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Rose, L. S., & Countryman, J. (2013). Repositioning ‘the elements’: How students talk about music. Action, Criticism, and Theory for Music Education 12(3): 45-64.
After reading the article “Repositioning ‘The Elements’: How Students Talk about Music”, I have several conflicting opinions about it. I found it intriguing the way in which the authors worded some of the typical musical terms, such as using ‘academicking’, to describe the pedagogical decisions to transform music education into more ‘academic’ courses. This aspect of the article truly allows the authors to grasp the reader’s attention throughout. Many of the facts that were shown took me by surprise, such as the small percentage of students that decide to pursue music, even more so the catastrophic effect the pedagogy of ‘the elements’ has on the students. The text states, “Music knowledge is presented as atomistic, static and transmittable— yet students know that music is personal, emotional, physical, unnameable, complex, connected and enormously diverse” (47), describing the negative effects of the pedagogy of ‘the elements’. This concept of the article truly allowed me to reflect on past personal experiences with music education. Teaching ‘the elements’ has been the way in which several of my previous teachers have taught me, not allowing me to reach my full potential creativity wise as well as fully submerging my emotions into the music I listen to. The confines of the pedagogy of ‘the elements’ restrict the way in which I, as well as other musicians, perceive music we hear, thus not allowing music to have its full effect on us. Saying this, I do disagree with some of what the authors are arguing. I believe that the teaching of solely ‘the elements’ is not the best approach to music education, though having some knowledge on the subject has its advantages. The authors briefly touched on the importance of having knowledge of ‘the elements’ of music, however allowing the student to have some insight as to why, what, and how they are feeling these things about music aids them in fully experience it. Additionally, it allows the student to further analyze the music, thus strengthening their musical insight and connection. In my previous experiences, I have appreciated and most often used the information and lessons I have learned from ‘the elements’ of music. It has helped me better analyze and identify aspects of a piece of music, which is an important part of learning about music. It may just be a personal preference of mine, but having some sort of structure to the way in which I am being taught music gives me more guidance as to the why, what, and how questions I previously mentioned. Overall, I would simply like to express my gratitude to the authors for this article, because it has helped me broaden my views on music education through their own experiences. It is an interesting and well put together article informing readers about the somewhat outdated traditional pedagogy of ‘the elements’ of music, and how future educators can change their methods. Questions for the author: What are your suggestions for a new music teacher wanting to avoid teaching 'the elements'? What would a typical lesson look like? Reflection #2Serres, D. (2014). Think Everything’s “Normal?” Then it’s Time to Reconsider a New Narrative of Disability. Retrieved September 22, 2017, from http://organizingchange.org/think-everythings-normal-then-its-time-to-reconsider-and-promote-a-new-narritive-of-disability/
I found this article very interesting to read, and fully agree with the majority of the arguments they made concerning the disabled community. I found it interesting how many people to this day still discriminate against people with disabilities, with the majority not even knowing they are doing it. An example of this is presented when they mention educators segregating the students with disabilities, creating separate curriculums, environments, and disciplines for the disabled students. This is frustrating because I had the preconceived notion that in this day and age, there wouldn’t still be discrimination such as this happening in our education system. I was also frustrated when the author mentioned the negativity the media enforces on people with disabilities, such as making a villain disabled, or a hero “overcoming” their disability. This is very troublesome, as the media is what influences most of our population in this day and age, creating a false notion concerning the disabled community. I was surprised when it mentioned the Medical Industrial Complex stigmatizing the disabled community and diagnosing “mental illnesses” just so they can create more profit. The fact that the MIC is pressuring doctors to use their drugs simply to make profit saddens me, and is something more people need to open their eyes to. I can relate to this article on a more personal level, since my mother is physically disabled and has gone through many of the challenges the author mentioned. Growing up, she was treated differently in her school system simply because of her physical disability, not allowing her to have the same opportunities as the children without disabilities. Despite this, she still went to university and achieved a masters degree in writing. My mother’s story easily proves that people with disabilities are capable of doing everything anyone else can, and should be given equal opportunities. I would like to tell the author that the points they made have opened my eyes even more concerning the disabled community. I agree and believe that everyone needs to be aware of the “culture of normalcy” and how it is affecting people with disabilities. People need to stop perceiving people with disabilities as “lesser” or are “suffering”, because it isn’t true. Just because someone is different than yourself, does not mean they are not living a happy, full, and successful life. Reflection #3
Hourigan, R. M. (2009). The invisible student: Understanding social identity construction within performing ensembles. Music Educators Journal, 34-38.
I really enjoyed reading this article, and found the majority of the advice the author gave concerning “invisible students” very insightful. First of all, I found the way in which the author wrote this article very interesting and kept my attention throughout. By putting little narrations about Jason, like telling a story, before each point they had really keeps the reader’s attention. I found the many tips the author had for helping the “invisible students” join the ensemble in a social way interesting and I would believe very helpful. Giving students peer guides allows the student to become more open and hopefully more social, since talking to adults can sometimes be intimidating. I think this is a great way to allow an “invisible student” to fully transform into a more sociable person. I was surprised to learn about how students who feel they are inferior to others in an ensemble will most likely not want to participate or be social. Now that the author has mentioned this, I can remember many times where I witnessed this in my high school band, where the ones that feel their playing is inferior oftentimes aren’t as social. It frustrates me that some band teachers don’t even try to fix the social hierarchy that forms in their classroom. I have seen this before, and it isn’t fair to the “invisible student” that is being left out, and isn’t getting the same full experience as their peers. I can relate to this article, as I used to be the so-called “invisible student”. It wasn’t because of my musical abilities, but because of my social awkwardness and shyness stopping me from having a full experience in my middle school band. In that point of time I wish my band teacher would have done many of the strategies the author mentions in this article such as the peer guides, choosing groups for the students, etc. I would like to thank the author for this wonderful article, as I am sure it has given many educators/future educators tips in helping the “invisible student” reach their full potential. It has also helped me, as a future music educator, to identify the many problems a student may be experiencing when it comes to fitting in, and I will help me better identify those students after reading this article. This article has shown me several different ways I can help and identify a student that is feeling left out or inferior to their peers. reflection #4Dawe, L. (2016). Fumbling Towards Vulnerability: Moving Out of the Familiar for Music Education’s Sake, Canadian Music Educator, (57) 2, p.22-24
After reading this article, I have had some realizations on my personal relationship with music and music education. I can relate to a lot of what the author was saying about vulnerability and taking risks in music. I grew up in a very similar learning environment as hers, and have had the exact same nerve-wracking experience of having to take a risk in improvisation and choking up. I found it interesting how effective the author says the co-learning approach to music education is. I could see some issues arising from this kind of environment, as music students, especially younger ones, look for someone to follow and guide them. Saying this, I do acknowledge that the author’s point was not that the teacher wouldn’t be giving the students any guidance at all. I agree with her point on having the opportunity to be creative as early in your music education as you can because if I had had that same opportunity, I would be much further in my musical education creativity-wise. I was surprised to read about how vulnerable the teacher feels taking this new approach to music pedagogy. I have never thought about how taking a new approach to teaching may make the teacher feel insecure about their teaching ability. I thought the author could have elaborated more on her new curriculum and exactly what she does each class, just so the reader could have more insight and new ideas to add to their own curriculums. I would like to tell the author how much I enjoyed her article. I relate to a lot of the things she was pointing out about the strictly formatted traditional teaching style. I have been experiencing music in a very black and white manner, and her article has helped me realize this. It also helped me realize how it will affect my further experiences with music. Knowing what I know now, I will be able to work on being more creative and unique with my playing and future teaching. I will also be able to create a better learning environment for my future students and allow them to reach their full potential in music. reflection #5Bradley, D. (2006) “Music education, multiculturalism, and anti-racism: ‘Can we talk?” Action, Criticism, and Theory for Music Education, 5/2
I found this reading to be very interesting, as it discussed topics that many music educators (and educators in general) avoid. I found it interesting when Dr. Bradley mentions the government and its ways of avoiding the inequality existing in our society. As she mentions, the government addresses the issues existing with “visible minorities”, essentially deeming the majority of minorities “invisible”. She also mentions that government policy makers address the equality aspect as well, but never discuss the inequality, which is something that I could see being an issue for minorities. Something I really enjoyed while reading this article was her ability to freely discuss the existing issues with racism, instead of avoiding the subject like most educators. She mentions the multicultural approach to choral music education, something that I have seen many times throughout my music education. I think it is a wonderful thing that music educators are trying to break through the cultural bias existing in our music education. An aspect of this article that frustrated me was the language that Dr. Bradley used. I understand that some of the more difficult terms were needed to be used for her argument, but the majority of the language that she used simply distracts the reader from fully understanding her argument. I agree with her statement of “aesthetic poverty” simply being our unfamiliarity with other musical practices other than our own. I believe it is important to learn and educate yourself on the other musical practices outside of the western music world. And as future music educators, we can incorporate the multiculturalism we experience into our lessons, thus furthering the acceptance and knowledge of other cultures onto next generations. I would like to tell the author that I appreciate her acceptance and efforts to try and help music educators become more open-minded. It is hard to break away from traditions, but with the help of people like Dr. Bradley, we will eventually live in a more diverse and accepting music community. reflection #6Williams, D. A. (2014). Another Perspective The iPad Is a REAL Musical Instrument. Music Educators Journal, 101(1), 93-98
After reading this article, I have many thoughts about what the author had to say about iPads being instruments. I found his perspective on music to be very interesting and non-traditional. He talks about iPads as being instruments as a traditional music educator might talk about a violin or a piano. When the author mentioned the fact that at first even jazz music was not accepted in school programs, it made me reflect on the possibility of the iPad someday being more widely accepted as an instrument. Even though the iPad is not widely accepted at the moment, it could someday become a part of school music programs. Using an iPad in school music programs could also entice more students to stay in music, which is something Western music schools are struggling with at the moment. Despite all of these positive aspects of iPads being instruments, I have quite a few of opposing opinions. To start, I do acknowledge that using iPads to train your ear could definitely aid your overall musicianship. However, that isn't all there is to being a musician. Being a musician is feeling the music that you are producing, and being fully submerged and enveloped in it. Tapping your fingers on a screen wouldn't give the musician the same amount of joy and fulfillment as physically playing an instrument. Also, technically the iPad would be creating the music instead of the musician. The music/sound is being produced by a speaker on the iPad, instead of the musician's fingers. Adding on to this, realistically, an iPad performance would not be a very enjoyable one for the audience. Half of the performance is the audience being able to see the musician's emotions and involvement in the music. Without that, the audience wouldn't be getting the full experience, and the performers wouldn't be either. Being a musician myself, I can say that being able to express myself on my instrument gives me an indescribable feeling. There are many modern music genres that do create music from technology such as electronic music. But in my opinion, some genres and styles of music shouldn't be performed in ways you won't get its full potential. I'd still like to acknowledge the authors efforts in trying to involve more students in music. I do believe this is an issue that needs to be solved. I do also believe that music educators should be more open-minded to the many new innovative musical pedagogies out there. st. george elementary reflectionI really enjoyed my experience today at St. George Catholic Elementary. The elementary students were great listeners and followed along very nicely with Cathy. The way Cathy was teaching was very interesting and informative. She would begin by demonstrating a song (such as the witch song), and then continue by asking the students to contribute their ideas to further the song. I really enjoyed the activity with the song about old Abrahm Brown, and how it taught the students how to sing in harmony while using the same melody. It was also fun to walk around and be able to hear the different layers of the song going on around you. I found it very helpful when Cathy would demonstrate the song, and then ask the students what the song was about. Then they could have an easier grasp on the words as well as the story. I really enjoyed the way Cathy began the class with the human orchestra activity. This way she knew the university students would already have a good grasp on the concept and be able to easily guide the elementary students. The activity with the clapping, snapping, and stomping was very fun for us (and I'm sure the elementary students), because we all got to experience the percussive side of music while still doing something compatible with all ages. I found it very helpful (for the students) when Cathy would tell us to turn around to our partners and discuss the activities. This allows the elementary students to engage with us, as well as express their thoughts easily, without having the pressure of talking in front of the entire class. I could tell it was easier for the students to participate in the activities with us helping them since we are closer in age and they feel a bit more comfortable.
This was an amazing experience to be able to see what it is like to be a music educator. Cathy demonstrated the techniques us as future music educators could use in a younger age group setting. It was very fun for me to interact with the students and be able to get their insight on the activities. They were all very wonderful to work with, and I would love to have another experience like this again. reflection #7Tobias, E. S. (2013). Toward Convergence Adapting Music Education to Contemporary Society and Participatory Culture. Music Educators Journal, 99(4), 29-36.
I found this week's reading "Toward Convergence: Adapting Music Education to Contemporary Society and Participatory Culture" very interesting to read, bringing up many ways educators can interact, as well as get other people to interact with all types of music. I found it interesting that bands such as Nine Inch Nails and Radiohead address public expectations by allowing their music to be interacted with online, for anyone to download and to manipulate however they see fit. In my opinion, this is a great thing to be able to do. If I composed pieces, I would love to see other musicians manipulate and create a whole new piece based on mine, allowing them to demonstrate their creativity. I found it surprising that this concept is being in more traditional areas of music such as the Berlin and Brooklyn philharmonic. It's innovative of them to host remix contest of Mahler's symphony no.1 and Beethoven's symphony no. 9. This is also seen with Yo-yo Ma, a very famous cellist, allowing people to remix and add to his performances. These all demonstrate the way new and old forms of media are converging in this day and age. I found the ways the author demonstrated to the reader to get students more interactive was interesting. One of the ways the author presented to the reader was allowing students to select their own music to interact with, in order to help integrate contemporary musical practices in the classroom. The author talked about the website called 'soundcloud', which I have actually used before, for finding and creating material for projects in school. 'Soundcloud' is a great way for students (and anyone in general) to have access to an endless amount of musical creations. One of the other ways the author mentioned to get students more involved is creating a comprehensive musicianship model, so that the students will analyze ensemble repertoire they remixed along with others' music. I wish the article went more in depth on how this would actually look in a classroom setting, also how they would deal with the extra expenses. I thought this article was very insightful, and helpful for music educators who are looking to integrate a more modern and interactive curriculum for their students. In the future, I will be using many aspects of this article with my students. |