Is it important to build an audiance?
The short answer to the question is-Yes.
I could go into how it helps the kids feel supported and part of somethig, I could say that its a good way to validate your work, I could even go as far as saying it helps students understand why its so improtant to learn thier parts and play well together, but in my honest opinion, one thing stands out more than anything else is,
MONEY... The world spins on money (unfortunetly).
Most BOJC programs in America rely heavly on donations from members of the community. Seeing as bands are constantly trying to raise money so they can offored equipment, it's incredibly important to have a good and returning audiance.
Building a good audiance not only helps spread the word about the sucess of your program but it also enables you to recieve more charitable donations and support from the community. Dontations that are vital to your programs well being.
Of course its not all about the money, but at the end of the day, theres nothing like not having to worry about how your going to make ends meet in order for your program to strive.
Monday, April 21, 2014
Monday, April 7, 2014
Thunder Soul
I finally got my hands on a Netflix account (thanks to a friend Justin for letting me borrow it) and found some time to watch the documentary "Thunder Soul".
All I can really say about this documentary is "Wow!".
I was completely blown away by the story. An innovative band director (Conrad O. Johnson Sr) taking a group of students and helping to create one of the best band programs/funk bands of the time.
The sheer talent that was displayed in the film was mind blowing and the way the students spoke about Conrad was incredibly uplifting. Many of them viewed Conrad not only as a great band director but also a father figure.
What I really enjoyed the most about this documentary was that Conrad saw what the students liked to play/listen to (funk) and instead of completely ignoring it and working on what he thought they should play, he adapted funk into the bands style.
By doing this, he helped to inspire the students to play at their best and really believe in the music that they were playing. He also helped to become an international phenomenon, taking his band all the way to Europe to perform.
I have always believed that the students should have the option to play music that they want to play. I've always believed that if you allow students the opportunity to do something that they believe in, the opportunities would be endless. This documentary is the exact example of that.
Conrad saw a musical opportunity for his students and took that opportunity to expand on their love of funk. By doing this he not only made them better musicians but also gave them something to believe in. This opportunity helped students understand that if you work hard and believe in what you do you can achieve anything.
Finally, following the success of his band program, the entire community came closer together and students at the school began to achieve higher grades and great athletic feats. It a true story of what a great band program could do not only for the students in it but the entire community.
So how can I make a love of music in my program. Well in my opinion there's a very simple answer to this. The best way to find a mutual love of music (between your students and your self) you have to find a genre that majority of the students really enjoy listening to. Just like Conrad did. Once you find this genre, you must explore it with your students and write music/ cover music that both of you enjoy. When this happens students will become enthralled with the music and will show how much they enjoy playing it by playing it well.
All I can really say about this documentary is "Wow!".
I was completely blown away by the story. An innovative band director (Conrad O. Johnson Sr) taking a group of students and helping to create one of the best band programs/funk bands of the time.
The sheer talent that was displayed in the film was mind blowing and the way the students spoke about Conrad was incredibly uplifting. Many of them viewed Conrad not only as a great band director but also a father figure.
What I really enjoyed the most about this documentary was that Conrad saw what the students liked to play/listen to (funk) and instead of completely ignoring it and working on what he thought they should play, he adapted funk into the bands style.
By doing this, he helped to inspire the students to play at their best and really believe in the music that they were playing. He also helped to become an international phenomenon, taking his band all the way to Europe to perform.
I have always believed that the students should have the option to play music that they want to play. I've always believed that if you allow students the opportunity to do something that they believe in, the opportunities would be endless. This documentary is the exact example of that.
Conrad saw a musical opportunity for his students and took that opportunity to expand on their love of funk. By doing this he not only made them better musicians but also gave them something to believe in. This opportunity helped students understand that if you work hard and believe in what you do you can achieve anything.
Finally, following the success of his band program, the entire community came closer together and students at the school began to achieve higher grades and great athletic feats. It a true story of what a great band program could do not only for the students in it but the entire community.
So how can I make a love of music in my program. Well in my opinion there's a very simple answer to this. The best way to find a mutual love of music (between your students and your self) you have to find a genre that majority of the students really enjoy listening to. Just like Conrad did. Once you find this genre, you must explore it with your students and write music/ cover music that both of you enjoy. When this happens students will become enthralled with the music and will show how much they enjoy playing it by playing it well.
National Anthem Lesson
On Monday I had the opportunity to conduct a lesson on national anthems. Upon doing my research on this topic I realized that 2 out of the 3 national anthems I chose (Mexico, America and Canada) have nothing to do with the people of that country (presently). Mexico and Americas national anthem is pretty much completely about going to war or fighting a war and in my honest opinion, that has really nothing to do with being a citizen of either of those countries (yes, I understand it's part of their history but both Mexico and America have contributed allot more to the human race then just fighting a war(s)). Canada's National Anthem was the only one that was actually about being a Canadian present, future and past.
So my lesson, do the 3 national anthems have anything to do with the people of that nation? And lets make our own national anthem!
I started out my lesson as usual, with lots of energy. I played students each national anthem and gave a brief history on only the American national anthem. I realized as the clock counted down I was only going to have time to splurge some history on one (Which is unfortunate because I planned to give some history all 3). After each national anthem I asked students if they felt that the anthem represented the people of that nation. They agreed with me that the American and Mexican National Anthems don't have much to do with the current citizens of both the U.S and Mexico. As the lesson went on I couldn't help but feel that students were growing concerned, "how dare he question our national anthem!" but alas, this country was built on people being defiant.
My main goal of this lesson was to leave students wondering "why do we sing about something that really doesn't have anything to do with our present life and call it our national anthem." I believe I achived this.
I also kept the class engaged with lots of questions and lots of movement.
In the future I will be sure to let students know that we are going to be analyzing the meaning of the national anthems instead of just saying "We are going to be learning about these 3 national anthems."
This way students will have a clear understanding from the get go as to where im going with my lesson.
On another note, I do believe I got the students thinking and engaged, I also believe that I more or less got my point across, especially since I've had a few people come up to me after my lesson and speak to me about the point that I was trying to make.
For future lessons, I need to learn how to time manage better and develop a quicker way of getting my information across with out losing any substance.
So my lesson, do the 3 national anthems have anything to do with the people of that nation? And lets make our own national anthem!
I started out my lesson as usual, with lots of energy. I played students each national anthem and gave a brief history on only the American national anthem. I realized as the clock counted down I was only going to have time to splurge some history on one (Which is unfortunate because I planned to give some history all 3). After each national anthem I asked students if they felt that the anthem represented the people of that nation. They agreed with me that the American and Mexican National Anthems don't have much to do with the current citizens of both the U.S and Mexico. As the lesson went on I couldn't help but feel that students were growing concerned, "how dare he question our national anthem!" but alas, this country was built on people being defiant.
My main goal of this lesson was to leave students wondering "why do we sing about something that really doesn't have anything to do with our present life and call it our national anthem." I believe I achived this.
I also kept the class engaged with lots of questions and lots of movement.
In the future I will be sure to let students know that we are going to be analyzing the meaning of the national anthems instead of just saying "We are going to be learning about these 3 national anthems."
This way students will have a clear understanding from the get go as to where im going with my lesson.
On another note, I do believe I got the students thinking and engaged, I also believe that I more or less got my point across, especially since I've had a few people come up to me after my lesson and speak to me about the point that I was trying to make.
For future lessons, I need to learn how to time manage better and develop a quicker way of getting my information across with out losing any substance.
Sunday, March 30, 2014
Mom? Can I borrow 50,000 dollars for our band program?
Should we rely on parents to raise money for the BOJC (Band, Orchestra, Jazz, Chorus) program?
In a perfect world, the answer to this question is no, but in the real world the answer to the question, in my opinion, is yes/ kinda.
The reality of the situation all circles back to the world of the arts and how people view it. Pretty much every one you talk to these days likes some form of art. Whether it be music, TV, drawing, painting,music, video games, ETC. The fact of the matter is pretty much all forms of entertainment are based off some form of "art."
Unfortunately, people often forget the fact of how much they love all that is mentioned above when it comes to schools art programs. Most people have no idea that a large majority of the creativity that they love stems all the way back to a schools art program.
Due to this sad fact, when it comes time for cutting the budget guess who's first to get the ax? If you guessed the athletic programs you guessed wrong. Most of the time its the art programs.
So to answer the question above,
It is absolutely a necessity to have the schools community involved in raising money for schools BOJC programs. That includes parents and students. Should it have to rely solely on them? No it shouldn't. But again we don't live in a perfect world.
When it comes to BOJC and almost anything else, buying quality products doesn't come cheap. So first things first.
The director of the program has to make a quote for the school. Once that happens and an amount is approved, the director has to rely on all their resources to raise enough money to reach there budget goal ( if the school doesn't give him/her the full amount.)
Thats when we need to rely on not just the parents but the students and the community to spread the word, make the necessary events and put on great shows to help bring in support.
So to answer the question above, yes we should rely on the parents as well as the community.
For anyone who stumbles on to this that believes art programs aren't a budget necessity. Imagine living in a world with no cars, movies, pictures (of all kinds), television, computers, music, furniture, houses, clothing, ETC..... Yea... All that mentioned above, some artist designed it/ designed its concept/developed it/ worked on it/ created it. Think long and hard about each one of those criterias before you say I'm incorrect.
In a perfect world, the answer to this question is no, but in the real world the answer to the question, in my opinion, is yes/ kinda.
The reality of the situation all circles back to the world of the arts and how people view it. Pretty much every one you talk to these days likes some form of art. Whether it be music, TV, drawing, painting,music, video games, ETC. The fact of the matter is pretty much all forms of entertainment are based off some form of "art."
Unfortunately, people often forget the fact of how much they love all that is mentioned above when it comes to schools art programs. Most people have no idea that a large majority of the creativity that they love stems all the way back to a schools art program.
Due to this sad fact, when it comes time for cutting the budget guess who's first to get the ax? If you guessed the athletic programs you guessed wrong. Most of the time its the art programs.
So to answer the question above,
It is absolutely a necessity to have the schools community involved in raising money for schools BOJC programs. That includes parents and students. Should it have to rely solely on them? No it shouldn't. But again we don't live in a perfect world.
When it comes to BOJC and almost anything else, buying quality products doesn't come cheap. So first things first.
The director of the program has to make a quote for the school. Once that happens and an amount is approved, the director has to rely on all their resources to raise enough money to reach there budget goal ( if the school doesn't give him/her the full amount.)
Thats when we need to rely on not just the parents but the students and the community to spread the word, make the necessary events and put on great shows to help bring in support.
So to answer the question above, yes we should rely on the parents as well as the community.
For anyone who stumbles on to this that believes art programs aren't a budget necessity. Imagine living in a world with no cars, movies, pictures (of all kinds), television, computers, music, furniture, houses, clothing, ETC..... Yea... All that mentioned above, some artist designed it/ designed its concept/developed it/ worked on it/ created it. Think long and hard about each one of those criterias before you say I'm incorrect.
Sunday, March 23, 2014
Music technology. It has a nice ring to it doesn't it?
The question,
How has/will music technology effect music education?
Well, if you don't think it has yet then your doing something wrong. We live in a time where you can download tuning software for free on just about anything and with the proper software you can make even the worst of singers sound in key.
So for the"has"
Music is now more accessible than ever. Anyone with a key board and a slight idea of how to spell an artists name can find just about any song they want, even if it hasn't been recorded for an album yet (YouTube). And just like that people are also able to search for just about any lesson they want, whether it be how to play an E major chord on the guitar or how to have the proper embouchure to play the clarinet. Just about anything you can think of in the realm of music has a free lesson somewhere online.
This new music technology boom has also begun to catch on in the classroom. We now have programs like Logic where students have access to just about any instrument they want and with enough knowlege and time for trail and error, students can write a symphony with ease, just by playing a midi keyboard.
Seeing the opportunity in this, many teachers use these student made compositions to teach the creator and the class as a whole about the theory behind the composition. Some teachers sight examples such key signature, chord structure, ect. The teaching opportunities with student made compositions can become very in depth and is only limited by the teachers ability to explore the composition and the complexity of the composition itself.
Other teachers have begun to film themselves playing the instrument or piece they are teaching students and putting these videos up on their website to help guide students while practicing at home.
Now we even have Guitar Hero style video games where the player uses a real guitar to learn how to play a composition.
These are just a few small examples to help form the big picture of where music technology is/ and where its going in the classroom.
Now for the "will"
At this point with more and more free software being made I can only assume that music technology will slowly begin taking over the music classroom. In reality the only thing I can see holding students back would be the school administrations absence of such knowledge, their interest in the arts and the schools technology budget.
In the near future, I believe that we are going to see allot more composition based software. Specifically because most of these midi software notates what the user is playing. Due to this the user can go back and analyze what they have just play in a notated from. This opens up endless possibilities for ear training, chord/ note structure lessons, song anylisis, ETC. Really anything that is taught in a theory class can be done on these programs, except now students and teachers can see the piece being played while the software highlights the notes.
I also believe that soon there will be allot more games that can be used in the classroom such as Rocksmith, where students can play the actual instrument to a backing track and the game will critique their performance.
Some companies are even coming out with more child friendly electronic instruments such as the Korg Wavedrum. This drum allows students to experiment with all different types of sounds and can make learning and early childhood rhythm compostion incredibly simple while using an array of sounds with just a click of a button. What makes it even better is the drum can be played with sticks or your bare hands.
Many fear technology because it can bread laziness and a cumbersome lifestyle, but when it comes to music, I believe that technology could really help push students in the right direction and make learning music more accessible by those that may not have be able to participate otherwise. With the accessability of these new technologies we may very well make the world a more musical place. Isn't that what we the music educators want after all?
How has/will music technology effect music education?
Well, if you don't think it has yet then your doing something wrong. We live in a time where you can download tuning software for free on just about anything and with the proper software you can make even the worst of singers sound in key.
So for the"has"
Music is now more accessible than ever. Anyone with a key board and a slight idea of how to spell an artists name can find just about any song they want, even if it hasn't been recorded for an album yet (YouTube). And just like that people are also able to search for just about any lesson they want, whether it be how to play an E major chord on the guitar or how to have the proper embouchure to play the clarinet. Just about anything you can think of in the realm of music has a free lesson somewhere online.
This new music technology boom has also begun to catch on in the classroom. We now have programs like Logic where students have access to just about any instrument they want and with enough knowlege and time for trail and error, students can write a symphony with ease, just by playing a midi keyboard.
Seeing the opportunity in this, many teachers use these student made compositions to teach the creator and the class as a whole about the theory behind the composition. Some teachers sight examples such key signature, chord structure, ect. The teaching opportunities with student made compositions can become very in depth and is only limited by the teachers ability to explore the composition and the complexity of the composition itself.
Other teachers have begun to film themselves playing the instrument or piece they are teaching students and putting these videos up on their website to help guide students while practicing at home.
Now we even have Guitar Hero style video games where the player uses a real guitar to learn how to play a composition.
These are just a few small examples to help form the big picture of where music technology is/ and where its going in the classroom.
Now for the "will"
At this point with more and more free software being made I can only assume that music technology will slowly begin taking over the music classroom. In reality the only thing I can see holding students back would be the school administrations absence of such knowledge, their interest in the arts and the schools technology budget.
In the near future, I believe that we are going to see allot more composition based software. Specifically because most of these midi software notates what the user is playing. Due to this the user can go back and analyze what they have just play in a notated from. This opens up endless possibilities for ear training, chord/ note structure lessons, song anylisis, ETC. Really anything that is taught in a theory class can be done on these programs, except now students and teachers can see the piece being played while the software highlights the notes.
I also believe that soon there will be allot more games that can be used in the classroom such as Rocksmith, where students can play the actual instrument to a backing track and the game will critique their performance.
Some companies are even coming out with more child friendly electronic instruments such as the Korg Wavedrum. This drum allows students to experiment with all different types of sounds and can make learning and early childhood rhythm compostion incredibly simple while using an array of sounds with just a click of a button. What makes it even better is the drum can be played with sticks or your bare hands.
Many fear technology because it can bread laziness and a cumbersome lifestyle, but when it comes to music, I believe that technology could really help push students in the right direction and make learning music more accessible by those that may not have be able to participate otherwise. With the accessability of these new technologies we may very well make the world a more musical place. Isn't that what we the music educators want after all?
Sunday, March 9, 2014
What it takes to be a GREAT (Music) educator
In my opinion there are three things a person needs to be a good and effective (music) educator.
1. Patients-
I have listed patients first because in my opinion it is one of the most important traits an educator should possess. A good educator should be able to calmly make attempt after attempt at teaching a struggling student with out becoming flustered. A good educator does not give up on a student because they are having a difficult time understanding content. A good educator continually tries to make attempts from several different angles in order for a student to process and possess the knowledge that they require. As it has been said "Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better.". If you are thinking about becoming an educator and this sounds obscure to you then I can assure you, this IS NOT the field for you.
2. Knowledge-
A good educator must contain a vast amount of knowledge within their content area. They must be able to confidently and accurately teach their subject area with out relaying any false information. A great educator must also quickly realize when they are approaching content with in their subject area that they are unfamiliar with and then immediately study and understand it in order to effectively teach it. As music educators, our area of expertise is spread across a vast array, ranging from general music, chorus, theory, band, jazz band, music technology, ETC. We cover an array of subjects and each one of those subjects takes years upon years to master. As educators we must except the fact that we live in a world where information is constantly being changed and updated. We need to be able to adjust our knowledge accordingly and expand our knowledge when necessary. After all, an educator can never know too much. We must always do our best to be the greatest source of knowledge for our students. Like them, we to must be constantly learning and improving. Much like what Frank Battisti said "Individuals who strive to be the "best", are never satisfied."
3. Passion-
"We cannot motivate someone else; What we can do is inspire them to be motivated, to move themselves."
-Peter Loel. Boonshaft
Teaching, much like sales, is all about passion. When a person is passionate about something, specifically a subject area, it intrigues those who are around him/her to learn about that content. Have you ever had a teacher that was truly passionate about their subject? Did it seem as though they were living in that moment as they were explaining the content to you? As if they live and breath that information? Wasn't it difficult to look away when they were reciting the information? You must understand that with teaching there is almost a level of showmanship. As an educator you must be able to present yourself in a way that makes people want to learn. You must be enthusiastic and thirsty for knowledge and understanding. You must speak about your content in a way that makes students want to learn it and at times, have them hang off every word you speak.
1. Patients-
I have listed patients first because in my opinion it is one of the most important traits an educator should possess. A good educator should be able to calmly make attempt after attempt at teaching a struggling student with out becoming flustered. A good educator does not give up on a student because they are having a difficult time understanding content. A good educator continually tries to make attempts from several different angles in order for a student to process and possess the knowledge that they require. As it has been said "Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better.". If you are thinking about becoming an educator and this sounds obscure to you then I can assure you, this IS NOT the field for you.
2. Knowledge-
A good educator must contain a vast amount of knowledge within their content area. They must be able to confidently and accurately teach their subject area with out relaying any false information. A great educator must also quickly realize when they are approaching content with in their subject area that they are unfamiliar with and then immediately study and understand it in order to effectively teach it. As music educators, our area of expertise is spread across a vast array, ranging from general music, chorus, theory, band, jazz band, music technology, ETC. We cover an array of subjects and each one of those subjects takes years upon years to master. As educators we must except the fact that we live in a world where information is constantly being changed and updated. We need to be able to adjust our knowledge accordingly and expand our knowledge when necessary. After all, an educator can never know too much. We must always do our best to be the greatest source of knowledge for our students. Like them, we to must be constantly learning and improving. Much like what Frank Battisti said "Individuals who strive to be the "best", are never satisfied."
3. Passion-
"We cannot motivate someone else; What we can do is inspire them to be motivated, to move themselves."
-Peter Loel. Boonshaft
Teaching, much like sales, is all about passion. When a person is passionate about something, specifically a subject area, it intrigues those who are around him/her to learn about that content. Have you ever had a teacher that was truly passionate about their subject? Did it seem as though they were living in that moment as they were explaining the content to you? As if they live and breath that information? Wasn't it difficult to look away when they were reciting the information? You must understand that with teaching there is almost a level of showmanship. As an educator you must be able to present yourself in a way that makes people want to learn. You must be enthusiastic and thirsty for knowledge and understanding. You must speak about your content in a way that makes students want to learn it and at times, have them hang off every word you speak.
Friday, March 7, 2014
Chorous warm ups
Do- Ra- Mi- COUGH* COUGH*
I may have had the opportunity to warm up what seemed like the most enthusiastic and ready to learn chorus of all time. I guess a hand full of music grad students are what makes a great chorus.
So reflection,
Upon my warming up of my very ready to learn chorus I realized that I was doing a whole LOT of talking and ALLOT of praising for things that probably shouldn't be praised. Things like doing proper sirens and lip trills. On the other hand I do like to keep my teaching environment very positive so that students will enjoy the experience. The only issue with this is that it can be difficult to correct poor behavior and/or poor technique. The other issue is that keeping it so positive may leave some of my students with uncorrected technique. Something that can be a nightmare when you're the teacher that has to reteach the student.
So for next time,
Maybe a bit less praise and a bit more examining of individuals technique and sound. Also, a bit less talking and a bit more doing.
Hopefully in the future every class I ever work with will be as excited as my fellow grad students were to learn and rehearse.
I may have had the opportunity to warm up what seemed like the most enthusiastic and ready to learn chorus of all time. I guess a hand full of music grad students are what makes a great chorus.
So reflection,
Upon my warming up of my very ready to learn chorus I realized that I was doing a whole LOT of talking and ALLOT of praising for things that probably shouldn't be praised. Things like doing proper sirens and lip trills. On the other hand I do like to keep my teaching environment very positive so that students will enjoy the experience. The only issue with this is that it can be difficult to correct poor behavior and/or poor technique. The other issue is that keeping it so positive may leave some of my students with uncorrected technique. Something that can be a nightmare when you're the teacher that has to reteach the student.
So for next time,
Maybe a bit less praise and a bit more examining of individuals technique and sound. Also, a bit less talking and a bit more doing.
Hopefully in the future every class I ever work with will be as excited as my fellow grad students were to learn and rehearse.
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