Like rhythm patterns, melodic patterns are a good way to introduce children to the rudiments and fundamentals needed to achieve success in instrumental music. They are an important aspect of music learning and cognition, and students will benefit from these types of exercises in all their musical experiences. I hope I don't start to sound like a broken record when I say that, again, these exercises are best carried out at the general music level. Sure, I can understand the theory behind wanting to include them in the instrumental music curriculum, but I'm not sure that this will ever practically become the norm. There is so little time for kids to come in, wet their reeds, blow some notes, and prepare to warm up for band. And with the budget cuts schools are enduring from the current economic situation, I don't think that the arts are going to get more time and consideration. I think trying to implement these sort of activities in the instrumental music classroom will have the opposite effect when time is already so precious a commodity.
Right now even in 5th grade band, students are being removed from their classroom at different times in the day to come to the band room. There, they have seconds to open their case, prepare their instrument, and begin to play. The teacher has an agenda that they must push in order for the students to get through all the material that is required of them to move on to the next lesson. They must be individually assessed, graded, and introduced to a new concept, sometimes all within a twenty-minute span. When is there time to practice audiation? I believe that students get to practice audiation and rhythm most successfully in the actual band setting, when they are rehearsing and performing repertoire. Sometimes we try to isolate musical elements too much, and it ends up taking away a greater part of the whole experience. I think that the students will learn all they need to learn about audiation and rhythm during their regular experiences in band. These will also be the most meaningful experiences for them, as they are playing real music with real emotion attached to it. They feel part of a greater whole, and I believe kids pick up melody, harmony, rhythm just as easily by osmosis. I know that I did.
I do love technology like Smartmusic that Dr. Bauer showed us in class this week. What a wonderful opportunity for teachers and students alike to have access to tools that will help them become better musicians. I love the fact that the students can practice with it at home for a small fee. They can access the pieces that they are working on for Solo & Ensemble, and play along with the computer. This is fantastic technology that has a great future, and we would not be doing ourselves or our students credit if we did not invest in this great technology. Ultimately, I believe programs like Smartmusic are best used at home or in the school's general music lab. This technology is wonderful, but most of it requires one on one use by the students. For this, you really need to invest in time outside of the instrumental music classroom.
What do you believe is the purpose of instrumental music study? School instrumental music programs should have as a primary goal the development of the musicianship of individual students. Group accomplishments are not enough. Teachers must be concerned about the musical growth and development of each student, just as teachers of other subjects are concerned with the individual achievement of students in their classes. A large part of individual musicianship is the ability to derive musical meaning from sound, and to be able to attribute musical meaning to notation. This cannot happen without audiation. I'm aware of no evidence (from research or from my own experience) that most students really learn to audiate from just sitting and playing in an ensemble - it just doesn't happen.
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