Audition Lesson: Round 2

From giving my own lesson and pretending to be a student during others people’s activities, I have learned that the most successful lessons are one in which students create, respond to, or perform music. If students are given the opportunity to participate in one of these ways, they remain focused, enjoy class time, and remember the concepts presented. Making these personal connections to the lesson helps students incorporate the new information into their schema. Completing these assignments have given me a better understanding of the theory behind the 2014 National Standards for Music Education and their organization into three main categories: creating, responding and performing.

Successful lessons are also extremely well thought-out and focused. It takes time and practice to figure out the clearest way to present new information and instructions to students. Premeditation about specific word choice is very helpful for me at this early stage in teaching. While it is time consuming, I don’t mind practicing exactly what I will say before a lesson because the rehearsing puts me at ease. Hopefully, over time I will improve at thinking on my feet, but for right now rehearsing lessons is a helpful strategy for me.

While these are the two biggest “take-aways” I learned from the audition lesson assignment, here is a list of some of the other helpful, noteworthy observations I made:

1. Mistake #1: I have to be careful of speeding up lessons by thinking and talking too fast. The first time I presented this lesson, I think I spoke at a calm rate and in a clear manner. Unfortunately, I felt myself rushing the second time because both I and the students had seen the information once before. This is something that I have also caught myself doing when I sub for teachers who only have one prep. By the third or fourth time I teach a lesson, I catch myself doing the lesson faster. I have to remind myself to slow down because while this is the fourth time I am teaching the material today, it is the first time this particular class of students has seen the material.

2. Mistake #2: Trying to rush students and fit too much in. I have to keep working on this audition lesson to get it to run smoothly. I really like the three day lesson plan that this excerpt comes from, but the audition lesson still has too much in it. The review portion is taking more time than I would like. In real life, this part of the unit would occur on day three, and the students would have had two days of review and practice with verse-chorus form. I believe the review would go faster in real life as a result. I also realize that my current audition lesson design is still trying to fit a thirty minute activity into a ten minute time slot. I need to continue to refine the audition lesson so that it is fits into ten minutes at a more relaxed pace.

3. Positive Observation #1: As a “student,” I loved when my classmates stated the day’s objectives in student-friendly language near the beginning of the lesson. It got us all on the same page.

4. Positive Observation #2: In my lesson, I tried a blind voting method to poll the students that Professor Schneider suggested.  The students closed their eyes and voted for the correct answer. I got honest responses from them because they didn’t have to save face with their friends. I was surprised to see that almost everyone answered the question incorrectly at first. If I had asked the class without asking them to close their eyes, they probably would have copied the first student or the “smartest” student and gotten the answer right. I would not have gotten an accurate reading of who actually understood the material and who did not.

Ten minute lesson Reflection

Today, I had the opportunity to teach a ten minute audition lesson for my graduate class. The ten minute lesson was an excerpt from a three day unit I created about verse-chorus song form.  

            After piloting my ten minute audition lesson, I believe the unit is an effective way to teach verse-chorus form, but the arrangement activity does not work well for a 10 minute audition. The activity would take actual 8^th grade students closer to fifteen to twenty minutes to create the arrangement and rehearse it. In my actual lesson plan I had written that the creation of the arrangement and practicing would be on Day 2 of the unit, and the actual performances would be on the third day. The students would also have time to grade themselves after the performances. While I like the activity and the entire unit that I created, I do not think that the activity would work well for an audition if it was only ten minutes. I will be keeping the three day lesson plan for the future, but I plan to re-do the ten minute audition activity. I had trouble fitting initiation, development and closure into a ten minute period.   

Creating a Love of Music in our Programs

After watching Broadway or Bust and Blast! I am convinced the best ways to encourage a love of music is to expose students to excellence, and to ask for every student’s best effort so that they too, can experience excellence.

                The miniseries Broadway or Bust follows high school students from their homes across America, to New York City, where they participate in The National High School Musical Theater Awards show and ceremony. The episodes document the students’ week preparing for the performance. We learn that these students have been exposed to great theatrical performances by seeing Broadway musicals, Equity national tour shows, and hearing Broadway soundtrack recordings. The students are inspired by the greatness of these performances and the emotional responses that they trigger. On top of schoolwork, jobs, and other after school activities, many of the young performers participate in high school musicals and take voice, dancing, and acting lessons in the hopes of becoming professional musical theater actors and actresses. Watching this miniseries reminded me of what we are all capable of achieving if we are driven and have strong time management skills.

                Last week, I also watched Blast! with fifth and seventh grade band students. Blast! is a filmed version of a Broadway production. The film is basically a staged version of a drum corp show and features a brass and percussion ensemble and color guard. At first, the fifth graders were a little puzzled by what was going on, but then they realized it was like a marching band, indoors. The positive reactions and enthusiasm I received from the students was so encouraging! They absolutely loved the way the music and dances worked together. Many of them expressed that the dances helped them understand the music. They had so many terrific questions that we actually stopped the video every ten minutes to discuss them together. The students were intrigued after I explained that 7th Regiment is a drum and bugle corp based right down the road in New London, CT that they can audition for in high school.

                When students see the level of excellence that their peers and professional musicians can achieve, and their director expresses that he or she believes in them, they are inspired. Excerpts from films like Broadway or Bust and Blast are great ways to help students realize what they are capable of accomplishing when they put in the time and effort.    

Building an Audience

How do you build an audience? Should you worry about building an audience? 

The answers to these questions change depending upon the age of the students and the size of physical concert space. At all levels, the purpose of concerts is to allow students to share their hard work with family and friends. As students grow older, their skills and therefore their audiences, can grow.  

At the elementary level, the concerts are for the students and their parents. As teachers, we do not need to worry about attracting this audience. They parents will attend simply because their children are playing.

 At the middle school and high school level, bands, choirs and orchestras can gain exposure and serve the community by providing music for sporting events and ceremonies. Middle schoolers will probably only be playing for eighth grade graduations and middle school sporting events, but this is terrific practice for high school. Our middle school recently had a faculty-student basketball game, and ten middle schoolers played the Star Spangled Banner. The small ensemble was nervous, but they sounded wonderful and gained confidence by completing the task. 

High school ensembles often display high levels of musicianship and therefore can serve and create a sense of community. My own high school band and choirs perform at the town tree lighting and parade each December. We also perform patriotic music in the Memorial Day parade each May. Both events are well attended by families and adults without school aged children. The festive music at the tree lighting, and the patriotic music honoring our fallen veterans at the Memorial Day parade are the main attractions. The performances of the high school ensembles create the structure and agenda of the events. If we wanted to attract a larger audience at our concerts each quarter, the tree lighting would be a great time to make announcements and distribute information about the upcoming concerts, since so many people are at the events. 

Unfortunately, some schools are limited by the size of their auditorium. It is often difficult for our high school auditorium to fit all of the parents who attend concerts and award ceremonies. In this situation, the music teacher should not worry about attracting new audience members. 

Other schools are fortunate to have large auditoriums and the ability to put on multiple performances of their concerts. For example, Hall High School holds a Pops and Jazz performance each year. The event is a themed musical review, combining the jazz bands, choir members, and theater department. Pops and Jazz has multiple performances over a weekend. The impressive performance often sells out and attracts audience members of all ages. The people of the town obviously love and support the annual event, and the program brings the community together. 

If a music program has the physical space, attracting community members without school aged children is a worthwhile goal. By publicizing concerts in press releases, at service events such as tree lightnings and parades, and at sports events that the pep band performs at, music departments can grow the size and breadth of their audience.

The Purpose of Fundraising

Should we rely upon parents and fundraisers to be the sole financial support for band, orchestra, jazz and choral programs? Before you answer this question, let me ask another question: Should we rely upon parents and fundraisers to be the sole financial support for mathematics departments?

I think most people in the state of Connecticut, and the United States, would say, "No. Mathematics is a core subject, and as a core subject, it is one of the cornerstones of a well rounded education. We pay taxes to our nation, state, and town so that we may provide the students of our community with a strong and well rounded education. Therefore, the majority of the financial support for mathematics should come from the school budget."

According to the Senate's "Every Child Achieves" Act, and the House of Representatives' "Student Success" Act, a new bill will be composed, designating music as a core subject. By recognizing music as a core subject, lawmakers acknowledge the positive role music plays in the development of students. Since music is a core subject, it should be monetarily supported by the school the way that other core subjects, like mathematics and English, are funded.

So if music programs are entirely funded by the school system, then where does fundraising fit in?
In programs with strong financial support from their districts, fundraising can enable students to offset the cost of personal expenses, like All State Conference fees and music field trips. While educational, exciting, and enriching, field trips are not necessary in any subject area. Since teachers can provide their students with strong educations without the use of field trips, payment for such trips by the school should be welcomed but not required. In districts that decide to make students responsible for field trip expenses, fundraisers help students defray the cost.

Should we rely on parents, fundraisers, and music boosters to fund music programs?

In 2015, the United States Senate passed a bill recognizing music as a core subject. (For more information, please see http://www.nafme.org/senate-passes-every-child-achieves-act-with-music-and-arts-as-core-subjects-in-tact/) If mathematics, the sciences, and language arts are completely financially supported by a school district's budget, then music should be as well. Asking music teachers to fund raise the money needed to purchase new repertoire is like asking a math teacher to fund raise for new math textbooks. Essential supplies, such as piano or keyboard, repertoire, and percussion equipment like timpani and bass drums, should be provided by the school.

Field trips, on the other hand, should be paid for by fundraising and parents. As educational as they may be, field trips are not necessary to the education of students in music or any other subject. Fundraising for field trips, in all subjects, is a great way to teach students about the value of money and personal responsibility.  

Technology and Music Education

Technology such as Quizlet, Musictheory.net and SmartMusic are making it easier for teachers to track the progress of individual students. Previously, a music educator would most likely assess individual progress through playing tests. Done in person, and often with multiple ensembles of fifty students or more, playing tests were near impossible to administer weekly, or even monthly.

Technology offers educators tremendous opportunities for tracking student progress, especially music teachers. The addition of computer labs and laptop carts make it possible for students to study vocabulary and theory on programs like Quizlet and musictheory.net. Once a teacher has taught her students how to practice, SmartMusic reinforces healthy practice habits at home. SmartMusic also allows parents with little music training to understand and monitor exactly what their child should be doing while practicing, such as slowing down tempos and looping. Quizlet, musictheory.net and SmartMusic all have features that allow students to take assessments and send the results to the teacher. This way, the teacher is able to monitor how each student is progressing much faster than traditional playing tests. If used well, these programs allow us to offer more specific feedback to individual students in a timely fashion.

For more ideas about using technology in the music classroom, please read Bradburn's article, Everyday Education - Teaching Music in the Age of Technology.

Choral Warm ups

In our Music in Secondary Education class, we recently worked in groups to design warm-ups for Randall Thompson's Alleluia. One person from each group presented the warm-ups, with the rest of the class acting as the choir. There was a wide range of activities, but all of the groups chose a sequence that focused upon breath and range. The most intriguing practices I noticed are listed below:

1. Warm-ups physically warm up our bodies, but can also be used to put our minds into the a focused state for rehearsal. I think that this is best achieved when the conductor does not speak through warm-ups, and simply demonstrates and motions for the students to repeat the exercise.

2. Motions change the energy of a warm-up. Purposeful hand motions help students visualize the movement of air and the projection of sound that you are trying to achieve.

3. Be careful when beginning range warm-ups. We should begin with descending range patterns, and then go to ascending.

4. Be conscience of ranges. Allow students to drop or jump up an octave, depending upon their own vocal needs. For example, while your altos, tenors, and basses may need F3, there is no point in taking sopranos down to this note. Repertoire will never take them that low and you will simply take them out of their resonance. Instead, allow them to jump up the octave to F4, where they can continue to develop their resonance and warm up the part of the voice they will be using in rehearsal.

Response to Alfie Kohn's The Trouble with Rubrics

In the article, The Trouble with Rubrics, Alfie Kohn writes that rubrics are an inauthentic method of assessment that create grade anxiety for students and limit their creativity. Kohn concludes that assessment cannot serve the purposes of 1) helping students grow holistically, 2) ranking students against each other or 3) providing an extrinsic reward for learning (aka a "good grade") all at the same time. 

Kohn writes "To that extent, more detailed and frequent evaluations of a student’s accomplishments may be downright counterproductive.  As one sixth grader put it, “The whole time I’m writing, I’m not thinking about what I’m saying or how I’m saying it.  I’m worried about what grade the teacher will give me, even if she’s handed out a rubric.  I’m more focused on being correct than on being honest in my writing.”[8] I can relate to this sixth grader because I was always, and still am, very concerned about my grades. When I worked in woodwind repair shop after college, I realized that learning a skill without the fear of a bad grade was wonderful and freeing. I made mistakes, but when I would try to complete the same task a few days later, I would remember the mistake that I made, and learn from it. I wish that we could teach public school students in this way. I think they would experience the joy of learning more frequently and try harder. But this is unrealistic. 

I disagree with Kohn that a rubric is automatically inauthentic. I believe that a well designed rubric can be an tool to record authentic assessment. If a student takes a playing test and the rubric is a checklist of the micro tasks that the student needs to complete in order to play the excerpt well, then it is authentic. The student was graded on how he performed. In a performance based ensemble, the main goal is to acquire the musical knowledge and skills in order to perform well, and you spend the majority of class time playing your instrument. Therefore, you should grade students on elements of their musical performance. 

In a music ensemble, I would use playing tests and effort grades to assess students. Although many schools are now removing effort grades in an attempt to grade students solely on what they know and what they can do, I believe effort grades are very important. An effort grade can be clearly defined by being prepared with all of your materials for class each day, having a positive attitude, and showing respect for your teacher and other students. If a teacher keeps track of these three criteria for each student each day, an effort grade can be given in good conscience.  

Jazz and Folk Music

Should music educators be experts in jazz or American folk music?

What American songs should all students know? 

A music educator should take courses in jazz history and do their best to learn as much about both genres as possible. However, we do not need to be experts. Jazz and American folk music are both influenced by European/Western music. By being an expert in Western music theory, a classically trained music educator is able to understand. appreciate, and teach students what is happening in jazz and folk music from a compositional standpoint. 

It is simply impossible to be an expert at everything. Musicians spend hours each day practicing their primary instrument, and at least an additional hour for every instrument that they double. Classically trained musicians should have a strong working knowledge of jazz, but to ask them to become true "experts" in the area is unrealistic.

All American students should know patriotic songs, like the Star Spangled Banner and America the Beautiful. The pieces teach them about our history and there are plenty of quality arrangements to choose from. Many children's songs, like the alphabet song and The Itsy Bitsy Spider are educational or promote the development of fine and gross motor skills. We should be teaching students folk songs that encourage physical and intellectual development, and teach our local and national history.

Mock Lesson Reflection

On February 22th, I gave the beginning of a mock flute lesson! This was supposed to be the very first lesson with a fifth grade band student. We focused upon getting to know each other, getting to know safe ways to put our flutes together, and learning the terminology for the three parts of a flute. In retrospect, I believe the teacher's objective matched what the student believed the objective was. This was achieved by verbally stating, "We will ______...so that you can ______." I know that I was speaking a little faster than I normally would have in a real lesson, but I was nervous because we only had five minutes in front of the class. After giving the lesson, I thought of creating a sheet that students could keep in their folder. The sheet would be given to them at the first lesson, and would contain what to bring to every lesson (flute, folder, pencil,) how to put the flute together safely (1. Sit on the floor 2. See the sticker on the top of the case etc,) and also the names of the joints and tips for remembering them (BIG piece = Body, head joint doesn't have any buttons and goes on top, just like your head, foot joint is the smallest joint and goes on the bottom the same way that your feet go below your body.)

As I watched other people give lessons, I learned that my getting to know you questions should have had more clear intentions and links to music. While my questions eventually transitioned to music, I had to think on my feet a lot to direct the conversation and transition into flute playing. Some of my classmates had thought of questions that naturally moved towards music or enthusiasm. If I had thought more about my questions ahead of time, I probably could have made the getting to know you process more efficient.

Developing Musicianship within the Ensemble

              After reading Brandt Schneider’s Creating Musical Flexibility Through the Ensemble, I was encouraged by the possibility to implement such a program with students, especially at lower levels. I strongly agree that good musicians should be able to complete the activities described in the article. Playing by ear, singing parts in solfege, transposing to various keys and creating accompaniments are skills that all musicians should possess; indeed, most professional musicians are required to demonstrate these skills daily. Unfortunately, many of us forget to require these skills of our students. We are used to band and choir rehearsals in which we learn pieces for the purpose of performing them in the cumulative concert. We have to be careful that we are not just teaching students to sing or play the five songs that will be performed. We need to make sure we are teaching musical concepts through the concert repertoire, so that students will carry these lessons on to future musical situations.

             Many music educators tell their students that music is more than what’s on the page, meaning historical contexts, phrasing decisions and personal interpretation contribute to music-making. But what if we told students that music is not on the page at all? Instead, sheet music is a graph of the sounds occurring over time, and music exists in the air while it is being performed. Although it rarely happens in traditional ensemble situations, we need to take students away from notation and help them experience music “without the ink.” If we approach music as an art in time, not on a page, and give students daily opportunities to develop solfege, transposition and ear playing skills as described in Schneider’s essay, students will be less anxious to perform these tasks and greatly improve their musicianship.

Response to Peter Loel Boonshaft's "Teaching Music with Purpose"

After reading Boonshaft's book, Teaching Music with Purpose, I feel encouraged and excited to teach music education. I would strongly encourage music educators to purchase a copy of this text. The book contains essays on classroom management strategies, rehearsal techniques, and general musicianship. Most importantly, the first half of Boonshaft's book aims to encourage the brand new student teacher, and to revitalize the experienced, but worn-out educator. These essays remind us why we became teachers; to serve students and to serve music. I can see myself coming back to this book again and again, throughout my career, becoming refreshed and getting something new out of it with every reading.

       
Boonshaft writes at length about his core values of music education. My own core values, based upon my experiences as a performer, choir director, and substitute teacher are currently as follows: 

1. Respect each other and the music
2. Music should be fun...

                      BUT

      3. It is fun to be good

The first is a no-brainer. You can't work as a team and make something beautiful if the ensemble members do not care about each other. Musicians have to think of the good of the whole. Are you the melody? Then play out. Do you have sustained pitches for six measures? Then provide a solid foundation for the moving parts, but make sure you can still hear the melody. Respecting each other also means being supportive. Students should feel safe enough in a band or choir setting to try new things and play on their own. In order to create this safe environment, students have to know that the other students, and the teacher, will not make fun of them or embarrass them for making a mistake or a funny noise. 

The next two values are related. If music class isn't fun, your average student isn't going to be engaged or want to participate. I have learned this through my children's choir. When I first started, I had behavior problems if I did not teach repertoire or musical concepts through games. The kids lost interest and got into trouble. Now that the kids expect to have fun in music, I can teach using a direct teaching style for a few minutes if I need to quickly relay a concept. The students listen and do not fidget because they know the faster we get through the instruction, the faster we can make music together. 

In children's choir, the students are beginning to learn that it is more fun to be good. They recently performed "Jesus Loves Me" on boomwackers and then sang the words. Each student was responsible for one note, and this individual responsibility translated into intense focus during the performance. When they sang the words a cappella, they maintained pitch and tempo better than ever before. There was not a single mistake. I was thrilled with their concentration, the parents loved it, and the kids were ecstatic. They have a new confidence in their musical ability and they keep coming to me with new ideas that incorporate independent playing and singing. 

What are your core values?