The reading for chapter three engaged me instantly this week. Notation and literacy are at the very core of my philosophy as a teacher. I have frequently used words very much like those used by the author "Just as someone wouldn't be considered literate in language unless he or she could read or write, these music educators believe the same is true for musical literacy. (p. 59)" I truly believe that the greatest gift I can give my students is the ability to actually read and be functionally musically literate. Whether or not they choose to pursue music as a vocation, music can be an activity that they can enjoy for a lifetime. I need no convincing that literacy is my approach. Instead, I'm going to reflect on and explore the pedagogical philosophy of allowing students to compose without notation.
Composition without notation is identified as being attractive and interesting to students who have not otherwise engaged in school music programs, but who enjoy music. If I understand correctly, this compositional pedagogy uses non-notational exploration as a "hook" to give a students the opportunity to engage in music. Once students are exploring and creating, teachers can begin work to expand their musical knowledge.
The use of "graphically oriented software" seems to be the most logical choice for a technological exploration of non-notational composition. As Bryan is a Mac district, GarageBand is the most readily available software option available to me. I like that it can be used on a basic level with younger students, but can be explored in more rich, complex, and expressive ways as students grow and mature. The author acknowledges that this may lead to "tool-driven" composition that may become "more sophisticated and of higher quality than would be possible if everything had to be notated. (p. 65)" If the goal is to help students become facile with sound, this may not be an inherently negative thing.
I very much like the idea of encouraging students to "think in sound. (p. 65)" Audiation is essential to composition, performance, arranging, and improvisation. Does "thinking in sound" using software have a greater benefit that listening to excellent music? I honestly have no idea. Might exploration aurally and through manipulation enhance one's ability to do so? Quite possibly.
Does anyone in this class use GarageBand or a similar program to teach composition or arranging in a non-notational manner? Have you found that it helps or hinders a student's ability to read music? If in your experience has been that it helps, it may be time to revise my philosophy (at least as it pertains to teaching composition and notation to students).
Friday, March 27, 2015
Friday, March 20, 2015
Fantasia on Tackling the "Elephant in the Choir Room"
Many music educators (myself included) are very quick to discuss and explain the "academic nature" of this profession. As music educators, we often encounter individuals who do not understand the process of music education, focusing only on the end product of countless hours in rehearsal. In the past six years, my discussions with those individuals have focused on the importance of music education for its own sake, because of its many evidenced extramusical benefits, its positive impact on both standardized test scores as well as other academic areas, its and many other benefits. Oftentimes, I am quick to mention that music teachers have academic content standards (on both the state and national level). How many of my ensemble teacher colleagues are guilty of failing to address the standards that relate to composition and improvisation? I am.
National standards have existed that address both composition and improvisation since 1994. For more that twenty years, the National Association for Music Education (formerly known as the MENC) has recognized these two skills as essential). NAfME recognized these two skills so important, they each stood as an individual standard (among nine total). William Bauer addresses my primary problem in implementing them in the classroom. "Some teachers, however, have found these creativity standards challenging to implement since their personal background in improvisation or composition was not strong. Many music educators have also been uncertain about the pedagogy for effectively helping students learn to improvise and compose. (Bauer, p. 46)" My primary and secondary school experience with composition and improvisation was nonexistent. My undergraduate training in composition and arranging was too advanced to develop a pedagogy for teaching composition to my middle and high school students. Even in college, I received literally no training in improvisation.
I've used much of the technology addressed in the chapter. I'm excited to explore the pedagogical implications of this software through the lens this chapter presents. Looking various activities that make-up improvisation, my choirs already engage in some of these activities as part of their regular rehearsal process. They regularly "echo rhythm[ic] and tonal patterns... and occasionally... perform familiar melodies and harmonies by ear (Bauer, p. 47)." As I posted a few days back, I believe that one excellent technological resource I can use to assist students with improvisation is Noteflight. It would be easy to create and share a repeating blues progression for students to improvise along with using this web application.
Improvisation begins with audiation and is contingent upon the creation of a safe classroom environment. Kids should be aurally exposed to excellent performances and common pitch/rhythmic combinations. This aural exposure gives them different aural tools they can use while improvising. Students need to be comfortable making music to improvise. The instrument (whether voice, cello, saxophone, percussion, iPad drum pad, Android piano app) can vary. In the end, however, each student must be willing to take risks. Without mistakes, the pursuit of excellence rings hollow.
How do you teach creativity? "Individuals who consistently produce creative works do not just sit around waiting for inspirational ideas to suddenly appear (Bauer, p. 48)." Simply put: they create! Have your students create music daily. Some days, the compositions your students create may be uninspired and forced. Other days, they will be brilliant. Creativity is a learned skill. Develop specific guidelines for student composition to teach specific skills. As their skill and comfort in compositional techniques and improvisational facility improve, broaden your guidelines.
National standards have existed that address both composition and improvisation since 1994. For more that twenty years, the National Association for Music Education (formerly known as the MENC) has recognized these two skills as essential). NAfME recognized these two skills so important, they each stood as an individual standard (among nine total). William Bauer addresses my primary problem in implementing them in the classroom. "Some teachers, however, have found these creativity standards challenging to implement since their personal background in improvisation or composition was not strong. Many music educators have also been uncertain about the pedagogy for effectively helping students learn to improvise and compose. (Bauer, p. 46)" My primary and secondary school experience with composition and improvisation was nonexistent. My undergraduate training in composition and arranging was too advanced to develop a pedagogy for teaching composition to my middle and high school students. Even in college, I received literally no training in improvisation.
I've used much of the technology addressed in the chapter. I'm excited to explore the pedagogical implications of this software through the lens this chapter presents. Looking various activities that make-up improvisation, my choirs already engage in some of these activities as part of their regular rehearsal process. They regularly "echo rhythm[ic] and tonal patterns... and occasionally... perform familiar melodies and harmonies by ear (Bauer, p. 47)." As I posted a few days back, I believe that one excellent technological resource I can use to assist students with improvisation is Noteflight. It would be easy to create and share a repeating blues progression for students to improvise along with using this web application.
Improvisation begins with audiation and is contingent upon the creation of a safe classroom environment. Kids should be aurally exposed to excellent performances and common pitch/rhythmic combinations. This aural exposure gives them different aural tools they can use while improvising. Students need to be comfortable making music to improvise. The instrument (whether voice, cello, saxophone, percussion, iPad drum pad, Android piano app) can vary. In the end, however, each student must be willing to take risks. Without mistakes, the pursuit of excellence rings hollow.
How do you teach creativity? "Individuals who consistently produce creative works do not just sit around waiting for inspirational ideas to suddenly appear (Bauer, p. 48)." Simply put: they create! Have your students create music daily. Some days, the compositions your students create may be uninspired and forced. Other days, they will be brilliant. Creativity is a learned skill. Develop specific guidelines for student composition to teach specific skills. As their skill and comfort in compositional techniques and improvisational facility improve, broaden your guidelines.
Tuesday, March 17, 2015
Noteflight: "A Bicycle Built for Two" and Brief Review
This is A Bicycle Built for Two, notated and embedded in this blog using the free version of an online-based music creation and editing software called Noteflight. This editing web application has a free version that students can explore, is incredibly flexible and feature-rich (especially considering the base price), and has a number of potential educational uses. Depending on the size of the school, the cost to implement this software is relatively small (as little as $.78 per student per year). It requires no installation or setup, only a computer with access to the internet. It supports MIDI input when using any "full" or "pay" version of the software. It could easily be used to facilitate lessons in music notation (as it forces students not to exceed the rhythmic constraints of a measure), collaborative music making (as it allows for sharing and group projects), and encourage improvisation (students could improvise with a teacher-created file in a practice room or at home). I will be introducing this software to our Music Theory teacher at the high school, and will look for ways I can utilize it with my sixth grade general music students for composition.
Friday, March 13, 2015
"A Technology Integration Gap" Indeed!
"While... teachers indicated that their general level of
comfort with technology was high, their expressed efficacy with music-specific
technologies was more moderate." (Bauer, p. 13)
Examining the statistics shared by Bauer, I was surprised to see the how few music teachers use the computer for their own productivity. The highest response for any demonstrated activity was 21% (burning CDs). This was shocking, that is, until I realized that I don't utilize technology in my classroom in most of those ways. I have done all of the things mentioned (writing and arranging, creating with a sequencer, recording live performances, burning CDs, accompaniment, and digital presentations), but none of them are used regularly.
Bauer identifies that “being able to use technology effectively requires not only an understanding of technology itself, but also of effective pedagogical approaches for utilizing that technology in a particular content area (p. 16).” I understand how the aforementioned technologies can be used, but I fail to see how some of them can be effectively be integrated into my classroom. Many of my colleagues regularly use recordings as a teaching tool, recording their ensembles and playing portions of the recordings back to their students. This process usually serves to demonstrate a musical concept that was well executed or show that a passage needs further refinement. This is one technology that I need to practice implementing. It could be of great use to my students. I do not have much need to write (except for sight-reading exercises), arrange, or sequence music for classroom use at this time.
It is my hope that as the depth and breadth of my experience with some of these technologies increases, and my “Technological Content Knowledge (Bauer, p. 18) grows, so will my knowledge of how these technologies can be effectively utilized in my teaching. I look forward to developing my TPACK, and realizing how the dynamic relationship between technical, pedagogical, and content knowledge can affect my teaching and have a positive effect on my students!
I am a
more than proficient digital user. As a child of the late 1980's, I
remember first using a personal computer as a first grade student. Family
access to a computer, however, was not readily available until I was in the
fifth grade. I have strong memories of utilizing an old electric
typewriter to type reports and essays (including the maddening process of using
the backspace key in conjunction with typewriter correction paper to fix typing
errors). Since then, I have built computers, followed closely the
continued development of technology, worked on the summer technology team for a
former employer, recorded student performances, worked with Android and
iOS-powered devices, composed and arranged music using Finale, and become a
"techie" in my professional and personal circles. My comfort
with technology is great. My efficacy in the educational deployment of
that technology, most specifically the utilization of music technologies in
classroom instruction, is lacking.
Examining the statistics shared by Bauer, I was surprised to see the how few music teachers use the computer for their own productivity. The highest response for any demonstrated activity was 21% (burning CDs). This was shocking, that is, until I realized that I don't utilize technology in my classroom in most of those ways. I have done all of the things mentioned (writing and arranging, creating with a sequencer, recording live performances, burning CDs, accompaniment, and digital presentations), but none of them are used regularly.
Bauer identifies that “being able to use technology effectively requires not only an understanding of technology itself, but also of effective pedagogical approaches for utilizing that technology in a particular content area (p. 16).” I understand how the aforementioned technologies can be used, but I fail to see how some of them can be effectively be integrated into my classroom. Many of my colleagues regularly use recordings as a teaching tool, recording their ensembles and playing portions of the recordings back to their students. This process usually serves to demonstrate a musical concept that was well executed or show that a passage needs further refinement. This is one technology that I need to practice implementing. It could be of great use to my students. I do not have much need to write (except for sight-reading exercises), arrange, or sequence music for classroom use at this time.
It is my hope that as the depth and breadth of my experience with some of these technologies increases, and my “Technological Content Knowledge (Bauer, p. 18) grows, so will my knowledge of how these technologies can be effectively utilized in my teaching. I look forward to developing my TPACK, and realizing how the dynamic relationship between technical, pedagogical, and content knowledge can affect my teaching and have a positive effect on my students!
Sunday, March 8, 2015
Introduction
I've started this blog as part of a Master's Degree program I'm currently working on. What form it will eventually become - I do not know!
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