The goal was the change in half steps and whole steps between the major scale and the minor scale and how to understand that through recognizing the formula for each scale.

I thought I was little sloppier and unorganized but it turned out that I was right on track.

I think I was more direct and to the point thus making my lesson more time efficient and less wordy. This turned out to be a benefit for the class. They had more time to work independently and together.

I had some issues with technology therefor I had to improvise, and received better results.

There has to be a catch with each lesson…

When I thought about the audience 8^th grade general music, not to under estimate but the majority will remember some of the lesson but all will remember what pulled them in.

I ended with a conclusion of content knowledge via a game show I called “Where’s that half step”.  The point of it was for students to basically remember where were the half steps in the minor scale as opposed to the major scale by naming the degrees in which the half step occurred.

It had a catchy gospel piano motif and a shout chorus of “Where’s that half step”.

Contestants (students), had were called on to answer simple questions about the formula of the major scale.  I believe it’s incredibly important to divulge information about your lesson but nothing guarantees that the students are going to remember it, just because you taught it. I believe it’s important to nurture the learning environment.

 Students are waiting to be pulled in to a lesson and it’s the teacher’s job light that fire.

Will making a game show do all of that? Find out!

Getting the students to learn using every modality possible is important.

Performance:

Students used smart phones and apps to play the scale, and singing it using solfeggio.

Analysis and assessment:

They could see the scale through the phones, hand out, and writing it. Also question and answer.

Conclusion and further assessment:

Game show

Building your audience

Music teachers need an audience!

Students need an audience!

Principals need an audience!

How do you get the parents there?

This may not what you want to see your audience to be doing at your next band, choir, or strings concert but you do want audience to feel this way.

An audience is very important everyone involved in your program, especially the students.  I had the experience of having standing room only audiences and also a very small number of people showing up to their child perform.

Seeing is believing!

Your students need that response of accolades from their parents, teachers and administration.  I believe that response will bring about a sense of pride in themselves as well as you as a director.  It builds a stronger program and the students will only benefit from that.  A director will benefit from feedback from the administration.

Getting your audience there

School website: There should be someone in your school who has control over the school’s website. It’s crucial to be on top of this information. Sending it to the webmaster in a timely fashion will help as well as being super nice to them.

Letters home: Sending letters home to parents with at least two weeks’ notice allows parents to make arrangements to get there.

Posters at school:  Parents often go to school to pick up their children, seeing posters about the event can catch their eye. Even Coke and Pepsi advertise so should you.

Phone Blast:  Schools now have the power to send phone blasts to parents about all events.

Blast your concerts even with an exciting charismatic message. 

Fundraising for your program

When fundraising for your program there are some very important things to consider.

Are you fundraising for something specific or just trying to raise money in general because the district budget does not fulfill what is realistically needed to maintain a music program?

I believe fundraising for a trip or a specific is actually a good thing. It can bring a community together, especially parents whose children are directly affected by the outcome.   If it’s a trip for the band to play at a competition and needs money for bussing as well as uniforms I believe fundraising is justified.  I also think it’s purposeful if there is a written goal.  For example the band really could use a new Tuba.

Tubas start at over three thousand dollars.  For some schools that is their entire budget for the arts, others it’s beyond the monies budgeted to arts program.  I believe in these two examples it shows the direction that the band director has a vision and needs help to get there.

I think fundraising without a stated goal isn’t necessary. If I was asked on an interview do I believe in fundraising, I would answer this question exactly the same way.  Too often music program budgets are getting slashed.  If I were to concede to fundraising rather than getting a budget from the school I would be saying that the students in the music program don’t really need much and they can get buy on very little. It would also show that I don’t have a vision of building a program that is better than when I walked into the job on the first day.

There are new tools for music technology, instruments, music literature, and repairs that need to be met in order for students to get the best possible musical education they can.

Thunder Soul

My definition of  good teaching:

The student walks behind them,

The student walks with them,

The student walks without them.

This is the lesson I saw taught in the movie “Thunder Soul” and I believe that the Legacy left by the music director at Kashmere High School, is what every music educator would hope to achieve.

 

Conrad “Prof” Johnson (pictured above) brought his experience and discipline to students who had none, he brought pride to students who had none, he brought a positive male role model to those who had none and thus infected a school, families and a town to believe that a change can happen and its starts with one dream.

Conrad “Prof” Johnson did not see himself as a musician 24-7, he saw himself as musician, husband, father, and teacher.

This is an important lesson and one that could be taught in college.  “Why do you want to be a teacher”? It’s not for the money, can’t be for the insurance, and vacations.  You should become a teacher because you see yourself helping younger students become great at something they love to do, or inspire a child to try something they never tried.

What Conrad “Prof” Johnson did is something more than most people will do, but he is what we hope to achieve.  He is the epitome of a teacher. His students not only went on to be musicians and teachers but they brought his presence with them.

This movie is an incredibly inspiring documentary and because it is a documentary it touches the heart of education more than most “teacher” movies.  The live footage and testaments are from the actual students and the interviews are as comical as they heartfelt.

I recommend this movie to all teachers, beginning and especially to those who have been teaching for a long time, it gets the juices flowing again!

Thunder Soul trailer

10    Minute lesson reflection.

Objective: Students will show an understanding of how to write a minor scale using the musical alphabet and standard notation.

Objective: Students will show an understanding of how to play the minor using their smart phones.

Initiation

·        Review whole steps and half steps in regards to the major scale

·        The layout of the minor scale

Student Learning Activities:

·        Sing a major scale using solfeggio.

·        Using the website “virtual keyboard” (VK). I will play along with the students while they sing.

·        Students will review major scale using their smartphone using a downloaded keyboard app.

·        Then compare what they play to a worksheet.

·        I will talk about a minor scale and show students, what it looks like when we play it using the VK website.

·        Ask students what is the feeling they get when they hear a minor scale.

·        Play it again, and ask students what scale degrees changed.

·        Ask students to play the natural minor scale along on  their phones.

·        On the work sheet students will write out a minor scale.

The reflection

I felt like my lesson was planned well and the execution was good.

The outcomes were exactly what I wanted and planned for.

I really think tapping into the different modalities of the learning process is important.

The students performed, sang, wrote, communicated and listened.

I planned the lesson for how students learn differently.

Students process information differently so planning a lesson with that in mind can be challenging at first but I have made it the cornerstone of most my lesson plans.

It’s a lesson based on differentiation without making any student feel that their needs are being left behind.

What I could have done better….

·       More independent student learning that had more of a student role.

·       Less talking on my part.

With more than 10 minutes I could have…

·       I could have had students research a song in a minor key to present to the class.

·       I could have students write a 2 measure melody in a minor key with specific composition techniques in place.

·        

I  

How has technology impacted music education?
Music has brought up the learning curve in understanding how music is made both theoretically and how it is made.
When I was younger "Band in a Box" had come out and was used for improvisation and understanding chord progressions mainly in jazz.
Since then there are great programs for electronic composition in addition to a program called smart music.
Smart Music helps students by recording and grading performance bench marks which justifies grades.
Recording software such as protools allows high school students to create compositions giving students any instrument they can think of and allowing them to write for it and hear it instantaneously.
In New York there are state competitions for electronic compositions at the high school level.
Today for example I had taught the major and minor scale using a website called virtual keyboard.  The students interests peaked when I had asked them to use their cell phones to download piano app so that they  could play along in the class and hear the scales as I had explained them.
The music theory information involved was much easier for the students to understand since they had tactile, visual and auditory means of learning the concepts.

In the future I believe music theory should be and will be  delivered electronically.  The information does not have to be watered down as I had mentioned above the three modalities of learning are there.
I do believe however that instruments still need to be played and singing must be done in my opinion for students to really understand the music they would like to play.

5 minute clarinet 

lesson.

The reflection.....

Monday, March 2, 2015

Objective: Student will show an understanding of how to place the reed on the clarinet  mouthpiece, apply the ligature appropriately and attach the mouthpiece to the barrel of the instrument.

I think the lesson I gave went well. My goal was to be simple and thorough.

The focus was to be hands on since the subject was a 6^th grader.

Focus: The reed, mouthpiece, & and the barrel.

Apply reed to mouthpiece, identify where the ligature would go and how to put it on, and the barrel.

Embouchure without mentioning it.

Downside: Kept the instrument on the lap, should have had it placed on the floor.

Below is a picture tutorial 

 The clarinet mouthpiece

  Placing reed on the mouthpiece

 placing ligature on the mouthpiece

The barrel

  The mouthpiece and barrel together

What's in a Rubric?

“As long as it doesn’t drive the instruction, it could conceivably play a constructive role.”

” But all bets are off if students are given the rubrics and asked to navigate by them.”

“Standardizing assessment for learners may compromise the learning.”

The three statements above are from an article by Alfie Kohn, entitled The Trouble with Rubrics.

I have used rubrics in the past and didn’t think much of it. It allowed me to understand my grading procedure so that I was fair with my grades and not constantly rewarding the best band students. It worked for me too.

I believe rubrics are very helpful as long as the teachers don’t only use the rubric to teach.  We are to teach the student not just the content.  They should shape the course in which a teacher presents the material. I think they are a great tool for beginning teachers. At the same time a teacher has to account for themselves and intuition and not rely on a checklist.

In addition to this, if a student knows the rubric a they will answer the rubric not the question, they won’t engage in thought, or the journey of learning about a topic.  If students are aware of the rubric ahead of time then it is up to the teacher to design a rubric called a “process rubric”. The student needs to demonstrate in hoe the came to answer their assignment. This will help prove that they took the time to research their topic and make their own conclusions.

There are a few different designs of the rubric that are very helpful to grading ad keeping the content exploratory and most importantly the student learning at the forefront of the assignment.

I found Edutopia to be very informative on rubrics.  There is a listing of different types of rubrics, how they can be used and most of all student centered.

These are scenarios that Alfie Kohn had pointed out and I think number four is my choice.

Scenario 1.  Protection: The teacher must justify the grade if it is a low grade.  The parents will want to see why their child received so a low grade The idea of using something similar to a checklist or even similar to something similar to the teacher eval where there is criteria met and a description of what the students need to be able to do to earn that grade.

Scenario 2 the checklist A.K.A. “Gotcha” Now the teacher doesn’t actually have to read with the student in mind.  The student is now a number and the material in the assignment is more important than the student who wrote it.

Scenario 3 Of Mice and Men Students can check their own progress. If the rubric is a checklist for themselves they can be more aware of what they need to present.  Downside they write within a criteria and not care not of the enrichment of the assignment just the grade.

Scenario 4. Student Centered For the student to improve Use the rubric as a guide for thoughts and needed information as to check progress and then throw it out when it’s time for grading. 

Performance rubrics are a bit different than an academic rubrics and here are two that I have created.

Unit or piece Interactive Rubric middle school band

Piece: Taiko	Distinguished	Proficient	Apprentice	Novice
Syncopation check out this lesson	Can play all syncopated rhythms	Can play most	Has trouble transitioning from standard rhythms to syncopated rhythms	Has trouble with anything other than basic quarter note rhythms
Expression Musical Expression Lesson	Can play all dynamics	Can play most of the dynamics, but is not always paying attention to dynamic markings	Can play either forte, mezzo, or piano dynamic markings. Has to be able to play crescendos and decrescendos	Pays no attention to dynamics

Ex.  Overall H.S. Rubric

	Distinguished	Proficient	Apprentice	Novice
Sight reading	Can sight read at 80 bpm w/o Mistakes	Can sight read at 60-70 bpm Few mistakes	Can sight read at 60-70 bpm Starting and stopping	Has difficulty with sight reading and does not have knowledge of accidentals
Scale Knowledge	Can play in all twelve keys eighth notes at 70 bpm	Can play in eight – ten  keys eight notes at 70 bpm	Can play in six keys eighth notes at 70 bpm	Can play in only 3 keys eighth notes equal 60-70
Preparation of music	Can play all band pieces at tempo w/o mistakes & with expression	Can play all band pieces at tempo With very few mistakes and with expression	Can play all band pieces at tempo With few mistakes still working on expression	Can play through some of each piece many mistakes and no expression.
effort	On time with instrument, folder, practice sheet	On time with instrument, folder, practice sheet	Within 2 minutes after bell rings for class with instrument, folder, practice sheet	Not on time Has folder Instrument assembled after expected time

Should music educators be experts in jazz or American Folk music

I believe music educators should be able to provide lessons on both and be able to speak about either in great length, however when we talk about “in great length” what does that mean.

I believe a music educator should be able play either on their chosen instrument or a secondary instrument.  In my experience, students are more engaged when their teacher can play what they are teaching on an instrument.

The educator should have a library of significant songs from each style that either they have researched on their own or from resources such as educator journals.  Having a public opinion as to which piece to choose is very important and it helps the educator eventually become an expert in the area.

In conclusion, educators should be experts in both genres of music for the benefit of the students if not their own benefit.  Will an educator be an expert in their first five years of teaching probably not, with concerts and developing lesson plans, there is much to do.

Being open to resources will help educators along the way.

A working list of American folk songs that children should know

Stephen Foster  Wrote a some of the most popular music that became a staple in American folk music.

Oh Susanna

Camptown Races

Woody Guthrie  Most known for his song “This Land is You Land”.  Woody was musically influenced by his father had taught him folk songs from around the world.

This Land is Your Land

Others

Little Liza Jane                                                                                        Michael Row The Boat Ashore

America the Beautiful                                                                                 My Country Tis of Thee

Teacher resources

Making music fun

The Smithsonian - Folkways

                                                           

Blog prompt # 2

After reading Brant Schneider’s article “Creating Musical Flexibility Through the Ensemble”

The thought that comes to mind is here is a teacher who knows what kids can do better than they can. There is a direction in his teaching and methodologies.

First off there is a great amount of dedication on both teacher and students.

I like methodology used to bring the students to that level and seeing them every day really helps.

You’re in an ideal situation when you can see the band student’s everyday as well have a clear cut plan of where you want them to be.

Brant Schneider knows what makes band students tick…..

Changing it up

Schneider lists ways to keep the music alive through student playing basic melodies and folk songs in different styles.  This allows the students to play their instruments not so much practice them, in of a traditional sense. Students need to hear their instruments being played in a way that sounds more like the music that they listen to, so it is more meaningful to them. For example playing a folk song in different styles like rock, reggae, or funk.

Games

The games are a great incentive for the competitive students in band.  The after effect on the positive side is other students will see them as leaders and in a teacher created culture, there will be a positive and nurturing climate in the classroom.

Performance opportunities

School districts have public meeting and they are a great excuse to have your band, orchestra or choir perform.  If they are beginners a community will have the chance to see the students grow for years to come. If they are in high school and they are at a level 2 or 3, or intermediate level they will be the pride of the district and requested more and more throughout the school year.

Giving students a chance to show off….

During the MEA conferences Schneider and his band had a chance to show off just how great they were by letting audience members set standards for playing three pieces, Amazing grace, Wachet auf, and Over the Rainbow”.   The band was able to play either piece as requested by the audience.

This shows a trusting relationship between the students and teacher.

In conclusion

Looking for opportunities for students to be showcased as band teachers if we don’t advocate for our program no one else will and who better to speak for it than the students.

The key points made in the article and they can work for all situations even if your students don’t meet with you on a daily basis.  Instilling those values in the students pays dividends in the future.

Please read this article to develop your own thoughts and opinions Band Director Brant Schneider

What is being a good musician?
Actually what can a teacher do to help students develop and become a good musician?

For educators:

As educators our job is to help students develop and become good musicians.

Through concerts, performance tests, games, team work, and assessments that help students improve in areas of concern.

Concerts do a great deal to develop a student’s ability to become a musician. They are performing under a bit of pressure.  The audience is listening, and the lights are on! There is nothing like the feeling of being the soloist on a jazz piece for the school concert.

Assessments and quizzes are also a good for a teacher to determine areas of concern for that student and give them the tools they need to improve. 

Lessons! Lessons! Lessons!  Students need lessons to become a good musician. Private or in school, a student needs instruction. Without that instruction they may platue and may not be challenged and reach the next level on their instrument. Teachers are a great resource and their skills need to be utilized.  Every so often I hear "I am learning this song or this instrument from a lesson I got off of YouTube".

Music teacher can help students become good musicians.

Band works as a team! It is one of the few activities where students start and end at the same time, and you're responsible for everything in between. The band experience be it a small jazz combo, a diverse high school band, orchestra, choir, or marching band really is about team work. Students can really motivate their peers and sometime apply appropriate pressure where a teacher have no effect at all.  

After that we can get into this.......

My definition of a good musician is broken down into

 

How do we determine someone is a good musician?

My definition of a good musician is broken down into

Knowledge of the music they’re playing.

Musicians must make on the spot decisions about the music they are playing so that their interpretation of the music is true.  Stevie Wonder for example can sing along with any pop star and sing the song. Sing it the way the music needs him to be he doesn’t make the music fit him.

Ex. Stevie Wonder with Daft Punk and Pharrell Williams 

Ability to convey that message through expression

A musician must be able to let the audience know what the point of the piece they are playing is.

When Otis Redding sings   "I've Been Loving You"  a listener can feel the conversation he is having with his partner and deep ache that is in the pit of his hear

Another example of this in a different format is The Kronos Quartets recording of George Crumbs

 ”Black Angels" . It a modern piece that in Crumbs words was meant to be “Something wild, something scary”.

  Command of their instrument, technique etc.

A good musician must have technical command of their instrument. A good musician doesn’t make mistakes when playing live or making a recording, they will practice at home and not on the gig.

Here are a few examples of musicians who when it’s time to play live they are on it! Why?

They didn’t wait for the gig to practice               

Runaway Baby –Bruno Mars Band

Pepe Romero  -Pepe Romero plays “Leyenda and Fantasia”.   These are among the most popular and challenging pieces for classical guitar.

Buddy Rich Tribute   You don’t show without practicing over six hours a day for this gig!

Drummers practice anywhere they can  even Animal had to practice for this.

Ability to teach

A good musician can help others learn their own instrument due to their understanding of their own instrument.  Be it vocal, strings, brass, woodwinds, or percussion a good musician can communicate to others through understanding of how to formulate what they know into words.

Well versed in all genres of music

I believe every musician has their music of choice but is able to hold an objective conversation about any genre of music.