I really enjoyed the readings for this week, as well as our classroom conversations on Wednesday. Of particular interest was chapter 16 from Instrumental Music Education. To be honest, I have already skimmed through the whole book and read almost half of it. I love all the literature I can get my hands on when it comes to instrumental music education, and since this book is so new, it has been fascinating to thumb through and read. And of course, anything that has a forward written by the honorable Frank Battisti deserves all band directors' attention. I can already tell that the information in this book will be valuable to me throughout my career and beyond.
Getting back to chapter 16 from Instrumental Music Education, I have often wondered about the many facets involved with recruiting, organizing, and starting a band or an orchestra. I know it is not an easy endeavor. Just working with Dr. Ciepluch over the last two years has taught me an incredible amount about recruitment - both for Case Symphonic Winds and for the Cleveland Youth Wind Symphony. I am impressed that Dr. Ciepluch goes out all over the greater Cleveland area and beyond to do on-site auditions and promote his program. I know of few other band directors that will put their time and energy into such a complicated and time consuming effort. He is also constantly sending (or having me send) unending emails and regular letters to band directors, parents, administrators, and students. I have learned that this is a long process. But I have also learned that it is a rewarding one. I know now from personal experience that 95% of what I will do as a music educator will be behind the scenes administrative work. I'm okay with that. I'm even comfortable with that. I know that the time I will spend off the podium is essential to maintaining a good band program, and imperative to keeping all the "wheels spinning."
Frequently talked about in our classroom discussion were the steps of the recruiting process. In the assigned reading, Feldman and Contzius list eight steps of the recruiting process. Some of these steps I think are more important than others. I'm interested to see how my view of these things will change after I have been out in the profession for 10 years, 20 years, etc... For now, I can just base my opinions on my own common sense, my admittedly limited experience, and the countless hours of moaning and complaining I have heard from other band directors already in the field. The first two steps listed by Feldman and Contzius are having exposure concerts and recruiting concerts. I completely agree with them. In fact, I can think of few things that are more important and more inspirational than the excitement concerts can provide. Think about it: humans are always motivated by a finished product. Because we have relatively short attention-spans, we are much more interested in the outcome of the project than we are in the millions of steps leading up to it. For this reason it is so important to show children, "Hey, this is what you can be a part of someday!" It is for this exact reason that Dr. Ciepluch always has the Case Wind Ensemble and Symphonic Winds play for the Cleveland Youth Wind Symphony. This is also why in middle school the 6th grade, 7th grade, and 8th grade band all played on the same concert. Well, one of the reasons. : ) Sitting in my chair as a young sixth-grader who had just completed my portion of the program, I was in awe at what the 7th and 8th graders were able to do. To me, they sounded like a million dollars! To me, they were as good as the Cleveland Orchestra! Oh how I couldn't wait to be in their shoes so I could sound as good.
Letters home to parents as well as parent informational meetings may be important for logistical reasons, but I don't think they are half as important as the initial exposure to instruments and the instrumental ensembles themselves. Similarly, I am not a big fan of aptitude testing, or any of Gordon's testing strategies for timbrel preference. Look, I chose to play the saxophone in 5th grade because Lisa Simpson played the saxophone. It looked fun to play with all those keys, and boy was it shiny. What did it sound like? Not only did I non know, I don't think I cared. I think classroom teacher interviews are important. In these formal or informal settings, important questions are answered and instrumental fitting can begin. If the teacher is intelligent and wise, they will also have an opportunity to encourage students with various personalities, work ethics, and physical make-ups to choose the instrument that is right for them. Finally, following-up with parents is extremely important. I would think that music educators want their students' parents to be as much a part of their lives as possible.
Friday, January 21, 2011
Friday, January 14, 2011
1/14/11 - 3 Questions
1. To be a good music teacher, I think it is important to have (a) good dispositional qualities, (b) a firm knowledge of music, and (c) a practical and effective way to communicate this knowledge to students. One might say that in essence, these three areas make up the so-called "Proactive Scholar-Practitioner" philosophy that is fundamental to past, current, and future Case Western Reserve University educators. To be of a good disposition means that one is willing, capable, and passionate about serving others and making sure that they are living an active life-style that is in harmony with good moral values and creating a nurturing learning environment. Honesty, integrity, self-control, optimism, and respect for others are a few of the virtues that are common among those with a good disposition. To have a firm knowledge of music means that one is familiar with music history and music theory. But this is not all if one wants to be an instrumental music teacher. They must also have the psycho-motor abilities to play the major instruments, and be able to teach them at an adequate level. To have a practical and effective way to communicate knowledge to others in any field is to understand and work from the best pedagogy available. The best teachers are masters of how to demonstrate what they know in a way that the students will learn the subject matter. Good practitioners have also figured out unique ways to work on and develop different levels of thinking.
2. As part of instrumental music instruction, students should learn important things from three categories or "outcomes" - the psycho-motor outcome, the cognitive outcome, and the affective outcome. Regarding the psycho-motor outcome, students need to learn the fundamentals and rudiments of the instrument they have selected to play in band or orchestra. If it is a wind instrument, this might include breathing, embouchure, playing position, articulation, tonguing, and correct fingering. They will need to learn to sight-read notes and rhythms. Even more basic than this, they should have a good understanding of what key signatures and time signatures are and what they mean. They should know basic musical terminology and be able to apply this to their performance. Regarding the cognitive outcome, students should learn how to think about music and recognize basic patterns in music, even when they do not have their instrument in front of them. Instrumental musicians should have a basic grasp of music theory. They should know their major scales, minor scales, arpeggios, chords, and their meanings. They should also have a fundamental understanding of form and analysis. They should have a basic understanding of what makes music work, and why it works. Additionally, students should always be familiar with as much music history, both past and current, as they are able. Last but certainly not least, students should walk away from instrumental music with a number of affective outcomes. Music is a gateway and a bridge to areas that are difficult, frightening, unrelenting, mysterious, and even painful. Music is also an outlet to explore things that are glorious, momentous, personal, or just a way to enlighten or entertain oneself. In any case, music can be directly associated with things that are emotional and spiritual. Students that participate in instrumental music are able to express themselves in ways that would otherwise be impossible. It also offers students an opportunity to learn to work together to accomplish something greater than they are. In music, everyone is important, and everyone matters. Everyone has a chance to say something and learn about a higher form of communication. Music is here to be our friend, and I want my students to know that music will always be there for them.
3. Music should be a part of school curricula for a plethora of musical and extra-musical reasons. As I mentioned before, music gives children a unique and rare opportunity to express themselves in ways that otherwise would be impossible. Music is very valuable as an elective because it offers children something exciting and worthwhile that can last throughout their lives. Music is also a way for children to create and use both sides of the brain. Playing a musical instrument is a great way for most children to feel accomplished and proud of their achievements. It gives students an alternative to sports or computer science. Musical experiences bring humans closer together, whether by singing in a choir, performing in an instrumental ensemble, or listening to the music in the audience. Music has also been around for centuries and is a huge part of most people's culture. Writing music, composing music, performing music, and learning about music are all ways to keep culture alive. Music is a "gateway" art that may inspire students to learn more about history, math, science, language, or even the environment. Socially speaking, music is a way for students to find and make life-long friends. A large reason why people were in my high school marching band was because it acted like a social fraternity/sorority. It was a way for them to experience life while working toward a singular goal. Music should always be a part of every school's curricula. Many schools will say, "we cannot afford to have a music department." I say to them, "for the aforementioned reasons, you cannot afford NOT to have a music department."
2. As part of instrumental music instruction, students should learn important things from three categories or "outcomes" - the psycho-motor outcome, the cognitive outcome, and the affective outcome. Regarding the psycho-motor outcome, students need to learn the fundamentals and rudiments of the instrument they have selected to play in band or orchestra. If it is a wind instrument, this might include breathing, embouchure, playing position, articulation, tonguing, and correct fingering. They will need to learn to sight-read notes and rhythms. Even more basic than this, they should have a good understanding of what key signatures and time signatures are and what they mean. They should know basic musical terminology and be able to apply this to their performance. Regarding the cognitive outcome, students should learn how to think about music and recognize basic patterns in music, even when they do not have their instrument in front of them. Instrumental musicians should have a basic grasp of music theory. They should know their major scales, minor scales, arpeggios, chords, and their meanings. They should also have a fundamental understanding of form and analysis. They should have a basic understanding of what makes music work, and why it works. Additionally, students should always be familiar with as much music history, both past and current, as they are able. Last but certainly not least, students should walk away from instrumental music with a number of affective outcomes. Music is a gateway and a bridge to areas that are difficult, frightening, unrelenting, mysterious, and even painful. Music is also an outlet to explore things that are glorious, momentous, personal, or just a way to enlighten or entertain oneself. In any case, music can be directly associated with things that are emotional and spiritual. Students that participate in instrumental music are able to express themselves in ways that would otherwise be impossible. It also offers students an opportunity to learn to work together to accomplish something greater than they are. In music, everyone is important, and everyone matters. Everyone has a chance to say something and learn about a higher form of communication. Music is here to be our friend, and I want my students to know that music will always be there for them.
3. Music should be a part of school curricula for a plethora of musical and extra-musical reasons. As I mentioned before, music gives children a unique and rare opportunity to express themselves in ways that otherwise would be impossible. Music is very valuable as an elective because it offers children something exciting and worthwhile that can last throughout their lives. Music is also a way for children to create and use both sides of the brain. Playing a musical instrument is a great way for most children to feel accomplished and proud of their achievements. It gives students an alternative to sports or computer science. Musical experiences bring humans closer together, whether by singing in a choir, performing in an instrumental ensemble, or listening to the music in the audience. Music has also been around for centuries and is a huge part of most people's culture. Writing music, composing music, performing music, and learning about music are all ways to keep culture alive. Music is a "gateway" art that may inspire students to learn more about history, math, science, language, or even the environment. Socially speaking, music is a way for students to find and make life-long friends. A large reason why people were in my high school marching band was because it acted like a social fraternity/sorority. It was a way for them to experience life while working toward a singular goal. Music should always be a part of every school's curricula. Many schools will say, "we cannot afford to have a music department." I say to them, "for the aforementioned reasons, you cannot afford NOT to have a music department."
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