off topic, I find it truly interesting. However, I think I should bring my rant back around to recruitment. While I was not formerly recruited into any instrumental program, I managed to participate in many forms of recruitment in my high school years.
One of the best ideas that my teacher had was to set up an 'instrument petting zoo" at one of the local elementary schools during their school showcase. At this "zoo" students were able to pick an instrument that they wanted to try and the band students would help them by having them play their first notes.
I think that the most special part of the petting zoo was not the instruments, but the what the students did in our free time. Instead of getting food, we decided that we would play our solos from our recent auditions for the spectators. I think that many of the people that we intrigued came because of our performances.
One topic that scares me about recruitment is that it must be on the mind of the band director at all times. This concept was also very shocking to me when it was related to teaching; in the sense that you must always be looking for that teachable moment. However, since the moment I heard this fact I have found that I have had many more experiences in which I am teaching someone. I can only hope that this goes the same for recruitment. I hope that it becomes as second nature as my will to help educate others.
Also, I like to close my blogs with a video that combines a second love of mine, dance. This week I was moved by a video of some children krumping. Enjoy!
It is for this reason that I felt inclined to ask about budget and money. I understand that a lot of work goes into recruitment, and it is an ongoing process, but I do not fully understand the fiscal side of recruitment. In order to visit new students or travel to schools, bring in help, or hold an event; I think it is safe to assume that some sort of money must be exchanged.
Now, I was heavily involved in many of my high school band's activities, and I noticed that there was two funds that could be used; school funding and band funding. The most basic question that I have is, when do you use school funding versus band funding? Most of my other questions can stem from this question; as can another question can be brought forth, is music a curricular subject.
Again, Being heavily involved in my high school, I was a part of many extracurricular clubs. For these clubs, we had to fund our own money and only the most distinguished and special events could even be considered in asking for school money. Since this is the case, then the band, as a curricular activity, would use only school funds. I have not witnessed an science or math department funding their own money. So why must band?
While this is a bit off topic, I find it truly interesting. However, I think I should bring my rant back around to recruitment. While I was not formerly recruited into any instrumental program, I managed to participate in many forms of recruitment in my high school years.
One of the best ideas that my teacher had was to set up an 'instrument petting zoo" at one of the local elementary schools during their school showcase. At this "zoo" students were able to pick an instrument that they wanted to try and the band students would help them by having them play their first notes.
I think that the most special part of the petting zoo was not the instruments, but the what the students did in our free time. Instead of getting food, we decided that we would play our solos from our recent auditions for the spectators. I think that many of the people that we intrigued came because of our performances.
One topic that scares me about recruitment is that it must be on the mind of the band director at all times. This concept was also very shocking to me when it was related to teaching; in the sense that you must always be looking for that teachable moment. However, since the moment I heard this fact I have found that I have had many more experiences in which I am teaching someone. I can only hope that this goes the same for recruitment. I hope that it becomes as second nature as my will to help educate others.
Also, I like to close my blogs with a video that combines a second love of mine, dance. This week I was moved by a video of some children krumping. Enjoy!
Friday, January 14, 2011
MUED 352: Week 1
1.) Qualities of a good music educator.
The first quality that I myself admire in a music educator is that they believe that all of their students can learn and appreciate music. Without this quality I feel that a music educator can not be anywhere close to effective in a classroom. If I detail every aspect of what I believe a music educator should possess, I would be writing for quite sometime. Instead, I have tried to create categories of the most important qualities I think music educators should have. A music educator should be accepting. There are many ways that a music educator has to be accepting. They must respect different forms of music, different techniques used, and different cultures represented. They must respect the different likes and dislikes of their students. And as I stated before a music educator must accept all those who wish to participate in their program, offering them the same opportunity to learn music as everyone else. An educator must be tenacious. Again there are several ways in which a music educator needs to be tenacious. They need to push their students to their musical limits, find and explore new pieces of music, and above all strive for musical excellence. A music educator must also be passionate in all regards of the art form. They must be an inspiration for their students to learn music, a leader for those in the community, and an asset to the school that they are a part of. The next quality a music educator may want to have is to be presentable. Although many people find this quality very strange, I find it to be very necessary. Being well put together shows others that you are passionate about your job. You are aware of the magnitude of your position and you are able to put forth the effort for your students to look your best. The last, and most obvious, quality that I think is essential for all music educator is to be musical. This quality almost seems redundant, but it is very important. To be musical means being able to share the gift of music with others. Through your musicality you will show others how to be musical. You can show them how to create and how to explore; how to express themselves and how to learn a skill that they may use for the rest of their lives. Being musical means having the knowledge to use different pedagogy, how to respond to different musical issues, and how to express yourself through the art form and not through words or actions.
2.) What music students should learn from instrumental music.
This topic is very hard for me to answer. I feel as though I may have trouble answering because of my own personal experiences. What I learned in band is not the way that many other students learned in their programs. I feel that I made the most of my experiences and had the time of my life. However, I must admit that I think a lot of what I learned about music I did by myself, and did not occur in instrumental music in the classroom. At the moment, I think that instrumental music should teach students how to explore music and find the necessary ways for them to flourish in the art form. While I understand that a band should teach students how to play in an ensemble, how to improve on their instrument, theory, history, and a whole bunch of other skills; I do not think that it is rational that a single band class should be responsible for all of these things. Again, I do think that a band teacher should be able to teach some form, and theory, it should not be their main focus. However, I think that if the teacher is able to give the students the necessary resources to learn theory, or history that they do so. My own personal experiences has made me very biased towards this issue. Did I learn music history from my band, no, I conducted my own research. Did I learn theory from band, no, I practiced and took a theory course. Did I learn how to play the saxophone from band, yes! But not as well as I could have with out private lessons. Does this mean that I had a poor music education in instrumental music? No, it does not. Why? Because my teacher gave me the appropriate opportunities to find my own musical path. I would be dumb to call my music teacher from high school poor. As a graduate of CWRU, I know that she is well equipped to teach many things, and I respect her very much for all of the opportunities that she opened up for me. So, overall, what do I think students should learn from instrumental instruction? They should learn how to be a music student. They should learn how to be in their ensemble. They should learn how to play their instrument. They should learn how to read and understand their music. However, I find that it is not the instrumental teacher's job to do this. Instead it is their job to run the band. It is their job to see to it that all the students receive the necessary opportunities to become a good instrumental student.
3.) Music as part of the "curriculum".
I think the perfect answer to the question "Why should music be curricular?" is with the other, although annoying, question "Why not?" Though I am heavily biased, I see no reason that music be left out of any curriculum. There is one solid reason that I have that music is a curricular subject; music is a part of being human. We live with natural rhythms and frequencies built within our very selves. We have basic needs that need to be met that are music related. Music is a medium through which everyone on the planet is connected. It is foolish to write off a subject that connect the entire population of Earth. The musical benefits of teaching music are pretty much self explanatory. When you are taught music, you learn how to play music. Beyond that, you learn how to enjoy music, how to build motor skills, how to identify cultures, how to make money, and how to perform. But the benefits outside of music are very much so applicable to real life. Music teaches us how to interact with other humans, how to work as a team, and how to work until a final goal is reached. Music also opens the doors to the sciences (physics of waves, amplitude, and sound waves), mathematics (intensity, fractions, counting), history and literature (music can be found throughout every culture, and is referenced in most novels), and even in health (staying in shape, proper breathing, posture, and not smoking). The fact is that music is not considered curricular by many is truly absurd. Instead of proving that music is curricular, we need to show the world what happens when their is no music, although as John Cage has shown us, that too is music.
The first quality that I myself admire in a music educator is that they believe that all of their students can learn and appreciate music. Without this quality I feel that a music educator can not be anywhere close to effective in a classroom. If I detail every aspect of what I believe a music educator should possess, I would be writing for quite sometime. Instead, I have tried to create categories of the most important qualities I think music educators should have. A music educator should be accepting. There are many ways that a music educator has to be accepting. They must respect different forms of music, different techniques used, and different cultures represented. They must respect the different likes and dislikes of their students. And as I stated before a music educator must accept all those who wish to participate in their program, offering them the same opportunity to learn music as everyone else. An educator must be tenacious. Again there are several ways in which a music educator needs to be tenacious. They need to push their students to their musical limits, find and explore new pieces of music, and above all strive for musical excellence. A music educator must also be passionate in all regards of the art form. They must be an inspiration for their students to learn music, a leader for those in the community, and an asset to the school that they are a part of. The next quality a music educator may want to have is to be presentable. Although many people find this quality very strange, I find it to be very necessary. Being well put together shows others that you are passionate about your job. You are aware of the magnitude of your position and you are able to put forth the effort for your students to look your best. The last, and most obvious, quality that I think is essential for all music educator is to be musical. This quality almost seems redundant, but it is very important. To be musical means being able to share the gift of music with others. Through your musicality you will show others how to be musical. You can show them how to create and how to explore; how to express themselves and how to learn a skill that they may use for the rest of their lives. Being musical means having the knowledge to use different pedagogy, how to respond to different musical issues, and how to express yourself through the art form and not through words or actions.
2.) What music students should learn from instrumental music.
This topic is very hard for me to answer. I feel as though I may have trouble answering because of my own personal experiences. What I learned in band is not the way that many other students learned in their programs. I feel that I made the most of my experiences and had the time of my life. However, I must admit that I think a lot of what I learned about music I did by myself, and did not occur in instrumental music in the classroom. At the moment, I think that instrumental music should teach students how to explore music and find the necessary ways for them to flourish in the art form. While I understand that a band should teach students how to play in an ensemble, how to improve on their instrument, theory, history, and a whole bunch of other skills; I do not think that it is rational that a single band class should be responsible for all of these things. Again, I do think that a band teacher should be able to teach some form, and theory, it should not be their main focus. However, I think that if the teacher is able to give the students the necessary resources to learn theory, or history that they do so. My own personal experiences has made me very biased towards this issue. Did I learn music history from my band, no, I conducted my own research. Did I learn theory from band, no, I practiced and took a theory course. Did I learn how to play the saxophone from band, yes! But not as well as I could have with out private lessons. Does this mean that I had a poor music education in instrumental music? No, it does not. Why? Because my teacher gave me the appropriate opportunities to find my own musical path. I would be dumb to call my music teacher from high school poor. As a graduate of CWRU, I know that she is well equipped to teach many things, and I respect her very much for all of the opportunities that she opened up for me. So, overall, what do I think students should learn from instrumental instruction? They should learn how to be a music student. They should learn how to be in their ensemble. They should learn how to play their instrument. They should learn how to read and understand their music. However, I find that it is not the instrumental teacher's job to do this. Instead it is their job to run the band. It is their job to see to it that all the students receive the necessary opportunities to become a good instrumental student.
3.) Music as part of the "curriculum".
I think the perfect answer to the question "Why should music be curricular?" is with the other, although annoying, question "Why not?" Though I am heavily biased, I see no reason that music be left out of any curriculum. There is one solid reason that I have that music is a curricular subject; music is a part of being human. We live with natural rhythms and frequencies built within our very selves. We have basic needs that need to be met that are music related. Music is a medium through which everyone on the planet is connected. It is foolish to write off a subject that connect the entire population of Earth. The musical benefits of teaching music are pretty much self explanatory. When you are taught music, you learn how to play music. Beyond that, you learn how to enjoy music, how to build motor skills, how to identify cultures, how to make money, and how to perform. But the benefits outside of music are very much so applicable to real life. Music teaches us how to interact with other humans, how to work as a team, and how to work until a final goal is reached. Music also opens the doors to the sciences (physics of waves, amplitude, and sound waves), mathematics (intensity, fractions, counting), history and literature (music can be found throughout every culture, and is referenced in most novels), and even in health (staying in shape, proper breathing, posture, and not smoking). The fact is that music is not considered curricular by many is truly absurd. Instead of proving that music is curricular, we need to show the world what happens when their is no music, although as John Cage has shown us, that too is music.
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