"Teaching Music Through Performance" by Ryan Yahl
In this very illuminating article, author Ryan Yahl sits down with Dr. Richard Miles, co-author of the Teaching Music Through Performance series. Their conversation focuses around Dr. Miles speaking about how the series was conceived based off of the "comprehensive musicianship" model developed by Labuta and Garofalo, how they performed the research necessary to construct the book, and how they walked it through the publication stage. Overall, there was no thesis that the author of this article was attempting to prove; it was merely an interview.
I don't necessarily have any personal experience with the process of creating an instructional method book. The closest experience I have had to the ones discussed in this article would have been my curriculum design project from my Instructional Design course. In this course, I sat down with two other students to map out a comprehensive and complete course of study for students in kindergarten through the 12th grade. We focused on which musical concepts we would like the children to learn, how we can assess them at each point, and then correlated each of these learning outcomes to then national standards, Ohio's standards, and Bloom's Taxonomy (to make sure that there were higher-level outcomes and children were not simply being rote taught). I thought that this was an excellent project that enabled me to see, on a large scale, how a child would develop through all thirteen-fourteen years of their musical education. I feel this, too, parallels (of course in a simpler way) the construction of a method book.
Personally, I found the article to be fascinating. I have occasionally, in passing, considered the fact that writing a method book would be a unique experience that I may like to have some day, however, I agree with the point Dr. Miles makes in the article in that writing more than what is requested by the public and flooding the market with either repetitive or not-thought-out material is disadvantageous. I think that the more important aspect of this article is the fact that the process of writing a method book, including all of the research and assembly of materials, parallels very closely the process of creating a district-wide curriculum or even the creation of curriculum for a single course. I feel that this, creating a curriculum, is certainly a task that I will have to complete at least once in the course of my professional career and I think that it is always good to be reminded of the process. I'm not sure if it is likely for me to ever participate on a team that creates a method book, however, I agree with the point that Dr. Miles makes, saying that the creation of the method book was one of the greatest personal/professional development opportunities that he has ever had. If the chance does present itself, I would certainly take advantage of it. However, as I said above, I can certainly apply the sequence that he applied to the creation of a curriculum.
"Teaching and Learning in Band" by William Bauer
In this article, Dr. Bauer explains the concepts behind the "sound before sight" teaching model. In this model, children are taught to make musical sounds before they are introduced to formal notation. In the article, Dr. Bauer likens this approach to how a child is taught to speak before they are taught how to read written word. He makes the point that to begin reading music before a musical tone can be produced causes an "overload" for the child since they have too many aspects to concentrate on at once. He questions how you can "think musically" before you can "speak musically".
Dr. Bauer's article then continues and discusses specific ways in which "sound before sight" could be effectively used in the instruction of a child. He breaks down the steps to learning written music into learning to read pitch and learning to read rhythm. He finally ends by detailing a series of lessons using this technique to teach a beginning instrumentalist how to play "Hot Cross Buns" and another advocacy statement of this method.
After reading this article, I have discovered that I have no real experience teaching in this manner for a long period of time. Every "First Lesson" assignment that I have completed at Case Western Reserve University, though, leans towards this philosophy (since the lessons generally all revolve around instrument assembly and finding the first note). I look forward, though, to the ability to begin teaching in a more long-term capacity.
I generally agree with Dr. Bauer's points in his article. Many learning theories in the past, specifically Gordon and to a certain extent Orff, have advocated this type of approach to learning music. His analogy between musical sounds being equivalent to speaking and musical notation being equivalent to writing are exceptionally correct. In fact, I would very much advocate this approach to teaching. I feel that this will not only lend to developing a more inherently musical sound, but may also lead to students being more willing to play (specifically improvise) by ear; one of the main shortcomings of the vast majority of today's programs. More activities using the scaffolding approach to music could be used here, too. A teacher, for example, could teach several pitches, then several rhythms, connect the pitches and the rhythms, and then connect the rhythmic pitches to written notation. That is the essence of the scaffolding technique.
I feel that teaching in this manner could be a very refreshing change from the past and would also be consistent, again, as Dr. Bauer pointed out, with the PSP philosophy--teachers are not simply teaching as they were taught, they are attempting new methods to see what works best for each student. I look forward to the possibility of creating instruction such as this for my future students.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Monday, January 26, 2009
Readings for 1/21/09
"The Misunderstood Role of the Arts in Human Development" by Elliot Eisner
In this article, the author speaks about why he feels that the arts are an essential part of any child's education and advocates for their inclusion. To do this, he speaks about 5 commonly held misconceptions about the mind and how it is treated in our schools. To quote, the five misconceptions are:
-Human conceptual thinking requires the use of language
-Sensory experience is low on the hierarchy of intellectual functioning
-Intelligence requires the use of logic
-Detachment and distance are not necessary for true understanding
-Scientific Method is the only legitimate way to generalize about the world
The author then goes on to say that these view points seem to marginalize the arts because what they offer to the curriculum differs from these view points. He the proceeds to describe four major contributions that the arts have to education. To quote:
-Not all problems have single, correct answers
-The form of a thing is part of its content
-Having fixed objectives and pursuing clear-cut methods for achieving them are not always the most rational ways of dealing with the world
-In addition to their expressive function, the arts also allow for [discovery]
I feel that I certainly have much experience in understanding the benefits that one receives from participation in an arts program. I feel that I was significantly helped, not only as a student, but also as a person through the growth that I experienced in my school music program. I have also seen those around me reap the benefits.
I therefore, completely agree with the point that the author makes in this article: the arts are a vital part of any total instruction. I personally very much related to the fourth point that the author made, in that the arts allow for personal discovery. One of the most powerful drives in a child and, indeed, in any human, is curiosity and the need for discovery that it causes. Too often, I feel, a child's creativity is stifled by a slow, methodical, rote teaching approach to math and science and, to a lesser extent, the languages. This article, being slightly retrospective, argued that by the year 2000, the arts may be in a precarious position in the schools. While I don't believe that the situation is as dire as the author imagined that it might be, I am very glad that his audience did listen and America did choose and does choose to keep the arts in the schools. There is no other subject than an arts subject in which the child is more actively engaged in the entire learning and creation process. Not only is a subject taught, but life lessons are also learned in arts courses.
"Concert Band Instrumentation" by George Rogers
In this article, the author speaks about the common problem of many American school bands: incorrect instrumentation. He stresses that too often there are too many players of one instrument/family (most noticeably brass) or too few of another (usually upper woodwinds and the double reeds). The author then examines the causes and effects of these problems (instrument owned by parents, instrument not considered "cool", instrument associated with one gender, etc.). Steps are then presented to correct this problem, everything from appropriately balancing younger bands (a must) to switching instrumentalists to different instruments.
I can't say that I have an exceptional amount of experience solving the problems of incorrect balance in an instrumental music program. I have, however, experienced many incorrectly balanced ensembles throughout my career. Making the connection to the article, I can see that my high school fell into the improper instrumentation trap; by high school our 40 piece band had only 3 trombonists and 1 tuba player. Now that those students have graduated, my old director has to actually recruit community members and recent graduates to balance out the band until future students reach the high school level. I have never, though, had to actually correct balance in an ensemble.
I do think that the author's suggested techniques are exceptionally useful. I feel that the most useful one, though, is the concept of using your younger band as a "breeding ground" for your upper band and starting more than enough of the instruments that are in need. This will account for the dropout rate and will allow you to have a full balanced band at the high school level. I also feel that the idea of attempting to entice your more advanced players to switch instruments is also a great idea. I actually saw my band director use this technique multiple times in high school. Finally, I agree with the author's point that a fully balanced band is essential to bring out the true character of a piece. I feel strongly about this because I am a "purist" in my music philosophy and would much prefer to have the actual instrument called for in a part than a substitute instrument. I feel that with these techniques in hand, I am better prepared to tackle the problem of a poorly balanced band.
"Recruiting Connections" by Robert Smith
In this article, the author discusses several ways in which recruitment and enrollment rates can be increased in the high school band. He suggests that teachers concentrate heavily on their "feeder programs", or the elementary programs that will have members being promoted into the high school bands. His main idea was to expose the elementary students to as much music as possible to get them excited about joining and continuing through high school.
I, unfortunately, can't say that I have had much experience in recruiting at all, nor have I extensively studied it in any class. I believe that a unit on recruitment would be well placed in several of the classes that I have taken at Case Western.
I really agree with this author's point. Most of the musicians in a high school group will have been "fed" into the group through an elementary school band...it is far more likely to have an instrumentalist that has been studying since 5th grade than it is to have an instrumentalist join in the 11th grade (although this is not impossible). I feel that concentrating on keeping the elementary school students involved with music and excited is an excellent way to keep a strong, well balanced program. I also agree with the point of directors needing to be long term planners. Music Directors are unique among teachers in that we keep our students for the long term, sometimes as long as 6-7 years (if you direct both the middle and high school bands). While stating that our jobs are busy is an understatement, we really do need to take time out to plan our program years down the road so that we can guide our students through their many years of development with us and keep their interest and commitment to the program. While I don't believe that the items on the list of suggestions are the only way to accomplish this task, I feel that they are fantastic starting points and I am looking forward to using them in my own band in the future.
In this article, the author speaks about why he feels that the arts are an essential part of any child's education and advocates for their inclusion. To do this, he speaks about 5 commonly held misconceptions about the mind and how it is treated in our schools. To quote, the five misconceptions are:
-Human conceptual thinking requires the use of language
-Sensory experience is low on the hierarchy of intellectual functioning
-Intelligence requires the use of logic
-Detachment and distance are not necessary for true understanding
-Scientific Method is the only legitimate way to generalize about the world
The author then goes on to say that these view points seem to marginalize the arts because what they offer to the curriculum differs from these view points. He the proceeds to describe four major contributions that the arts have to education. To quote:
-Not all problems have single, correct answers
-The form of a thing is part of its content
-Having fixed objectives and pursuing clear-cut methods for achieving them are not always the most rational ways of dealing with the world
-In addition to their expressive function, the arts also allow for [discovery]
I feel that I certainly have much experience in understanding the benefits that one receives from participation in an arts program. I feel that I was significantly helped, not only as a student, but also as a person through the growth that I experienced in my school music program. I have also seen those around me reap the benefits.
I therefore, completely agree with the point that the author makes in this article: the arts are a vital part of any total instruction. I personally very much related to the fourth point that the author made, in that the arts allow for personal discovery. One of the most powerful drives in a child and, indeed, in any human, is curiosity and the need for discovery that it causes. Too often, I feel, a child's creativity is stifled by a slow, methodical, rote teaching approach to math and science and, to a lesser extent, the languages. This article, being slightly retrospective, argued that by the year 2000, the arts may be in a precarious position in the schools. While I don't believe that the situation is as dire as the author imagined that it might be, I am very glad that his audience did listen and America did choose and does choose to keep the arts in the schools. There is no other subject than an arts subject in which the child is more actively engaged in the entire learning and creation process. Not only is a subject taught, but life lessons are also learned in arts courses.
"Concert Band Instrumentation" by George Rogers
In this article, the author speaks about the common problem of many American school bands: incorrect instrumentation. He stresses that too often there are too many players of one instrument/family (most noticeably brass) or too few of another (usually upper woodwinds and the double reeds). The author then examines the causes and effects of these problems (instrument owned by parents, instrument not considered "cool", instrument associated with one gender, etc.). Steps are then presented to correct this problem, everything from appropriately balancing younger bands (a must) to switching instrumentalists to different instruments.
I can't say that I have an exceptional amount of experience solving the problems of incorrect balance in an instrumental music program. I have, however, experienced many incorrectly balanced ensembles throughout my career. Making the connection to the article, I can see that my high school fell into the improper instrumentation trap; by high school our 40 piece band had only 3 trombonists and 1 tuba player. Now that those students have graduated, my old director has to actually recruit community members and recent graduates to balance out the band until future students reach the high school level. I have never, though, had to actually correct balance in an ensemble.
I do think that the author's suggested techniques are exceptionally useful. I feel that the most useful one, though, is the concept of using your younger band as a "breeding ground" for your upper band and starting more than enough of the instruments that are in need. This will account for the dropout rate and will allow you to have a full balanced band at the high school level. I also feel that the idea of attempting to entice your more advanced players to switch instruments is also a great idea. I actually saw my band director use this technique multiple times in high school. Finally, I agree with the author's point that a fully balanced band is essential to bring out the true character of a piece. I feel strongly about this because I am a "purist" in my music philosophy and would much prefer to have the actual instrument called for in a part than a substitute instrument. I feel that with these techniques in hand, I am better prepared to tackle the problem of a poorly balanced band.
"Recruiting Connections" by Robert Smith
In this article, the author discusses several ways in which recruitment and enrollment rates can be increased in the high school band. He suggests that teachers concentrate heavily on their "feeder programs", or the elementary programs that will have members being promoted into the high school bands. His main idea was to expose the elementary students to as much music as possible to get them excited about joining and continuing through high school.
I, unfortunately, can't say that I have had much experience in recruiting at all, nor have I extensively studied it in any class. I believe that a unit on recruitment would be well placed in several of the classes that I have taken at Case Western.
I really agree with this author's point. Most of the musicians in a high school group will have been "fed" into the group through an elementary school band...it is far more likely to have an instrumentalist that has been studying since 5th grade than it is to have an instrumentalist join in the 11th grade (although this is not impossible). I feel that concentrating on keeping the elementary school students involved with music and excited is an excellent way to keep a strong, well balanced program. I also agree with the point of directors needing to be long term planners. Music Directors are unique among teachers in that we keep our students for the long term, sometimes as long as 6-7 years (if you direct both the middle and high school bands). While stating that our jobs are busy is an understatement, we really do need to take time out to plan our program years down the road so that we can guide our students through their many years of development with us and keep their interest and commitment to the program. While I don't believe that the items on the list of suggestions are the only way to accomplish this task, I feel that they are fantastic starting points and I am looking forward to using them in my own band in the future.
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Reflections for 1/14/09
Articles Referenced:
"Does Philosophy Matter" by Bobby Adams
"Are Students Learning in Band" by Tom Dodson
"Music in Today's Schools" by Paul Lehman
"Aesthetic Education in the Performance Classroom" by Gregory Rudgers
"Making Arts Education Curricular" by Scott Schuler
The articles this week, I feel, focused on developing philosophies of music education that are geared towards more comprehensive musicianship and why it is important, not only for the teachers and the students, but also, in my opinion and interpretation, for the art form. The articles advocated this type of comprehensive musicianship approach as opposed to the current performance-based approach. I felt that all of these articles were extremely fascinating and exceptionally useful as they only served to reinforce part of my personal philosophy of music education: it is just as important to focus on the process (where the actual learning takes place) as it is to focus on the product (which, in many cases, can be taught by rote but is more meaningful if the process is focused on equally or more so). I hope that I can carry this part of my philosophy through to my actual teaching.
The first article to express this need for a more comprehensive musicianship model was the Dodson article. In this article, Dodson poses the title question: What are our students learning in Band? His rather unfortunate answer to this question is that students are simply learning performance skills rather than the "art of expression" (27), which requires musical thought rather than rote teaching. He also poses a classic problem that a band director faces: "How do you expect me to teach [comprehensive musicianship] when it is all that I can do to get ready for the next performance" (27). Dodson sees a need for higher-level cognitive skills to accompany the motor skills of performing, and I tend to agree with him. I would very much advocate a "comprehensive musicianship" program in my band and I hope to use some of the instructional strategies at the end of the article to accomplish this. I truly agree with the point that the psych-motor performance skills a student will develop playing in an ensemble should never be separate from the cognitive skills required to truly understand, feel, and appreciate the music. Much of this cognitive learning, as Dodson points out and implies in his strategies occurs during the process of preparation. I do feel, though, that I may fall into the "when do I have time?" trap and sincerely hope that I never have to sacrifice true musicianship and understanding for a performance--to do so would be an incredible disservice to the students.
Lehman made several excellent points in his article, too. While he did not directly argue choosing a "comprehensive musicianship" program as opposed to a performance based philosophy and wrote more of an advocacy document, his support points, nonetheless, favor (and may only be adequately discovered) through a "process centered" education. While Lehman discusses the fact that one of the primary missions of a school is to transmit the culture (a la John Dewey) and there is no better way to do that then through the culture's music, the fact that music was identified by Gardner as one of the multiple human intelligences, I feel that the argument that was the most poignant is the argument that music provides an outlet for creativity and expression. This same type of expression that Dodson spoke about can only be achieved through a true study of music and not simply rote memorization of motor responses (as happens in a performance based model. Another great series of points that Lehman makes are that music teaches students a better understanding for the world around them and that there is not always one correct answer. Finally, he argues that a comprehensive study of music will help students to appreciate music around them more fully. These base skills that Lehman talks about are the foundation for any education. I feel that this is a great reason to include music into my classroom and I hope that I can teach students in this fashion. I feel that there is significantly more to the understanding of music that can be taught through comprehensive study and that a comprehensive study and understanding will lead to better performances, serving both models.
Finally, Rudgers makes several excellent points in his article about the aesthetic education model. When speaking of his students playing a particular piece, he states: "Because they know the piece so well, the students have been able to take ownership of its artistic message and project it in performance." (2). This is the essence of what a "comprehensive musicianship" program can do for a student. The point of the art is to value it and a complete study of the piece, or music in general, can yield more meaningful education experiences and appreciation of the arts. This level of ownership, as Lehman would argue, comes from complete literacy in music. I do feel upset, though, that there are not many bands (or people in general) who can claim to have attained the level of music literacy described above--I'm not even sure if I have attained that yet in either my performance skills or my education skills. Those who are not versed in music have been robbed of an excellent opportunity and I hope that I can share this opportunity with my future students.
In all, I really feel that these articles are correct in asserting (or simply implying) a philosophy that is more geared towards the process of music making, rather than simply the end goal of a performance. There is so much that a student can learn from a process based musical education: from how to enjoy music on a deeper, and more personal level, to how to relate to others through better expression. These are excellent reasons to move away from a performance based philosophy towards a more comprehensive one, not to mention an excellent reason to include music in any course of study as more than an "extra-curricular". I hope to incorporate this type of approach into my own personal philosophy of music education and will continually strive to do so in new and innovative ways--anything less than that would simply be unfair to my future students.
"Does Philosophy Matter" by Bobby Adams
"Are Students Learning in Band" by Tom Dodson
"Music in Today's Schools" by Paul Lehman
"Aesthetic Education in the Performance Classroom" by Gregory Rudgers
"Making Arts Education Curricular" by Scott Schuler
The articles this week, I feel, focused on developing philosophies of music education that are geared towards more comprehensive musicianship and why it is important, not only for the teachers and the students, but also, in my opinion and interpretation, for the art form. The articles advocated this type of comprehensive musicianship approach as opposed to the current performance-based approach. I felt that all of these articles were extremely fascinating and exceptionally useful as they only served to reinforce part of my personal philosophy of music education: it is just as important to focus on the process (where the actual learning takes place) as it is to focus on the product (which, in many cases, can be taught by rote but is more meaningful if the process is focused on equally or more so). I hope that I can carry this part of my philosophy through to my actual teaching.
The first article to express this need for a more comprehensive musicianship model was the Dodson article. In this article, Dodson poses the title question: What are our students learning in Band? His rather unfortunate answer to this question is that students are simply learning performance skills rather than the "art of expression" (27), which requires musical thought rather than rote teaching. He also poses a classic problem that a band director faces: "How do you expect me to teach [comprehensive musicianship] when it is all that I can do to get ready for the next performance" (27). Dodson sees a need for higher-level cognitive skills to accompany the motor skills of performing, and I tend to agree with him. I would very much advocate a "comprehensive musicianship" program in my band and I hope to use some of the instructional strategies at the end of the article to accomplish this. I truly agree with the point that the psych-motor performance skills a student will develop playing in an ensemble should never be separate from the cognitive skills required to truly understand, feel, and appreciate the music. Much of this cognitive learning, as Dodson points out and implies in his strategies occurs during the process of preparation. I do feel, though, that I may fall into the "when do I have time?" trap and sincerely hope that I never have to sacrifice true musicianship and understanding for a performance--to do so would be an incredible disservice to the students.
Lehman made several excellent points in his article, too. While he did not directly argue choosing a "comprehensive musicianship" program as opposed to a performance based philosophy and wrote more of an advocacy document, his support points, nonetheless, favor (and may only be adequately discovered) through a "process centered" education. While Lehman discusses the fact that one of the primary missions of a school is to transmit the culture (a la John Dewey) and there is no better way to do that then through the culture's music, the fact that music was identified by Gardner as one of the multiple human intelligences, I feel that the argument that was the most poignant is the argument that music provides an outlet for creativity and expression. This same type of expression that Dodson spoke about can only be achieved through a true study of music and not simply rote memorization of motor responses (as happens in a performance based model. Another great series of points that Lehman makes are that music teaches students a better understanding for the world around them and that there is not always one correct answer. Finally, he argues that a comprehensive study of music will help students to appreciate music around them more fully. These base skills that Lehman talks about are the foundation for any education. I feel that this is a great reason to include music into my classroom and I hope that I can teach students in this fashion. I feel that there is significantly more to the understanding of music that can be taught through comprehensive study and that a comprehensive study and understanding will lead to better performances, serving both models.
Finally, Rudgers makes several excellent points in his article about the aesthetic education model. When speaking of his students playing a particular piece, he states: "Because they know the piece so well, the students have been able to take ownership of its artistic message and project it in performance." (2). This is the essence of what a "comprehensive musicianship" program can do for a student. The point of the art is to value it and a complete study of the piece, or music in general, can yield more meaningful education experiences and appreciation of the arts. This level of ownership, as Lehman would argue, comes from complete literacy in music. I do feel upset, though, that there are not many bands (or people in general) who can claim to have attained the level of music literacy described above--I'm not even sure if I have attained that yet in either my performance skills or my education skills. Those who are not versed in music have been robbed of an excellent opportunity and I hope that I can share this opportunity with my future students.
In all, I really feel that these articles are correct in asserting (or simply implying) a philosophy that is more geared towards the process of music making, rather than simply the end goal of a performance. There is so much that a student can learn from a process based musical education: from how to enjoy music on a deeper, and more personal level, to how to relate to others through better expression. These are excellent reasons to move away from a performance based philosophy towards a more comprehensive one, not to mention an excellent reason to include music in any course of study as more than an "extra-curricular". I hope to incorporate this type of approach into my own personal philosophy of music education and will continually strive to do so in new and innovative ways--anything less than that would simply be unfair to my future students.
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