Learning music should be fun. Music Fun products provide ways of learning the rudiments of music through fun and games.
http://www.musicfun.com.au/
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
"The Music Teacher's First Year"
The Music Teacher's First Year
By Beth Peterson
From a first-year teacher whose instruments were stolen before entering his building, to a teacher who received "hate mail" before her first day, to a teacher whose sensitivity, flexibility and insight gained her the respect of her ensemble in only weeks, this collection of true stories from first-year teachers is a delightful description of their real world. In addition, each chapter includes discussion questions for pre-service and young teachers as they prepare for their teaching future.
By Beth Peterson
From a first-year teacher whose instruments were stolen before entering his building, to a teacher who received "hate mail" before her first day, to a teacher whose sensitivity, flexibility and insight gained her the respect of her ensemble in only weeks, this collection of true stories from first-year teachers is a delightful description of their real world. In addition, each chapter includes discussion questions for pre-service and young teachers as they prepare for their teaching future.
"What My Music Education Degree Never Taught Me"
From Tone Deaf:
This past week Tone Deaf announced a huge project in the works. It is a book called WHAT MY MUSIC EDUCATION DEGREE NEVER TAUGHT ME. It’s going to be a compilation of actual stories from actual band, choir, and orchestral directors. Stories about things or situations that colleges never came close to preparing you for.
If you have a funny story we want to hear it.
If you have a story that whenever you tell it someone always says, “What? No way!” We want to hear to it.
We are looking for stories that were painful at the time but now you can look back at them and laugh.
Every music director I know has tons of funny stories. So, what’s your story? We want to share it with fellow music directors, but also with music education students. Be a part of this book and contribute your story.
To get more information and to submit your story, go to www.tonedeafcomics.com/story. Thanks for sharing your stories!!!
This past week Tone Deaf announced a huge project in the works. It is a book called WHAT MY MUSIC EDUCATION DEGREE NEVER TAUGHT ME. It’s going to be a compilation of actual stories from actual band, choir, and orchestral directors. Stories about things or situations that colleges never came close to preparing you for.
If you have a funny story we want to hear it.
If you have a story that whenever you tell it someone always says, “What? No way!” We want to hear to it.
We are looking for stories that were painful at the time but now you can look back at them and laugh.
Every music director I know has tons of funny stories. So, what’s your story? We want to share it with fellow music directors, but also with music education students. Be a part of this book and contribute your story.
To get more information and to submit your story, go to www.tonedeafcomics.com/story. Thanks for sharing your stories!!!
The Future of Music Education: Academic or Social?
Guest Lecturer Dr. Clifford K. Madsen
Couldn't get it all, but here's what I have.
The Future of Music Education
Academic or Social?
Clifford K. Madsen
This lecture focuses on how the biggest problems in society (present and future) are social, not academic. For example, the difference between getting to class on time vs. doing well in class.
Joan Freeman is a distinguished British psychologist working for the development of human abilities and studied gifted students and if they strive to reach their full potential. Barely any do.
In her most recent book Gifted Lives (Sept. 2010) she tracked 210 gifted children into adulthood and only 6 tried to reach full potential.
Values are the core of effective leadership in music education
Study of core values
- Over 10,000 persons participated: educators, non-educators and high school students in over 150 communities across the nation.
- Results demonstrate that those educators and others think that values are important and should be learned at home, in church, and at school.
Values give direction to human behavior.
Nobody is born believing that people are basically good/bad. People acquire values.
What can the teacher do to influence conflict?
- Cooperation is obviously the best. But what if the student refuses to cooperate?
- (I MISSED THIS PART!! AAAARGH!!)
What values do you hold that are really important to you that students should notice in your music environment?
What are the differences between your values and other people's values?
Values have to do with almost everything we do!!
Technique choices
- Having chosen social values to implement, we need to decide what type of learning environment we desire.
Common mistake music educators make:
Approval error- effects of inconsistency/dishonesty
Don't tell them they sound good if they don't sound good!!
^ BAD!! DON'T DO THIS!!!!
It is our responsibility to control the total environment including the physical environment and our approval/disapproval interactions.
We control the environment that controls us and our students.
Approaches: Do we want a positive or a negative approach?
Positives come and go, negatives accumulate
Ex. Reviews on Anna's recital = hundreds of "That was awesome!" "Incredible" "Virtuosic!" "Unbelievable!", then one small comment "The second movement of this concerto was a little too fast."
What Anna remembers = the second movement of this concerto was too fast.
Merit vs. Demerit approaches. Go for merit.
Pinpoint: thoughtful instruction by establishing behavioral objectives toward greater specificity: behavioral objectives toward greater specificity: behavior that can be observed and measured.
Record: an actual record of observed behavior: quantifying specific pinpointed behavior across time intervals.
Consequate: the intervention strategy.... (didn't catch it.) >:(
Always keep taking student data and teacher data-- are you really more approving?
Student/teacher interactions- how do students get your attention?
Determining what functions for different people. Get to know your students! Think Mr. Conti!
Determining specific social forms for individual students
Structuring your personal approval and music excellence towards (being a better teacher? Didn't catch it.)
Establishing time throughout the teaching/rehearsal process:
Ending clutter and "getting ready to get ready"
Ex. "AAAAAGGGHHH I HAVE SO MUCH TO DO!!! I HAVE TO DO THIS AND THIS AND THIS AND THIS!" (20 mins later) "THERE'S SO MUCH TO DO HOW AM I GOING TO GET IT DONE!?!" Stop complaining and just do it.
Fixed vs. variable scheduling- security vs. anxiety
End vs. means this idea does not fit well in ongoing time... (?)
So, what specifically should be learned or who will decide what is to be learned both socially and academically?
Who should be given the responsibility to interact purposefully in the learning process, that is, to teach?
Should society require any objective evidence for this learning, that is taken from observing or other formal means?
If so then what should be the boundaries concerning choice and application?
These are extremely important leadership questions.
Teach them how to be nice people, then good musicians.
Study: "Problem" 5th grade students tutored "Problem" kindergarteners. Both gained so much from the situation!!!!!! Plus, when the "problem" students are taken out of a class, a couple other students turn into "problem" students in that very class.
One teacher was tired of hearing teachers talk about "problem" students. He asked every teacher to give him their "problem" students. One full class of "problem" students. He gave every one of them special "badges", which were associated with good things, and if they forgot their badges then bad things were associated with forgetting badges. One day a kid asked about some textbooks and if they were going to get them, and the teacher said "These precious things!?! No, not yet. They're very special." Then they became associated with the badge. "Problem" students enthusiastic about learning!!
Couldn't get it all, but here's what I have.
The Future of Music Education
Academic or Social?
Clifford K. Madsen
This lecture focuses on how the biggest problems in society (present and future) are social, not academic. For example, the difference between getting to class on time vs. doing well in class.
Joan Freeman is a distinguished British psychologist working for the development of human abilities and studied gifted students and if they strive to reach their full potential. Barely any do.
In her most recent book Gifted Lives (Sept. 2010) she tracked 210 gifted children into adulthood and only 6 tried to reach full potential.
Values are the core of effective leadership in music education
Study of core values
- Over 10,000 persons participated: educators, non-educators and high school students in over 150 communities across the nation.
- Results demonstrate that those educators and others think that values are important and should be learned at home, in church, and at school.
Values give direction to human behavior.
Nobody is born believing that people are basically good/bad. People acquire values.
What can the teacher do to influence conflict?
- Cooperation is obviously the best. But what if the student refuses to cooperate?
- (I MISSED THIS PART!! AAAARGH!!)
What values do you hold that are really important to you that students should notice in your music environment?
What are the differences between your values and other people's values?
Values have to do with almost everything we do!!
Technique choices
- Having chosen social values to implement, we need to decide what type of learning environment we desire.
Common mistake music educators make:
Approval error- effects of inconsistency/dishonesty
Don't tell them they sound good if they don't sound good!!
It is our responsibility to control the total environment including the physical environment and our approval/disapproval interactions.
We control the environment that controls us and our students.
Approaches: Do we want a positive or a negative approach?
Positives come and go, negatives accumulate
Ex. Reviews on Anna's recital = hundreds of "That was awesome!" "Incredible" "Virtuosic!" "Unbelievable!", then one small comment "The second movement of this concerto was a little too fast."
What Anna remembers = the second movement of this concerto was too fast.
Merit vs. Demerit approaches. Go for merit.
Pinpoint: thoughtful instruction by establishing behavioral objectives toward greater specificity: behavioral objectives toward greater specificity: behavior that can be observed and measured.
Record: an actual record of observed behavior: quantifying specific pinpointed behavior across time intervals.
Consequate: the intervention strategy.... (didn't catch it.) >:(
Always keep taking student data and teacher data-- are you really more approving?
Student/teacher interactions- how do students get your attention?
Determining what functions for different people. Get to know your students! Think Mr. Conti!
Determining specific social forms for individual students
Structuring your personal approval and music excellence towards (being a better teacher? Didn't catch it.)
Establishing time throughout the teaching/rehearsal process:
Ending clutter and "getting ready to get ready"
Ex. "AAAAAGGGHHH I HAVE SO MUCH TO DO!!! I HAVE TO DO THIS AND THIS AND THIS AND THIS!" (20 mins later) "THERE'S SO MUCH TO DO HOW AM I GOING TO GET IT DONE!?!" Stop complaining and just do it.
Fixed vs. variable scheduling- security vs. anxiety
End vs. means this idea does not fit well in ongoing time... (?)
So, what specifically should be learned or who will decide what is to be learned both socially and academically?
Who should be given the responsibility to interact purposefully in the learning process, that is, to teach?
Should society require any objective evidence for this learning, that is taken from observing or other formal means?
If so then what should be the boundaries concerning choice and application?
These are extremely important leadership questions.
Teach them how to be nice people, then good musicians.
Study: "Problem" 5th grade students tutored "Problem" kindergarteners. Both gained so much from the situation!!!!!! Plus, when the "problem" students are taken out of a class, a couple other students turn into "problem" students in that very class.
One teacher was tired of hearing teachers talk about "problem" students. He asked every teacher to give him their "problem" students. One full class of "problem" students. He gave every one of them special "badges", which were associated with good things, and if they forgot their badges then bad things were associated with forgetting badges. One day a kid asked about some textbooks and if they were going to get them, and the teacher said "These precious things!?! No, not yet. They're very special." Then they became associated with the badge. "Problem" students enthusiastic about learning!!
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Smartmusic
Mr. S-
"SmartMusic is the best-kept secret in music education today. I've watched this program evolve since it was called Vivace, into the teaching powerhouse we know today. I use SmartMusic with middle school and high school students in class and send assignments through the Gradebook. Using a projector in a group setting, it is great for sight-reading rhythms, teaching intonation awareness with the tuner, watching the cursor, and fingering, while looking at the music during playback is a great eye-tracking exercise. I could go on and on. I highly recommend this program to EVERY teacher who is serious about their students being successful musicians."
http://www.smartmusic.com/
"SmartMusic is the best-kept secret in music education today. I've watched this program evolve since it was called Vivace, into the teaching powerhouse we know today. I use SmartMusic with middle school and high school students in class and send assignments through the Gradebook. Using a projector in a group setting, it is great for sight-reading rhythms, teaching intonation awareness with the tuner, watching the cursor, and fingering, while looking at the music during playback is a great eye-tracking exercise. I could go on and on. I highly recommend this program to EVERY teacher who is serious about their students being successful musicians."
http://www.smartmusic.com/
Music Theory
The reason I passed AP Music Theory, musictheory.net contains various tools to assist students with aural and written music theory skills, such as ear training, clef reading, etc.
www.musictheory.net
www.musictheory.net
"Band Directors"
Mr. T told me about this facebook group called Band Directors. Thousands of band directors have joined, and a band director can ask a question about practically anything and band directors from across the country will respond. Extremely interesting dialogue.
http://www.facebook.com/groups/banddirectors/
http://www.facebook.com/groups/banddirectors/
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