Reflection, Week 4

            This week’s assigned readings covered a variety of topics, including music software, performance opportunities and techniques, and creating music with technology instead of instruments. While these topics were intriguing, I was struck by a different topic: practicing. I found myself reflecting on how I model practicing and how I teach students to practice.

            As all music educators know, practicing is a crucial element in learning how to play an instrument, for it is during practice sessions that students are able to rehearse proper fundamentals and recall new ideas and concepts that were introduced in a lesson (Bauer, 2014, p. 81). In my experience, middle school students either love or loathe practicing their instruments. During these introductory years, how do we encourage students to practice regularly, efficiently, and effectively? Bauer explains that proper practice habits are a result of intrinsic motivation, but he recognizes that students tend to be motivated by more extrinsic motivation (2014, p. 81). One way to help students increase their intrinsic desire to practice is to show them how to practice. Consistency is key, and teachers can model consistency by creating a classroom routine. Students who see patterns in the classroom may be more likely to create patterns in their practice routines. Order of rehearsal (breathing exercises, scales and warm-ups, and repertoire study) and use of technology, like the metronome, could be mimicked in a lesson, then a student’s practice session, especially if that student has access to school resources at home.

            Like many teachers, I have motivated my beginning students with stickers and awards, but I have found that my students respond better to slight competition. I use Band Karate with my beginning students, which allows them to show off their lesson book progress by attaching colored strips to their cases. The program encourages students to practice regularly in order to achieve the highest belt, but this extrinsic motivation only lasts through fifth grade. In order to encourage intrinsic motivation, I might consider adding new elements to the current program that may or may not help to continue it into sixth or seventh grade. One planned addition is the use of SmartMusic (see separate blog post), but another features Band-in-a-Box. I am curious about creating Band-in-a-Box accompaniments to be used when reviewing long tones, scales, and other fundamentals. These accompaniments could be introduced during rehearsal warm-ups in order to make fundamentals more exciting for the students. Students who are intrigued by the accompaniments may create their own versions to be used at home when practicing fundamentals.

           

Bauer, W.I. (2014). Music Learning Today: Digital Pedagogy for Creating, Performing,

            and Responding to Music. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.

Week 4: Chromatik and SmartMusic

            This week I examined two forms of music technology: Chromatik and SmartMusic. While both of these programs are intriguing to me as a middle school band director, I believe one program (SmartMusic) has a stricter educational purpose than the other (Chromatik); however, I think each program could easily be implemented into the band classroom.

            Chromatik is a web-based application that allows users to play along to a chosen piece of music. Though the basic program is free, users are only allowed to choose three songs per day. Subscribers have access to an unlimited number of daily songs. Users of this program select a song from a wide range of repertoire, including scales, classical pieces, and hit singles. Instrumentation can be changed to meet the needs of the user, but as far as I could tell, instruments may not be grouped into small ensembles. Chromatik is easy to navigate through, as the icons and lists are clear and logical. It is also easy to follow along to the music because the program automatically turns the pages. In my classroom, I would not use this program as my main educational tool because the program does not provide feedback to the students, and many of the songs are too difficult for beginners. Instead, I would use it to supplement other programs, such as SmartMusic, by encouraging students to play songs of their choice at home. If I were to use it during a lesson, I might ask students to pick a song to sight-read. Chromatik includes YouTube clips with the songs, so students could play along to a song while playing it, which could help them make sense of confusing rhythms.

            SmartMusic is a subscription-based program that allows students to receive instant feedback while practicing. Like Chromatik, users of this program have access to a wide-range of repertoire, but SmartMusic includes more scholarly pieces instead of popular songs. Some lesson books, solo selections, and pieces of concert repertoire can be found in the program’s database. This program, like Chromatik, is simple to use, but new users, such as young students, may benefit from a short demonstration on how to navigate through the program before using it for the first time. I plan to use SmartMusic on a regular basis in my classroom because I think it is an excellent educational resource. Students will become familiar with navigating the program and using the functions (metronome, recording, etc.) through use in rehearsals and lessons, which should make it simpler to use it at home. When my students practice with SmartMusic, they will be able to see their strengths and weaknesses within a song, because the program labels correct notes and rhythms green and incorrect ones red. 

My beginning band students participate in Band Karate, and I may ask students to test for their belts on SmartMusic to keep any bias out of the process. I think the scoring tool in this program will help motivate the students, because they will want to achieve as close to 100% as they can, resulting in a new “belt” in Band Karate.

Week 3: Soundation

https://soundation.com/user/stephreinert096037/track/first-composition

            “First Composition” is the title of my first creation on Soundation. I did not intentionally write it with an idea in mind, but listening to the finished product reminds me of summer shenanigans; random dance parties to break up housework, fun weekends with friends, and returning to school rejuvenated in the fall. When creating this piece, I wanted to start small and build toward a climax before returning to original idea. To keep it as simple as possible, I stayed within the key of C to ensure clarity in sound, and I used several of the same clips in different octaves and voices.

            Soundation was an overwhelming program at first, for I had never experimented with one like it before. The plethora of lists, types of sounds clips, and various ways to overlap and create sounds was brand new to me. It was tough to find a good starting point when I first opened the program. However, this program turned out to be fun to use! The lists of free MIDI and electronic clips helped me to start a foundation for my piece. As I began to form an ideal sound in my head, I was able to create the bass and melody lines using the instrument channel. It was exciting to hear the song in my head be performed on Soundation!

            My students would love this program! Though some of them may have trouble finding a good starting point (like I did), I believe they would be able to find a starting idea in the free files. I imagine them creating new beats and mixes using the various tools, and I know that they would share their masterpieces with each other. My favorite tool to use in this program, so far, is the instrument channel, for it allows me to I create new melodies and bass lines for various instruments. My students may also enjoy this tool, because it would allow them to be creative and mix their own ideas with those included in the program (through the free files). I am positive that my students, especially my middle school students, would experiment with the extra features in Soundation, like the filters, and would create lengthy, unique compositions.

            If I were to use Soundation in my classroom, I think I would use it as a tool to teach balance in a band. When creating lines of music in this program, whether they use MIDI, electronic, or brand new lines, the composer can change the volume of individual lines to bring out some more than others. This could be a great way to teach overall balance. I could create a short piece to demonstrate, changing the volume of individual lines as the piece plays to show students how one exaggerated volume can change the sound of the entire piece. Students could then create their own short piece, focusing on the overall balance of the composition.

Reflection, Week 3

            This week’s readings further explored creativity by suggesting ways to incorporate composition in the music classroom. Bauer refers to several studies within the excerpt from Chapter Three, my favorite of which is the study by Kaschub and Smith (2009) that lists the reasons why composition is important in the classroom (Bauer, 2014, p. 59). In a beginning band setting, where students are learning new concepts every day, a short composition project could assess their understanding of the material while also encouraging them to be creative. As Bauer stated on page 62, it is crucial that educators who teach composition give feedback throughout the process, but not too much at one time (2014). Students who receive adequate feedback will be encouraged to continue to revise drafts, while those who receive too much may feel defeated in their attempt to be creative. As educators, we spend much of our time giving feedback, so it should be natural when implementing new projects. Another important part of creating music is the opportunity to share it, whether it is within the school or in the community (Bauer, 2014, p. 67). Students who are able to perform their pieces with other people may feel a sense of pride because they created something that others can enjoy. Sharing compositions is also a great way to display learning to parents, administrators, and community members.

            When reading this week, I was intrigued by the suggested guidelines regarding incorporation of composition in the classroom (Bauer, 2014, p. 61). I have been interested in adding composition to my curriculum, but I have never found a way to do so without interrupting rehearsal time. As I mentioned last week, I have assigned short composition projects in the past, but I do not believe I introduced them in a clear manner. In addition, I am sure that my projects were not structured enough for my inexperienced students. As I brainstorm about future projects, I imagine several projects throughout the year that are taught using the spiral teaching method, where the first projects are very basic and the remaining projects build off of the first ones. Using a software such as MuseScore or Noteflight, this may be a great way for beginning band students to show their understanding of music notation (bar lines, placement of key and time signatures, direction of stem, etc.) in the first months of school. Throughout the year, these projects can be showcased at various times: parent-teacher conferences for administrators and parents, elementary lunch times for younger students, or weekly school masses for community members. I can already imagine the smiles on my students’ faces after they perform their own composition!

            As music educators, we understand how important composition is to the music curriculum, but we often find ourselves struggling to fit in enough rehearsal time for the next concert, fundraiser, or upcoming community event. If we were to give up a small amount of rehearsal time each semester to incorporate composition, we may see a change in our students’ understanding, interest, and excitement about music.

Bauer, W.I. (2014). Music Learning Today: Digital Pedagogy for Creating, Performing,

            and Responding to Music. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.

Reflection, Week 2

            In this week’s readings, we learned about how to enhance students’ abilities to create music, especially through creativity in improvisation. Regarding creativity, we must remember that Bloom’s taxonomy lists it as the highest level of understanding (Bauer, 2014, p. 48), which can often be the most difficult tier to reach. In the music classroom, this tier is within reach when students understand the concept of creativity while also feeling comfortable in the classroom environment, so as to be willing to try new things when being creative. When I first met my students, they were terrified to make mistakes, for they did not want to embarrass themselves in front of their peers. It’s okay to make mistakes! In fact, they are encouraged! became the motto in my classroom. My students often heard me say, “If we can’t hear mistakes, we can’t work to fix the mistakes!” Together, we created an environment where students were free to make mistakes, ask questions, and work as a team to improve each day. Bauer said, “there are often false starts and dead ends” (Bauer, 2014, p. 50) in the creative process. When my students began to see that these times of trouble are just opportunities to take a different approach to the task, they began to realize that mistakes are not always a bad thing. When we, as educators, start to teach our students that it is okay to make mistakes, I believe we have sparked the creativity process, for this process will never be perfect.  

            Improvisation is often connected to the jazz genre, which may lead people to believe that it should only be taught in jazz ensembles. While its importance is clear in these ensembles, all musicians should have a basic understanding of how to improvise. Using the TPACK model, music educators could begin the seven-step process of teaching improvisation (Bauer, 2014, p. 52). The content and pedagogy aspects of the craft may be taught through explanation and/or demonstration, but I believe the process will be more exciting for the students once it includes technology. SmartMusic would be an excellent resource to supplement the beginning stages of improvisation for middle school students, as there are several lesson books that include improvisation excerpts, as well as books written specifically for the jazz musician. I imagine a setting where a bass line is played, students are instructed to use certain pitches to create a solo, and several students play their solos at the same time to decrease anxiety. Later, I imagine a setting where students volunteer to play a solo alone to demonstrate their understanding. Whether this resource was used in a lesson, sectional, or large group setting, students would recognize that every piece of improvisation is unique, which would further develop their creativity. As I begin a new job teaching 5^th-8^th grade students, I look forward to increasing students’ knowledge of improvisation using technological resources, including SmartMusic.

Bauer, W.I. (2014). Music Learning Today: Digital Pedagogy for Creating, Performing,

            and Responding to Music. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.