ACTIVITY:
CONCEPT: Difficult Students
MY OPINION: The best part of this activity for me was to hear all of the different perspectives on the same story, one unique perspective belonging to each member of the group. The way we began to shape a story from the images as a group was so wonderful to experience. I can definitely see how this activity would help students understand that all music does have a story or background, and that each individual will interpret the story differently, just like music.
0 Comments
ACTIVITY:
CONCEPT: Musical Features
I found the activity to be very effective. There are multiple educational aspects at play when a group is creating. Group work is always like an adventure with your team on shuffle, and everyone needs to learn how to behave respectfully in that type of situation. Understanding that everyone’s background and experiences are different was vital in this activity—as we needed a song that most/all of us knew relatively well. In a classroom, I’m very sure there would be more time for the compositional and practice time. It was fascinating to hear how different each groups’ piece was. Generally, some aspects were the same as the original version of the song, but many were drastically different. The concept that music is learned very similarly to language is fascinating to say the least. It really opened my eyes, and made question my learning experience. Specifically, it made me question why we teach music first by reading and then by making sound if we learn language in the opposite order (generally speaking).
I never did end up joining band in high school or public school, and I think it had something to do with the fact that I knew music was much more than just playing the same note for 4 counts and then resting, or scales. By the time I picked up an instrument I had been taking private vocal lessons for years, and music at school was a very different, almost negative, experience for me. There comes some frustration in being asked to understand written language without knowing how to speak it, and I think that is related to some of the struggle that adolescent students come to find in the seventh grade when they pick up an instrument for the first time. They usually can read the sheet music fairly fluently, and they understand the symbols such as the time signature, key signature, volume markings, etc; but they still don’t have any clue as to how to make a sound. Conceptually, Dr. Hopkins ideals on call and response exercises without the sheet music seems very logical. Theoretically it would increase the ear and understanding of the relationships between what the student hears and how to produce that sound on their own instrument, however I feel like for some students it may be a completely overwhelming experience. |
Guest ResponsesThis is the section where I will post my opinions and thoughts on the guest speakers that present in class. |