This week we’re opening a slow chat about what might be important for prospective Music teachers to know as they prepare to work with students. What advice would you give? #musicyourwaypic.twitter.com/QhFxZVorWC
We asked this question and got some great answers to help university students who are prospective Music teachers. Here's the thoughtful advice that came in from around the world from some of the very best music teachers I know!!
I was going to say ‘passion and encouragement’ and then @Vicsimi beat me to it with ‘love and and encouragement’. Great minds and all that 😉 https://t.co/MvRZhRqFzW
@_MusicYourWay is an online community of Canadian Music educators dedicated to honouring students' choice in their music learning. We have weekly slow chats every Wednesday with the hashtag #musicyourway.
"Is it necessary or important to give students the opportunity to choose to learn music that they like and identify with?"
My answer:
YES, Yes, yes...but what DO they like and identify with?? I'm not so sure anymore.
I have been teaching music with an informal learning approach since participating in the Musical Futures Find Your Voice 2013 project with fantastic response from students who have been thrilled with the chance to recreate music they like and identify with. In 2013 when I started "In at the Deep" projects, students definitely had strong opinions about pop songs that they loved and easily formed groups based on their musical tastes.
But now, after transferring to a new school last year and getting to know students in another community (I've just moved about a 45 minute drive south in the Niagara Peninsula in Ontario, Canada - so no drastic changes), I find myself in a quandary. What music do my new students enjoy? They don't seem to know very much music. When asked to choose a song that they like, they can't think of anything!! Students in Grade 6 will choose songs like Happy Birthday or Twinkle Twinkle!! The grade 7's & 8's even have a tough time coming up with a playlist for events and dances.
I'm wondering where my students access music? They don't really listen to the radio anymore and they don't watch TV, although a few of the older kids listen to rap music and have Spotify. In the junior grades the only songs (and dances) they seem to recognize are those used in video games like Fortnite. On that note, has anybody else wondered why students suddenly know the John Denver song "Country Roads"?
There must be lots of music used in the video games they're playing, but my students don't seem to view that music as being something they can access in Music class. Is it because everyone's been shouting at them to STOP the Fortnite dances? Maybe it's because the music is part of the game and they don't really see it as a separate entity.
I just listened to Ethan Hein's presentation on hip hop in music education and really enjoyed his perspective on this topic. He talks about one of the historical purposes of music education, which was to prepare students for amateur music participation throughout their lives and how many of our more traditional programs (marching band, choir) are not really doing that for today's youth. For the students of today, the technology to create electronic music is very accessible - every smartphone is a walking production studio. I agree with him that teaching students how to create their own music using apps and DAWs will be something worthwhile that they can access throughout their lives.
But, I'm still left wondering what type of music matters to my students. I think I need to devise better ways of guiding them through the process of recognizing the music that they are exposed to, also exposing them to more music, and then celebrating the music that they identify with.
Simply asking, "What do you like?" isn't really working any more.
Inspired, as always, by Musical Futures colleagues around the world, I will try to paint a picture of what my students and I are working on here in Niagara, ON, Canada. Please check out Jane Werry's wonderful UK blog "What's going on in my classroom right now" and Stephen Jackman's inspiring blog from an international school in Thailand "What I've been up to in my classroom".
First of all, "YAY!!" to having a music classroom again! We lost our portable last year, so I travelled from room to room to teach music which had a substantial negative impact on the program. The kids are so excited to have a place for music again and the music room is NEVER empty - every recess and lunch break students are working on something. I teach every child in an elementary school from Kindergarten to Grade 8 and have a wide spectrum of music activities on the go right now. Like Jane Werry, I steal from here and there, working with my students to find our own original way to do things.
MUSIC TECHNOLOGY
In July I travelled to NYU to attend NYU's IMPACT Conference where I was inspired with new ways of using music technology. Great conference - I hope we get a huge contingent of MF teachers going next summer.
Groove Pizza & Chrome Music Lab
To get things rolling in September, I introduced every class to Groove Pizza and Chrome Music Lab and discovered both are appealing to all age groups. So many kids tell me that they use these websites at home and have introduced them to their moms and dads.
Here's a little intro video about Chrome Music Lab:
Primary kids enjoyed taking turns on the Smartboard:
Gr. 8 Track & Hook Songwriting Project
Grade 8's are using Groove Pizza and Soundtrap to create their own hit songs. We're working through Adam Patrick Bell's assignment, which is fully and artfully described on his blog. I have rewritten the assignment instructions for my students on our Grade 8 Desire2Learn website. Students have worked in production teams to create tracks and are now struggling to add hooks. This kind of free-flowing creative work is somewhat daunting to these adolescents but a few groups have made progress and are inspiring the others. Here's an example of a student's track made using the loops on Sountrap - now ready to add some hooks:
I bought one, then a parent who works for Belkin generously donated a whole bunch of these five-way audio splitters. I definitely would recommend them for every music room. Students work in groups listening to one device and also easily adding in a keyboard or digital drum kit to play along to a song they're learning. Kids come up with all kinds of creative ways to use them. Each one also comes with an aux cord. Fantastic!
Performances
We were invited to perform at an event honouring staff with 25 years working with the board and also recent retirees. At first, it seemed a bit daunting to get students ready for this with such short notice, but now our recess/lunch break rehearsals have become my favourite part of the day! I asked intermediate students who were available to perform at this Monday evening and despite students' busy scheduled lives, I have 26 students participating. They are learning True Colours, preferring Marina and the Diamonds version, and On Top of the World by Imagine Dragons. Although I did purchase sheet music, students have preferred to use the Musical Futures informal learning approach with both of these songs. This is how we work in class, so that's what they're familiar with. (You can find our more about that on the Musical Futures website which requires a free log-in to access resources - check out getting started with informal learning)
I am so inspired by how they listen to find harmony parts, argue over the optimal tempo, experiment to add auxiliary percussion and work together as real musicians!
I will upload a rehearsal vid shortly.
Everything Else
These are just a few highlights. Grade 4's are also learning to play the recorder, Grade 5's are bucket drumming, Grade 6's are learning to play the ukulele and Grade 7's are doing group "In at the Deep" Recreate a Song projects. Since it's a beautiful sunny Sunday, I'm heading out for a bike ride (YES - it's November in Canada) and will continue a Part II of this blog soon!
In my music classes, Grades 7 & 8 students are creating song maps for the songs they are working on in their "recreate a song" projects. Students are collaborating in groups to recreate their favourite songs using their own voices, vocal instrumentation including beatboxing, and any of the instruments available to them in our music program - ukuleles, hand drums, bucket drums, 2 keyboards, an electric guitar, an electric bass guitar, one digital drum kit and various auxiliary percussion such as, tambourines, maracas, etc. (see Music Futures for more detailed resources on recreating a song)
Ideally, song mapping would work so well to launch "recreate a song" process because it involves listening intently and repeatedly to a chosen song to create a visual conceptual map of whatever you hear - lyrics, rhythms, elements of form, such as intro, verse and chorus. There are no rules as to what visual tools you use to represent parts of the song - it could be colour, line, pattern, images, words - whatever. This can help students to hear the various parts of the song that they may choose to recreate.
This year, however, I gave in to my students' initial enthusiasm to get to instruments right away, so instead of using mapping to begin the process, we are using it as a little "time out" in the middle, because I noticed that students were getting away from focusing on listening to the music to direct their recreation work. I wanted to find a way to encourage them to listen, listen, listen, and then listen again.
Song mapping can take many forms and is very open-ended. The beauty of this activity is that there really is no right or wrong way to map a song. I am frequently surprised by elements of the songs that students will choose to represent visually. Also song maps can be on-going and groups can add to their own map as they discover nuances of their song.
Here are a few examples we looked at before we started our own maps:
First we checked out this website and watched the video below:
Students were suitably impressed but a bit overwhelmed by the detail and precision of these schematics. So, I shared a few simpler song maps which we discussed. These were created by teachers involved in a Music Learning Group in my district school board.
Questions to think about:
Can a song map ever be wrong? or is anyone's visual interpretation of a song valid?
How can song maps help students to develop a conceptual understanding of their song?
How is visual song mapping a way to consider form more closely?
My favourite charitable organization working to bring music education to mostly Indigenous youth in remote Canadian communities. http://www.artscancircle.ca
B is for beatboxing and bucket drumming!
Grade 5's excited about their upcoming performance
C is for cowbell - if you teach bucket drumming you gotta have more cowbell!
D is for doumbek
Wish I had a class set of these Arabic drums. What a great way to welcome Syrian refugee students being integrated into Canadian schools.
My new doumbek on the rocky shore of Georgian Bay
E is for ear learning.
All musicians need to learn music by ear - notation is way over-rated.
F is for fearlessness.
Pushing yourself to try new things and letting go of the fear of looking or sounding stupid in front of students is a liberating experience.
G is for grades
...wishing every year at report card writing time that I didn't have to give, especially 5 and 6 year olds, an evaluative grade for music class.
H is for harmonica.
Thank you Mike Stevens for your inspiration.
I is for Indigenous.
If you teach in Canada you need to educate yourself about Indigenous culture. Follow @WabKinew, read the Truth & Reconciliation Commission Report, go to a workshop by @EddyRobinson - doing nothing is not a neutral act.
Thank you Victor Wooten for the best TedTalk on music ever. L is also for legacy - what do we stand for and what kind of musical legacy do we want to leave?
M is for Musical Futures
Dr. Lucy Green, informal music learning, Find Your Voice and the wonderful teachers that I have met - some exclusively online - in this global MF community have transformed my teaching for the better.
N is for the nae nae and any other dance craze that comes along.
O is for open mic sessions
Every so often I set up a mic and amp and go around the circle to give students a chance to do their own thing - Kindergarteners love this! You never know what kids can do until you just let them do it.
P is for performance
Give students opportunities to develop confidence and pride in what they do.
Golden Beats perform their original hybrid beatbox/dance at School Board Meeting
I have returned to school late in my career to study a Masters in Music Education (2 courses away from completion!). More work needs to be done to translate good quality Canadian research into practice in schools.
S is for space
Every Canadian school should have a designated space for music! I didn't realize how important that was until I lost my music room this year. We study sound and we need a place to make it.
My friend Victoria Simpson's music room in Calgary, Alberta
T is for technology
I agree with Jackie Schneider about the iPad - the absolute best tool for teaching music and every school should have a class set.
U is for the amazingly wonderful ukulele!
James Hill is right (sorry Denise Gagne) - ukes have a strong advantage over the recorder because you can sing while you play. You can listen to their debate here: Should music teachers ditch recorders for ukuleles?
Gr 7 & 8's at rehearsal for Remembrance Day Assembly
V is for variation
My husband also reminds me that V is for vacation!
W is for winter in Canada
Cold weather means a full music room at recess breaks - kids playing instruments, jamming, writing songs, or just listening to their favourite music.
X is for xylophones
Every child should have the opportunity to play an instrument.
Y is for saying "yes" to students' choice in their music learning
Z is for remembering to keep it zippy!
My internal metronome has slowed a bit in recent years, so daily reminders that my students are buzzing at around 130 - 140 mm helps me to keep in sync with them.
Here's some inspiration from Us3 - check out the chorus at 1:10
Grade 7 and 8 students are caught up in a struggle...
a songwriting struggle.
They have been working on creating original songs, individually or with a partner, for a couple of music periods. Students were free to choose their own way in to the process - lyrics, melody, chord progression, rhythm/beats - whatever worked to get the ball rolling.
It was immediately evident that the majority of girls gravitated to paper or whiteboards to explore lyrics, whereas most boys began by playing on instruments and music apps. I'll be interested to see if this trend continues. In my attempts to capture some of the early stage work, I took a few photographs and video, but found that many students, while happy to discuss their progress with me, were reluctant to have it documented. They want more time to process things on their own. Fair enough.
This group did let me share a peek into their work in progress.
Students, such as these girls, who started creating with lyrics, stated that they only had lyrics and did not yet have any other aspect of the music worked out. I recorded these girls so they could play it back to hear other aspects of the music that were clearly starting to form. They were amazed to hear that they were actually starting to develop a melody! Also, the chorus seems to be firmly in place. When completing their Songwriting Reflection #1 they considered starting with "lyrics" and "rhythm/beat" to be a success and now need to find the right chords and instruments to help support a melody, so they can "sing it together".
Many other students are still at the very beginning stage where they are testing out their ideas - rejecting most of them - still trying to find a way in to what they have to say.
Spreading like wildfire!
Whenever I start something new in one or two classes, it inevitably spreads like wildfire throughout the whole school. Students hear about new music work from siblings or neighbours and convince me to let their class give it a try.
So, I also opened up this project to a Grade 6 class who has done some fantastic work recreating songs this past term and are ready for a new challenge. After the first class one of the students arrived at my homeroom class door the following morning to tell me about his experience the night before. He has never knocked on my door before and has never really shown an interest in music. In fact, he almost refused to learn the ukulele when we were doing so in class because he just didn't like the instrument. I was surprised to hear him describe his night - not being able to sleep - hearing a song in his head and grabbing his phone to write it down. This assignment inspired him to share his love of rap/hiphop and allowed him to be creative in new ways. His creative burst on a sleepless night has given him a great start on this project and he can't wait to get to the next music class to start "making some beats" to go with his song.
Working with Mentors:
A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of meeting and having a Skype chat with James Miles from Urban Arts Partnership in New York. It was exciting to learn about the fantastic programs they are running, such as the Academy that works with high school students to create their own music while also providing skills needed for college and career readiness. This is an afterschool program where the students come to the UAP office, located in SOHO, and work with professional artists in the studio; rapping, singing, and making music to accompany the lyrics. As a Musical Futures Canada school, we have an opportunity to partner with the Academy. These high school students will mentor my students and teach us about how to make hip hop music, through Skype lessons and sharing our music together online.
In preparing for this work, I have asked my students to think about the concept of legacy.
When asked to write about their own issues and passions, my students often have a difficult time identifying what those are. My hope is that the exposure to an inner city culture, in contrast to their own experience in a small southern Ontario city, may help to illuminate their own unique place in the world and start to shape their personal stories.
Mostly, we still have questions:
What does legacy mean?
What is our legacy?
What do we have to say?
What do we care about?
What is the best way to express our thoughts, feelings, ideas through music?
Students in grades 7 & 8 classes will be challenging themselves to write their own songs over the next few months in 2015. My students have music twice a 10-day cycle, so this means a 50 minute music class usually once a week, except for the Gr. 8 class that is scheduled on two consecutive days and consequently have a long two week break without music class.
My plan is to use this blog to document my observation of students involved in this process. My hope is to become a better music teacher and facilitator of the creative process.
Throughout my music teaching career I have rarely assigned students the wide open assignment of writing a song. Mostly because I would personally be terrified if someone asked me to write a song, as I suspect the majority of music teachers would also feel. So, instead I have usually designed creative tasks to be smaller and more "manageable", placing creative constraints on the assignment so students manipulate only parts of the music.
Go Big or Go Home!
Since joining the Find Your Voice 2013 pilot project of Musical Futures, I have become more fearless in my teaching. I'm realizing that a BIG shift is needed in the way we teach music if our goal is to align school music experiences more closely with how our students experience music in the world outside of school. I want to welcome all students equally into the process - not just those who have taken private music lessons outside of school, or in my district, those whose parents pay for them to join an instrumental music program. In the real world, songwriting can be messy and convoluted, idiosyncratic and enigmatic. I want to give my students a chance to delve into music and explore the world of songwriting. I want them to have a chance to express themselves through their music.
What do students think about songwriting? Words from a quick brainstorming session:
Students put stars beside the words they would first think about to get started on this project.
Any surprises? How about "failure" or "embarrassing to perform"? I need to consider that some students' fears and possibly past experiences are holding them back from even approaching this assignment.
Inspiration:
I always like to start any new work with a few ideas that are "Challenging and Inspiring" to get the creative process moving. Here's a diagram of one conception of the creative process from the Ontario Arts Curriculum, 2009:
So, we watched Mark Ronson's TedTalk about sampling music. I know he has a certain cache with my students because of his work with Bruno Mars on the recent hit song Uptown Funk.
Our favourite Mark Ronson quotation:
"In music, we take something that we love and we build on it"
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