Chapter 7 #5 Kelsey

Secondary Music
Kelsey Wilhelm
9-23-09

Chapter 7
#5

Dear Parents of Utopian High School,
As the music program and its students have grown in the past few years, also have their talents and abilities. Along with student’s talent, interest and desire for a better sound and performance have grown. As do students grow out of clothing and books, they also advance on to proper, more efficient musical instruments. Most of the students are learning at a rate in which their personal instruments (rented or owned) are only hindering their further advancements. Many parents will look into buying from discount or from department stores. I must encourage that while the price tag is nice, these instruments tend to be on the lower quality side, thus, leading to a less than expected sound and often, pricey repairs.
I will encourage all parents and students who are looking for instruments to follow simple rules. Understand that buying established “name brand” instruments will, in the long run, cost less. These instruments are built sturdier, with good metals, proper alignment, sizing and other mechanical differences that make the instrument work. The functionality of these will often take the students through their many years of play and still be in proper shape given years down the road. This life expectancy will save on a lot of frustration from the student and the parents paying repair bills (or for a new instrument) down the road.
With no business motive, I am willing to be a contact and assistant to all of those on the market for a musical instrument. Anyone needing help can contact me and I will be able to help you find a suitable instrument for your student/child/musician. I will give you advice based upon my experience with these materials and if needed, will find outside assistance to ensure quality and satisfaction.

Teaching Instrumental Music Articles

• Instrumental Music in General Education - Glenn Frederick Heinlen

This article is a little outdated, but I think a great deal of it can still apply today. The main point of this article is the use of exploratory music programs. The program outlined had students starting in 5th grade spend a week learning about the different instrument families and at the end of the week, listing their top three choices for instrument. Then each student spends a few weeks learning each of the instruments of his/her choice. After learning at least the basics of these three instruments, the students then make a decision of which one they want to stick with. This typically needs very little guidance, as the student can generally tell which instrument they had the most fun and the most success with.

Like I mentioned earlier, this article is quite dated, but I like the idea of a pre-band, exploratory instrumental music education program. Ideally, I would try to implement such a program sometime in the year before they begin band (i.e. if they generally start band in 5th grade, use this program while the students are in 4th grade). I think that students will find greater success and enjoyment out of band.

Heinlen, Glenn Frederick. 1965. Music Educators Journal. "Instrumental Music in General Education." 54-56. Retrieved on 9/22/09 from http://mej.sagepub.com/cgi/reprint/51/5/54.

• Instrumental Music for Special Learners - Stephen F. Zdzinski

I believe this article is a very beneficial article in terms of giving helpful tips for adapting to having a special-needs student in an instrumental music classroom. Some of the tips it includes are:

Adapting the musical instruments - talking to the physical or occupational therapist to see what might work best for the particular student, and listen to the student's choice as well,

Adapting the social environment - both by preparing the rest of the class for the student, and preparing the student for the class,

Parental involvement - make sure parents are actively involved in their student's musical life by bringing them to outside concerts and assisting with practicing,

Adapting music - altering the way something is notated may make it easier to read. Also choosing music that the student can easily recognize it would most likely be beneficial.

Zdzinski, Stephen F. 2001. Instrumental Music for Special Learners. "Music Educator's Journal." 27-29,63.

• Adopting a Healthy Approach to Music Making - Kathleen A. Horvath

The main focus of this article talks about high school band festivals and the rigorous rehearsal times that go into these festivals. The author believes that these rehearsals are too much for middle school and high school students because they aren't properly developed. Along with simply shortening the amount of rehearsal time for these festivals, Horvath mentions several other hints for helping band students build endurance.

~Schedule after-school sectionals

~Establish proper posture

~Teach students to recognize signs of fatigue

~Always do some sort of warm-up drills at the beginning of class

~Teach students how to practice effectively

~Plan a short break for every instrument section during rehearsal

~Implement building stamina into a lesson plan

~Encourage practicing at home

~Reinforce good technique

Horvath, Kathleen A. 2008. Adopting a Healthy Approach to Music Making. "Music Educator's Journal." 30-34.

Chapter 6--Questions 7,8

Chapter 6—Guidelines for Teaching Music in the Schools

7. What is the principle of “distributed practice”? In which domain of learning does it apply?

Distributed practice involves splitting up practice time to several shorter periods of time each day, rather than practicing for a larger chunk of time on one day to make up for missed practice. Longer practice sessions tend to be less effective, as they make a person bored more easily and cause them to make more repeated mistakes. Once a mistake is made in a long practice session, that error becomes the focus of the practice and it is overworked, causing frustration and the inability to replicate good technique or practice habits in the next practice. The most learning occurs in the first 10 minutes of practice, and after that, the level of effective practice decreases, thus making a good case for short periods of practice. The principle of distributed practice falls in the psychomotor domain of learning.

8. Arrange these affective activities in order from the least to the most commitment:

c. The students in the general music class stay in their places and stop talking as a CD is played, but many of them look out the window or daydream while doing so.
a. The general music class elects to watch a videotape on the development of jazz instead of having a free day listening to recordings the students bring to class.
b. The general music class pays attention during a report on spirituals and asks relevant questions afterward.
d. Some of the general music class members become so interested in music that they sign up for chorus in high school.

Chapter 6

1. Arrange these cognitive activities in order from the most specific to the most comprehensive:
b) Knowing that Franz Schubert was born in 1797
c) Arranging an organ work for brass choir
a) Knowing what features of a work make it more suitable for flute than violin
d) Being able to explain that an art song is a musical setting of a text for solo singer and piano

2. As a neobehaviorist the band director would probably start off by having the students look and listen to the piece as a whole from start to finish. Then break it down into the three major sections and talk about the general characteristics of each section. The cognitivist band director would more than likely start off by looking at certain rhythm patterns and tempos that are associated with each section of the march. Then expand to phrases and the overall idea of each section, and end the lesson by having the students listen to the entire piece keeping in mind the smaller pieces they have just learned.

Philosophy Mission Statement

Through music education, I hope to give my students an appreciation for music and the impact it has on ourselves and on the world. With music education, all students should be given the same opportunity to experience and participate in music to their fullest advantage. Students will use music and its potential to help understand who they are and make them better members of our society.

Chapter 6

Chapter 6 Questions

3. What principles of learning are expressed in the old saying in teaching music, “Ear it before you eye it”?
Sequencing, according to Jerome Bruner, is the progression from activity to representation to symbolization in learning. In the saying “Ear it before you eye it,” students will hear how a piece of music goes before seeing the notes or symbols that go into creating the music; thus creating the progression from activity to symbolization. The sequencing needs to challenge the students in order to keep them intrinsically motivated to continue to improve.

4. 4. Describe five ways in which teachers can increase the chances that students will remember what they have learned

• · Make the material appear as useful as possible – Students will learn and retain more if they see how the material has a purpose in their lives, and that it’s not just to regurgitate facts.
• · Emphasize the “big ideas”’ – the concepts – related to what is being learned – Detailed facts are much harder for students to remember than broader topics. If students first learn the broad concepts, teachers are able to build underneath it with some more detailed facts.
• · Increase the impact of what is being taught – Using some visual aids helps students see what is being taught, rather than just hear it, which can be beneficial considering many students are visual learners. Students will also be able to connect information to the visual aids.
• · Frequent review helps students remember – Students often will forget what they learned shortly after a test. It is important to continue reviewing the subject matter and when possible, relate it to future discussions.

Kelsey Wilhelm Philosophy

I strive to create a program built on excellence, one that does not discriminate and discourage, but rather educate, inspire and experience. This program will hold the standards made at the state and national levels set to prepare and advance students on to further education. I plan to inspire others to join music, teach music, perform music and understand music. I will correlate my program with other school programs and build not only a music department but an overall educational experience for the students with the shared goal of commitment to education. Students will be able to read, understand, perform and enjoy music at levels that were not apparent before. The program will not be limited to the low income families or those unable to participate for reasons of background or financial state. Because of music’s antiquity I believe it has a place in curriculum and should find a place there in the near future. In my program I understand the importance of self-value and worth and with music, students are able to create that on their own, I simply want to help that grow and flourish.