Module 8 - Improving a Social Problem

Dr. Hoffer’s article presents a very troubling matter in American society.  The issue of pregnancy to un-wed mothers is something that is a major part of American society, particularly in low-socioeconomic communities.  The lack of a solid male role model is a major issue because children are missing the stability of a two-parent household and not gaining the values necessary to have a stable and successful life.  Schools and music teachers can help the situation through education.  As has been said for years, education is what is needed to be successful in life.  Schools can develop mentoring programs for at-risk youth to help curb the effects of living in a less than ideal situation.  While the article focuses on high school, I believe it is imperative that this type of program be implemented to youth while still in middle school.  As I teach middle school in a low-SES area, I see the effects of single parent households.  A male teacher has established a mentoring program for troubled boys to help guide them into making the best decisions possible.  Coping skills and study skills are some of the topics being covered in this situation.  The boys also actively participate in intramural sports programs and volunteer regularly at a homeless shelter.  By providing a mentoring program and more extra-curricular activities for the students, it gives them the opportunity to be successful in something positive.  Music teachers are able to do this through additional ensembles or performances for students.  Non-traditional performing ensembles can give students an outlet if they do not participate in a traditional ensemble.  By learning how to work together, students are developing social skills that will be translated into life lessons.  Belonging is an essential part of life and is why many kids get involved in gangs.  An organized ensemble can provide an outlet of organization for the students.

In regards to what communities can do, I believe the same ideas of providing opportunities for the youth to be involved is essential.  Communities can work with local churches to provide programs, especially during the summer, for students to participate.  Organized activities that promote teamwork and cooperation are essential.  In addition, communities can develop mentoring programs for at-risk youth.  This can be beneficial because it gives youth the exposure to positive role models outside of the school setting.  A student could be paired with a local businessman, firefighter, or any other volunteer.  This could be a possibility for possible career interest for the youth outside of a teacher or counselor telling them to be the best they can be.  For those youth that are in a situation where they are young parents, communities can offer parenting programs and other resources for them to continue their education and care for their child.

Module 8 - Course Application

Throughout this course, many different ideas, concepts, and philosophies have been covered in relation to teaching music.  Each of these ideas effect my teaching on a daily basis, some being new to me since beginning this class.  This knowledge has helped me to gain a better understanding of teaching music and how I should approach teaching every day.

While I do have a specific way I like to organize my classroom and teaching, I have realized that the four teaching philosophies have influenced what I do.  I have taken strategies from teachers I have learned from, just realizing during this course that I fit into the empiricist philosophy.  Now that I can see exactly what types of things that empirical thought provides I can better structure my teaching based on the principals of the philosophy.  I believe that my teaching style is that of the realistic empiricist.  I believe in an orderly classroom and tend to be the deciding factor on what is being taught or informing students on where to find the information.  I am interested in evaluating the results of the instruction but I am more interested in how the students are acquiring a particular skill.  With that being said, the way I go about aesthetic experiences in my classroom are very structured.  While I do not hope to have the same result for every student, I do provide the material for the aesthetic experience.  This class has given me the reasoning behind incorporating the aesthetic experience into the classroom.  I believe it is important to provide students the opportunity to have aesthetic experiences, as this is a facet of life that cannot be replicated in another class. 

Understanding how students learn and how society affects learning is an important part of teaching.  While all students learn, all students do not learn in the same manner.  Socio-economic status can affect the educational process, and many times, resources are limited in areas of low-SES.  This can provide challenges for teachers in this environment.  As I currently teach in this situation, I can understand the daily struggles that many students have.  Resources are limited and families may or may not be supportive of the educational process.  Understanding the struggles and being able to overcome them as a teacher is the key to helping students.  In addition, the process by which a teacher goes about teaching is essential for the success of students.  Many different approaches may need to be had in order for all students to succeed.  What works for one student may not work for another.  The psychological approach for teachers is an important balance to the education system for the students learning of material and social and life skills.

The history of music education is an important facet of my own teaching.  Having only previously heard of Lowell Mason and other early music educators, reading about the beginnings of the educational process has helped me to better understand today’s approach to music education.  Just like in any other area of life, understanding the past is the key to be successful in the future.  While the beginnings of music education were based strictly on performance, today’s music education is organized into concepts with performance being a means to learn the concepts.  Also, in the beginnings it was only available to people who could afford it, today’s music education is provided for all students and not based on socio-economic status.  It is important to understand the history of educational reforms.  While things change over the years, history does tend to repeat itself.  As an advocate for music education, it is imperative that I understand the historical significance of music education to better serve my students and society.

Module 7 - Musical Concepts

Being a music teacher, there are many concepts that I would like my students to acquire more fully.  In my fifth grade general music class, there are four specific concepts that I would like my students to acquire more fully by the end of the school year.

Firstly, students will be able to identify note names on the treble and bass clef staves.  By presenting students with saying to help remember the letter names or using alphabetical order and using reference points, students will be able to learn the correct placement of letter names for each clef.  Working as a class using diagrams, SmartBoard, and worksheets are helpful.  Students will work in pairs or small groups to complete materials.  Access in the computer lab will be given for students to play musicracer.com to see if they truly know the letter names.  This game is a fun way to test their knowledge.

Secondly, students will be able to identify and describe the characteristics of the instrument families of the band and orchestra.  Readings, videos, and an instrument "petting zoo" will be utilized to help students understand the similarities and differences between the instrument families.  Sound production and other characteristics will be the focus to help students understand.  Also, many listening examples will be included as well as Disney's "Peter and the Wolf" to help students identify visually and aurally with the instruments.

Next, students will be able to identify dynamic terms.  Listening examples will be provided to help students identify the difference between forte (f), mezzo forte (mf), piano (p), and pianissimo (pp).  Actual written examples will be provided to encourage the students to perform the basic rhythms with the correct dynamics.

Lastly, students will be able to describe music using musical terms.  Different listening examples will be provided to the students while they complete a listening log.  Students will build on their previously learned knowledge regarding musical concepts and describe the music being heard.  Dynamics, instrumentation, timbre, and other factors are all included in this activity.  Students will also be able to explain why these factors are influencing what they are hearing.  In addition, students will describe why they like or do not like the music being performed while using appropriate vocabulary.

Module 7 - Behavioral Objectives

1.  Given two aural examples, one with a steady beat and one without, the student indicates which example has the steady beat.

This objective can be assessed in a behavioral way by the student hearing both examples, and dictating which example has the steady beat.  It can be as simple as the student completing an exit slip during the last two minutes of class.

2.  Given two aural examples, one containing first seven notes of the diatonic scale, the other containing all eight notes, the student indicates the eight note scale as having a greater sense of finality.

This objective can be assessed in a behavioral way by the student listening to both examples.  The student will then need to explain whether the seven note or eight note scale seemed to end.  They will need to complete this in a few sentences on a sheet of paper.  This could also be done as a class discussion so that all students can understand why the eight note scale has a greater sense of finality.

3.  Given a list of period characteristics including at least four of the Classical period, the student indicates two of the four as describing the Classical period.

This objective can be assessed in a behavioral way by the student looking at the characteristics listed.  The student will write a 3-5 sentence paragraph summarizing the Classical period and include at least two characteristics from the list in the description.

4.  Given a performance of a familiar melody, the student improvises a rhythm accompaniment to it, maintaining the meter and tempo, but creating a rhythm pattern different from the melodic rhythm.

This objective can be assessed in a behavioral way by the student using technology.  A familiar melody will be loaded into SmartMusic and students will record themselves performing a variation on the melody.  This recording will then be sent to the teacher for assessment.

Module 7 - Beethoven

BEHAVIORIST/STIMULUS
This type of learning describes a bond between a stimulus and a response.  In Beethoven's "Pathetique" Sonata, it relies on a very mature musician to perform it appropriately.  To teach this piece of music to a student would be to evoke an emotion.  Knowing the correct notes and rhythms are essential, but playing in the correct style to evoke emotion is essential.  Listening to recordings and then following along with the sheet music to see how the performer portrays the piece is essential.  By listening to the piece, an emotion in the person will emerge and the person will learn to associate that emotion to the piece of music while performing it.  This will then be associated with the tempo and style markings of the piece for later use.

COGNITIVIST/GESTALT
This type of learning focuses on the nervous system being a data processing and data storage mechanism.  Information is categorized by topic in the mind and filed in concepts and subconcepts.  Beethoven's "Pathetique" requires a lot of processing to perform it appropriately.  The concepts of note and rhythm reading are essential.  The mind must find the information and process how to count and subdivide the rhythms.  After learning the correct notes and rhythms, the mind must go to the next concept of phrasing.  After phrasing would be the concept of dynamics to add, and ultimately emotion.  Each step is essential to the successful learning of the piece.  Our mind will need to access previous knowledge which is stored by concept in the mind.

Module 6 - Creativity

1.  In a fifth grade general music class, students will create a small group of 3-4 students by choice.  They will be given access to a variety of percussion instruments as well as band instruments if they have them.  Students will have three days in class to create a composition.  The composition will need a melody, accompaniment, and a range of dynamics.  These concepts will have been covered in previous classes for thorough understanding.  Students will perform their composition for the class on the third day.

2.  Students in jazz band will participate in an improvisation lesson using a basic blues chart in the Standard of Excellence Jazz Series. Students will go through the exercises leading up to the end of the unit of instruction.  These exercises give the students ideas and tips on how to improvise melodies.  The end of the unit exercise will provide the ensemble the opportunity to play the head of the chart and then take turns improvising in the solo section.  The students will take a chorus each and then move onto trading eights or fours for a quicker thought-process.

3.  Students in a seventh grade general music class will complete a technology-based composition assignment using Garage Band.  Students will use the loops and sounds provided in Garage Band to compose a song.  The song will need to be two minutes in length.  The students are free to use whatever sounds they wish, but the composition must represent a story.  The students will provide a written reflection of their composition to accompany their sound file.  This will help the listener (and student) be sure that they can fully follow the mood and picture created by the music.

4.  Students in an eighth grade general music class will complete a technology-based compositional review of a piece of music.  Using Audacity, students will import a sound clip of piece of music from a specific period in musical history.  The sound clip will need to be five minutes in length.  The student will create an audio track to be layered in on top of the composition that explains how the different aspects of the music create different ideas or pictures.  The student will relate to things such as instrumentation, dynamics, style, tempo, etc.  This compositional review will help them to understand how to listen to music closely.  The project will be turned in for grading at the conclusion of the assignment.

5.  Students in a middle school band class will complete a concert review of a professional ensemble.  Students will have a worksheet that asks specific questions about the music being performed.  Students will need to document the name of the piece, composer, and other aspects.  This review will be done using YouTube videos so that students have a visual representation.  The idea is that students will be listening closely to how instrumentation, timbre, dynamics, tempo, and other musical concepts influence the performance.  Students will also describe how the music makes them feel and what makes them feel that way.  They will also be asked to describe how the musical concepts influenced their thoughts.  This will help students understand how to listen to music closely.

Module 6 - Conformity

Conformity is something that can be put to good use in developing a successful middle school band program.  Middle school children considered adolescents and are easily influenced by what is around them.  It is a time when students are very much aware of what other people think and how they act.  Conformity can have negative effects on students, but it can also provide an environment for students to be successful.

A sense of pride and belonging is something that is of utmost importance in an organized ensemble.  Creating this sense of belonging is something that the director and an elected student leadership team can develop.  My creating an elected student leadership team, the students claim a sense of ownership to the ensemble and have a vested interest in it.  The leadership team can meet with the director on a weekly basis to discuss activities such as spirit days or t-shirt designs to promote a sense of belonging to the ensemble.  They can also create guidelines for the band room to help all students have a sense of ownership to the program.

Performing for the student population and community can also create a sense of conformity.  Students are performing together and sharing their sense of accomplishment with their peers and with potential supporters of the school and program.  If students feel appreciated, they have a sense of purpose and can appeal to a larger crowd.  This can help recruit students into the program and build upon the foundation that has been set.  In addition, field trips to hear other ensembles can be very beneficial.

Students can easily travel to the local high school and perform in a rehearsal or football game.  This gives the students an opportunity to see where they will be in a few short years.  The music that is chosen for this type of rehearsal or performance is pivotal in appealing to the students.  Involving students in the process of choosing music would also be beneficial.  While playing pop songs would not be completely appropriate all the time, it can be done from time to time as a fun addition to serious literature or put in a recruiting concert for younger students.  Bringing students to a local concert to observe is also a great way for students to be exposed to the ensembles at the next level and see what is available to them.

Activities outside of the band room are also an important aspect of conformity.  Music boosters can assist in this type of activity, but things such as fun field trips to amusement parks, roller skating rinks, or even movie/junk food parties at school can add to the sense of belonging in a band program.  If the students are learning a sense of loyalty, hard work, and belonging then these skills will more than likely transfer into their performance and other areas of life.  These life lessons will help to produce productive members of society as well as supporters of the arts.

Module 5 - SES

The district where I currently teach is very poor.  It is a Title I school district with low socioeconomic factors.  While there are some wealthy families that feed into the district, there is an 87% free/reduced lunch rate and a 35% mobility rate.  The school district is a smaller K-8 district in the suburbs of Chicago that services about 130 kids per grade level.  Many students come from single parent households with minimal education.  There are also a number of apartment buildings and rental houses within the school district.  Students seem to be constantly moving which accounts for the 35% mobility rate.  There are also a number of foster kids within our district.  The vast majority of the students come rough neighborhoods in Chicago or other surrounding suburbs with higher violent crime rates.  The racial breakdown of the district is 80% black, 17% Hispanic, and 3% other.  Religion seems to play a big role in a lot of the students’ lives.  Christianity is the main religion represented but there is a growing number of Jehovah’s Witnesses.

Keeping all of these factors in mind, programming music can be a challenge.  With students moving in and out of the district throughout the year, I am careful not to program music that is dependent on one person.  I am also very diligent about the racial make-up of the student population.  With a lot of African immigrants making up the black population, I try to program a Kwanzaa piece for the winter concert as well as some type of Latin-influenced piece.  I am careful about the balance of sacred and secular music that I program because of the Jehovah’s Witnesses that cannot perform it.  This becomes rather difficult at the winter concert, however, because they cannot perform anything religious, patriotic, or holiday-themed.  There does come a point where alternative assignments need to be given because the student cannot participate.

When teaching a new piece of music, I always include background information about the composer, the piece of music, and the time period in which it was written.  If applicable, I also discuss what holiday, celebration, or other historical information may prove pertinent to the students performing it in the correct manner.  It is important that the students know how to perform the piece in the correct context.  With that being said, YouTube has become a wonderful resource to access recordings of music.  If a piece of music is based on a folk song, I can easily find a recording of the original folk song and then the arrangement we are doing.  Students can compare and contrast different aspects of the piece and then include them in their own performance.  Public performances are done in the winter and spring with other in-school performances for the student-body.  The inclusion of in-school performances allows for students who do not participate in band to be exposed to a musical experience they would not otherwise be exposed to.