Reading Reports:
Week 1: 10/07/18 Reading Report Theories of Music Instruction and Learning
In the first chapters of the “Music in Childhood” textbook, I learned about the multiple learning processes as well as the different methods of teaching music to children. The learning process first begins with Instruction, which is a set of events provided by the teacher. Next is the learning process of the learner, which includes processes such as attention, perception, memory, rehearsal, recognition, and recall. Finally, learning outcomes are analyzed through verbal information, intellectual skills, motor skills, cognitive strategies, and then attitudes. Chapter two focused on many educational researches, but the Constructivist Theory of Learning, coined by Jonasson was most influential to me. Jonasson stated that the child is the leader in their education and that the teachers are the facilitators that are responsible for setting an environment up that best suits their learning. Through my education, I have found that many teachers do not adapt to different students learning needs, and thus the class suffers. For example, some students learn visually, and some students learn through auditory input. It would best suit the students to have both verbal and visual cues from a teacher, but many times teachers just choose one method of learning. This then causes the students’ progress to fall.
Chapter 3 focuses on a multitude of methods for teaching music to children. It was interesting to see that both large companies and small individuals both have a play in the creation of different educational methods. For example, a large company the Yamaha Corporation created a method that helped students with Keyboard, aural, and notational skills. They did this by creating arrangements of folk, patriotic, popular, and classical works to suit every interest. This Yamaha method included learning of melodic and rhythmic dictation exercises as well as staff notation and terminology. Each learning exercise is condensed into a learning module to help the student stay organized in their learning.
In the first chapters of the “Music in Childhood” textbook, I learned about the multiple learning processes as well as the different methods of teaching music to children. The learning process first begins with Instruction, which is a set of events provided by the teacher. Next is the learning process of the learner, which includes processes such as attention, perception, memory, rehearsal, recognition, and recall. Finally, learning outcomes are analyzed through verbal information, intellectual skills, motor skills, cognitive strategies, and then attitudes. Chapter two focused on many educational researches, but the Constructivist Theory of Learning, coined by Jonasson was most influential to me. Jonasson stated that the child is the leader in their education and that the teachers are the facilitators that are responsible for setting an environment up that best suits their learning. Through my education, I have found that many teachers do not adapt to different students learning needs, and thus the class suffers. For example, some students learn visually, and some students learn through auditory input. It would best suit the students to have both verbal and visual cues from a teacher, but many times teachers just choose one method of learning. This then causes the students’ progress to fall.
Chapter 3 focuses on a multitude of methods for teaching music to children. It was interesting to see that both large companies and small individuals both have a play in the creation of different educational methods. For example, a large company the Yamaha Corporation created a method that helped students with Keyboard, aural, and notational skills. They did this by creating arrangements of folk, patriotic, popular, and classical works to suit every interest. This Yamaha method included learning of melodic and rhythmic dictation exercises as well as staff notation and terminology. Each learning exercise is condensed into a learning module to help the student stay organized in their learning.
Week 2: 10/09/18 Field Report Observation of Roscomare Elementary School Kindergarden an First Grade Students
I really enjoyed watching Mr. Lawton’s class at Roscomare Elementary School. Throughout both his kindergarten and second grade class, he incorporated the Orff method. He first taught kindergarten. Mr. Lawton began the lesson by introducing us (music teacher guests). We went around the room and said our names emphasizing the syllables in each of our names. Each syllable was represented by a clap. This simple and effective lesson helps students establish the concept of rhythm.
Next, Mr. Lawton quickly plays a whistle with sliding pitches that both ascend and descend. The students would stand if the whistled pitch slid up and would sit if the pitch slid down. This activity subconsciously reminded students about pitch and the differences between a high and low pitch in terms of muscle memory. After a few more simple excursuses involving the body, Mr. Lawton moved into his main activity for the class.
Mr. Lawton’s main exercise for the Kindergarten class included using objects such as a Penny, key, a paper clip, a duck, sunglasses, and an egg. Each of these objects had different syllables. Mr. Lawton had two squares in which he put an object on each square. He would then ask a student to repeat the names of the objects that were on the pieces of paper a couple of times. After multiple students repeated the order of objects on two colored pieces of paper, Mr. Lawton added 2 more colored pieces of paper with more objects. The students repeated the same exercise with the added 2 pieces of paper. Eventually, Mr. Lawton put a letter A next to the first group of objects and a letter B with the second group of objects. He then wrote on a white board a simple ABBA pattern and the students repeated that pattern with the objects that were on the pieces of paper. This exercise completely blew my mind as it covered so many different aspects of music such as call and response, rhythm, musical patterns, and extreme class engagement.
The next class Mr. Lawton taught was the second-grade level. This class involved more ensemble work as the goal of the class period was to get the students to play and understand the difference between a composition and improvisation. Each student was given an instrument. Some students got pitched instruments and others got percussive instruments. Once the instruments were given to students, it took a lot of time to settle the students down focus, and stop playing the instrument. It might have been more effective to not give mallets to students right away or have the students put their instruments behind their back to not create distracted noise.
Mr. Lawton created a rain story about a rainforest. He associated certain words and elements of a rainforest to certain instruments. When he described a scene, a student would then play that instrument associated with that trigger word. This was extremely interesting to watch as the students did not need instruction on what word went to what instrument. As the story progressed more instruments entered the story. He later explained to the students that what they just played was an improvisation.
The next activity involved the students coming up with their own composition with predetermined rhythms that were drawn on the board. The class time was nearly over and the students were getting restless, so this activity did not finish all the way through. It might have been a better idea to focus more on the improvisational story to really emphasize one type of playing. Mr. Lawton could have another student come up with a story and then have the class follow the student. This helps students with their creativity and confidence in the classroom.
I really enjoyed watching Mr. Lawton’s class at Roscomare Elementary School. Throughout both his kindergarten and second grade class, he incorporated the Orff method. He first taught kindergarten. Mr. Lawton began the lesson by introducing us (music teacher guests). We went around the room and said our names emphasizing the syllables in each of our names. Each syllable was represented by a clap. This simple and effective lesson helps students establish the concept of rhythm.
Next, Mr. Lawton quickly plays a whistle with sliding pitches that both ascend and descend. The students would stand if the whistled pitch slid up and would sit if the pitch slid down. This activity subconsciously reminded students about pitch and the differences between a high and low pitch in terms of muscle memory. After a few more simple excursuses involving the body, Mr. Lawton moved into his main activity for the class.
Mr. Lawton’s main exercise for the Kindergarten class included using objects such as a Penny, key, a paper clip, a duck, sunglasses, and an egg. Each of these objects had different syllables. Mr. Lawton had two squares in which he put an object on each square. He would then ask a student to repeat the names of the objects that were on the pieces of paper a couple of times. After multiple students repeated the order of objects on two colored pieces of paper, Mr. Lawton added 2 more colored pieces of paper with more objects. The students repeated the same exercise with the added 2 pieces of paper. Eventually, Mr. Lawton put a letter A next to the first group of objects and a letter B with the second group of objects. He then wrote on a white board a simple ABBA pattern and the students repeated that pattern with the objects that were on the pieces of paper. This exercise completely blew my mind as it covered so many different aspects of music such as call and response, rhythm, musical patterns, and extreme class engagement.
The next class Mr. Lawton taught was the second-grade level. This class involved more ensemble work as the goal of the class period was to get the students to play and understand the difference between a composition and improvisation. Each student was given an instrument. Some students got pitched instruments and others got percussive instruments. Once the instruments were given to students, it took a lot of time to settle the students down focus, and stop playing the instrument. It might have been more effective to not give mallets to students right away or have the students put their instruments behind their back to not create distracted noise.
Mr. Lawton created a rain story about a rainforest. He associated certain words and elements of a rainforest to certain instruments. When he described a scene, a student would then play that instrument associated with that trigger word. This was extremely interesting to watch as the students did not need instruction on what word went to what instrument. As the story progressed more instruments entered the story. He later explained to the students that what they just played was an improvisation.
The next activity involved the students coming up with their own composition with predetermined rhythms that were drawn on the board. The class time was nearly over and the students were getting restless, so this activity did not finish all the way through. It might have been a better idea to focus more on the improvisational story to really emphasize one type of playing. Mr. Lawton could have another student come up with a story and then have the class follow the student. This helps students with their creativity and confidence in the classroom.
Week 2: 10/13/18 Reading Report Curriculum Issues, Assesment and Evaluation
This week’s readings focused on curriculum issues and general assessment and evaluation. There are 5 different types of curriculum which include Ideal, Formal, Instructional, Operation, and Experiential. Each curriculum has their strengths and their faults but the formal approach stuck me as one of the better curriculum options. Formal curriculum includes a highly structured, logical teachings of concepts and skills. It forces teachers to follow a certain frame of teaching and makes for consistent lesson plans. Although I believe teachers should have the freedom to teach what they would like, many times, I have experienced teachers completely moving away from the topic they previously planned, focusing on aspects that do not help the child’s learning. Through a formal curriculum, teachers will be forced to follow a balanced, comprehensive, and sequential method that can be standardized throughout the educational system. The teacher will then have to be extremely creative in the design of their lesson plans, following certain curriculum elements such as skills, concepts, attitudes, and repertoire while at the same time keeping students engaged and excited to learn.
The reading also discussed certain national core music standards. These include creating, performing, responding, and connecting. When reading further into the core musical standards many of the concepts seem quite intuitive.
I was especially interested in the lesson planning portion of the reading. I did not know that there were three methods a teacher could use. These include the three-legged model, problem-solving model, and the four-mat model. I was especially intrigued with the four-mat model as it related to writing. Answering the questions, “why?”, “what?”, “How?” and “What if?” are all essential questions that must be answered in a thesis statement of any essay.
The concept of evaluation and assessment work hand in hand with one another. To evaluate and assess there are tools and sources that must be used. Some examples of tools include testing, measurement, rubrics, and portfolios. Sources include the teacher, student and peers. It was interesting reading this list of sources, as I have always remembered both teachers in higher education and high school that peers and students are very valuable sources and should be used before asking a teacher. I somewhat disagree with this, because if one student has a question with a certain concept and askes another student or peer, they could be led with misunderstood information resulting in an unlearned concept. This chain of misunderstood information affects both the larger elements of evaluation and assessment.
This week’s readings focused on curriculum issues and general assessment and evaluation. There are 5 different types of curriculum which include Ideal, Formal, Instructional, Operation, and Experiential. Each curriculum has their strengths and their faults but the formal approach stuck me as one of the better curriculum options. Formal curriculum includes a highly structured, logical teachings of concepts and skills. It forces teachers to follow a certain frame of teaching and makes for consistent lesson plans. Although I believe teachers should have the freedom to teach what they would like, many times, I have experienced teachers completely moving away from the topic they previously planned, focusing on aspects that do not help the child’s learning. Through a formal curriculum, teachers will be forced to follow a balanced, comprehensive, and sequential method that can be standardized throughout the educational system. The teacher will then have to be extremely creative in the design of their lesson plans, following certain curriculum elements such as skills, concepts, attitudes, and repertoire while at the same time keeping students engaged and excited to learn.
The reading also discussed certain national core music standards. These include creating, performing, responding, and connecting. When reading further into the core musical standards many of the concepts seem quite intuitive.
I was especially interested in the lesson planning portion of the reading. I did not know that there were three methods a teacher could use. These include the three-legged model, problem-solving model, and the four-mat model. I was especially intrigued with the four-mat model as it related to writing. Answering the questions, “why?”, “what?”, “How?” and “What if?” are all essential questions that must be answered in a thesis statement of any essay.
The concept of evaluation and assessment work hand in hand with one another. To evaluate and assess there are tools and sources that must be used. Some examples of tools include testing, measurement, rubrics, and portfolios. Sources include the teacher, student and peers. It was interesting reading this list of sources, as I have always remembered both teachers in higher education and high school that peers and students are very valuable sources and should be used before asking a teacher. I somewhat disagree with this, because if one student has a question with a certain concept and askes another student or peer, they could be led with misunderstood information resulting in an unlearned concept. This chain of misunderstood information affects both the larger elements of evaluation and assessment.
Week 3: 10/21/18 Reading Report Kodály Method
While learning about singing, pitch, and the Kodaly method in chapters 4 and 5 I found many fascinating topics of study. The textbook explained 10 methods to help children develop good singing habits. One of my favorite methods include using an instrumental accompaniment. This helps students audiate pitch in their head. Using an instrumental accompaniment also fills the learning space with tonal sounds that make the students feel as though they are part of a larger and greater ensemble, which can be an inspiring tool. I have noticed that even in college choir, the use of a piano is extremely important as it helps students find relative pitches and helps students progress quicker through more difficult sheet music and patterns.
The textbook also focuses on three main approaches to teaching songs. These include teaching by rote, note, and immersion. As a classically trained violinist, I was taught the Suzuki method throughout my elementary and early middle school years. I was rarely taught by reading the notes on the paper, but by listening to the song over and over again from my teacher. Although this method hurt my ability to recognize notes on a page and transfer them to a pitch, this rote method of learning helped train my ear for hearing different pitches and intonation. I hope to integrate a method that incorporates a mixture of rote, note, and immersed learning in my teaching so that students can master the fundamentals of music in a well-rounded way.
Chapter 5 focuses on the learning elements of pitch. I was specifically interested in the concept of discrimination and contour awareness. This learning objective aims to help students differentiate the difference in pitch, either through a sense of familiarity, contour, or generically knowing if the pitch is different or the same. Attending the field observation at Roscomare Road Elementary School, I found that the elementary school teacher was using movement to help the students associate different levels of pitch. He used a decreasing slide whistle to symbolize a sitting down motion and he used a sliding up sound to symbolize a standing motion. This same concept is used in cartoons and is called “Mickey-Mousing” and proves that there are many musical sounds that our brain associates with certain actions.
The Addison body notation confused me. As a student I always found it difficult to associate different motions with words. Even today I still find it difficult to associate certain actions with words. Although this method works for some students, it does not work for all. I would much rather learn through an acronym or a song that I can repeat to myself in my head. For me, learning a word through muscle memory adds to the complication because you must memorize the word then memorize the action. This is another obstacle that many teachers must deal with when helping students learn complicated concepts. Each student learns differently and it is up to the teacher to mix and match teaching methods and strategies that work for a variety of learners.
While learning about singing, pitch, and the Kodaly method in chapters 4 and 5 I found many fascinating topics of study. The textbook explained 10 methods to help children develop good singing habits. One of my favorite methods include using an instrumental accompaniment. This helps students audiate pitch in their head. Using an instrumental accompaniment also fills the learning space with tonal sounds that make the students feel as though they are part of a larger and greater ensemble, which can be an inspiring tool. I have noticed that even in college choir, the use of a piano is extremely important as it helps students find relative pitches and helps students progress quicker through more difficult sheet music and patterns.
The textbook also focuses on three main approaches to teaching songs. These include teaching by rote, note, and immersion. As a classically trained violinist, I was taught the Suzuki method throughout my elementary and early middle school years. I was rarely taught by reading the notes on the paper, but by listening to the song over and over again from my teacher. Although this method hurt my ability to recognize notes on a page and transfer them to a pitch, this rote method of learning helped train my ear for hearing different pitches and intonation. I hope to integrate a method that incorporates a mixture of rote, note, and immersed learning in my teaching so that students can master the fundamentals of music in a well-rounded way.
Chapter 5 focuses on the learning elements of pitch. I was specifically interested in the concept of discrimination and contour awareness. This learning objective aims to help students differentiate the difference in pitch, either through a sense of familiarity, contour, or generically knowing if the pitch is different or the same. Attending the field observation at Roscomare Road Elementary School, I found that the elementary school teacher was using movement to help the students associate different levels of pitch. He used a decreasing slide whistle to symbolize a sitting down motion and he used a sliding up sound to symbolize a standing motion. This same concept is used in cartoons and is called “Mickey-Mousing” and proves that there are many musical sounds that our brain associates with certain actions.
The Addison body notation confused me. As a student I always found it difficult to associate different motions with words. Even today I still find it difficult to associate certain actions with words. Although this method works for some students, it does not work for all. I would much rather learn through an acronym or a song that I can repeat to myself in my head. For me, learning a word through muscle memory adds to the complication because you must memorize the word then memorize the action. This is another obstacle that many teachers must deal with when helping students learn complicated concepts. Each student learns differently and it is up to the teacher to mix and match teaching methods and strategies that work for a variety of learners.
Week 4: 10/27/18 Reading Report Movement Rhythm and the Dalcroze Method
This weeks reading discussed the concepts of music and movement as well as rhythm. There are many aspects of movement that relate to music. According to the Delcroze theory: Movement is the foundation of a thorough musicianship. It can develop means of communication linking the ear, the brain and the body. I experienced this phenomena first hand when I taught my first lesson at Brockton Ave Elementary School. I taught the Tk/ Autism group and noticed that the students inherently moved to the music that they heard through my presentation. Although the activity I had the students do involved some movement with their hands (fake play an instrument), I should have had the students stand and move about the classroom. This would let the students explore rhythmic gestures and set their bodies to dance to the musical sounds they perceive. The reading really inspired me to let the students explore more and have teachers explain less. This is something I did not to in my first lesson. Learning emanates from the child’s own willingness to discover the expressive potential of their bodies.
There are multiple elements of rhythm which include the concepts of fast and slow, the pulse, meter, and durations and their patterns. Along with these elements of rhythm are specific methods to teach rhythm. These include using speech, movement, mnemonics, and notation. I have observed many lesson plans which have included using the concept of speech rhythm. When the class visited Mr. Lawton’s general elementary music class, he showed students random objects asking them to figure out the syllabic stress. Once the students learned the words, he put the multiple objects in ABBA form and had the students sing the stressed words as a song. This is a very clever way to get students to learn the basics of Rhythm through objects that they are already familiar with. The forth method of notation should be introduced simultaneously with mnemonics. If students can associate certain syllables with certain rhythms aurally they should have the ability to associate written drawings of notes with specific rhythms.
This weeks reading discussed the concepts of music and movement as well as rhythm. There are many aspects of movement that relate to music. According to the Delcroze theory: Movement is the foundation of a thorough musicianship. It can develop means of communication linking the ear, the brain and the body. I experienced this phenomena first hand when I taught my first lesson at Brockton Ave Elementary School. I taught the Tk/ Autism group and noticed that the students inherently moved to the music that they heard through my presentation. Although the activity I had the students do involved some movement with their hands (fake play an instrument), I should have had the students stand and move about the classroom. This would let the students explore rhythmic gestures and set their bodies to dance to the musical sounds they perceive. The reading really inspired me to let the students explore more and have teachers explain less. This is something I did not to in my first lesson. Learning emanates from the child’s own willingness to discover the expressive potential of their bodies.
There are multiple elements of rhythm which include the concepts of fast and slow, the pulse, meter, and durations and their patterns. Along with these elements of rhythm are specific methods to teach rhythm. These include using speech, movement, mnemonics, and notation. I have observed many lesson plans which have included using the concept of speech rhythm. When the class visited Mr. Lawton’s general elementary music class, he showed students random objects asking them to figure out the syllabic stress. Once the students learned the words, he put the multiple objects in ABBA form and had the students sing the stressed words as a song. This is a very clever way to get students to learn the basics of Rhythm through objects that they are already familiar with. The forth method of notation should be introduced simultaneously with mnemonics. If students can associate certain syllables with certain rhythms aurally they should have the ability to associate written drawings of notes with specific rhythms.
Week 5: 11/04/18 Reading Report Playing Instruments the Suzuki method, and the Philosphy of Carl Orff
This chapter was especially interesting to me as I had grown up learning the Suzuki method up until the end of middle school. I had never really known the reasoning behind the Suzuki method, but as I reflect back on my Suzuki learning there were many flaws in this teaching approach.
The reading explains that there are 7 key principals in the Suzuki approach. Almost all of the approaches I agree with except for the second principle. Principle 2 states that there should be a “Delay in music reading until musical skills and performance techniques have developed.” This principle has affected me not only in the short term but long term as well. I believe that Suzuki students should learn to read the notes starting at the end of book 1. In my case, I never learned how to read notes until book 3. By this time, I was already in orchestra and group activities that required sight reading and note reading skills which I had not developed. I would be listening for intervals and my stand partner, relying on my ear as opposed to my knowledge of what specific notes on the page translated to my fingers. I believe that the Suzuki method could be extremely successful if it introduced reading notes at an earlier age than must Suzuki credentialed teachers believe.
Carl Orff is more intriguing to me than the Suzuki method. The Orff method is less specific in its instruction. Observing Mr. Lawton really opened my eyes to the possibilities of Orff. There is so much creative music making, fun, and expression in the Orff method that students will constantly stay engaged while mastering difficult concepts. The Orff method gives teachers the freedom to be creative in their lesson planning. Unlike Suzuki that introduces things by ear, the Orff method tackles learning though a multitude of sensory inputs making the learning process in the classroom run smoother.
This chapter was especially interesting to me as I had grown up learning the Suzuki method up until the end of middle school. I had never really known the reasoning behind the Suzuki method, but as I reflect back on my Suzuki learning there were many flaws in this teaching approach.
The reading explains that there are 7 key principals in the Suzuki approach. Almost all of the approaches I agree with except for the second principle. Principle 2 states that there should be a “Delay in music reading until musical skills and performance techniques have developed.” This principle has affected me not only in the short term but long term as well. I believe that Suzuki students should learn to read the notes starting at the end of book 1. In my case, I never learned how to read notes until book 3. By this time, I was already in orchestra and group activities that required sight reading and note reading skills which I had not developed. I would be listening for intervals and my stand partner, relying on my ear as opposed to my knowledge of what specific notes on the page translated to my fingers. I believe that the Suzuki method could be extremely successful if it introduced reading notes at an earlier age than must Suzuki credentialed teachers believe.
Carl Orff is more intriguing to me than the Suzuki method. The Orff method is less specific in its instruction. Observing Mr. Lawton really opened my eyes to the possibilities of Orff. There is so much creative music making, fun, and expression in the Orff method that students will constantly stay engaged while mastering difficult concepts. The Orff method gives teachers the freedom to be creative in their lesson planning. Unlike Suzuki that introduces things by ear, the Orff method tackles learning though a multitude of sensory inputs making the learning process in the classroom run smoother.
Observation Report: Field Visit 10/30/18 Santa Monica Unified School District Elementary School
I really enjoyed the field visit at Santa Monica Unified School District. As I stepped foot on campus everything seemed new and clean. The rooms were state of the art with design, supplies and technology. It reminded me very much of a private school like set up. I attended 3 classes during my visit. The first was the violin class. The violin class was small and were using the essential elements series. The teacher began class by asking the students to practice a D major scale on their own while she helped tune the certain individual students. I thought this was a great way to keep students engaged in actual classroom activity as opposed to waiting “silently” for the teacher to finish tuning students. When the class did get out of hand she did use a finger symbol to the students to center their attention back to the lesson. During the violin class, the teacher was introducing the bow. She first started by associated a bow to a rocket ship, emphasizing pinky and thumb placement. She then flipped the bow horizontally and had the students mimicked the same exercise. These are great steps to use if students are having a hard time grasping the bow horizontally to begin with. She then focused on bow tension. She told the students that the space between the bow and the wood should be finger wide. The students were quite confused on this concept as many had questions whether the finger should fit all the way through the space or just touch the space. A game or a story like the “rocket ship” game may have been useful to explain bow tension in this scenario.
There was one student in the violin class that was being disruptive and obnoxious. The teacher decided to isolate the boy in a corner. I strongly disagree with this method of punishment as now the student is by himself and can make more mischief and trouble than he did before because he is further away from supervision. I would have asked the boy to be the leader of the class for the day and be a role model next to me as I teach the rest of the class.
I also visited the choir class. This class was very fun to watch. I was surprised to find both a teacher and an accompanist for an elementary school class. The teacher would make the students sing a certain way with general instructions while not explaining the concept. The teacher later asked the students what concepts she was trying to address. I thought this was a really great way to get classroom engagement and active listening and thinking out of the class while they were singing.
The last class I visited was the 5th grade trombone and trumpet class and was filled with only boys. This teacher would always have the students play a section together and then try and imitate what the students did wrong with two options; the option that the students did (which was usually wrong) and the teacher version (usually right). The students had to guess which version they liked better and why. A lot of the time students were tied on which option was the best. The teacher would always ask for a reason for their answer. This helped narrow the student’s decision on which option was correct.
All of the teachers I visited all seemed to have a pattern of constant classroom engagement with their students. They were almost conversing with their students in a way that I had never been exposed to myself. I think this is a great way to break the barrier between teacher and student and to make the students feel more comfortable in answering questions and learning in a classroom setting.
I really enjoyed the field visit at Santa Monica Unified School District. As I stepped foot on campus everything seemed new and clean. The rooms were state of the art with design, supplies and technology. It reminded me very much of a private school like set up. I attended 3 classes during my visit. The first was the violin class. The violin class was small and were using the essential elements series. The teacher began class by asking the students to practice a D major scale on their own while she helped tune the certain individual students. I thought this was a great way to keep students engaged in actual classroom activity as opposed to waiting “silently” for the teacher to finish tuning students. When the class did get out of hand she did use a finger symbol to the students to center their attention back to the lesson. During the violin class, the teacher was introducing the bow. She first started by associated a bow to a rocket ship, emphasizing pinky and thumb placement. She then flipped the bow horizontally and had the students mimicked the same exercise. These are great steps to use if students are having a hard time grasping the bow horizontally to begin with. She then focused on bow tension. She told the students that the space between the bow and the wood should be finger wide. The students were quite confused on this concept as many had questions whether the finger should fit all the way through the space or just touch the space. A game or a story like the “rocket ship” game may have been useful to explain bow tension in this scenario.
There was one student in the violin class that was being disruptive and obnoxious. The teacher decided to isolate the boy in a corner. I strongly disagree with this method of punishment as now the student is by himself and can make more mischief and trouble than he did before because he is further away from supervision. I would have asked the boy to be the leader of the class for the day and be a role model next to me as I teach the rest of the class.
I also visited the choir class. This class was very fun to watch. I was surprised to find both a teacher and an accompanist for an elementary school class. The teacher would make the students sing a certain way with general instructions while not explaining the concept. The teacher later asked the students what concepts she was trying to address. I thought this was a really great way to get classroom engagement and active listening and thinking out of the class while they were singing.
The last class I visited was the 5th grade trombone and trumpet class and was filled with only boys. This teacher would always have the students play a section together and then try and imitate what the students did wrong with two options; the option that the students did (which was usually wrong) and the teacher version (usually right). The students had to guess which version they liked better and why. A lot of the time students were tied on which option was the best. The teacher would always ask for a reason for their answer. This helped narrow the student’s decision on which option was correct.
All of the teachers I visited all seemed to have a pattern of constant classroom engagement with their students. They were almost conversing with their students in a way that I had never been exposed to myself. I think this is a great way to break the barrier between teacher and student and to make the students feel more comfortable in answering questions and learning in a classroom setting.
Week 6: 11/10/18 Reading Report on Listening Development
This week’s reading focused on listening development. The reading discussed 5 main approaches for active listening. The first two approaches discussed, are quite straightforward, while the other three are more difficult to grasp. For the last three approaches, it is up to the instructor to teach students the conceptual tools for discussing and analyzing music.
I saw this concept unfold in many of the Thursday lessons when my collogues asked students how they felt about a particular song or piece. Many of the students at the elementary school did not know how to answer the teachers question as they do not have the vocabulary as well as the musicianship to answer the question. It might be an interesting lesson, to teach students certain vocabulary to be able to express themselves about the music. If the students were asked to express themselves through movement, this would be easy for them, but verbally this concept is a challenge.
Keeping the students focus while listening to a piece or song is also extremely challenging especially if the students do not know what they should be listening for. The instructor should set certain parameters in the listening exercise. Asking if the song is generally happy or sad is not helpful to students’ musicianship. The teacher should first show quick examples of what happy and sad music is explaining the difference through lyrics or certain chord qualities. This helps engrain certain concepts in the students minds.
This week’s reading focused on listening development. The reading discussed 5 main approaches for active listening. The first two approaches discussed, are quite straightforward, while the other three are more difficult to grasp. For the last three approaches, it is up to the instructor to teach students the conceptual tools for discussing and analyzing music.
I saw this concept unfold in many of the Thursday lessons when my collogues asked students how they felt about a particular song or piece. Many of the students at the elementary school did not know how to answer the teachers question as they do not have the vocabulary as well as the musicianship to answer the question. It might be an interesting lesson, to teach students certain vocabulary to be able to express themselves about the music. If the students were asked to express themselves through movement, this would be easy for them, but verbally this concept is a challenge.
Keeping the students focus while listening to a piece or song is also extremely challenging especially if the students do not know what they should be listening for. The instructor should set certain parameters in the listening exercise. Asking if the song is generally happy or sad is not helpful to students’ musicianship. The teacher should first show quick examples of what happy and sad music is explaining the difference through lyrics or certain chord qualities. This helps engrain certain concepts in the students minds.
Week 7: 11/18/18 Reading Report on Musical Creativity
This weeks’ reading focused on the concept of creativity. There are two different types of thinking that the chapter discussed. These included Convergent and Divergent thinking. I believe that Divergent thinking leads to convergent thinking. This applies to creating fingerings and bowings on the violin. It takes creative thinking to understand what fingers and what positions to use for one given note, but with convergent thinking, one can figure out the best sounding, and most convenient fingering for the player.
There are 3 main ways to help develop creativity in music. These including exploration and discover, improvisation, and composition. I believe that exploration and discovery as well as improvisation should be one category. The whole aspect of discovering and exploring is improvisatory. For example, if a student is exploring how to play a drum hitting different parts of the drum, the student is discovering new methods of instrumental playing that are not wrong while improvising some creative composition.
In my elementary school strings class, I was never given the opportunity to improvise on my instrument. I was always told specifically how to play, hold, and feel certain pieces of music and instruments. If students first tried to play an instrument the way they thought originally about it, the learning experience and growth would be tremendous because they could physically understand the difference between the “correct” and “incorrect” ways.
This weeks’ reading focused on the concept of creativity. There are two different types of thinking that the chapter discussed. These included Convergent and Divergent thinking. I believe that Divergent thinking leads to convergent thinking. This applies to creating fingerings and bowings on the violin. It takes creative thinking to understand what fingers and what positions to use for one given note, but with convergent thinking, one can figure out the best sounding, and most convenient fingering for the player.
There are 3 main ways to help develop creativity in music. These including exploration and discover, improvisation, and composition. I believe that exploration and discovery as well as improvisation should be one category. The whole aspect of discovering and exploring is improvisatory. For example, if a student is exploring how to play a drum hitting different parts of the drum, the student is discovering new methods of instrumental playing that are not wrong while improvising some creative composition.
In my elementary school strings class, I was never given the opportunity to improvise on my instrument. I was always told specifically how to play, hold, and feel certain pieces of music and instruments. If students first tried to play an instrument the way they thought originally about it, the learning experience and growth would be tremendous because they could physically understand the difference between the “correct” and “incorrect” ways.
Week 8: 11/23/18 Reading Report on Multicultural Music Education
This week’s reading focused on multicultural music education. There were three main approaches that the text explained which included multicultural music education, multiethnic music education, and world music education. Multicultural music education stems into two parts which includes multiethnic music education and music of different people from a variety of ages, social classes, genders, religions, lifestyles, and exceptionalities. Professor Chen encouraged the class for their second lesson plan to focus on a multicultural music. I found in my own lesson plan when I taught Native American dance music that the students became extremely engaged in the topic because it was a concept that was so foreign to them. My lesson plan was focused on multiethnic music education as it provided a variety of musical experiences and offered an understanding of how the music reflects people’s lifestyles and ways of thinking across cultural boundaries. I taught what different types of dances symbolized in native American culture and the instruments that went along with it as well. Overall the experience was completely immersive as it had elements of explanation and complete immersion. Once the students had been given a foundation of the Native American culture, they could build their understanding by playing and dancing in a similar style of the musical examples that were previously showed to them.
There are many teaching approaches that can be used in the teaching of multicultural music education. I believe that a combination of Orff, Kodaly, and Dalcroze methods as well as attentive, engaged, and enactive listening will help students master multicultural music. I also believe that knowing students’ backgrounds can also help classroom engagement flourish as well. If a student has prior knowledge of a certain multicultural musical concept, that student can help class engagement as well as interest.
This week’s reading focused on multicultural music education. There were three main approaches that the text explained which included multicultural music education, multiethnic music education, and world music education. Multicultural music education stems into two parts which includes multiethnic music education and music of different people from a variety of ages, social classes, genders, religions, lifestyles, and exceptionalities. Professor Chen encouraged the class for their second lesson plan to focus on a multicultural music. I found in my own lesson plan when I taught Native American dance music that the students became extremely engaged in the topic because it was a concept that was so foreign to them. My lesson plan was focused on multiethnic music education as it provided a variety of musical experiences and offered an understanding of how the music reflects people’s lifestyles and ways of thinking across cultural boundaries. I taught what different types of dances symbolized in native American culture and the instruments that went along with it as well. Overall the experience was completely immersive as it had elements of explanation and complete immersion. Once the students had been given a foundation of the Native American culture, they could build their understanding by playing and dancing in a similar style of the musical examples that were previously showed to them.
There are many teaching approaches that can be used in the teaching of multicultural music education. I believe that a combination of Orff, Kodaly, and Dalcroze methods as well as attentive, engaged, and enactive listening will help students master multicultural music. I also believe that knowing students’ backgrounds can also help classroom engagement flourish as well. If a student has prior knowledge of a certain multicultural musical concept, that student can help class engagement as well as interest.
Week 9: 1/1/18 Reading Report on Exceptional Children
This week’s readings focused on the concept of exceptional children. I was very interested in how gifted children can interpret and process music. My first teaching lesson in this course was with 1st grade and autistic students. My first lesson did not incorporate a lot of movement. The absence of movement in teaching autistic students can hurt a lesson. Autistic students have a large amount of sensory input, so explaining concepts verbally can be a challenge. When using music and movement, it tapes into nonverbal ways of knowing and allows for the expression of emotions. With movement, an autistic student can subconsciously make their own decisions and interpretation of music without words but with body movement instead.
The reading also justified topics for mainstreaming music in the classroom. One justification for music in the classroom is that a single musical activity can be adapted to a wide range of ability levels. I saw this concept unfold with almost all of the lesson plans that were taught by the UCLA student teachers. For example, learning the concept of form is difficult to master, but by using visual elements and props that are familiar to students the concept suddenly becomes easier because of the adaptive nature of the lesson.
This week’s readings focused on the concept of exceptional children. I was very interested in how gifted children can interpret and process music. My first teaching lesson in this course was with 1st grade and autistic students. My first lesson did not incorporate a lot of movement. The absence of movement in teaching autistic students can hurt a lesson. Autistic students have a large amount of sensory input, so explaining concepts verbally can be a challenge. When using music and movement, it tapes into nonverbal ways of knowing and allows for the expression of emotions. With movement, an autistic student can subconsciously make their own decisions and interpretation of music without words but with body movement instead.
The reading also justified topics for mainstreaming music in the classroom. One justification for music in the classroom is that a single musical activity can be adapted to a wide range of ability levels. I saw this concept unfold with almost all of the lesson plans that were taught by the UCLA student teachers. For example, learning the concept of form is difficult to master, but by using visual elements and props that are familiar to students the concept suddenly becomes easier because of the adaptive nature of the lesson.
Week 10: 12/10/18 Reading Report on Motivation
This week’s reading focused on the concept of motivation and management. There are multiple ways of motivating students. Some of which includes building an interesting curriculum and encouragement of student response. I find both of these methods to be extremely challenging for the teacher. For example, a teacher can create a very interesting and education filled lesson plan, but if the concepts do not resonate with the students then the lesson plan is dead. I wish the book went into depth about how to build an interesting curriculum for students and did not state such a broad method of encouraging motivation. The concept of encouragement is motivation. Encouragement comes from both the students and the teacher, but it is the teacher’s responsibility to foster that encouragement within the classroom as a facilitator. For example, if a teacher is extremely motivated about their lesson, this creates encouragement for the students to become active participators and listeners in the classroom. On the other hand, too much motivation can cause the students to not open up and participate with their peers in the classroom as the teacher can come across as intimidating or scary. The teacher must find a balance between being overly motivated and encouraging.
The text also discussed strategies for confronting inappropriate behavior as well as how to avoid it. Noticing good behavior rather than attacking poor behavior is a wonderful tool to help students succeed and learn their mistakes. For example, when I was a child in elementary school, I was told the reason why I made a mistake. I believe explaining what the child did wrong is a great tool to confront inappropriate behavior as the adult can explain and walk through why the student made the mistake as opposed to just saying “No” which has no context behind it and can sometimes lead to anger and frustration of the child.
This week’s reading focused on the concept of motivation and management. There are multiple ways of motivating students. Some of which includes building an interesting curriculum and encouragement of student response. I find both of these methods to be extremely challenging for the teacher. For example, a teacher can create a very interesting and education filled lesson plan, but if the concepts do not resonate with the students then the lesson plan is dead. I wish the book went into depth about how to build an interesting curriculum for students and did not state such a broad method of encouraging motivation. The concept of encouragement is motivation. Encouragement comes from both the students and the teacher, but it is the teacher’s responsibility to foster that encouragement within the classroom as a facilitator. For example, if a teacher is extremely motivated about their lesson, this creates encouragement for the students to become active participators and listeners in the classroom. On the other hand, too much motivation can cause the students to not open up and participate with their peers in the classroom as the teacher can come across as intimidating or scary. The teacher must find a balance between being overly motivated and encouraging.
The text also discussed strategies for confronting inappropriate behavior as well as how to avoid it. Noticing good behavior rather than attacking poor behavior is a wonderful tool to help students succeed and learn their mistakes. For example, when I was a child in elementary school, I was told the reason why I made a mistake. I believe explaining what the child did wrong is a great tool to confront inappropriate behavior as the adult can explain and walk through why the student made the mistake as opposed to just saying “No” which has no context behind it and can sometimes lead to anger and frustration of the child.