Class 8
CI 485
Agenda: two things
- ACE answer choice D
- Project: Music Syllabus & Assessment Summary for a Future Music Teacher
ACE answer choice D (hey! didja do it?)
btw this answer will be incorporated into your project coming up.
What is the most essential purpose, in your opinion, for music instruction in school (K-12)? As both Jay and I have stated in class, if you don't have a solid objective, you can't proceed with a solid flow in your lessons. What exactly is the objective for teaching music to children, in your opinion, based on what you know, what you've read, what you've learned over the years? I'm looking for a working draft, nothing long, just some initial thinking here. (Responses have been slightly edited.)
1. Music instruction helps to build a more well-rounded and well-educated individual by developing an understanding of, and perhaps even a passion for, music and its relevancy to numerous cultures throughout history all the way to the present day. Music instruction in the school can also provide wonderful opportunities for students to find themselves as people and learn many useful life skills such as work ethic, working well with others, and individual accountability to name a few things. Most of all, I personally believe there is a human experience that is unique to creating music (and creating music with others) that is important and worthwhile for anybody and everybody to have the chance to experience.
2. Giving students the tools to be successful in life, whether they choose music as a career or not, and also elevating their appreciation for music to a high level.
3. Develop the social, personal, and expressive skills that are not as intrinsic to the function of the classroom when it comes to other subjects. The product of organized sound is the byproduct of music education - which is, at its core, social education. A music classroom should be a place where students learn the values of trust, self-confidence, respect for others and their value, and the ways personal struggle, vulnerability, and emotion can become tools for producing works of expressive personal and communal art.
4. To give a student the chance to be well rounded. Music is a beautiful art and gives a lot of students an outlet from what people (and even musicians) consider “real school”. This can go into a much deeper discussion that addresses more detailed things in music, but the chance to give students to interact with each other through music is a great start
5. Music can help us to become more well-rounded and mentally and emotionally healthy. But then I think there's a big argument as to how much this is the school's role to be involved in - we can show kids how to try to be emotionally/mentally healthy, but are we obligated to provide those avenues in school?
6. To be having fun while playing music, and develop an appreciation for many styles and genres of music. If individuals can take anything away from music class from when they are children, I would hope it would be a lifelong appreciation of music. It probably won’t be what all of the Italian words and other markings within a score, it may not even be how to play an instrument – but my hope is that my future students will appreciate music as a whole.
7. To foster an appreciation and love for music and the arts in general that can be directly applied to developing an appreciation and love for humanity and both worldwide issues and celebrations.
8. Personal empowerment: that music helps students cultivate the most benevolent sense of themselves individually in terms of psychological and physiological health; social empowerment: that music helps students cultivate the most benevolent sense of themselves as members of a society on all levels- as valuable members of a performing group, as members of their school, as involved members of the community in which they live in, as responsible and equitable citizens of a nation, and as members of the world community and significant constituents of the global environment.
9. In younger grade levels, I believe it is important to set up the foundation by teaching them how to keep the beat and basic music skills, but I also believe the most important part of music instruction in younger grades is to instill the love for music. For middle and high school students, I believe the essential purpose is to develop the students into the best musicians they can be, while keeping that love for music alive.
10. To help students find an outlet and place to be themselves. Music can relate to everyone in some way and can be enjoyed by everyone in some way and I think that it is important for students to use it as a place of comfort.
11. To connect people of all characters. Using music as a bridge to culture, the arts, history, and many more allows students to experience thing that will not be found in their ‘core classes’. This makes the students feel, interact, and experience music as a whole, thus finding unity
12. I believe this is a tricky question for several reasons. One of those is because we sometimes tend to think that by saying that your philosophy is based on enjoyment, connections, team work, empathy, etc; it is opposed to a serious musical training. And this dichotomy also exists on the inverse. I believe that is wrong, and that you can have both; one does not opposes the other. Parting from that, I believe that the importance and objectives of music instruction in school should be both. Now, the weight of one must vary depending on the type of group you have. I will always try to train and inform them musically as much as I can. But of course the beginners’ group will be more focused on the experience and connection they create with humanity, while the top group will be more heavily oriented to honing their musical skills, and through them connecting to their classmates and audience.
13. Teach cooperation, group ethic, pride, empathy, to experience beauty, and to provide life connections. Students should be, in addition to just learning how to read and express music, learning life lessons. Basically it should serve as a humanities class. We want musical understanding, but overall it should be a place to experience all the joys of humanity.
14. Music is a wonderfully healthy creative outlet. I think teaching them how to create something together (or alone) is great for building community and reaching a higher level of self-fulfillment. laying the foundation for them to be able to master this skill in their adolescence. At this age, music should be fun and breaks up the monotony of their day to day book-work. They are learning the "hows" and "whats" of music which is challenging but fun for them! At this stage many of them don't know how to use their singing voice or how to improvise or compose with their peers.
15. Appreciation and enjoyment as well as understanding basic music concepts (like reading music, expression, musicality, etc.).
16. The younger the student (K-5) I think the more appreciation/enjoyment centered the learning should be. While, the older the student (6-12) the more understanding/appreciation the lessons should be. However, I think all three are equally important in music instruction.
Project: Music Syllabus & Assessment Summary for a Future Music Teacher
Printout:
- Groups: four groups of 4, one group of 5
- Printed: the assignment list with dates; I included the first two pieces on the back.
- First piece is due next Tuesday 10/18, second piece due the following week.
- Detailed descriptions of the other 3 pieces are on Moodle.
error on the printout!
- Bullet 4 should be: Include the Group's Primary Purpose for teaching this unit and general assumptions for why it's necessary for this age group to learn about music.
Time to Choose groups and begin to compare and discuss your hypothetical classroom.
Group 1
- Kim B.
- Luke
- Janet
- Alex
Group 2
- Sam B.
- Alberto
- Jess
- Kayley
Group 3
- Ian
- Cora
- Sam K.
- Laleh
- Sarah
Group 4
- Hannah
- Josh
- Cesar
- Max
Group 5
- Jeff
- Ryan
- Wil
- Victoria