"How to Play the Game called Band" by James Kirk
In this series of readings (three revisions of the same material), James Kirk presents his handbook for membership in the Nordonia bands. He covers many aspects of band membership in these handbooks including general information on the band, a series of classroom rules (25 in the first edition, 26 in the subsequent editions), his grading system, concert information (dates, dress, locations, etc), and a discussion of contest. Additionally, Mr. Kirk outlines the way the band would be run (in order to increase ownership of the ensemble, an officer system was used) and includes a list of common musical expression terms and a practicing guide. The goal of this book was to orient new students to the Nordonia band program and keep both them and their parents involved.
I really do not have much experience to speak of in terms of actually compiling a course "handbook". Of the suggestions in this book, though (in terms of practicing), I have employed many on my own. I also have had many teachers explain contest to me in the same way that Mr. Kirk explains it (that it is not the student competing with other students, it is the student competing with the music). Finally, many of the rules that Mr. Kirk instituted for his bands seemed fairly standard and were also used in my middle/high school band experience.
I agreed very much with the information that was presented in these books. One of the most striking aspects of Mr. Kirk's program seems to be the amount of ownership that he gives to the students. I am truly of the opinion that one of the aspects of a successful program is a feeling of ownership that the students should have of the band. This feeling of ownership will help motivate the students to always strive for the best possible musical sound and will increase their responsibility for helping the band to achieve this sound. Additionally, the ownership model that was presented in this booklet allowed student leaders to grow in the band program and having the trust of a few student leaders will, in a practical sense, greatly increase the amount of trust between the director and the other students in the ensemble.
I was also a very large proponent of the way in which Mr. Kirk approached practicing. It is a fact that music students are generally shared with other activities, especially sporting activities. Mr. Kirk recognized this at the beginning of the book and his "work smart, not hard" philosophy to practicing is something that I can very much relate to as I have and continue to apply this philosophy to my practicing. I very much liked the way that he spelled out a typical, basic practice session for the band student as there would be no real room for confusion. Also, the fact that the parent received this manual, too, would help bring the parents "on board" with the student's practice schedule. Finally, I also like the way in which Mr. Kirk advocated "practice breaks" from homework. This time-saving technique not only ensures that children will practice, it allows them to place practice in a place where they would otherwise be completely unproductive during a "study-break".
I very much enjoyed reading these manuals and would like to adapt certain parts of them for use in my future program. I feel that many of the suggestions in these books have stood the "test of time" and are still applicable in the band programs of the 21st century. I look forward to the opportunity to place some of these suggestions into effect.
Monday, February 16, 2009
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Readings for 2/11/09
"Teach Them How to Practice" by Marilyn Kostka
In this article, the author addresses ways in which teachers can help their students to make the most of their practicing experience. Doing so, the author suggests, will allow them to develop faster and students will not get as discouraged from lack of progress, thus boosting retention rates. The author identifies 8 key ways in which practicing effectiveness can be increased: find a quite place to practice that is free from distractions, plan breaks to regenerate attention, listen to recordings, set a specific schedule, play an enjoyable piece at the end for a friend, improvise, choose meaningful music that is fun to play, ask for suggestions on playing difficult passages. Additionally, the author makes the point that properly learning how to error detect is vital for success. This is due to the simple fact that children can inadvertently continually practice a piece incorrectly and commit the errors to muscle memory.
My main experience with practicing comes from my own experiences as I have not had a chance to teach a student for an extended amount of time yet. I can say from my own personal experience, though, that the suggestions that the author makes are very useful and I tend to employ some of these strategies in my own practicing. Personally, I do have a set schedule for how long I am to warm up and then how much time to practice technical pieces. I will always end my practice session on a "good note" by playing a piece or etude that I enjoy playing. This, I feel, will allow the student to leave on a high-point and want to come back for future lessons.
As I said above, I very much agree with the importance that the author places on practicing correctly. I very much adhere to the motto that practice doesn't make perfect; perfect practice makes perfect. I feel that many students will either not practice (as they are unsure as to how) or will practice ineffectively and become frustrated at the time spent practicing with little gain when they could have been participating in another activity. I feel that it is my responsibility as a future educator to not only teach for the present, but to also endow my students with the ability to teach themselves so that they go on to become life-long musicians (a part of my personal philosophy of education that is shared by this author). I hope to have the chance to implement some of these suggestions with my future students.
"Audiation for Beginning Instrumentalists" by Kathy Liperote
In this article, the author speaks about the necessity of developing very strong audiation skills in beginners. The author argues, as many who share this point of view argue, that audiation is the language of music and to become an effective, comprehensive musician, you must be able to "speak" and "think" musically. The author suggests that students who can do this will be able to play more musically from notation. Several suggestions on how to build the various parts of this "language" in your instrumental music class are then presented. One unique aspect of the strategies is that the author supports the concept of using contrasting material to teach (i.e. to teach duple meter, triple meter should be used to point out the differences). Many of the strategies that she suggests are very non-invasive and could be fit very well into a band warm-up.
I very much support this concept of sound-before-sight and think that it is necessary to teach in this fashion to obtain the best possible sound and adequately prepare students for written notation when it is introduced. As such, I have done several readings on the topic. Additionally, many of the theories presented and referenced in this article (specifically Orff, Gordon, and Kodaly) were covered in the Elementary General course. I actually did have the opportunity to prepare several lessons in that course that employed several of these learning theories.
As I said above, I very much support this concept of teaching music and fully intend to integrate audiation into my future classroom. I feel that a comparison that can be drawn to a band class not emphasizing audiation is that of an English course that doesn't emphasize thinking in English. As I have stated before, music is a language and audiation is the way in which you think in that language; you must be proficient at audiation to be truly proficient at music. I also very much appreciated the way that the author developed these strategies so that they could fit into a normal rehearsal without taking away too much time from preparing literature. I very much look forward to applying these types of strategies to my future classroom.
"Instrumental Music for Special Learners" by Stephen Zdzinski
This article, as the title suggests, speaks about different strategies for inclusion of exceptional learners into an instrumental classroom. The author states that while it is a challenge to both the teacher and the student and is slightly uncommon, special learners can be quite successful in an instrumental music classroom. The author then goes on to describe a program an several strategies that can be employed to set the learner up for success. The strategies include adapting the instrument, social environment of the classroom, the teaching methods, the evaluation methods, the music and allowing parents to become involved in the instruction. With these changes, the author suggests, any student can be successful in a music classroom.
I must admit that I have very little practical experience with teaching exceptional learners and the experiences that I have had have been in a general classroom, which the author notes is more common than the instrumental room. I have, however, academically studied the way in which this task could be accomplished. I do feel, though, that several of the teaching strategies that I was able to use in the general setting could certainly apply in the instrumental setting.
I very much agree with the author's stand point about the ability to successfully integrate an exceptional learner into your classroom. While I understand that there will be extra effort involved on the director, I feel that it would be worth the effort as my philosophy is one of inclusion. The strategies presented in the article are a good guide for how to complete this integration, however, I realize that they are only a guideline as every student will have unique needs that must be met individually. I very much look forward to learning more about ways in which an exceptional learner could be integrated into a classroom.
In this article, the author addresses ways in which teachers can help their students to make the most of their practicing experience. Doing so, the author suggests, will allow them to develop faster and students will not get as discouraged from lack of progress, thus boosting retention rates. The author identifies 8 key ways in which practicing effectiveness can be increased: find a quite place to practice that is free from distractions, plan breaks to regenerate attention, listen to recordings, set a specific schedule, play an enjoyable piece at the end for a friend, improvise, choose meaningful music that is fun to play, ask for suggestions on playing difficult passages. Additionally, the author makes the point that properly learning how to error detect is vital for success. This is due to the simple fact that children can inadvertently continually practice a piece incorrectly and commit the errors to muscle memory.
My main experience with practicing comes from my own experiences as I have not had a chance to teach a student for an extended amount of time yet. I can say from my own personal experience, though, that the suggestions that the author makes are very useful and I tend to employ some of these strategies in my own practicing. Personally, I do have a set schedule for how long I am to warm up and then how much time to practice technical pieces. I will always end my practice session on a "good note" by playing a piece or etude that I enjoy playing. This, I feel, will allow the student to leave on a high-point and want to come back for future lessons.
As I said above, I very much agree with the importance that the author places on practicing correctly. I very much adhere to the motto that practice doesn't make perfect; perfect practice makes perfect. I feel that many students will either not practice (as they are unsure as to how) or will practice ineffectively and become frustrated at the time spent practicing with little gain when they could have been participating in another activity. I feel that it is my responsibility as a future educator to not only teach for the present, but to also endow my students with the ability to teach themselves so that they go on to become life-long musicians (a part of my personal philosophy of education that is shared by this author). I hope to have the chance to implement some of these suggestions with my future students.
"Audiation for Beginning Instrumentalists" by Kathy Liperote
In this article, the author speaks about the necessity of developing very strong audiation skills in beginners. The author argues, as many who share this point of view argue, that audiation is the language of music and to become an effective, comprehensive musician, you must be able to "speak" and "think" musically. The author suggests that students who can do this will be able to play more musically from notation. Several suggestions on how to build the various parts of this "language" in your instrumental music class are then presented. One unique aspect of the strategies is that the author supports the concept of using contrasting material to teach (i.e. to teach duple meter, triple meter should be used to point out the differences). Many of the strategies that she suggests are very non-invasive and could be fit very well into a band warm-up.
I very much support this concept of sound-before-sight and think that it is necessary to teach in this fashion to obtain the best possible sound and adequately prepare students for written notation when it is introduced. As such, I have done several readings on the topic. Additionally, many of the theories presented and referenced in this article (specifically Orff, Gordon, and Kodaly) were covered in the Elementary General course. I actually did have the opportunity to prepare several lessons in that course that employed several of these learning theories.
As I said above, I very much support this concept of teaching music and fully intend to integrate audiation into my future classroom. I feel that a comparison that can be drawn to a band class not emphasizing audiation is that of an English course that doesn't emphasize thinking in English. As I have stated before, music is a language and audiation is the way in which you think in that language; you must be proficient at audiation to be truly proficient at music. I also very much appreciated the way that the author developed these strategies so that they could fit into a normal rehearsal without taking away too much time from preparing literature. I very much look forward to applying these types of strategies to my future classroom.
"Instrumental Music for Special Learners" by Stephen Zdzinski
This article, as the title suggests, speaks about different strategies for inclusion of exceptional learners into an instrumental classroom. The author states that while it is a challenge to both the teacher and the student and is slightly uncommon, special learners can be quite successful in an instrumental music classroom. The author then goes on to describe a program an several strategies that can be employed to set the learner up for success. The strategies include adapting the instrument, social environment of the classroom, the teaching methods, the evaluation methods, the music and allowing parents to become involved in the instruction. With these changes, the author suggests, any student can be successful in a music classroom.
I must admit that I have very little practical experience with teaching exceptional learners and the experiences that I have had have been in a general classroom, which the author notes is more common than the instrumental room. I have, however, academically studied the way in which this task could be accomplished. I do feel, though, that several of the teaching strategies that I was able to use in the general setting could certainly apply in the instrumental setting.
I very much agree with the author's stand point about the ability to successfully integrate an exceptional learner into your classroom. While I understand that there will be extra effort involved on the director, I feel that it would be worth the effort as my philosophy is one of inclusion. The strategies presented in the article are a good guide for how to complete this integration, however, I realize that they are only a guideline as every student will have unique needs that must be met individually. I very much look forward to learning more about ways in which an exceptional learner could be integrated into a classroom.
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Reading for 2/4/09
"Reforming Ohio's Education System for the 21st Century" prepared by the office of Ted Strickland, Governor of Ohio
In this document, Governor Ted Strickland's educational reform package for the state of Ohio is presented to the public. This plan is broken up into six subpoints:
1.) 21st Century Learning Environment
2.) Expanded Learning Opportunities
3.) High Quality Educators
4.) Measure Ohio Schools Against the world
5.) School District Accountability
6.) Effective funding for a 21st Century System of Education.
Some of the major highlights of the plan under each section are then discussed. The first section basically discusses the curriculum offerings that the governor would like to see in the classrooms. The second section deals with expanding the school day and the offerings of the school, including social offerings, that would benefit both the children and the families of the children. Thirdly, it discusses a new "teacher training" ladder and ways in which quality of teachers will be assured. Fourthly, it discusses how testing and educational goals will be realigned to be more "practical" for children, focusing on problem solving skills and active community participation. Fifthly, the document looks at ways in which the state can more closely monitor school districts that are performing below average. This section also details a plan of how a school will be reorganized by the government for failing to meet standards. Finally, the document discusses how the school funding system will be addressed, specifically focusing on the way that the state, by full implementation of this plan, will be paying for 59% of a child's education.
I feel that I speak from a disadvantage on this article as I have not had a significant amount of experience dealing with educational policy in any of my courses. I have not, either, had any practical experience through being effected by policy or levies. I do hope, though, that I will learn more as educational policy is very important to today's teachers.
While I do feel that education reform is a good thing, teachers and districts must be constantly evaluating and re-evaluating how they are performing, I feel that there are both parts of this document that I agree with and parts that I disagree with. Firstly, I very much agree with the idea of project-based learning and learning that is conducted in a cross-content environment. Much of the participation in these areas seems to be active participation and more strongly lends itself to the student remembering what they covered in class. I also feel that, in general, this may help teachers specialize education for each student. Secondly, I also like the idea of the services offered to families through the establishment of the new positions designed to break down non-educational learning barriers. Although the language is vague, I am making the assumption that this is pointing towards offering services for students that are at the bottom of the Hierarchy of Needs so that their base needs are met and they can come to class on equal footing with other students and be ready to learn. I thing this will take a great amount of strain off of the teachers. I also like the office dealing with monitoring the latest research and distributing it to teachers. Finally, I am very much in favor of the government subsidizing the ACT for those who can't afford to take it as well as the revamping of the tax system.
I am not, however, in agreement with the way that the government is planning to assure the quality of the teachers in the classroom. One of the largest points of contention that I have with this is delaying tenure for 9+ years. This is at least a third of the entire career of the educator and I feel that it is far too long for a teacher to be nontenured. Further, while I do like the idea of a career ladder, I'm not sure that I agree with the advancement of a teacher through this ladder being tied, in part, to student performance. There are so many factors that contribute to student performance in the classroom that I feel it is a poor (and extremely unequal when suburban populations are compared to socio-economically depressed "inner city" populations) measure of a teacher's skill. Even with the creation of the position designed to break down "non-academic barriers" I don't feel that this would be a fair measurement. The other main point of contention that I have with the article is the language used to describe the power that the school boards are now given to dismiss teachers. "Good cause", I feel, is too vague of a term for this power.
In conclusion, I feel that this education plan has a lot of strong points and could be a very welcome reform. I do feel, though, that certain sections need to be re-examined. I would like, also, to read more in-depth in order to make a more informed assessment of this education package before developing more opinions on it.
In this document, Governor Ted Strickland's educational reform package for the state of Ohio is presented to the public. This plan is broken up into six subpoints:
1.) 21st Century Learning Environment
2.) Expanded Learning Opportunities
3.) High Quality Educators
4.) Measure Ohio Schools Against the world
5.) School District Accountability
6.) Effective funding for a 21st Century System of Education.
Some of the major highlights of the plan under each section are then discussed. The first section basically discusses the curriculum offerings that the governor would like to see in the classrooms. The second section deals with expanding the school day and the offerings of the school, including social offerings, that would benefit both the children and the families of the children. Thirdly, it discusses a new "teacher training" ladder and ways in which quality of teachers will be assured. Fourthly, it discusses how testing and educational goals will be realigned to be more "practical" for children, focusing on problem solving skills and active community participation. Fifthly, the document looks at ways in which the state can more closely monitor school districts that are performing below average. This section also details a plan of how a school will be reorganized by the government for failing to meet standards. Finally, the document discusses how the school funding system will be addressed, specifically focusing on the way that the state, by full implementation of this plan, will be paying for 59% of a child's education.
I feel that I speak from a disadvantage on this article as I have not had a significant amount of experience dealing with educational policy in any of my courses. I have not, either, had any practical experience through being effected by policy or levies. I do hope, though, that I will learn more as educational policy is very important to today's teachers.
While I do feel that education reform is a good thing, teachers and districts must be constantly evaluating and re-evaluating how they are performing, I feel that there are both parts of this document that I agree with and parts that I disagree with. Firstly, I very much agree with the idea of project-based learning and learning that is conducted in a cross-content environment. Much of the participation in these areas seems to be active participation and more strongly lends itself to the student remembering what they covered in class. I also feel that, in general, this may help teachers specialize education for each student. Secondly, I also like the idea of the services offered to families through the establishment of the new positions designed to break down non-educational learning barriers. Although the language is vague, I am making the assumption that this is pointing towards offering services for students that are at the bottom of the Hierarchy of Needs so that their base needs are met and they can come to class on equal footing with other students and be ready to learn. I thing this will take a great amount of strain off of the teachers. I also like the office dealing with monitoring the latest research and distributing it to teachers. Finally, I am very much in favor of the government subsidizing the ACT for those who can't afford to take it as well as the revamping of the tax system.
I am not, however, in agreement with the way that the government is planning to assure the quality of the teachers in the classroom. One of the largest points of contention that I have with this is delaying tenure for 9+ years. This is at least a third of the entire career of the educator and I feel that it is far too long for a teacher to be nontenured. Further, while I do like the idea of a career ladder, I'm not sure that I agree with the advancement of a teacher through this ladder being tied, in part, to student performance. There are so many factors that contribute to student performance in the classroom that I feel it is a poor (and extremely unequal when suburban populations are compared to socio-economically depressed "inner city" populations) measure of a teacher's skill. Even with the creation of the position designed to break down "non-academic barriers" I don't feel that this would be a fair measurement. The other main point of contention that I have with the article is the language used to describe the power that the school boards are now given to dismiss teachers. "Good cause", I feel, is too vague of a term for this power.
In conclusion, I feel that this education plan has a lot of strong points and could be a very welcome reform. I do feel, though, that certain sections need to be re-examined. I would like, also, to read more in-depth in order to make a more informed assessment of this education package before developing more opinions on it.
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Reading for 2/2/09
"Good Rhythm and Intonation from Day One in Beginning Instrumental Music" by Colleen Conway
This article is a basic overview of how to apply Gordon's Music Learning Theory to a beginning instrumental music program and presents, step by step, how to guide students from "rote to note". The article first discusses the difference between executive skills (the technical aspect of playing the instrument) and audiation skills (the ability to "think" musically by internalizing pulses and tones). Next, the author briefly discusses where notation should be introduced in the curriculum. The author suggests, as music learning theory suggests, that this should be saved until the students can sing a song by rote to allow for direct transfer. The author then gives several steps, all continual, to build tonal and rhythmic skills within the student. These activities strongly advocate echoing, both tonally and rhythmically, and also building a "vocabulary" of songs in a variety of modes and meters. The author stresses that instrumental playing should occur during this time, to learn the "executive skills" required (i.e. good embouchure, posture, hand position, etc.) so that the skills are ready when notation and the "first note" are introduced. The author also stresses that when the students are making these beginning notes and are still building their audiation skills, the teacher should not stress a "right note", but rather just a note. Finally, after all the executive and audiation skills are in place, the author suggests that the student is ready to move towards the "correct note" and begin both playing and reading notation.
I don't feel that I have an exceptional amount of practical experience with Gordon's learning theory as I have never had the opportunity to guide a beginner through the process. Further, when I was first taught music, I was taught in the "traditional" style of applying fingerings to notes on a page (i.e. learning both audiation and executive skills at the same time). I would, however, like the chance to explore this style of teaching with a beginner.
From a curricular standpoint, though, I have had experience with the Gordon method in both a general music setting (via MUED 350) and also through my woodwinds method course as that was taught more along the lines of a Gordon curriculum. Parts of this, though, were omitted since there was an assumption that all of the students in the course had already significantly developed their audiation skills and were in need of developing certain executive skills on the new instruments. I feel confident, though, that I did gain sufficient knowledge to guide a beginner through this process. I could always, though, use more information and intend to seek this out.
I personally agree with this method of teaching a child music. This style of teaching directly parallels the time tested (and proven) method of primary language acquisition. As Dr. Bauer said in the article that we read last week, children must learn to speak musically before they can think musically. This advocates the same, for lack of a better word, "musical babble" that will be produced by the children through this process of discovering their instruments. Also, students must have the requisite musical skills in place in order to truly produce music (that is meaningful to them) on their instrument rather than just producing sounds by pressing the correct keys.
I also agree with the author on when notation should be introduced into the student. In all of the curriculum I have seen, rote to note is exceptionally effective. Introducing notation of songs that children already know by rote allows them to make a direct transfer, thus increasing their learning speed. Additionally, by removing the additional element of notation from their early study, children, I feel, can devote more of their mental processes to learning how to produce a truly musical tone. Additionally, this will increase the perpetually lacking skill of ear training and improvisation with greater success than attempting to teach improvisation after music reading has been ingrained in the student as the primary method of making music. Additionally, this will increase the student's comfort on their instrument when improvising, which, I feel, is a leading cause of students laking in improvisational skills.
In conclusion, I very much support this structured approach to teaching music and very much look forward to the opportunity to both learn more about Gordon's Music Learning Theory as well as apply it in my own teaching.
This article is a basic overview of how to apply Gordon's Music Learning Theory to a beginning instrumental music program and presents, step by step, how to guide students from "rote to note". The article first discusses the difference between executive skills (the technical aspect of playing the instrument) and audiation skills (the ability to "think" musically by internalizing pulses and tones). Next, the author briefly discusses where notation should be introduced in the curriculum. The author suggests, as music learning theory suggests, that this should be saved until the students can sing a song by rote to allow for direct transfer. The author then gives several steps, all continual, to build tonal and rhythmic skills within the student. These activities strongly advocate echoing, both tonally and rhythmically, and also building a "vocabulary" of songs in a variety of modes and meters. The author stresses that instrumental playing should occur during this time, to learn the "executive skills" required (i.e. good embouchure, posture, hand position, etc.) so that the skills are ready when notation and the "first note" are introduced. The author also stresses that when the students are making these beginning notes and are still building their audiation skills, the teacher should not stress a "right note", but rather just a note. Finally, after all the executive and audiation skills are in place, the author suggests that the student is ready to move towards the "correct note" and begin both playing and reading notation.
I don't feel that I have an exceptional amount of practical experience with Gordon's learning theory as I have never had the opportunity to guide a beginner through the process. Further, when I was first taught music, I was taught in the "traditional" style of applying fingerings to notes on a page (i.e. learning both audiation and executive skills at the same time). I would, however, like the chance to explore this style of teaching with a beginner.
From a curricular standpoint, though, I have had experience with the Gordon method in both a general music setting (via MUED 350) and also through my woodwinds method course as that was taught more along the lines of a Gordon curriculum. Parts of this, though, were omitted since there was an assumption that all of the students in the course had already significantly developed their audiation skills and were in need of developing certain executive skills on the new instruments. I feel confident, though, that I did gain sufficient knowledge to guide a beginner through this process. I could always, though, use more information and intend to seek this out.
I personally agree with this method of teaching a child music. This style of teaching directly parallels the time tested (and proven) method of primary language acquisition. As Dr. Bauer said in the article that we read last week, children must learn to speak musically before they can think musically. This advocates the same, for lack of a better word, "musical babble" that will be produced by the children through this process of discovering their instruments. Also, students must have the requisite musical skills in place in order to truly produce music (that is meaningful to them) on their instrument rather than just producing sounds by pressing the correct keys.
I also agree with the author on when notation should be introduced into the student. In all of the curriculum I have seen, rote to note is exceptionally effective. Introducing notation of songs that children already know by rote allows them to make a direct transfer, thus increasing their learning speed. Additionally, by removing the additional element of notation from their early study, children, I feel, can devote more of their mental processes to learning how to produce a truly musical tone. Additionally, this will increase the perpetually lacking skill of ear training and improvisation with greater success than attempting to teach improvisation after music reading has been ingrained in the student as the primary method of making music. Additionally, this will increase the student's comfort on their instrument when improvising, which, I feel, is a leading cause of students laking in improvisational skills.
In conclusion, I very much support this structured approach to teaching music and very much look forward to the opportunity to both learn more about Gordon's Music Learning Theory as well as apply it in my own teaching.
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