A blog for college students of Music Education
“[Online professional development] is professional development for us, by us, talking language we all understand.” – @shawdave
The #MusEdChat held on June 7th, 2010 discussed the possibilities of Professional Development via the internet. The chat participants began by discussing some common forms of professional development they are used to. [Read more...]
“We find that small group opportunities strengthen our large ensembles tenfold. So worth the time.” – @theresawhite
The #MusEdChat held on May 24th, 2010 discussed the importance of chamber ensembles in the music curriculum. The chat was broken into two different parts: “What is the importance of adding chamber groups to the curriculum?”, and “How can we facilitate these opportunities for our students?” [Read more...]
“Rhythm & pulse are the frame that the painting is drawn on – nothing else matters without it.” – @thomasjwest
The #MusEdChat on May 17th, 2010 was moderated by @MusicEdTech. The topic for the evening was: What methods do you use to introduce and improve rhythm reading and writing in your classroom setting? Many great methods and tips were passed along during this chat.
Rhythm was defined by educators in many different ways. Here are a few that were shared:
“RHYTHM is duration of sound. It’s more than just playing or clapping subdivisions of beats” – @MusicEdTech
“Rhythm is small beats (8th’s for example), big beats (quarters for example) and melodic rhythm on top.” – @rizzrazz
“Rhythm is the combination of long and short sounds.” – @clb1015
“Rhythm to me is the organization of sound and silence and the duration of both is a part of said organization” – @justine_robin
Alot of good methods were offered by multiple music educators. Some teachers felt that flash cards were a great way to instill common patterns in younger students. Others use words with a certain number of syllables to teach different rhythms. Animals (dog for quarter notes, pup-py for eighth notes), states (Maine for quarter notes, U-tah for eighth notes, Miss-iss-ipp-i for sixteenth notes), and food were all great ways to teach different rhythms to younger students. The participants also discussed multiple syllables for older students to help in learning rhythms. Many educators follow the “one- ee- and- ah” method for counting (One for quarter note, One- and for eighth notes, One – ee- and- ah for sixteenth notes). @mrsbrownmusic suggested using the ta ti-ti method ( ta for quarter notes, ti-ti for eighth notes). The participants seemed to agree that the specific syllables used to teach rhythm doesn’t matter, as long as you are consistent with one of them. Educators also discussed the important of rote learning with younger students. While rote memorization isn’t necessarily the best method of teaching many things, it is important to instill basic rhythms and processes of learning in students while they are younger, and rote is the best way to do this. As stated by @joshlabell,”With rote learning the kids get the sound in their heads first then you can build upon it. I use it in my classroom and private lessons.”
Chat participants discussed many other ways to teach rhythm, many of them including technology. @selfmike suggested putting passages into Finale, taking a screen shot of it, and then incorporating it into a PowerPoint. @justine_robin then suggested teaching rhythm using notation software so that the teacher could change the rhythm on the screen real-time. @thomasjwest also suggested using the resources offered by Smart Music to facilitate some rhythm lessons. Many of the educators in the chat suggested using warm-ups to teach rhythms. Just as warm-ups can be used to introduce new keys or time signatures, teachers can use them to teach rhythms. Some suggested playing scales in rhythms that may be a trouble spot in songs that students are performing. @shawdave said that he even makes up specific warm-ups to deal with whatever problem the students are having rhythmically. Teachers also stated that it is important for the students to be able to hear rhythms first in order to be introduced to them before they are able to play them.@MiamiFlute offered a rule of thumb for teaching rhythm: “SOUND before SIGHT before THEORY.”
Educators also discussed the importance of movement. Many #MusEdChat teachers felt that teaching students to feel the beat was perhaps the hardest part of teaching rhythm. So, teachers use movement to help students to do this. @MusicEdTech stated,” I find that kids don’t even know where the BEAT is so I start there. March in place and clap on a beat then move the beat around”.
Improvisation was another effective way of teaching rhythm that music teachers found valuable. Many suggested great ways to do this. Some felt the best way is to form a drum circle, and have students set up a groove while one student improvises. The idea of having students choose from a list to start out was added to this idea. Others suggested having students simply use one or two notes to improvise with only the rhythm.
Teachers discussed ways to asses the understanding of rhythm in students. One of the biggest ways to do this is through rhythmic dictation. It seemed that the general thoughts of the participants were to use rhythmic dictation in moderation. @MusicEdTech also suggested that this is a good way for students to hear certain rhythms as well.
Hope to tweet with you at the next #MusEdChat!
MENC has just announced that registration for both the Collegiate Leadership Academy and the New Teachers Academy at this year’s Music Education Week in Washington will be free for all current members of Collegiate MENC. In addition, CMENC members will be given complimentary registration to the new “IN-Ovations” Academy, focusing on nontraditional forms of music education. Music Ed Week, in its second year, offered a similar promotion last year when CMENC members were able to attend the entire conference for free.
“MENC recognizes that the economic climate today can make it challenging for our student members to attend events like Music Education Week, which are important to their professional development,” explains Elizabeth Lasko, Director of Public Relations and Marketing for MENC. “We really believe that our student members will benefit greatly from the combination of education sessions and peer interaction available at Music Education Week. If waiving the registration fee will help more of them get there, we want to offer that option.”
MENC’s support of collegiate members is admirable, and their recognition of the financial troubles that many college students face is appreciated. This promotion will allow CMENC members to attend a total of fourteen sessions for free, in addition to admission to the United States Navy Band Commodores concert on Tuesday evening, June 29 and exclusive exhibit time on Monday the 28th. The sessions included in the promotion are:
Are you a Collegiate MENC member? Will this offer convince you to attend Music Education Week when you otherwise would not have? Leave us a comment and let us know how you feel! Also, stay tuned in the coming week for some exciting announcements regarding MusicEdMajor.net and Music Ed Week!
“If your program is significant and relevant to students, families, and community, that IS your advocacy.” – @teaching_music
The #MusEdChat held on May 10th, 2010 discussed ways to advocate to members of the administration and community. Many great ideas were proposed from experienced music educators.
#MusEdChat participants began the chat by discussing what they thought administrators would like to see from a healthy music program. They discussed different aspects like a large number of students involved in the music department, and a quality product from the ensembles the department offers. Multiple educators stated that administrators want to see evidence that students in the department are learning. In addition, participants felt that administrators like to see music departments that are active in the community.
Participants also tossed around ideas that will show the importance of music programs to administrators. Some suggested to involve administrators or other teachers in concerts if they have the ability to play an instrument. Also, @brandtschneider suggested that we as music educators need to stress growth through measuring and showing it, and ultimately using it as an anchor for advocacy. @thomasjwest suggested doing this by recording an ensemble regularly and comparing them over the course of a semester or the entire year. Tom also suggested having a district-wide concert (all band K-12, for example). This kind of concert not only shows the parents how far students can go if they stay in the program, but it also excites younger students to see the caliber of the more advanced students. The community can also serve a very important part in advocacy. If your department regularly plays for the community and the community is behind your department, they will also step up to save your program if the administration or school board try to cut it. Educators felt it was important to have students perform often in the community and in front of their peers. It is also important to have a good relationship with your administrators. This takes quite a few forms. Some educators suggested personally inviting them to your concerts. In addition, thank them in some way during your concert for their support, whether it be verbally, in the program, or both. It was also suggested to send thank-you notes to administrators when you and your students return from conferences and festivals.
We are always excited to have new educators (and college students) involved in the #MusEdChat. If you haven’t participated in any, we would love to chat with you. #MusEdChat happens every Monday at 8:00 PM EDT on Twitter. Learn how to participate here!
“Technology is everywhere – kids will have their iPods in their pockets anyway. Let’s get them using them in a positive way.” – @funmusicco
The topic of the #MusEdChat held on May 3rd, 2010 focused on reasons to incorporate Music Technology into music curriculum.
We began by discussing what the term music technology means. Many good examples were given. Here are a couple of them:
“To me anything tech that can be used to consume or create music can be included” – @justine_robin
“Music Tech is any tool that enhances how we learn & process the music. More integral today.” – @rizzrazz
After the term was defined the chat participants began giving reasons why to include technology into the music classroom. The reasons spanned a couple of planes. Some believed that music technology should be incorporated to reach the students who are not enrolled in band, orchestra or chorus. As @MusicEdTech pointed out, “80% of students in a school DO NOT take Band Orch or Chorus.” Some other chat participants felt that technology should be incorporated into music curriculum because of the increasing influence of technology on everyday life. Because of this, students need to know how to use and apply it to whatever they are doing, including music. @katiesw1 pointed out that technology ,” helps to address different learning styles. You can present the same information in different ways.”
#MusEdChat participants shared great ways to both incorporate technology in the general music class, and develop a music technology class. Many educators warned not to try to make over your entire department all at once with technology. Instead, start with one piece of software, and expand from that. Multiple participants also cautioned against teaching technology for the sake of technology. Music educators should teach music using technology as an extremely important tool.
Ideas for setting up technology in the music classroom varied. @MusicEdTech suggested reformatting general music using MIDI keyboards and notation software, and teaching through composition. Many educators cited the convenience of YouTube as well. It can help to explain multiple aspects of the lesson including historical context and videos related to what they are learning. Most participants felt that recording was an important aspect as well. Educators suggested recording performances and rehearsals and having students assess themselves. Some even suggested using the recorded rehearsals and performances to show administrators the progress your students are making.
Be sure to join a fantastic group of music educators in the next #MusEdChat this Monday, June 7th at 8:00 PM EST!
A week ago I went to see a concert in a renowned space in one of the biggest cities in the United States that was well-attended by both men and women and featured no female musicians. As a female jazz player, I was incredibly disheartened to see that there were no women whatsoever in the Lincoln center Jazz Orchestra and was reminded of how when I was starting out in jazz band, I frequently felt uncomfortable and like I needed to constantly prove myself just because I was a girl playing bass.
These kinds of discrepancies and uncomfortable feelings aren’t solely limited to the genre of jazz and are frequently found in all musics. Many musical genres and cultures have histories that feature men as prominent composers and instrumentalists (O’Neill, 1997). Koza’s 1993 analysis of music education textbooks support this, with the results suggesting that despite the “missing males” problem that is so well-known (not to say that it should be disregarded), female music students in K-12 education might just be found wanting for role models not only directly in the classroom, but indirectly in textbooks they read and concerts they see. Indeed, a sampling of professional musicians indicates that most of these quality players are men. This is despite the fact that female music students are the majority in the formative years of formal music education (Tanur & Zervoudakes, 1994) and that music itself is considered to be a female subject (Boldizar, as cited in O’Neill, 1997).
First, the previously-mentioned lack of musical role models may make some female music students feel as though there is not a place for them in the field of music. Psychologists like Vygotsky and Bandura, among others, have emphasized the role of peer or older individuals with a greater amount of skill or intelligence in not only the learning process but also in identity formation. If a female music student sees a lack of female professional musicians, she may feel as though it might not be worth pursuing.
Second, bullying can be a problem. Researchers have demonstrated that gender associations are prevalent to the point where children can identify which instruments a hypothetical male and female student are most likely to play (Delzell & Leppla, 1992), suggesting that students in any phase of their K-12 education will easily recognize ‘outliers,’ students who play gender-nonstereotypical instruments. This, obviously, can be a problem for both the discouraged student and the teacher who wants to help.
How should we as pre- and in-service music educators deal with this? Researchers like Johnson and Stewart, among others, suggest that teachers are attempting to not make assignments based on race and gender and can even try to lessen the strength of students’ gender associations by presenting them with gender-nonstereotypical role models (one study detailed an ‘intervention’ procedure in which students were presented with a concert of such a nature (e.g., Harrison and O’Neill’s 2000 study)). I personally think that the latter is incredibly important for us to keep in mind.
As I’ve stated earlier, role models for students can play a significant role in the way that they think of themselves as musicians and whether they feel comfortable in our programs. Not only can female students feel more comfortable in K-12 music if they are exposed to more significant and successful female musicians and composers, but both female and male students playing gender-nonstereotypical instruments can increase their confidence. Incorporating more creativity in the curriculum in the form of composition and improvisation can also help all students, regardless of their instrument choice, build confidence and competency on their instrument.
Younger students can begin to be directly involved in musicmaking at an early age through composition in large groups or with the entire class, while older students can develop musical independence by working in smaller groups or by themselves. Activities like collective improvisation can help students begin to experiment creatively without feeling singled out, and a creative process can be incorporated into many classroom activities such as the teaching of musical literature (e.g., using musical elements from the literature being studied as a jumping off point for composition or improvisation) or an ensemble’s warm-up (e.g., ornamentation/improvisation during an initial run-through of a piece or section). At Teachers College, Columbia University, many of my classes incorporate experiences like this and it truly is nothing like I’ve experienced in both my K-12 and undergraduate music education (if you want specific examples, feel free to ask me!), so I can say firsthand that it is a great way to really dive into and experience music and musical repertoire for what it is and get a better understanding of aural skills, music history, and music theory.
Obviously, for any of these experiences or processes to be successful in the classroom, the teacher needs to establish a feeling of safety, and I think that this is the most important thing that we pre and in-service teachers can do, not just for students who feel like they are left out of a traditional K-12 music education program but also for those who feel more at home. Getting involved in these kinds of experiences in a safe place can make a difference to a student with low musical self-esteem, but ultimately it is really up to the teacher to try and reach every student equally instead of just teaching to those the traditional musical curriculum has always been able to reach. My continued participation in music to this day is one example of a student who had been implicitly discouraged, more so by peers than by educators, fortunately, from continuing in a musical passion, and I am very excited to work in K-12 education and reach out to students who may feel like I did once before. Hopefully you can do your part as well.
