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.
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