Annotated Bibliography Response: Rose/Countryman
“The pedagogy of the elements often positions some musics as other, outside the canon. The language of the elements is not the language of jazz, Hindustani vocal music, rap, or traditional fiddling. This process of othering is typical in music textbooks: the canon is reviewed, and a special section is created for, say, “Women in Music” or a chapter is added for world music or popular music.”
Stewart Rose, Leslie, and June Countryman. 2013. Repositioning ‘the elements’: How students talk about music. Action, Criticism, and Theory for Music Education 12(3): 45–64. http://act.maydaygroup.org/articles/JuneCountryman12_3.pdf.
What interests me about this statement is that the elements of music, which are prominently included and expected of teachers to teach in music curriculum, only vaguely mentions any genre or type of music other than ‘European art music (Taylor 2007)’(p.48) which the curriculum is based off of. When we look at all kinds of music, this style of music that the elements of music focusses on makes up only a small percentage of all of the various styles of music around the world. This portion of the article even stated that in typical music textbooks, only a chapter or two are designated for other genres of music. I believe that every student that enters a music class should walk out at the end of the class as a well-cultured and well-rounded musician according to what they were taught by their music teacher. If the curriculum only touches on the many genres of music in the world today and only focusses on one style, the student will not reach this goal unless the teacher strays a little bit from what they are assigned to teach, which is unfortunately usually frowned upon by the standard education expectations.
“The teacher-centered pedagogy that the elements has traditionally encouraged denies that students are already musickers capable of constructing their own understandings, framing their own questions and collectively shaping language to communicate these understandings and questions.”
Stewart Rose, Leslie, and June Countryman. 2013. Repositioning ‘the elements’: How students talk about music. Action, Criticism, and Theory for Music Education 12(3): 45–64. http://act.maydaygroup.org/articles/JuneCountryman12_3.pdf.
The idea that students are already ‘musickers’ coming into a music class challenged the way I looked at teaching music. This thought considers students coming into a music class as already being musical beings with their own musical ideas, perceptions and skills, whether or not they have had any prior musical training. Every human being was created with the ability to react and perceive music is some way or the other. After reading this statement in this article, I am now made aware of and agree that students of any musical background already have some sort of musical sense and it is a music teacher’s role to further and enhance that sense with knowledge and practical tips they can pass onto their students about music.
“Another of our school partners explains how risky it feels to teach music differently, to change the status quo. Marie: So you want to get together with other music teachers for sharing, but then you have to be careful, you’re on guard while you’re sharing – I know I am. I’m on guard. I’ve got to be careful of what I say to other teachers about what I’m doing in my teaching. I need to be careful not to go too far off the norm. But with my kids, in my music room, I feel totally free to experiment. (research notes, JC, 2010)”
Stewart Rose, Leslie, and June Countryman. 2013. Repositioning ‘the elements’: How students talk about music. Action, Criticism, and Theory for Music Education 12(3): 45–64. http://act.maydaygroup.org/articles/RoseCountryman12_3.pdf.
The fact that some music teachers experience this worry and fear when speaking to other teacher about the way they teach surprises me. In my opinion, music teachers should support each other’s teaching methods and creative techniques. I believe that they should encourage each other to try new things and not just conform to the expectations laid out for them in the curriculum. Is music not about creativity? I am sure that each and every music teacher has their own creative ideas on how music can be taught, whether or not they implement those ideas in their own classrooms. I think that it is important for them to encourage and learn from each other, especially the ones who have the courage to go against the grain and try something new.
“This tendency to academicize, to teaching (the non-performance aspects of) music in ways that uphold a transmissive vision of schooling, emphasizes conformity and denies subjectivity, emotion, uncertainty and the importance of human relationships.”
Stewart Rose, Leslie, and June Countryman. 2013. Repositioning ‘the elements’: How students talk about music. Action, Criticism, and Theory for Music Education 12(3): 45–64. http://act.maydaygroup.org/articles/JuneCountryman12_3.pdf.
This statement describing how many students are taught music frustrated me while reading this article. I believe that it is crucial when teaching any subject to students to not be restricted to teaching what is listed in the given curriculum. It is critical for teachers to take time to understand their students, techniques that are beneficial to their learning, as well as what they personally believe the students should learn and how they think they should learn it (of course based on the style of learning that works for them). After retrieving all of that information, it is important to put all of it to practice while at the same time balancing it with what is listed in the curriculum regarding what you are expected to teach. Teachers, as professionals, know that their students need to know the matter covered in the curriculum in order to enhance their knowledge on the subject they are being taught, but students will also notice and appreciate when their teacher takes time to see what interests them and incorporate fun ways for them to learn the required material. This balance is greatly beneficial to students’ learning.
I agree with the author's idea of critiquing the elements of music criteria that music teachers are only expected to teach. I agree that new ideas, teaching techniques and methods and creativity in the classroom should be encouraged in order for students to reach their full potential of learning about music in a manner that best suits the way they learn and that is enjoyable for them. I believe that it is critical for students to learn in ways that they find interesting in order for them to have the best class experience that they can so I appreciate the author’s stress and support on that matter.
Rose, L.S., & Countryman, J. (2013). Repositioning ‘the elements’: How students talk about music. Action, Criticism, and Theory for Music Education 12(3): 45-64. http://act.maydaygroup.org/articles/JuneCountryman12_3.pdf.
Purdue Online Writing Lab (n.d.). General Writing FAQs. Retrieved from https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/general_writing/general_writing_faqs.html
Letter to A Future Student
Dear Future Student,
I want you to take a minute to reflect and think about why you took this music class. Is it because you need an easy mark to boost up your overall average? Is it because you somewhat enjoy music and thought you’d give it a shot in high school? I remember walking into my high school music class on the first day of classes, not really knowing what to expect. Little did I know that the next few years in music class would hold some of the best and most memorable experiences of my life. During my time in music class, I learned how to play instruments in a band with other people and work as a team, how to understand theory concepts and how important they are in music. I got to take part in some performance and music leadership opportunities, I met some amazing people who are still some of my best friends to this day, and most importantly, I was made aware that music is a beautiful and powerful art that can tell a story, stir up emotions and connect and bring people together.
I believe that the purpose of music education is to put forth to students that music is a powerful force that not only is a beautiful art, but also awakens the different skills and aspects of their minds. There are various genres of music out there and I would like to explore some of them with you. I believe that as an educator, it is my job to introduce you to more music than just what is required in the curriculum. I believe that is my job to make sure that when you leave my class at the end of the semester, you will be a well-rounded and cultured musician. In order to ensure that, I would like to incorporate various components of music into our class including some music theory, learning how to play pieces, both classical and contemporary, and learning some history about them, teaching some basic conducting, doing smaller group performances, and many other activities that will enable you to learn as much about music as you can in the time we have together. I would also like your feedback on what you would like to get out of this class, as well, such as any specific pieces you would like to play or what style, if you do not yet play an instrument or if you want to try something new, which instrument you are thinking about learning, what types of group projects or performances would interest you, any ideas you might have for music trips, or anything else you think would benefit our class.
Finally, I would love to form a great relationship with each and every one of my students, including you. When I was in high school, the one thing that always stuck with me was the close-knit family environment that my teacher made it a point to create. It was an environment full of people who cheered you on when you succeeded, understood and helped you out when you made mistakes or couldn’t figure out a certain concept, laughed uncontrollably together, loved you no matter what, and made memories together that will last a lifetime. I know that every person’s music class experience is different, but I’m hoping that yours can be as memorable as possible. I am very excited to teach you music, the thing I am so passionate about, and I hope that throughout this class you will begin to look at music as the beautiful, powerful art that it truly is.
Movie Clips
Here Comes the Boom- Biology Teaching Scene
In this teaching example, Scott (Kevin James) is faced with the task of teaching high school students biology, a subject that does not normally come across as interesting. In order to get the students’ attention, he does things that are typically out of the ordinary while teaching, such as climbing up on the table and using comedy in order to be relatable with his students and help them enjoy biology. He asks them questions and encourages them when they answer, causing them to feel more confident and good about themselves. This automatically makes them feel appreciated and that their opinions and responses are relevant, resulting in them to pay more attention to the lesson. One final thing that he does that seems crazy and contrary to the norm of teaching, but I think was taking advantage of a fantastic teaching opportunity, is walking across the desks after getting denied an answer to a question he asked from the student who is normally shy. He went all the way to the student’s desk and kindly asked the question again when he could have easily let the shyness slide, which is normal in classroom settings today. He did not want to make the student feel uncomfortable, but rather recognized the student’s true potential and was inviting him to tap into it. When the student answered the question, Scot and the rest of the class encouraged him, making the student feel a little bit more confident in himself and included in the class. I think that this different approach to teaching is a very beneficial method. Even though it causes the teacher to step out of their comfort zone a little bit and stray a bit from typical teaching standards, it makes kids feel like their teacher is more ‘on their level’ resulting in an interest in what they are learning and participation in class activities.
Here Comes the Boom- Learning Through Song
This scene from ‘Here Comes the Boom’ always interested me because it reminded me of how powerful learning through music is. In this example, Nico needs to study American politics in order to get his American citizenship but he is having a very hard time remembering all of the information. As we see near the beginning of the clip as well, he feels hopeless and states that he could never remember everything he needs to know. As the scene goes on, Malia helps Nico learn all of the information using his favourite song by replacing the original lines of the song with the information he was studying. After singing the song with the new lyrics, he was able to retain the information better and he felt a sense of hope as he now had a productive way to study. This proved that music can be used to learn, not only music as its own subject, but also any other subject. It also proved that using creative music techniques can make learning fun instead of tiresome or overwhelming. I think that this is a good teaching example showing us that music is a powerful tool that can benefit students’ learning of any subject and can make the learning process enjoyable.
Music In My Life
Formal, Nonformal and Informal Learning
Formal Learning: Structured learning in a classroom based on a specific curriculum and following a syllabus.
I would incorporate this type of learning in my classroom by creating lesson plans for my students that include material covered in the curriculum. Examples of this would be doing theory lessons with my students or teaching them to play pieces listed in the curriculum.
Nonformal Learning: Learning skills and knowledge in a more customized fashion; based on what the learner wants to learn and is participatory; does not adhere to the level of structure associated with formal learning but is organized with a more structured plan than informal learning.
I could incorporate nonformal learning in a school setting by starting a separate after-school band that any student with an interest in music can join, whether they are in music class or not. This can be a band that is directed towards the students’ interests and students would learn to play instruments and pieces that they enjoy.
Informal Learning: A more self-directed style of learning that does not follow a structured plan but is more spontaneous in nature.
A way I would incorporate informal learning in my classroom is by encouraging students to learn from their mistakes. An example of this is when students make a mistake when playing a piece. I would encourage them to notice these mistakes and learn from them by focusing on not making those mistakes again.
Response to Powell/Burstein Article
Modern Band is a great way to incorporate popular music, which is a very useful tool when teaching music, into music education. Modern Band focuses on playing music that is ‘of the people’ and encompassing popular music, a genre that most students enjoy and are familiar with. This music is generally easy to learn and involves a straightforward pattern for the most part. Modern Band is an open space where people with various musical backgrounds can come and learn music at a level that suits them. This means that a student with classical music training will not be learning the same way a student who has no prior musical knowledge will be learning, but it is a great way for both of these students to play music that they both appreciate together. Modern Band has a standard instrumentation, usually consisting of keyboard, guitar, vocals, bass drums and technology, but I really like that modern band is not strictly confined to that instrumentation but is flexible and can incorporate various instruments that are used in all genres of music.
A method of using the method of modern band to teach students with little to no experience of music is my teaching them through ‘Music as a Second-Language.’ This method uses the example of a baby that is learning how to speak. The baby picks up small parts of conversation that they hear around them and speak these parts all together to create what we call ‘baby talk.’ In the same way, new musicians create their own form of ‘baby talk’ by hearing musical components around them and maybe a few musical terms, as well, and putting all of these different things to practice when they learn and play music. I think that this is a very interesting approach to learning music. I already generally assumed that new musicians would use whatever they already knew about music when playing, but I had never really looked at the matter from this perspective. I think that this is a very good way of embracing a simple way of learning.
One thing I found very interesting about this article was how Modern Band encourages composition from a very young age. I love how the students are invited to compose their own songs about whatever they would like, even if they only use the one or two chords that they know. I appreciate that children are encouraged from such a young age to use their creativity to compose their own music, even if they do not have a vast knowledge of musical terminology or theory. When I first started learning music, I went through a program called ‘Music for Young Children’ which also encouraged me to compose my own music, even if I only used the little musical knowledge that I had at the time. I relate to this aspect of Modern Band and I really appreciate it because going through it myself helped me to not just stick to all the basic and structured patterns of music, but it allowed me to develop creativity from a very young age and I still enjoy being very creative when composing my own music, as well as putting a twist on other styles of music such as jazz and pop songs, to this day.
Powell, B. & Berstein, S. (2017). Popular Music and Modern Band Principles. Routledge Research Companion to Popular Music Education (2017).
Response to Burwell, Carey and Bennett Article and Professor Chiles' Talk
This article by Burwell, Carey, and Bennett on one-on-one music teaching covers a lot about how isolation has a major impact on private music teaching. The article focussed more on the negative results of isolation when teaching music privately than the positive. Many teachers have been affected by the results of isolation by feeling like they have to create their lesson plans all by themselves without any support or influence from outside sources. The isolation can also affect teachers personally by making them feel emotionally and socially detached from the rest of the music teaching community. This form of detachment from the rest of music teachers and resources can make teachers feel confined to their own studios and their own thoughts and ideas about teaching music. It could also cause students to feel this detachment, as well. Many students who only have the ability to learn music in a one-on-one teaching environment, or just do not have exposure to other opportunities outside of that, can miss out on the many musical opportunities available in the community, such as bands, ensembles, choirs, etc.
Though there are various negative results of one-on-one music teaching, there can also be some very positive results, some of which Professor Chiles spoke to us about in class last week. Private studio teaching can benefit a student’s music learning experience by enabling teachers to give them individual attention at every lesson. Every student has their own strengths musically; not everyone is interested in the exact same genres or styles of music. When taking one-on-one studio lessons, music teachers are able to learn what perks their students’ interests and what they enjoy, and along with the material and skills that are necessary to benefit them as a musician, such as technique, learning to read sheet music, or learning to play classical music, they can also teach them to play the music that they truly enjoy. As Professor Chiles said, an important part of teaching in a private studio is having a personal relationship with each of your students. Students will learn differently from someone who just is teaching them because it is their job opposed to someone who truly cares about their learning experience, their interests, and even just their life in general, and most of the time they have a better learning experience with the latter example.
I think that what both this article and Professor Chiles mentioned about private studio teaching, though the article spoke about more of the negative components of it than Professor Chiles did, is that studio teaching is an important mode of music teaching. Even though it can be seen as isolated and segregated from the rest of the music teaching community, there is an importance to having a one-on-one music learning experience with a professional who can help you grow as a musician yourself, and that same might not be able to be achieved in a group music learning environment.
Workshop Reflection
I really enjoyed the music education workshop that was focused on and gave a lot of importance to the importance of culture and diversity in classrooms. I really appreciated the example that was shown of Swedish dancing. One thing that I found very interesting is the way that the guest speaker started the workshop off with an activity that most of us were not familiar with. She did not really give us any instructions about the activity other than to join her in the middle of the room and dance with her. This was quite a different way of teaching from the norm in our culture today that is strongly associated with explaining a list of instructions or steps before starting an activity. I found this to be quite a beneficial approach to teaching as it forces learners to experience new things and see what they are capable of doing just by trying something out, rather than being held back by a set of rules and guidelines.
It was interesting seeing the change of comfort and response from those of us just learning the Swedish dancing from when the guest speaker first showed us the dance techniques till when we started becoming familiar with the basic dance technique and she began to add new elements to it. At the beginning, we were all quite uncomfortable, shy and confused as we did not really know what was expected of us, but as we started to get the hang of it by following her, smiles were seen, and many people were laughing and getting into the dance; it became quite fun. After this, the guest speaker spoke about some of the history of Swedish dancing. I think that this whole experience, the dancing and the information about its background, was a great way to incorporate culture and diversity in a practical and fun way into a teaching environment.
Another thing that I enjoyed was the group discussions that we were able to have about the various concerns, dreams and visions that us, as well as many music educators, have today. My group spoke a lot about how it troubles us that music is not seen as equal to most subjects in the education system and how the jobs of music teachers are on the top of the list when jobs need to be cut. One of our dreams is that those in high-up positions in the education system would see the equal importance and value that music has in a student’s life to subjects such as math and science, and that we would not have to worry about finding jobs or even losing them. These discussions were very interesting and valuable to me as I was able to share my concerns and dreams with those who share them, as well.
Music Teacher Interview Synopsis
Interviewing my high school music teacher, Ms. Connie Couture, was a very interesting and good learning experience for me. I was only at this high school for two years, and those were her first two years teaching at that school, as well. We became very close during my time there and she has become one of my inspirations when it comes to teaching music.
Some of the questions I included in the interview were things like how long she has been teaching and why she chose to become a teacher, especially a music teacher. Her answers were that she taught music in elementary school first for five years in Toronto and this is her third year teaching in a high school in Hamilton. Her goal after university was actually to go into music production and she applied to many music production companies, but never heard back from any of them. Music education was also something she was very interested in, so she ended up going to Teachers’ College and becoming a music teacher. She now loves it and is glad that everything worked out the way it did.
I also asked her about some challenges she has faced as a high school music teacher and her answer was that from year to year, it is always a challenge to make sure that there will even be a music class. It is a challenge knowing for sure that the school will make it a point to keep her music class, or if it will even exist the next year because there are not enough kids who sign up according to the school board’s requirement of class numbers. Some other challenges she faces are keeping all of her students focused as music is quite an easy-going, more relaxed class and it can be easy to get distracted. I also asked her about some successes she has had, as well, and she talked about the success of getting students to come back to the class year after year. The two previous music teachers at our high school left a couple of years ago, so my music teacher had a bit of a hard time getting the students to become comfortable with her and understand her methods of teaching, and so far, her students have become comfortable with her and they love having her as a teacher.
Another question that I asked her was how she assesses students who are at all different levels of music. Her answer really interested me because she talked about some really practical ways of doing this. She spoke about the importance of building relationships with the students in order to learn what level of music they are at and what their strengths and weaknesses are. When she finds what level they are at, she assesses all of them differently based on these levels. If they are at a lower level of music, for tests, she gives them a shorter and easier excerpt of music to play. If they are at a higher level, she might give them a longer and more challenging excerpt to play. I found these really interesting and smart ways of making students comfortable even when they have to do a test because they know that they are being tested at their own level, not at another student’s level who might be at a higher level of music than them. I also asked her how she deals with students who want to pursue music after high school opposed to those who do not. She said that most students who want to pursue music after high school usually are trained privately outside of high school music class, but for the few that are not, she helps them by giving them suggestions on how to prepare and helps them choose some pieces to prepare for auditions. She also helps them by giving them some private theory help sessions that include some harder theory than the theory that is covered in class with the general music class.
We also talked about some of her goals that she would like to achieve as a high school music teacher before she retires. She had three major goals which included taking the band class to the National level of the Golden Horseshoe Music Festival. She would also love to take the band to Disney World to perform, as she loves Disney and Disney music and she has always worked it into the band’s repertoire. Her final goal is to take the band to Vienna on a music trip to familiarize them with musical culture and its background, and she would like to take them to Mozart’s house while they are there, as well.
Another thing I asked her is if her viewpoint and perspective on teaching changed since she first started teaching till now. She responded by saying that it has not really changed much as she always looked at teaching music as an outlet for students to learn creativity, collaboration, and to learn team skills. After having the experience of teaching music for quite a few years, all of those things have been a part of her class. Even I have seen her incorporate them into various aspects of the class, such as doing group playing tests, or coming up with our own music-related class activities.
Somethings that she has learned from teaching music is finding a good balance between having fun in class and being strict and working hard to help the class learn about music and how to play various pieces of music. She has also learned people skills and has gained a lot of confidence through the tasks that come with teaching music, such as taking our band to music festivals and introducing us using a microphone. We also talked about what her most valuable resource for teaching music is, and she talked about the importance of her teaching partner whom she can ask questions, bounce ideas off of, and just have as a support.
The final thing we talked about was what the most rewarding part of teaching music was for her. Her answer was the relationships that she is able to build with students along the way. Being a teacher, she is a big part of students’ lives as she sees them every day and helps them learn, and she spoke about how happy she has been to not only have a teacher-student relationship with her students, but she is also able to build friendships with them.
I am very glad that I was able to interview my music teacher for this assignment because it gave me a reason to go back to my high school band class and see my teacher and my band. My high school teacher always made an environment in our band class that allowed us to become a close-knit family, and some of my best friends came out of that class due to that. My music teacher has played a key role in my musical journey and she is an inspiration to me to become a music teacher myself.