December 8th, 2015
The classes that this course had to offer, each week we were given the opportunity to interact and listen to guest speakers who are or were part of music education. They would present their teaching philosophies, studies and research they have practiced and we would respond by asking questions and having class discussion as to what we think about the topic at hand. During this process of experiencing different and new topics of music education that I have never encountered before, I began to understand the bigger picture of all of the articles we have read and the guest speakers we have spoken to. Each element of the course became a guide in the development of my own philosophy as a music educator. Although there is still a long way to go, it is the beginning of a great way to self-identify myself as a musician, educator and person.
As classes started, one of the first things that came to my attention was the language in which Cathy Benedict would talk to us with. The way we speak and interact with one another goes by so quickly that sometimes we do not realize how much it affects us. When Cathy would talk to us, she would always be mindful of what she is saying it and how she would say it. Also, her diction would be most, if not all deliberate. For example, there would be certain words that would be avoided because of the problems within the interpretation of the words. We learned how to problematize words and it helps me to deepen my understanding and thoughts within the meaning of words. The word good for example would be often used for people. “You did a good job today!” This statement may bring up a question like, “What does good mean?” And then you would ask “Does good mean the same thing to everyone?” Like this, the question build up and it gives space for us to be mindful of the words we are using. They are problem words because when we use them, it is never always concrete. That is why music educators have to be sensitive to their vocabulary, they constantly interact with people, give them feedback and criticism. This means that what they say to their students may impact them more than they think so.
First impressions may not seem like much but for many people they last. Much like this, our first experiences with new topics and unfamiliar topics should be addressed in a thoughtful way. It is not a difficult task to find different ways to teach one topic if the teacher has the ability and skills to know how to grab the attention of the students. Being engaged in what the students are learning helps gain more interest and curiosity. Cathy had an exercise for us during one of our classes; everyone would find a spot in the room and sing a pitch. Giving different listening instructions each time, we would either match pitch or move around with pitches using our voice. This activity was in order to show us how to listen to each other. It could also have been an activity to help match pitch but if the goal was to teach students how to listen well, this is a fun new activity in which the students give interest almost instantly and see how important it is to match pitch. In addition, rather than explaining to us what the exercise was meant for, she would have us discuss what we can learn from the activity and gave us a time to reflect ourselves. This is valuable for myself as a future educator. I believe having conversations with the students and the students with themselves is a valuable time to have. It gives them many opportunities to open up and express themselves. Also talking to their peers, builds community and gives them perspective.
I have also learned to broaden my interest in teaching not only classical music but popular music. This class has given me the realization that band instruments should not be the only things offered in a music classroom and there is much more that can be shown to the students. Also, reading off of sheet music is not the only way to learn music and practice ones musicianship. Listening to music and analysing why it may be of interest to someone, writing their own music, making videos that demonstrates their abilities as a musician and their thoughts on music could also be a learning experience for the students that focuses on a bigger aspect of them being a musician. Helping the students to explore and experience different kinds of music is a helpful resource that a music educator can provide. Many people are not exposed music that are not of their cultural norm therefore they would not know if they are interested in a specific kind of genre. There are many elements of music that one can take away from pop music as much as there is to take away from western music. It is the matter of what you are analysing for and the intention behind it.
For high school students, when given an assignments they are given an outline with exact steps of how and what is to be completed. Other than what is required of us to complete, in our music education class, we were not often given a piece of paper that told us what our task was and how we must complete it. Cathy would verbally tell us of our simple task and it would be completed how we would interpret it and present whatever may have been assigned. The simple effects of assigning exercises this way is that the students become more attentive to what is asked of them. It also gives them space to interpret the activity in their own way which allows them to freely express themselves. In addition, it allows them to think critically. Through this one action of not giving them a step by step process, it opens up more opportunities for the students to have a sense of individuality while completing a task.
The classes that this course had to offer, each week we were given the opportunity to interact and listen to guest speakers who are or were part of music education. They would present their teaching philosophies, studies and research they have practiced and we would respond by asking questions and having class discussion as to what we think about the topic at hand. During this process of experiencing different and new topics of music education that I have never encountered before, I began to understand the bigger picture of all of the articles we have read and the guest speakers we have spoken to. Each element of the course became a guide in the development of my own philosophy as a music educator. Although there is still a long way to go, it is the beginning of a great way to self-identify myself as a musician, educator and person.
As classes started, one of the first things that came to my attention was the language in which Cathy Benedict would talk to us with. The way we speak and interact with one another goes by so quickly that sometimes we do not realize how much it affects us. When Cathy would talk to us, she would always be mindful of what she is saying it and how she would say it. Also, her diction would be most, if not all deliberate. For example, there would be certain words that would be avoided because of the problems within the interpretation of the words. We learned how to problematize words and it helps me to deepen my understanding and thoughts within the meaning of words. The word good for example would be often used for people. “You did a good job today!” This statement may bring up a question like, “What does good mean?” And then you would ask “Does good mean the same thing to everyone?” Like this, the question build up and it gives space for us to be mindful of the words we are using. They are problem words because when we use them, it is never always concrete. That is why music educators have to be sensitive to their vocabulary, they constantly interact with people, give them feedback and criticism. This means that what they say to their students may impact them more than they think so.
First impressions may not seem like much but for many people they last. Much like this, our first experiences with new topics and unfamiliar topics should be addressed in a thoughtful way. It is not a difficult task to find different ways to teach one topic if the teacher has the ability and skills to know how to grab the attention of the students. Being engaged in what the students are learning helps gain more interest and curiosity. Cathy had an exercise for us during one of our classes; everyone would find a spot in the room and sing a pitch. Giving different listening instructions each time, we would either match pitch or move around with pitches using our voice. This activity was in order to show us how to listen to each other. It could also have been an activity to help match pitch but if the goal was to teach students how to listen well, this is a fun new activity in which the students give interest almost instantly and see how important it is to match pitch. In addition, rather than explaining to us what the exercise was meant for, she would have us discuss what we can learn from the activity and gave us a time to reflect ourselves. This is valuable for myself as a future educator. I believe having conversations with the students and the students with themselves is a valuable time to have. It gives them many opportunities to open up and express themselves. Also talking to their peers, builds community and gives them perspective.
I have also learned to broaden my interest in teaching not only classical music but popular music. This class has given me the realization that band instruments should not be the only things offered in a music classroom and there is much more that can be shown to the students. Also, reading off of sheet music is not the only way to learn music and practice ones musicianship. Listening to music and analysing why it may be of interest to someone, writing their own music, making videos that demonstrates their abilities as a musician and their thoughts on music could also be a learning experience for the students that focuses on a bigger aspect of them being a musician. Helping the students to explore and experience different kinds of music is a helpful resource that a music educator can provide. Many people are not exposed music that are not of their cultural norm therefore they would not know if they are interested in a specific kind of genre. There are many elements of music that one can take away from pop music as much as there is to take away from western music. It is the matter of what you are analysing for and the intention behind it.
For high school students, when given an assignments they are given an outline with exact steps of how and what is to be completed. Other than what is required of us to complete, in our music education class, we were not often given a piece of paper that told us what our task was and how we must complete it. Cathy would verbally tell us of our simple task and it would be completed how we would interpret it and present whatever may have been assigned. The simple effects of assigning exercises this way is that the students become more attentive to what is asked of them. It also gives them space to interpret the activity in their own way which allows them to freely express themselves. In addition, it allows them to think critically. Through this one action of not giving them a step by step process, it opens up more opportunities for the students to have a sense of individuality while completing a task.