Repositioning the Elements: How Students Talk about Music: By Leslie Stewart Rose & June Countryman
Stewart Rose, Leslie, and June Countryman. 2013. Repositioning ‘the elements’: How Students Talk About Music. Action, Criticism, and Theory for Music Education 12(3): 45-64. http://act.maydaygroup.org/articles/RoseCountryman12_3.pdf.
In the article Repositioning the Elements: How Students Talk about Music, authors Leslie Stewart Rose and June Countryman bring up interesting points about the importance of music education and how students talk about music in their own way. The underlying theme of this reading has a strong connection to me as a musician and as a student, as I often engage with music the same way as the students in Roses and Countrymans study. I agree that when students listen to music, we have a reaction of what we say, how we share our experience of listening with others, and why we react the way we do after listening to a certain piece of music. I myself find that when I listen to music, I react in a certain way. I often pay attention to harmonic patterns, catchy melodies, and find enjoyment out of ornamentation or other memorable moments. That is one of the things that music makes me do, react. Although I do not agree with the term “groove” used in the article in terms of rhythm, I generally feel that this type of reaction is one of the things that music creates in all of us. However, I feel that the section about why students react the way they do with music was not fully presented in depth in comparison to the what and how sections of this reading. I would have liked more of an explanation of why students react in a certain way rather than just a list of feelings and emotions felt when listening to music. Also, I found it interesting how it is mentioned that music teachers are sometimes afraid to teach music differently, or experience doubt about their personal identity. In ways, I agree with this statement as it seems that some teachers hold back when it comes to implementing new ideas into the classroom. But to me, new ways of teaching old ideas makes learning them fun and enjoyable, and in short, students will grasp onto ideas easily.
The Invisible Student: Understanding Social Identity Construction within Performing Ensemble: By Ryan M. Hourigan
Hourigan, Ryan M. (2009) “The Invisible Student: Understanding Social Identity Construction within Performing Ensembles.” Music Educators Journal; 95 (4): 34-38.
“In every ensemble, there are students who need a highly supportive environment…” (Hourigan 2009) This opening remark from Ryan M. Hourigan’s article The Invisible Student: Understanding Social Identity Construction within Performing Ensembles immediately provided me with the overall idea of this article. This article was more interesting than the previous one as I have had similar experiences with “invisible students,” albeit not within performance ensembles. As mentioned in my “Who Am I?” video, I have been a swimming instructor for over two years and in many of my classes I have had “invisible students” who were either too shy to complete activities, had special needs, or did not excel in a group environment. At first I did not know how to help these students as they would sometimes make it difficult to teach the class. As the lessons progressed however, I realized that these students completed activities and enjoyed them when they were encouraged and in a supportive environment, similarly to Hourigan’s opening sentence in his article. In the end, when those students had support from not only me as an instructor but also their fellow classmates, they had a higher chance to succeed. That is why I fully agree with Hourigan’s ideas and message in his article. All students need a supportive environment, and to me, a performance ensemble is the perfect environment to help these “invisible students” succeed. Hourigan goes on to state different ways to help these students thrive socially, such as creating a positive environment for all students through small gestures and fun activities, planning events to create a more social and inclusive atmosphere, and encouraging lasting relationships through peer groups and so forth. I personally find all of these suggestions crucial in any class setting, especially in a performance ensemble as these are highly social environments and if not properly helped, many “invisible students” will not be able to build a social identity and lose their self-worth. The only thing that I wish was differently in this article was a more detailed explanation on how to easily identify an “invisible student” as I felt it could have been explained better. All that was mentioned were the characteristics of these students, and a more detailed on how to identify them would make helping them much easier. Overall, I want to thank Ryan Hourigan for making this article as it is a great tool for all educators to assist and help all “invisible students” to thrive in all social environments.
Think Everything is Normal? Then Its Time to Reconsider And Promote A New Narrative of Disability: By Drew Seeres
Seeres, Drew. “Think Everything is Normal? Then Its Time to Reconsider And Promote A New Narrative of Disability.” Organizing Change (2013); 1-12.
What do you consider normal? In Think Everything is Normal? Then Its Time to Reconsider And Promote A New Narrative of Disability, author Drew Seeres uses a quote from Michael Warner to describe the idea of being normal in the United States: “[being] normal probably outranks all other social aspirations.” (Seeres 2013) This leads to the overall idea of the article; how disabilities are constantly labelled as “abnormal” and different ways to end the stigma against disabilities. Overall, I do agree with the premise of the article. It seems that nowadays people (mainly media) tend to label people with disabilities as “abnormal” or something that they are not. At the end of the day, people with disabilities are as normal as everybody else, and as an educator, it is important to understand that so everyone can feel included. I also appreciate how Seere provided readers with solutions on how to “de-labelize” those with a disability and how to make them feel more included in society. However, although I do agree with the premise of the article, I wish that the way the ideas were laid out were presented differently. As I was reading Seeres’ arguments, it felt as if some of his cases were biased and worded unprofessionally. For instance, Seeres uses an argument from James Charlston that states: “Students with disabilities, as soon as their disability is recognized by school officials, are placed on a separate track.” (Seeres 2013) Seeres goes on to state that this “track” immediately expects students to achieve less, which seems absurd. Continuing from that statement, Seeres provides a list of the common ways schools control students with disabilities, including labeling (special ed), symbols like handicapped washroom signs, body structure, and so forth. This also seems absurd to me because many of these things are in place at schools to help students with disabilities thrive in school and make them feel accepted, not to control them and make them immediately achieve less like Seeres says. As stated earlier, I do agree with the overall premise of this article, but some of the way Seeres presents his ideas are so biased and even sometimes wrong that it makes it difficult to agree with Seeres arguments. If those sections were re-worded to eliminate any bias whatsoever, than I would fully agree with Seeres’ ideas and arguments.
Fumbling Towards Vulnerability: Moving Out of the Familiar for Music Education’s Sake: By Leslie Dawe
Dawe, Leslie. “Fumbling Towards Vulnerability: Moving Out of the Familiar for Music Education’s Sake”, Canadian Music Educator, 2016; (57) 2, pp. 22-24
“Throughout my life, I would say that most of my own music making experiences, both inside and outside of the classroom encompassed what is defined as being very traditional in nature.” (Dawe) This opening line from Leslie Dawe’s Fumbling Towards Vulnerability: Moving Out of the Familiar for Music Education’s Sake, presents readers with an interesting concept; music education often times focuses on traditional ideas with very little creative input from students. Dawe then goes on to state her own personal experiences on this matter, and how she strives to find a balance between the traditional part of music making and an approach Dawe calls being a “co-learner” with her students to allow for creativity to be accepted and celebrated. Overall, I agree with everything Dawe has to say in this article as it is an approach that is beneficial for student development, and I have witnessed it first-hand. Throughout my years in high-school music, I have noticed that my music teachers led activities that focused on creativity and risk taking. This was especially true in my Grade 12 year as our final project for my instrumental music class was to compose a concert band piece. This was a huge risk not only for me and my class as many of us have never composed anything before, but also for my teacher as he had never done anything like this for a class. It was a learning experience for both parties, similarly to Dawe’s approach highlighted in her article of the “co-learner.” In the end, the project was successful and turned out to be one of the best projects I’ve completed throughout all of high school. After reading this article, it made me realize that my music teachers have been doing these types of assignments for the purpose of making us more creative, and helped us not only for the assignment mentioned earlier, but also for us to be creative individuals in society. If I were to ask one thing to Dawe, it would be “when it comes to being a co-learner, do your students find it enjoyable, or do they question your method of teaching?” But overall, I want to thank Dawe for making this article, as everything she mentions in this article is true, and it important to foster creativity and risk taking in the classroom to make students creative individuals.
Listening and Creating: A Response to Dr. Sandy Stauffer’s Workshop
On Saturday, September 30th, both music education classes and local teachers attended a workshop with Dr. Sandy Stauffer from Arizona State University. The overall theme of the workshop was Listening and Creating, and Dr. Stauffer presented attendees with activities for music educators to facilitate creativity in the classroom. I personally found the workshop to be a very eye-opening experience, as it allowed me to reflect on my own teaching style and ways for me to allow creativity to flourish in students young and old. One of the things I found intriguing in Dr. Stauffer’s workshop were her personal principles, where she believes that all people have both a musical and creative self. She stated that as an educator, one of her roles is to sustain and support musical and creative selves so that every student continues to see themselves as musical people throughout their lives. This stuck out to me, as I never thought about seeing all people as musical. However, I, like Dr. Stauffer, believe that all people are creative, and it is the job of the teacher to allow for creativity in the classroom. This will help students become creative individuals in the future. As previously mentioned, Dr. Stauffer led attendees of her workshop with a multitude of different activities to allow creativity to grow and flourish in the classroom. All of these activities were fun to complete, and really got me thinking about the importance of student creativity through activities such as these. Dr. Stauffer mentioned that when students create, they “have the power.” I never thought of it that way, but Stauffer’s words makes sense to me. From past experiences, I’ve realized that when a student creates something, they feel proud of what they made. that feeling of pride allows them to grow as an individual and become more creative in the future, showing the effect that creating has on students. The only thing that I wish Dr. Stauffer mentioned more of was the effect of creativity through music has on students. not that there was anything wrong with anything Dr. Stauffer said in her workshop, this was just something I would have liked to hear more about. Overall, Dr. Stauffer’s workshop was a very entertaining and eye-opening experience, and I plan to take the material presented in it to help me grow as both an educator and a creator.
Music Education, Multiculturalism and Anti-Racism: Can We Talk?: By Deborah Bradley
Bradley, Deborah. “Music Education, Multiculturalism and Anti-Racism: Can We Talk?” Action, Criticism, and Theory for Music Education. 5/2 (2006); 2-26.
Creating a sense of belonging without segregation in the classroom of any kind is a difficult task for any educator. In Music Education, Multiculturalism and Anti-Racism: Can We Talk? , University of Wisconsin’s Deborah Bradley speaks about this subject in context to music education. She suggests that bringing up race into this dialogue is “…necessary for those educating for social justice.” (Bradley) and speaks about the overall importance of multiculturalism in music education and creating a sense of “anti-racism” (a term she defines as an action-oriented, educational and political strategy for change that addresses the issues of racism and the forms of social oppression). Overall, I agree with Bradley’s thoughts in this article. What I like is that she is bringing light to a subject that I feel is not talked about enough. Race is a very touchy subject when it comes to education as a whole, and it is nice for someone to be so open about it and create discussion. I also agree with the idea that multiculturalism is important in music education. As the role of the student, I find multicultural approaches to music education creates diversity and acceptance of another culture. One thing that stuck out to me while reading this article was the statement that choral repertoire featuring musical cultures around the world are made in the hopes of “spicing up” the concert programs of predominantly western music (Bradley). As a vocal major, I appreciate getting a chance to perform pieces from different ethnic backgrounds as I can get a chance to possibly learn more about another culture through their music, rather than to just add variety to western-style concert programs. That is one reason that I love music; it can allow people of different backgrounds to connect on one art form and appreciate ones ethnicity. This is something that music educators should strive for, creating an environment where diversity is accepted and highlighted through music. One thing that I wish was talked about more is the ways to bring anti-racism and multiculturalism into the classroom, as I felt that Bradley mainly spoke about the current views on the subject and not so much on how to create a non-biassed and multicultural environment. One question I have for Dr. Bradley would be “how have you found that societies views have changed now that this article is over ten years old? Has it improved or worsened?”
Experiences of the Co-Learner: A Response to the Skype Interview with Leslie Dawe
On Wednesday, October 4th, both music education classes had a Skype interview with music teacher Leslie Dawe. Although we experienced some technical difficulties, it was still a great opportunity to discuss her article Fumbling Towards Vulnerability: Moving Out of the Familiar for Music Education’s Sake. I personally found the interview to be an enjoyable experience as it helped me learn more about Dawe and how the thoughts listed in her article came to be. Dawe mentioned that the reason that she wrote her article was her struggle to keep music learning authentic and enjoyable. Both in her article and in the interview, Dawe stated that students of today are losing interest in the idea of music. This I feel to be especially true, as I have noticed friends lose interest in music throughout high school, and the number of students enrolled in music in Grade Nine dropped substantially over four years up until Grade Twelve. So like Dawe, I do agree that it is the teachers job to combine the traditional aspects of music education and creativity with the idea of being a co-learner (I also talked about this in my response to Dawe’s article). This allows for more risk-taking between both the teacher and the student to allow for more musical engagement in the classroom. As I mentioned in my response to Dawe’s article, I had a question for Dawe; her students response to her co-learner method. Luckily for me, I had the chance to ask Dawe this question. She told me that her student’s response have so far been positive, as she feels that her students are being more creative and more open to take risks. This made me realize that the co-learner method really does work, and I plan to use this method in the future as an educator. One thing that struck out to me during this interview was Dawe’s view on colleagues. She told us that colleagues are your greatest strength as an educator, which I feel is true. The purpose of colleagues is to share experiences. I find that colleagues are a great way to bounce idea’s off of each other and provide ways to improve on what you are doing. Essentially, colleagues allow each other to succeed and thrive. Overall, I enjoyed getting a chance to speak with Dawe, as it gave me ways to improve as an educator.
Another Perspective: The iPad is a REAL Musical Instrument: By David A. Williams
Williams, D. A. (2014). Another Perspective The iPad Is a REAL Musical Instrument. Music Educators Journal, 101(1), 93-98.
“A musical instrument…is a device used to produce music.” (Merriam-Webster) All musicians have an instrument of preference, such as the tuba, oboe, or cello. For David A. Williams, his preferred instrument is the iPad. In his article “Another Perspective: The iPad is a REAL Musical Instrument,” Williams mainly focuses on his iPad ensemble at The University of South Florida and argues why the iPad is a real instrument. He compares the iPad to the oboe, sharing six attributes the two share, such as performance limitations, practicing to build technique, and so forth. At first, I was a bit confused with this article, and honestly thought it was a joke. Why would one make an iPad ensemble and argue the reasons to why an iPad out of all things is an instrument? But as I read it, I realized the validity of William’s argument and the importance of the iPad in the music classroom, which I feel is his main argument. Williams says that iPads are objects that build musicianship and creativity, which is important in any music classroom. He also argues that in traditional music education, “…we elevate the importance and worthlessness of certain instruments.” (Williams) and displays this throughout history. This I feel to be especially true, as music changes throughout the years, and being in the 21st century, we as musicians often rely on technology to create a final product. So it makes sense for the iPad to be important for music education of today. I wouldn’t go as far to say that the iPad is, with certainty, a real musical instrument, but I do believe that the iPad is an important tool for the modern music educator. One of the reasons I agree with this article is that I have personal experience with the iPad in a music classroom. For my final assignment in Grade Twelve music, we composed our own concert band piece, and my music teacher used iPads to help guide us along the way, teaching us methods of composing. In the end, the iPad’s really helped with learning and executing the assignment, further proving the importance of the iPad in music education. If I had a question for Williams though, it would be “What inspired you to create an iPad ensemble? Was it something you felt like was needed?” Overall, I do agree with most of William’s article, and I can say that iPads are an essential tool for the music educator of today.
Woke Up This Morning: A Response to Dr. Deborah Bradley
On October 18th, both music education classes had the opportunity to speak with Dr. Deborah Bradley and discuss her article: “Music Education, Multiculturalism and Anti-Racism: Can We Talk?” It was a good opportunity to provide further clarification of her article and speak about the view of multiculturalism in music education. I personally found this workshop/interview with Deborah Bradley to be an great experience, as it furthered my appreciation for multiculturalism in music education. One of the things that Bradley told us was that music is a social and cultural experience, which I feel to be especially true. One thing that music has the power to do is to bring people together and appreciate the music of ones culture. As music educators it our responsibility to teach students the meaning of multicultural music and in the words of Deborah Bradley, how music fits into the world. Bradley also spoke to us about anti-racism (which is the idea of seeing someone as a human being regardless of race and background) and why it is important to teach our students this idea. This I feel to be especially important, as if students have negative and racist ideas about other individuals, their cultures, and their music, that mindset will stay with them for almost their entire lives. As stated by Dr. Bradley, what hurts one person hurts us all They will not be able to appreciate other cultures in music, and worse, view people of different cultures than their own not as human beings. Which is why it is important as a music educator to provide background for multicultural pieces, as it will help students understand why they are performing what they are performing. But more importantly, it will help students live out the idea of anti-racism, and view people of all cultures as humans, not objects. Overall, I enjoyed my time with Dr. Deborah Bradley as it made me realize why it is important to embrace the ideas of multiculturalism and anti-racism as a music educator.
Visit to St. George Catholic Elementary School
On October 30th, my music education had the opportunity to visit St. George Catholic Elementary School and joined a Grade 3/4 split class. Led by Cathy Benedict, we all partook in activities, predominantly Halloween themed, showing how music can be incorporated into non-musical settings, and still be a fun and enjoyable experience. Personally, I had a very fun time, as this was the first time in a while that I got the chance to be with kids in a classroom setting. The activities that we played subtilely touched on musical ideas such as phrasing, rhythm, and melodic progression. One activity we played involved creating sounds to make a mock orchestra, all while keeping the students engaged, even allowing some of the students to be in control if what sounds are heard. It showed me the importance of being patient and straight forward with the students, as there were instances where the students would be rowdy and sometimes not listen. So to make sure the students listened, discipline was enforced. This creates structure, and makes sure that the topics presented in class are learned properly, and in the words of Cathy: “It’s best to say ‘no, this is what I want.’” This was something that I touched on in my influential teacher presentation. One thing that I noticed was that there was an emphasis on equal participation between all student’s. Each activity that we played involved everybody doing something and participating the same amount as everybody else. This is important in any sense of education as it allows every student to feel a part of something. In the sense of our activities, the level of participation made it seem as if all of the students were contributing to the final product (which they were). Similarly to the lines of participation, progression was important factor in these activities, which is something that I feel is important especially with music education. Presenting small sections of the activity at a time allows students to grasp onto the material easier, rather than throwing everything at them at once. This I find creates a more successful end product that students can feel proud about knowing that they contributed to. Overall, the experience with the students at St. George was one that I will keep with me, as I feel it will help improve my skills as a music educator with any age group, not just children.
Student and Teacher Interview Reflection
Over the past few weeks I had the chance to interview both an influential teacher and two students (both responses can be found on my website), and speak to them about their views on music and music education. Looking back at both experiences I found many different connections and shared thoughts that I found to be very interesting. One of the biggest surprises I found between both interviews was the reaction to of the educator’s teaching styles in the eyes of the student, and how this teaching style affects students. When I spoke to Jennifer Doria (my influential teacher), she mentioned to me that her intention and philosophy of education is about life and to bring people together. In her words, she stated that all of her methods of teaching always try to bring people together and create a connection to students lives through music. She also mentioned to me that she try to think like the student and act as a learner with her students, similarly to Leslie Dawe’s co-learner method of teaching she spoke about in her article Fumbling Towards Vulnerability: Moving Out of the Familiar for Music Education’s Sake. When I conducted both of my student interviews, it helped me visualize the impact of the teaching methods of the educator on students. Both Benjamin Emmanuel and Natalie Schu (the interviewed students) spoke to me about how a teacher’s energy helps them feel engaged and enjoy what they are learning, and they feel is happens especially in music. Both mentioned that the teachers passion for the subject is also a big reason as to why they enjoy music. Using those examples from both interviews helped me further understand the impact a teacher and their methods of teaching can have on students.
One other interesting connection I found from both interviews was certain aspects of music education that both parties shared. For instance, I found that community was a shared principle of music education between both interviews, albeit in slightly different perspectives. In regard’s to the teacher interview, Mrs. Doria mentioned that music ultimately brings people together and allows people to reflect on certain aspects of life. This can allow for personal growth for both the student and the educator. In the student interviews, both Ben and Natalie said that a teacher’s openness brings people together and appreciate music. More specifically, Natalie mentioned to me that music is a subject where community is essential for success. In her experiences, she feels that music creates a supportive mentality among both the student and the educator. She also mentioned to me that in order for that supportive community to be created, the teacher should think like the student, and when a teacher has a personal knowledge and connection to the student, it makes learning easier and creates the supportive level of community she spoke to me about in our interview. Interestingly, this was something that Mrs. Doria also spoke to me about in my teacher interview, further showing how both parties shared similar thoughts and experiences.
Overall, both interviews provided me with two different, but similar views about music and music education that I found to be both interesting as well as thoughtful on how to grow as an educator. However, these interviews ultimately showed me that although two varying perspectives were created, both the student and the educator can have similar thoughts and experiences about music education, showing its large impact on both parties.
Toward Convergence Adapting Music Education to Contemporary Society and Participatory Culture
Tobias, E. S. (2013). Toward Convergence Adapting Music Education to Contemporary Society and Participatory Culture. Music Educators Journal, 99(4), 29-36.
“How are our programs helping our students engage in contemporary society?” (Tobias 29) This is the question assistant professor Evan S. Tobias asks readers in his article Toward Convergence: Adapting Music Education to Contemporary Society and Participatory Culture. In this article, Tobias speaks about the belief that today’s students in typical K-12 music programs are not fully letting students engage in contemporary society and how these programs “…represent an important but somewhat narrow range of the diverse ways know and do music.” (Tobias 29) Tobias then goes on to state the idea of participatory culture, and how this is one of the many ways to engage music students in today’s society. I have to say, this is one of the most eye-opening articles I have read in this class. Tobias does make a point when he says that music programs often do not fully show how music can engage people in society, and brings on a good question when asking if there are ways that we can encourage students to be more musical based on what is taught in the classroom. As I have mentioned in some of my other responses, I feel that it is the job of the educator to foster both creativity and engagement in the classroom. I feel that Tobias’ article is a great representation of this thought, as he speaks about multiple ways to bring more modern musical engagement in the classroom, such as integrating contemporary musical practices into the classroom, expanding engagement with various forms of musical literature, and engaging in public contests and other opportunities. He even speaks about modern musical figures who use tools such as social media to bring their creative process to the world, such as Imogen Heap, and Eric Whitacre, among others. Similarly to Tobias’ thoughts, I also feel that incorporating contemporary music practices will not only make students feel and act more engaged in today’s society, but will also help educators grow and evolve, which is essential in helping music educators improve and successfully engage their students. As I was reading this article, a question popped into my mind that I would ask Tobias: “Do you think this issue of lack of engagement in contemporary society through music has changed for better or for worse since you wrote this article?” Overall, this article brings up an interesting and important topic when it comes to the modern music educator, and allows for ways to bring musical engagement into the society of today.
Stewart Rose, Leslie, and June Countryman. 2013. Repositioning ‘the elements’: How Students Talk About Music. Action, Criticism, and Theory for Music Education 12(3): 45-64. http://act.maydaygroup.org/articles/RoseCountryman12_3.pdf.
In the article Repositioning the Elements: How Students Talk about Music, authors Leslie Stewart Rose and June Countryman bring up interesting points about the importance of music education and how students talk about music in their own way. The underlying theme of this reading has a strong connection to me as a musician and as a student, as I often engage with music the same way as the students in Roses and Countrymans study. I agree that when students listen to music, we have a reaction of what we say, how we share our experience of listening with others, and why we react the way we do after listening to a certain piece of music. I myself find that when I listen to music, I react in a certain way. I often pay attention to harmonic patterns, catchy melodies, and find enjoyment out of ornamentation or other memorable moments. That is one of the things that music makes me do, react. Although I do not agree with the term “groove” used in the article in terms of rhythm, I generally feel that this type of reaction is one of the things that music creates in all of us. However, I feel that the section about why students react the way they do with music was not fully presented in depth in comparison to the what and how sections of this reading. I would have liked more of an explanation of why students react in a certain way rather than just a list of feelings and emotions felt when listening to music. Also, I found it interesting how it is mentioned that music teachers are sometimes afraid to teach music differently, or experience doubt about their personal identity. In ways, I agree with this statement as it seems that some teachers hold back when it comes to implementing new ideas into the classroom. But to me, new ways of teaching old ideas makes learning them fun and enjoyable, and in short, students will grasp onto ideas easily.
The Invisible Student: Understanding Social Identity Construction within Performing Ensemble: By Ryan M. Hourigan
Hourigan, Ryan M. (2009) “The Invisible Student: Understanding Social Identity Construction within Performing Ensembles.” Music Educators Journal; 95 (4): 34-38.
“In every ensemble, there are students who need a highly supportive environment…” (Hourigan 2009) This opening remark from Ryan M. Hourigan’s article The Invisible Student: Understanding Social Identity Construction within Performing Ensembles immediately provided me with the overall idea of this article. This article was more interesting than the previous one as I have had similar experiences with “invisible students,” albeit not within performance ensembles. As mentioned in my “Who Am I?” video, I have been a swimming instructor for over two years and in many of my classes I have had “invisible students” who were either too shy to complete activities, had special needs, or did not excel in a group environment. At first I did not know how to help these students as they would sometimes make it difficult to teach the class. As the lessons progressed however, I realized that these students completed activities and enjoyed them when they were encouraged and in a supportive environment, similarly to Hourigan’s opening sentence in his article. In the end, when those students had support from not only me as an instructor but also their fellow classmates, they had a higher chance to succeed. That is why I fully agree with Hourigan’s ideas and message in his article. All students need a supportive environment, and to me, a performance ensemble is the perfect environment to help these “invisible students” succeed. Hourigan goes on to state different ways to help these students thrive socially, such as creating a positive environment for all students through small gestures and fun activities, planning events to create a more social and inclusive atmosphere, and encouraging lasting relationships through peer groups and so forth. I personally find all of these suggestions crucial in any class setting, especially in a performance ensemble as these are highly social environments and if not properly helped, many “invisible students” will not be able to build a social identity and lose their self-worth. The only thing that I wish was differently in this article was a more detailed explanation on how to easily identify an “invisible student” as I felt it could have been explained better. All that was mentioned were the characteristics of these students, and a more detailed on how to identify them would make helping them much easier. Overall, I want to thank Ryan Hourigan for making this article as it is a great tool for all educators to assist and help all “invisible students” to thrive in all social environments.
Think Everything is Normal? Then Its Time to Reconsider And Promote A New Narrative of Disability: By Drew Seeres
Seeres, Drew. “Think Everything is Normal? Then Its Time to Reconsider And Promote A New Narrative of Disability.” Organizing Change (2013); 1-12.
What do you consider normal? In Think Everything is Normal? Then Its Time to Reconsider And Promote A New Narrative of Disability, author Drew Seeres uses a quote from Michael Warner to describe the idea of being normal in the United States: “[being] normal probably outranks all other social aspirations.” (Seeres 2013) This leads to the overall idea of the article; how disabilities are constantly labelled as “abnormal” and different ways to end the stigma against disabilities. Overall, I do agree with the premise of the article. It seems that nowadays people (mainly media) tend to label people with disabilities as “abnormal” or something that they are not. At the end of the day, people with disabilities are as normal as everybody else, and as an educator, it is important to understand that so everyone can feel included. I also appreciate how Seere provided readers with solutions on how to “de-labelize” those with a disability and how to make them feel more included in society. However, although I do agree with the premise of the article, I wish that the way the ideas were laid out were presented differently. As I was reading Seeres’ arguments, it felt as if some of his cases were biased and worded unprofessionally. For instance, Seeres uses an argument from James Charlston that states: “Students with disabilities, as soon as their disability is recognized by school officials, are placed on a separate track.” (Seeres 2013) Seeres goes on to state that this “track” immediately expects students to achieve less, which seems absurd. Continuing from that statement, Seeres provides a list of the common ways schools control students with disabilities, including labeling (special ed), symbols like handicapped washroom signs, body structure, and so forth. This also seems absurd to me because many of these things are in place at schools to help students with disabilities thrive in school and make them feel accepted, not to control them and make them immediately achieve less like Seeres says. As stated earlier, I do agree with the overall premise of this article, but some of the way Seeres presents his ideas are so biased and even sometimes wrong that it makes it difficult to agree with Seeres arguments. If those sections were re-worded to eliminate any bias whatsoever, than I would fully agree with Seeres’ ideas and arguments.
Fumbling Towards Vulnerability: Moving Out of the Familiar for Music Education’s Sake: By Leslie Dawe
Dawe, Leslie. “Fumbling Towards Vulnerability: Moving Out of the Familiar for Music Education’s Sake”, Canadian Music Educator, 2016; (57) 2, pp. 22-24
“Throughout my life, I would say that most of my own music making experiences, both inside and outside of the classroom encompassed what is defined as being very traditional in nature.” (Dawe) This opening line from Leslie Dawe’s Fumbling Towards Vulnerability: Moving Out of the Familiar for Music Education’s Sake, presents readers with an interesting concept; music education often times focuses on traditional ideas with very little creative input from students. Dawe then goes on to state her own personal experiences on this matter, and how she strives to find a balance between the traditional part of music making and an approach Dawe calls being a “co-learner” with her students to allow for creativity to be accepted and celebrated. Overall, I agree with everything Dawe has to say in this article as it is an approach that is beneficial for student development, and I have witnessed it first-hand. Throughout my years in high-school music, I have noticed that my music teachers led activities that focused on creativity and risk taking. This was especially true in my Grade 12 year as our final project for my instrumental music class was to compose a concert band piece. This was a huge risk not only for me and my class as many of us have never composed anything before, but also for my teacher as he had never done anything like this for a class. It was a learning experience for both parties, similarly to Dawe’s approach highlighted in her article of the “co-learner.” In the end, the project was successful and turned out to be one of the best projects I’ve completed throughout all of high school. After reading this article, it made me realize that my music teachers have been doing these types of assignments for the purpose of making us more creative, and helped us not only for the assignment mentioned earlier, but also for us to be creative individuals in society. If I were to ask one thing to Dawe, it would be “when it comes to being a co-learner, do your students find it enjoyable, or do they question your method of teaching?” But overall, I want to thank Dawe for making this article, as everything she mentions in this article is true, and it important to foster creativity and risk taking in the classroom to make students creative individuals.
Listening and Creating: A Response to Dr. Sandy Stauffer’s Workshop
On Saturday, September 30th, both music education classes and local teachers attended a workshop with Dr. Sandy Stauffer from Arizona State University. The overall theme of the workshop was Listening and Creating, and Dr. Stauffer presented attendees with activities for music educators to facilitate creativity in the classroom. I personally found the workshop to be a very eye-opening experience, as it allowed me to reflect on my own teaching style and ways for me to allow creativity to flourish in students young and old. One of the things I found intriguing in Dr. Stauffer’s workshop were her personal principles, where she believes that all people have both a musical and creative self. She stated that as an educator, one of her roles is to sustain and support musical and creative selves so that every student continues to see themselves as musical people throughout their lives. This stuck out to me, as I never thought about seeing all people as musical. However, I, like Dr. Stauffer, believe that all people are creative, and it is the job of the teacher to allow for creativity in the classroom. This will help students become creative individuals in the future. As previously mentioned, Dr. Stauffer led attendees of her workshop with a multitude of different activities to allow creativity to grow and flourish in the classroom. All of these activities were fun to complete, and really got me thinking about the importance of student creativity through activities such as these. Dr. Stauffer mentioned that when students create, they “have the power.” I never thought of it that way, but Stauffer’s words makes sense to me. From past experiences, I’ve realized that when a student creates something, they feel proud of what they made. that feeling of pride allows them to grow as an individual and become more creative in the future, showing the effect that creating has on students. The only thing that I wish Dr. Stauffer mentioned more of was the effect of creativity through music has on students. not that there was anything wrong with anything Dr. Stauffer said in her workshop, this was just something I would have liked to hear more about. Overall, Dr. Stauffer’s workshop was a very entertaining and eye-opening experience, and I plan to take the material presented in it to help me grow as both an educator and a creator.
Music Education, Multiculturalism and Anti-Racism: Can We Talk?: By Deborah Bradley
Bradley, Deborah. “Music Education, Multiculturalism and Anti-Racism: Can We Talk?” Action, Criticism, and Theory for Music Education. 5/2 (2006); 2-26.
Creating a sense of belonging without segregation in the classroom of any kind is a difficult task for any educator. In Music Education, Multiculturalism and Anti-Racism: Can We Talk? , University of Wisconsin’s Deborah Bradley speaks about this subject in context to music education. She suggests that bringing up race into this dialogue is “…necessary for those educating for social justice.” (Bradley) and speaks about the overall importance of multiculturalism in music education and creating a sense of “anti-racism” (a term she defines as an action-oriented, educational and political strategy for change that addresses the issues of racism and the forms of social oppression). Overall, I agree with Bradley’s thoughts in this article. What I like is that she is bringing light to a subject that I feel is not talked about enough. Race is a very touchy subject when it comes to education as a whole, and it is nice for someone to be so open about it and create discussion. I also agree with the idea that multiculturalism is important in music education. As the role of the student, I find multicultural approaches to music education creates diversity and acceptance of another culture. One thing that stuck out to me while reading this article was the statement that choral repertoire featuring musical cultures around the world are made in the hopes of “spicing up” the concert programs of predominantly western music (Bradley). As a vocal major, I appreciate getting a chance to perform pieces from different ethnic backgrounds as I can get a chance to possibly learn more about another culture through their music, rather than to just add variety to western-style concert programs. That is one reason that I love music; it can allow people of different backgrounds to connect on one art form and appreciate ones ethnicity. This is something that music educators should strive for, creating an environment where diversity is accepted and highlighted through music. One thing that I wish was talked about more is the ways to bring anti-racism and multiculturalism into the classroom, as I felt that Bradley mainly spoke about the current views on the subject and not so much on how to create a non-biassed and multicultural environment. One question I have for Dr. Bradley would be “how have you found that societies views have changed now that this article is over ten years old? Has it improved or worsened?”
Experiences of the Co-Learner: A Response to the Skype Interview with Leslie Dawe
On Wednesday, October 4th, both music education classes had a Skype interview with music teacher Leslie Dawe. Although we experienced some technical difficulties, it was still a great opportunity to discuss her article Fumbling Towards Vulnerability: Moving Out of the Familiar for Music Education’s Sake. I personally found the interview to be an enjoyable experience as it helped me learn more about Dawe and how the thoughts listed in her article came to be. Dawe mentioned that the reason that she wrote her article was her struggle to keep music learning authentic and enjoyable. Both in her article and in the interview, Dawe stated that students of today are losing interest in the idea of music. This I feel to be especially true, as I have noticed friends lose interest in music throughout high school, and the number of students enrolled in music in Grade Nine dropped substantially over four years up until Grade Twelve. So like Dawe, I do agree that it is the teachers job to combine the traditional aspects of music education and creativity with the idea of being a co-learner (I also talked about this in my response to Dawe’s article). This allows for more risk-taking between both the teacher and the student to allow for more musical engagement in the classroom. As I mentioned in my response to Dawe’s article, I had a question for Dawe; her students response to her co-learner method. Luckily for me, I had the chance to ask Dawe this question. She told me that her student’s response have so far been positive, as she feels that her students are being more creative and more open to take risks. This made me realize that the co-learner method really does work, and I plan to use this method in the future as an educator. One thing that struck out to me during this interview was Dawe’s view on colleagues. She told us that colleagues are your greatest strength as an educator, which I feel is true. The purpose of colleagues is to share experiences. I find that colleagues are a great way to bounce idea’s off of each other and provide ways to improve on what you are doing. Essentially, colleagues allow each other to succeed and thrive. Overall, I enjoyed getting a chance to speak with Dawe, as it gave me ways to improve as an educator.
Another Perspective: The iPad is a REAL Musical Instrument: By David A. Williams
Williams, D. A. (2014). Another Perspective The iPad Is a REAL Musical Instrument. Music Educators Journal, 101(1), 93-98.
“A musical instrument…is a device used to produce music.” (Merriam-Webster) All musicians have an instrument of preference, such as the tuba, oboe, or cello. For David A. Williams, his preferred instrument is the iPad. In his article “Another Perspective: The iPad is a REAL Musical Instrument,” Williams mainly focuses on his iPad ensemble at The University of South Florida and argues why the iPad is a real instrument. He compares the iPad to the oboe, sharing six attributes the two share, such as performance limitations, practicing to build technique, and so forth. At first, I was a bit confused with this article, and honestly thought it was a joke. Why would one make an iPad ensemble and argue the reasons to why an iPad out of all things is an instrument? But as I read it, I realized the validity of William’s argument and the importance of the iPad in the music classroom, which I feel is his main argument. Williams says that iPads are objects that build musicianship and creativity, which is important in any music classroom. He also argues that in traditional music education, “…we elevate the importance and worthlessness of certain instruments.” (Williams) and displays this throughout history. This I feel to be especially true, as music changes throughout the years, and being in the 21st century, we as musicians often rely on technology to create a final product. So it makes sense for the iPad to be important for music education of today. I wouldn’t go as far to say that the iPad is, with certainty, a real musical instrument, but I do believe that the iPad is an important tool for the modern music educator. One of the reasons I agree with this article is that I have personal experience with the iPad in a music classroom. For my final assignment in Grade Twelve music, we composed our own concert band piece, and my music teacher used iPads to help guide us along the way, teaching us methods of composing. In the end, the iPad’s really helped with learning and executing the assignment, further proving the importance of the iPad in music education. If I had a question for Williams though, it would be “What inspired you to create an iPad ensemble? Was it something you felt like was needed?” Overall, I do agree with most of William’s article, and I can say that iPads are an essential tool for the music educator of today.
Woke Up This Morning: A Response to Dr. Deborah Bradley
On October 18th, both music education classes had the opportunity to speak with Dr. Deborah Bradley and discuss her article: “Music Education, Multiculturalism and Anti-Racism: Can We Talk?” It was a good opportunity to provide further clarification of her article and speak about the view of multiculturalism in music education. I personally found this workshop/interview with Deborah Bradley to be an great experience, as it furthered my appreciation for multiculturalism in music education. One of the things that Bradley told us was that music is a social and cultural experience, which I feel to be especially true. One thing that music has the power to do is to bring people together and appreciate the music of ones culture. As music educators it our responsibility to teach students the meaning of multicultural music and in the words of Deborah Bradley, how music fits into the world. Bradley also spoke to us about anti-racism (which is the idea of seeing someone as a human being regardless of race and background) and why it is important to teach our students this idea. This I feel to be especially important, as if students have negative and racist ideas about other individuals, their cultures, and their music, that mindset will stay with them for almost their entire lives. As stated by Dr. Bradley, what hurts one person hurts us all They will not be able to appreciate other cultures in music, and worse, view people of different cultures than their own not as human beings. Which is why it is important as a music educator to provide background for multicultural pieces, as it will help students understand why they are performing what they are performing. But more importantly, it will help students live out the idea of anti-racism, and view people of all cultures as humans, not objects. Overall, I enjoyed my time with Dr. Deborah Bradley as it made me realize why it is important to embrace the ideas of multiculturalism and anti-racism as a music educator.
Visit to St. George Catholic Elementary School
On October 30th, my music education had the opportunity to visit St. George Catholic Elementary School and joined a Grade 3/4 split class. Led by Cathy Benedict, we all partook in activities, predominantly Halloween themed, showing how music can be incorporated into non-musical settings, and still be a fun and enjoyable experience. Personally, I had a very fun time, as this was the first time in a while that I got the chance to be with kids in a classroom setting. The activities that we played subtilely touched on musical ideas such as phrasing, rhythm, and melodic progression. One activity we played involved creating sounds to make a mock orchestra, all while keeping the students engaged, even allowing some of the students to be in control if what sounds are heard. It showed me the importance of being patient and straight forward with the students, as there were instances where the students would be rowdy and sometimes not listen. So to make sure the students listened, discipline was enforced. This creates structure, and makes sure that the topics presented in class are learned properly, and in the words of Cathy: “It’s best to say ‘no, this is what I want.’” This was something that I touched on in my influential teacher presentation. One thing that I noticed was that there was an emphasis on equal participation between all student’s. Each activity that we played involved everybody doing something and participating the same amount as everybody else. This is important in any sense of education as it allows every student to feel a part of something. In the sense of our activities, the level of participation made it seem as if all of the students were contributing to the final product (which they were). Similarly to the lines of participation, progression was important factor in these activities, which is something that I feel is important especially with music education. Presenting small sections of the activity at a time allows students to grasp onto the material easier, rather than throwing everything at them at once. This I find creates a more successful end product that students can feel proud about knowing that they contributed to. Overall, the experience with the students at St. George was one that I will keep with me, as I feel it will help improve my skills as a music educator with any age group, not just children.
Student and Teacher Interview Reflection
Over the past few weeks I had the chance to interview both an influential teacher and two students (both responses can be found on my website), and speak to them about their views on music and music education. Looking back at both experiences I found many different connections and shared thoughts that I found to be very interesting. One of the biggest surprises I found between both interviews was the reaction to of the educator’s teaching styles in the eyes of the student, and how this teaching style affects students. When I spoke to Jennifer Doria (my influential teacher), she mentioned to me that her intention and philosophy of education is about life and to bring people together. In her words, she stated that all of her methods of teaching always try to bring people together and create a connection to students lives through music. She also mentioned to me that she try to think like the student and act as a learner with her students, similarly to Leslie Dawe’s co-learner method of teaching she spoke about in her article Fumbling Towards Vulnerability: Moving Out of the Familiar for Music Education’s Sake. When I conducted both of my student interviews, it helped me visualize the impact of the teaching methods of the educator on students. Both Benjamin Emmanuel and Natalie Schu (the interviewed students) spoke to me about how a teacher’s energy helps them feel engaged and enjoy what they are learning, and they feel is happens especially in music. Both mentioned that the teachers passion for the subject is also a big reason as to why they enjoy music. Using those examples from both interviews helped me further understand the impact a teacher and their methods of teaching can have on students.
One other interesting connection I found from both interviews was certain aspects of music education that both parties shared. For instance, I found that community was a shared principle of music education between both interviews, albeit in slightly different perspectives. In regard’s to the teacher interview, Mrs. Doria mentioned that music ultimately brings people together and allows people to reflect on certain aspects of life. This can allow for personal growth for both the student and the educator. In the student interviews, both Ben and Natalie said that a teacher’s openness brings people together and appreciate music. More specifically, Natalie mentioned to me that music is a subject where community is essential for success. In her experiences, she feels that music creates a supportive mentality among both the student and the educator. She also mentioned to me that in order for that supportive community to be created, the teacher should think like the student, and when a teacher has a personal knowledge and connection to the student, it makes learning easier and creates the supportive level of community she spoke to me about in our interview. Interestingly, this was something that Mrs. Doria also spoke to me about in my teacher interview, further showing how both parties shared similar thoughts and experiences.
Overall, both interviews provided me with two different, but similar views about music and music education that I found to be both interesting as well as thoughtful on how to grow as an educator. However, these interviews ultimately showed me that although two varying perspectives were created, both the student and the educator can have similar thoughts and experiences about music education, showing its large impact on both parties.
Toward Convergence Adapting Music Education to Contemporary Society and Participatory Culture
Tobias, E. S. (2013). Toward Convergence Adapting Music Education to Contemporary Society and Participatory Culture. Music Educators Journal, 99(4), 29-36.
“How are our programs helping our students engage in contemporary society?” (Tobias 29) This is the question assistant professor Evan S. Tobias asks readers in his article Toward Convergence: Adapting Music Education to Contemporary Society and Participatory Culture. In this article, Tobias speaks about the belief that today’s students in typical K-12 music programs are not fully letting students engage in contemporary society and how these programs “…represent an important but somewhat narrow range of the diverse ways know and do music.” (Tobias 29) Tobias then goes on to state the idea of participatory culture, and how this is one of the many ways to engage music students in today’s society. I have to say, this is one of the most eye-opening articles I have read in this class. Tobias does make a point when he says that music programs often do not fully show how music can engage people in society, and brings on a good question when asking if there are ways that we can encourage students to be more musical based on what is taught in the classroom. As I have mentioned in some of my other responses, I feel that it is the job of the educator to foster both creativity and engagement in the classroom. I feel that Tobias’ article is a great representation of this thought, as he speaks about multiple ways to bring more modern musical engagement in the classroom, such as integrating contemporary musical practices into the classroom, expanding engagement with various forms of musical literature, and engaging in public contests and other opportunities. He even speaks about modern musical figures who use tools such as social media to bring their creative process to the world, such as Imogen Heap, and Eric Whitacre, among others. Similarly to Tobias’ thoughts, I also feel that incorporating contemporary music practices will not only make students feel and act more engaged in today’s society, but will also help educators grow and evolve, which is essential in helping music educators improve and successfully engage their students. As I was reading this article, a question popped into my mind that I would ask Tobias: “Do you think this issue of lack of engagement in contemporary society through music has changed for better or for worse since you wrote this article?” Overall, this article brings up an interesting and important topic when it comes to the modern music educator, and allows for ways to bring musical engagement into the society of today.