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.