Response to Rose & Countryman Article
After reading a Rose and Countryman article on “Repositioning ‘The Elements’: How Students Talk about Music”, I have formed a strong opinion that disagrees with what the author has written. I believe teachers should continually teach their students about the elements of music in their classrooms. If the curriculum changes and the technique of music are taken away, the students are not going to have the knowledge they need of music if they want to continue studying it and possibly have a career in it. The music curriculum that is currently in place is still not strong enough to support the students who want to pursue careers in music. What students learn in high school is not enough. There is a large gap between what students learn in high school and what they are expected to know when they get into a university music program. Taking out what is left of the musical element portion of the music program would just set students back farther than they already were.
What interested me about this article is that even though taking away the elements of music would not benefit the students, giving students the opportunity to explore music on their own could be a great learning experience for them. Instead of forcing students to stick to a specific curriculum, they get to explore music in a way that they enjoy, and they can learn music that they appreciate. The students could analyze music in a non-technical way that could make them more passionate about music that they like, not just classical music that most young people do not fancy listening to. This type of learning could also attract more students to the program that do not want to learn the technical portions of the music. Therefore, there is a positive to Leslie Stewart Rose and June Countryman’s way of thinking.
One thing I would like to ask the authors is, if the curriculum becomes less structured, how would teachers mark work, or even, what work could teachers give out to the students to test their knowledge on analyzing music with no technical components to it? If there are no set “rules” to how the students need to be looking at pieces of music, there is no way to fairly give out marks or grades. Also, how are high school students learning from this particular curriculum supposed to learn the technical portion of music that they need to know for university music programs if they aren’t learning it in school?
There are many flaws in this curriculum that Rose and Countryman have not through. It would become very difficult to teach students the particular curriculum they have in mind, especially students that have a specific learning style and analyzing music with no technical components would make it difficult for them to understand. So to conclude, I do not agree with Leslie Stewart Rose and June Countryman’s view on changing the music curriculum.
Rose, L. S., & Countryman, J. (2013). Repositioning 'the elements': How students talk about music. Action, Criticism, and Theory for Music Education 12(3):45 - 64.
UConn Response 09/26
The Types of Learning
Formal learning is categorized as a learning environment with a structured learning plan, and a designated teacher for the classroom or a specific subject. Formal learning consists of a prepared teacher with the right materials to teach a class on the subjects they need to learn. I would bring this type of learning into my own classroom by having powerpoints, handouts and a proper lesson plan written out so my students will learn the material that is required in the curriculum.
Informal learning would be the opposite of formal learning, where there is no designated teacher to a classroom to teach a subject. The students would learn the course materials on their own with no assistance from a teacher. I will bring this type of learning into my future classroom by presenting a concept but allowing the students to explore the material on their own so they can understand the best type of learning for them.
Non-formal learning would be a learning environment with no specific curriculum set to the class, so the students learn concepts that are not particularly of value or importance to them. However, there would be a teacher in the classroom to teach, it just would not be the teaching of the proper course material. I would bring this type of learning into my classroom by teaching students important lessons in life that may not relate to the course material that is required in the curriculum.
Ukulele Workshop Reflection
This workshop taught me some very excellent tips for me to use in my future classroom. The way the workshop was set up was an effective set up to keep students entertained and engaged. Speaking to students than giving them a task to get them moving and interacting is more impactful than having a teacher stand at the front and speak the entirety of the class time. As an anxious person with ADD, it is difficult to sit still for long periods of time. Switching up the teaching style and activity kept me focused and harder to get distracted. When Mr. Kuse suggested placing the ukulele on your lap, strings down, so the students would be less likely to fidget with the strings, I found it a very helpful tactic, and even withheld me from fidgeting, too.
Having websites or other sources prepared to assist the students with the task they are being given is very smart. Not all students have the creative aspects to sit down and write a song with just a ukulele. Having sources that can assist a student is what a prepared teacher would do. When I become a teacher I will consistently have sources that assist the students with completing their tasks.
Popular Music and Modern Band Principles Response
Private Teaching
There are many benefits and downfalls of private teaching, both for the student and the teacher. One-on-one teaching can be beneficial because it gives the opportunity to hone in on specific issues students are having and work together on fixing the issue, and even present the opportunity for the teacher to demonstrate how it should be done or what it is supposed to sound like. All the focus is put on the one student so the student does not have to fight for attention in order to get the help they need, unlike in a classroom or a masterclass. However, all this attention could make the student feel stressed and anxious because all the teacher's focus is put on them, and the student would feel pressured to do well. This way of teaching can be difficult for the teacher because they may not have the proper training in that specific area and they teach the student the wrong way to play, which is not beneficial to the student. Creating a lesson plan is difficult as a private teacher because one aspect that needs work one week could be fixed by the next week, or it may be just as bad, depending on how much and the quality of the practice the student did throughout the week.
When playing for their teachers, or even after hearing how the teacher plays, can cause anxiety in the student because they want to impress their teacher, or achieve the sound their teacher has. This can stress the student out trying to achieve the experience the teacher has. "Imitation can be viewed more positively. Its significance is contingent on what is being learned, and it may be useful and even indispensable, for example, in the acquisition of complex technical skills", says the authors of Isolation in studio music teaching: The secret garden. While trying to imitate the teacher can be a cause for stress, it can also be beneficial to the student because they can strive to reach a proper sound or posture.
Students taking private lessons can become isolated from other opportunities, such as hearing other students that are at a similar stage with their instrument. They also miss out on the opportunity to perform for others strictly playing for their teacher. They could become overwhelmed if they do not have the chance to become comfortable with playing in front of other people, and once they do have to perform for people and potentially cause them to get stage fright or perform under their potential.
Personally, I believe private teaching is very beneficial to everyone, but I believe students should also be apart of a masterclass specific to their instrument so they can become well-rounded with their playing and performing. This way, students can have specific constructive criticism on their playing, but also have the chance to perform in a safe place and listen to others play the same instrument.
Burwell, K., Carey, G., & Bennett, D. (2019). Isolation in studio music teaching: The secret garden. Arts and Humanities in Higher Education, 18(4), 372-394. doi:10.1177/1474022217736581
UConn Response #2
Convergence in Music Classrooms
Reading the E.S. Tobias article on different ways for students to get involved with music within a classroom has opened my eye to different ways students can get involved with music. Outside of school, students listen to music, dance to it, use it to concentrate, sing along with, and even create their own.
As a music educator, it is their duty to make sure the students are legally allowed to remix music or cover it. If there is not an agreement on the students using songs within their classrooms, then there could be some legal issues that could get the school or school board in trouble. It is also the music educators role to ensure students have many instruments and tools available to them so they can complete the activity to the best of their ability. If there is a lack of resources available to the students they may not get the full experience they can get.
Modifiying or restructoring ensembles can give students a new experience they may not have if contemporary musical practices are not introduced. To bring this new aspect into ensembles, the students can work together on a selected piece and create modifications to it (with consent, of course) that can make the piece more interesting to those who are not very fond of classical music. They can also put a spin on a modern piece of music, so it is not the same song that is heard on the radio. Instead, it could be turned into a medley or remix. Conductors or teachers could also select pieces of music that are not strictly classical, and choose modern music that more people within a school would be familiar with. This would engage the students more because then they would be playing music they know and appreciate.
Influential Teacher Interview Synopsis
Over reading week, I took the opportunity to go back to my old high school and visit my music teacher, Mrs. Bosco. She had a motivational influence on me that wanted me to become a music teacher. Some of her influence was from how caring she is towards her students, but her teaching style could be a bit too laid back. It almost seemed like she cared more about chatting with her coworkers than teaching a class. From watching her teach music classes for three years and spending a semester being her peer assistant, I have decided I want to become a music teacher so I can give students a better learning experience than what I had. I do not want my future students to feel unimportant like I, and many other students, felt within that classroom.
While interviewing my teacher, I learned she has good intentions with all of her students and that she really did enjoy teaching. While sometimes the way she spoke to students was questionable, I did see that she loved all of her students, even the ones who gave her the most trouble. While teaching children can be fun and exciting, they can always teach you something new. To Mrs. Bosco, the students she teaches remind her that there is more to life than just working; that working can even be fun. While teaching and playing music with students can be a lot of fun, she is also reminded by her students that she can always be better and become a better role model for everyone around her. When I become a teacher I would like to have this same mindset. There is always time to have fun with your students and make them feel as comfortable as possible so they enjoy their class, but there is always a time where I can be a great role model for each of my students, and they feel safe enough to confide in me if they need any help.
Music is Mrs. Bosco’s passion. She studied music Western University, starting with trumpet then switching to voice. She has always been heavily involved in all types of musical productions, and still is involved in musical productions outside of school. Within the school, Mrs. Bosco runs the Jazz Band, and this year has taken on Senior and Junior Concert Band due to the other music teacher being on maternity leave, and is always head of the musicals and concerts that the school puts on. She encourages every student with even just a little bit of musical talent to get involved with band or the theatrical performances the school does. When it comes to extracurricular activities, Mrs. Bosco finds its just as rewarding, sometimes more, as teaching a classroom full of students about music. It gives her the opportunity to take on more responsibility and gain better organizational skills. I believe as a teacher one should take on many responsibilities, not just within the classroom, but also with extracurricular activities within the school, and even outside the school can be beneficial to teachers. It gives them the opportunity to have different experiences to teach them about being a role model, or they can learn different ways of teaching that they can apply in their classrooms.
One of the questions I chose to ask Mrs. Bosco was why she chose the profession she did. She chose to become a music teacher because she loves music, and she wanted to share the musical talent she developed through her life and in school. Being a teacher gives her a purpose, she gets to share the magic of music with others and help shape young minds. When I asked why she did not go into any other aspect of music, she said she would have liked to go into performance, however it is not as reliable as becoming a teacher. Teachers have contracts so they are guaranteed a job for a certain amount of time, whereas performing as a career is not guaranteed to make enough money to support herself and her future family. She figured it would be safer to go into teaching and have a dedicated job that she would enjoy and make a good amount of money. However, Mrs. Bosco still takes every chance she can get to be a part of musicals, concerts, bands, and lead pit bands in musicals. This way, she has the commitment to her job and still gets to enjoy being a part of musical productions and perform.
Every teacher has different experiences before they begin in a school. When Mrs. Bosco became a teacher, she says she felt she had the resources and desire to be a teacher, but she did not have the experience needed to be a great teacher. When she came out of school she felt she was not as mature as she should be to run her own classroom. I then followed up with asking her is she felt she was prepared to teach, and she said she believes she feels prepared to teach a classroom. Over the years that she has been teaching, she learned what is right and wrong in a classroom, the best way to handle students who act out and do not listen, and students who have different learning styles. While Mrs. Bosco has become accustomed to teaching, there are always changes to the curriculum that teachers need to get accustomed to. That is one of the biggest adjustments she faces, but other than changing around the curriculum she feels more secure being at the front of the classroom teaching students.
As a teacher, I believe the biggest struggle is discovering the best way to teach students that have different learning styles. When Mrs. Bosco has a student that has a different way of learning she sits down with the student and has a conversation with them to get to know them better. From conversations with students and observing what sections they get better marks on, she finds the best ways to teach students so they will always be successful. Being aware of diversity within a classroom is the best thing a teacher can do for their students. If a teacher always teaches lessons or instruments in the same way, then not every student will get the most out of the lessons. It also makes students feel included when a teacher takes their learning styles into consideration when they are teaching. If a student has special needs and a teacher is considerate of their learning needs, but does not point out that they are different from every other student, it can make the school a happier place and a better learning environment. Ensuring students have a positive learning experience should be a teacher’s top priority, and by being aware of students learning differences is a strong contender in keeping students interested in learning.
Through interviewing my high school music teacher, I have discovered the way a teacher should think when they are planning a lesson. I have also learned that no matter what your hobby is or what your passion is, you can have a career in it, or have a career you enjoy and still participate in activities that they enjoy. After I got to see how a teacher thinks, I am even more excited to become a teacher and positively impact students lives with the wonders of music.
UConn Response #3