POI #1: Too much creative freedom.
Having your students be able to explore is a wonderful thing. Giving them the chance to invent and improvise is truly amazing. However I believe that it is only so fantastic up to a certain point. I think of creating as a bell curve. A student should be allowed the right amount of creativity to perform as best they can. Otherwise too little creativity will create a mundane performance whereas too much may muddle what concepts need to get across to an audience member.
A few examples of this are; improvising out of key, not keeping the proper tonality, playing instruments in new ways that make them sound poor or not at all, or not following proper form to where a piece becomes inaccurate and historically wrong.
I feel that it is important to allow children to use their creativity, just as long as they retain their musical aspects. If the composition starts to turn from a round into a chaconne, do not call the piece around. You must explain to the student that they have now created a new piece that is different from a round. If a student starts to play an instrument incorrectly, it must be fixed so their musicality does not suffer. Sometimes I see teachers allowing too much freedom with their students to a point where their musicality is affected greatly.
POI #2 Crossing into other academia
I feel that creating obviously open the door to crossing content boundaries. Children may want to make up their own movements to dance or their won pictures to music. They may relate pieces to aspects of history or places that they have been. I think that having your students thinking "outside the box" about music will help them in the long run.
Fantasia is a perfect example of music and art together. Disney animators do a wonderful job of showing the music with their art. Their art also does not take away from the magnificence of the music. It combines to mediums into a wonderful piece of work. The first was so successful that they made another one in 2000 aptly named Fantasia 2000. I highly recommend these movies to anyone who has an appreciation of art and music.
POI #3: Making instruments
I love this, I absolutely love this. Making instruments is a wonderful way for students to start to understand how sound works. Making instruments shows students different aspects of instruments that they might miss. This could include the finger holes with different pitches, the resonating chambers of guitars and stringed instruments, or the vibrations of cymbals.
Having students explore by creating instruments allows them to understand concepts that sometimes do not get taught in a school setting. If a teacher can utilize how to make instruments, they can easily have more educated students. As long as the teacher is willing to explain how and why instruments make sounds, their students will start to realize how the "real" instruments that they play function.
Claire de Lune (deleted scene from Fantasia)
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Chapter 9 POI"s
POI #1: Listening for Complexity.
I was very confused by this concept. More clearly defined in the book as humans are drawn to complexity. I would actually tend to disagree with this statement. I would argue the exact opposite and that humans are drawn to the more simplistic.
As a human race our goal has been to simplify everything. Inventions like the wheel, paper, and ramps, have made very difficult tasks far easier to accomplish. I believe that this characteristic carries over to music. I see it in the fact that a human can perform music alone with only their voice and body.
In my opinion, music that is too complex loses its appeal and therefor loses its audience. I am for teaching children about more complex music, but basing it off the fact that humans are drawn to complexity, I feel, is wrong.
POI #2: Active Listening
I have grown to love active listening. I think it is a great tool to have in your back pocket as a teacher. There are just so many activities that you can do with active listening that it can be put into any curriculum with a great amount of ease.
Another wonderful thing about active listening is how easily it enables as cross curricular opportunity. Without going into too many specifics, I feel that having students develop a sense for active listening will enable them to focus themselves in other areas. When a students must listen for a specific pattern or dynamic or even an instrument, you give listening a purpose rather than for just enjoyment.
This skill will prepare students if they will have a future in professional music. Being able to hear a seventh rubbing against an octave or being able to pick out the slightly out of tune trumpet. Developing the active listening skill now will prepare a student to be a fantastic musician.
POI #3: A POI Inspired by Chapter 9
I have always been curious why certain songs and keys evoke the emotions that they do. I have surmised that there is something aurally special about certain keys and phrases that make this so. Over the summer I was trying to determine why some of this truth was so evident in the musical world.
For instance, the key of C minor has been considered a very dark key. If you wrote in C minor you meant business. For some reason when a composer wants to write in a fashion that depicts triumph or agony or melancholy, C minor seemed to be the key of preference.
Another example is the key of F minor. Again this key is very popular among many jazz standards as well as many British tunes. Holst's Second Suite in F utilizes the power of F minor frequently. Adding the 7th to a F minor triad creates such a wonderful pull that when many jazz players improvise they play it.
I am still unsure as to why this appreciation or drive to use certain keys to evoke certain emotions . It may very well be a human instinct just like the pull to the number three. But I am sure that certain keys, phrases, rhythmic patters, and timbres are more comforting and appealing to every human ear.
I was very confused by this concept. More clearly defined in the book as humans are drawn to complexity. I would actually tend to disagree with this statement. I would argue the exact opposite and that humans are drawn to the more simplistic.
As a human race our goal has been to simplify everything. Inventions like the wheel, paper, and ramps, have made very difficult tasks far easier to accomplish. I believe that this characteristic carries over to music. I see it in the fact that a human can perform music alone with only their voice and body.
In my opinion, music that is too complex loses its appeal and therefor loses its audience. I am for teaching children about more complex music, but basing it off the fact that humans are drawn to complexity, I feel, is wrong.
POI #2: Active Listening
I have grown to love active listening. I think it is a great tool to have in your back pocket as a teacher. There are just so many activities that you can do with active listening that it can be put into any curriculum with a great amount of ease.
Another wonderful thing about active listening is how easily it enables as cross curricular opportunity. Without going into too many specifics, I feel that having students develop a sense for active listening will enable them to focus themselves in other areas. When a students must listen for a specific pattern or dynamic or even an instrument, you give listening a purpose rather than for just enjoyment.
This skill will prepare students if they will have a future in professional music. Being able to hear a seventh rubbing against an octave or being able to pick out the slightly out of tune trumpet. Developing the active listening skill now will prepare a student to be a fantastic musician.
POI #3: A POI Inspired by Chapter 9
I have always been curious why certain songs and keys evoke the emotions that they do. I have surmised that there is something aurally special about certain keys and phrases that make this so. Over the summer I was trying to determine why some of this truth was so evident in the musical world.
For instance, the key of C minor has been considered a very dark key. If you wrote in C minor you meant business. For some reason when a composer wants to write in a fashion that depicts triumph or agony or melancholy, C minor seemed to be the key of preference.
Another example is the key of F minor. Again this key is very popular among many jazz standards as well as many British tunes. Holst's Second Suite in F utilizes the power of F minor frequently. Adding the 7th to a F minor triad creates such a wonderful pull that when many jazz players improvise they play it.
I am still unsure as to why this appreciation or drive to use certain keys to evoke certain emotions . It may very well be a human instinct just like the pull to the number three. But I am sure that certain keys, phrases, rhythmic patters, and timbres are more comforting and appealing to every human ear.
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Chapter 13 Points of Interest
Assessment
POI #1: Assessing students at the start of their musical program.
I agree with this view very much so. I would say that assessing your students as soon as possible is the key factor in having a successful musical career. Assessment is a surefire way to notice flaws and praise success.
I love the fact that you can start assessment early on in the musical development of the student. I think a difference that needs to be distinguished between assessment and nitpicking. It is important that one assess their students and does not nitpick. Assessment is done with the goal of improvement in mine. Nitpicking is done to point out flaws, no matter how minor they are.
Students should not be nitpicked, because then there will be no self confidence instilled in the child. If a student is assessed their are learning how to identify issues that are not up to a standard. It is now about how badly a student is doing, but how much success they are having.
POI #2 Continuous assessment
This POI stuck out to me because I feel that assessment should always be continuous because assessment can never stop. It is the goal of the musician to convey their emotions through their music, as it is a dancer's job to show their thoughts through their dance, or an artist through his canvas. If you are to continually grow as a musician, you cannot stop thinking about how to improve, and you will continually assess yourself.
The section that I got this POI from was teacher assessment of students. Again if you want your band to improve and grow you need to continually assess it. In addition you also need to continually asses yourself as a teacher. I do not see why a teacher would stop assessing themselves let alone their students.
I love finding new ways of teaching subjects to children, and I find that I need to asses myself more often than I assess my students. Because my students learn from me, I need to make sure that I am on the top of my game so that they can be on the top of theirs.
POI #3 The children talked about in the chapter.
I got the impression that this chapter was focusing more on students in a high school setting. Many of the questions that should be used to help children perform higher thinking seemed geared to those children who have an understanding of music history in the context of a high school education.
For instance, interpretation of a piece of music feels like a more suited idea for an older students who is able to comprehend the slightly confusing history of the war of the roses. Justifying a choice also seems like an idea suited for the high school classroom. Again I feel that a well rounded knowledge base is needed to answer the questions posed.
However, I may be talking myself into a hole. I have not tried to ask a child to devise their own criteria for performance or to identify key ideas when they compose a piece of music. Maybe I am a bit naive in thinking that an elementary student cannot answer these questions. But, I feel that these types of questions need to be posed when a student has a stronger grasp of music, one that comes from experience and not one from a classroom.
Lang Lang on an iPad
POI #1: Assessing students at the start of their musical program.
I agree with this view very much so. I would say that assessing your students as soon as possible is the key factor in having a successful musical career. Assessment is a surefire way to notice flaws and praise success.
I love the fact that you can start assessment early on in the musical development of the student. I think a difference that needs to be distinguished between assessment and nitpicking. It is important that one assess their students and does not nitpick. Assessment is done with the goal of improvement in mine. Nitpicking is done to point out flaws, no matter how minor they are.
Students should not be nitpicked, because then there will be no self confidence instilled in the child. If a student is assessed their are learning how to identify issues that are not up to a standard. It is now about how badly a student is doing, but how much success they are having.
POI #2 Continuous assessment
This POI stuck out to me because I feel that assessment should always be continuous because assessment can never stop. It is the goal of the musician to convey their emotions through their music, as it is a dancer's job to show their thoughts through their dance, or an artist through his canvas. If you are to continually grow as a musician, you cannot stop thinking about how to improve, and you will continually assess yourself.
The section that I got this POI from was teacher assessment of students. Again if you want your band to improve and grow you need to continually assess it. In addition you also need to continually asses yourself as a teacher. I do not see why a teacher would stop assessing themselves let alone their students.
I love finding new ways of teaching subjects to children, and I find that I need to asses myself more often than I assess my students. Because my students learn from me, I need to make sure that I am on the top of my game so that they can be on the top of theirs.
POI #3 The children talked about in the chapter.
I got the impression that this chapter was focusing more on students in a high school setting. Many of the questions that should be used to help children perform higher thinking seemed geared to those children who have an understanding of music history in the context of a high school education.
For instance, interpretation of a piece of music feels like a more suited idea for an older students who is able to comprehend the slightly confusing history of the war of the roses. Justifying a choice also seems like an idea suited for the high school classroom. Again I feel that a well rounded knowledge base is needed to answer the questions posed.
However, I may be talking myself into a hole. I have not tried to ask a child to devise their own criteria for performance or to identify key ideas when they compose a piece of music. Maybe I am a bit naive in thinking that an elementary student cannot answer these questions. But, I feel that these types of questions need to be posed when a student has a stronger grasp of music, one that comes from experience and not one from a classroom.
Lang Lang on an iPad
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Chapter 8 Points of Interest
The Playing Child
The first point of interest was the section about the body as a percussion instrument. I really like this section because it is very hopeful. Something that everyone must remember that we can lose everything, including our voice, and we can still make music with our bodies. I think this is such a great concept and I love that kids are encouraged to explore their musical talents this way.
One of my simple goals as a teacher is for kids to clap to a steady beat. This is a necessary life skill. You look foolish if you cannot clap correctly to a piece of music, and even more foolish if you do it when everyone is clapping correctly. Having my students start to clap early helps them understand a kinesthetic beat.
Furthermore one of my favorite art forms is stepping. Stepping requires to make the beat and rhythm up with your body. It is very cool to watch when done well. Another art form that I found that comes from this is called 'hambone'. Again, one must create a beat and rhythm with their own body. Very cool.
The second and third points of interests are the sections on the different instruments, pitched and non pitched. I was intrigued by how similar and different these two types of instruments really are. Because non pitched instruments tend to dwell in the percussion (hence why it is called percussion) class of instrument. This grouping separates these instruments from those who chose to play a wind or string instrument. This cannot happen.
It is necessary for students to understand the concepts of non pitched instruments so they can focus on rhythm and not different notes. Non pitched instruments takes out a hard concept that some students struggle with. Another thing that non pitched instruments do it put everyone on the same playing field. What I mean by this is, no one has an instrument that makes the the stereotype of the band. No one is bass line or melody, they are all just rhythm. This is also necessary for many different reasons; a big one being ego breaking.
However it is also necessary to teach pitched instruments so students can differentiate pitches and develop a good sense of tonality and texture. Again percussionists are usually shunned from this category because they start on non pitched instruments. Where there are cons to pitched instruments there are also pros.
Having every instrument assigned to a student gives that student a certain job. This teaches responsibility and self confidence in a job well done. Also pitched instruments develop and ear for tone, color, and timbre. These qualities are but a few of things that make great pitched instrument players.
I do realize that I left out harmony instruments. And while I do see a need for them, I was wondering why you cannot teach harmony with the single pitched instruments. I am not saying that we should get rid of pitched instruments, but I wonder if we can teach harmony without them. However, every child should be acquainted with a piano and know how to find noted on one. That is a necessary skill.
Tallie Brinson (Stepping starts at 50 seconds)
Steve Hickman & Matthew Olwell (Hambone)
The first point of interest was the section about the body as a percussion instrument. I really like this section because it is very hopeful. Something that everyone must remember that we can lose everything, including our voice, and we can still make music with our bodies. I think this is such a great concept and I love that kids are encouraged to explore their musical talents this way.
One of my simple goals as a teacher is for kids to clap to a steady beat. This is a necessary life skill. You look foolish if you cannot clap correctly to a piece of music, and even more foolish if you do it when everyone is clapping correctly. Having my students start to clap early helps them understand a kinesthetic beat.
Furthermore one of my favorite art forms is stepping. Stepping requires to make the beat and rhythm up with your body. It is very cool to watch when done well. Another art form that I found that comes from this is called 'hambone'. Again, one must create a beat and rhythm with their own body. Very cool.
The second and third points of interests are the sections on the different instruments, pitched and non pitched. I was intrigued by how similar and different these two types of instruments really are. Because non pitched instruments tend to dwell in the percussion (hence why it is called percussion) class of instrument. This grouping separates these instruments from those who chose to play a wind or string instrument. This cannot happen.
It is necessary for students to understand the concepts of non pitched instruments so they can focus on rhythm and not different notes. Non pitched instruments takes out a hard concept that some students struggle with. Another thing that non pitched instruments do it put everyone on the same playing field. What I mean by this is, no one has an instrument that makes the the stereotype of the band. No one is bass line or melody, they are all just rhythm. This is also necessary for many different reasons; a big one being ego breaking.
However it is also necessary to teach pitched instruments so students can differentiate pitches and develop a good sense of tonality and texture. Again percussionists are usually shunned from this category because they start on non pitched instruments. Where there are cons to pitched instruments there are also pros.
Having every instrument assigned to a student gives that student a certain job. This teaches responsibility and self confidence in a job well done. Also pitched instruments develop and ear for tone, color, and timbre. These qualities are but a few of things that make great pitched instrument players.
I do realize that I left out harmony instruments. And while I do see a need for them, I was wondering why you cannot teach harmony with the single pitched instruments. I am not saying that we should get rid of pitched instruments, but I wonder if we can teach harmony without them. However, every child should be acquainted with a piano and know how to find noted on one. That is a necessary skill.
Tallie Brinson (Stepping starts at 50 seconds)
Steve Hickman & Matthew Olwell (Hambone)
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Chapter 16 Points of Interest
This chapter covered a very controversial issue for many teachers. Exceptional Children.
My first point of interest comes from a line that starts the section on identifying exceptional children. "Although it may be said that on some level every child is exceptional, with unique abilities and needs, current practice defines exceptional children as "those whole require special education and related services if they are to realize their full human potential (Hallahan and Kauffman, 2000, p. 7).
This quote bothers me because it leaves a lot to be desired. As an educator I want to know what an exceptional child is. This definition makes me confused by using the term 'special education' and 'full human potential'. I think that every child is exceptional and should be specially educated so they can achieve their full human potential. I do not think that this definition is correct at all.
The one point I would like to get across (to stop myself from writing a philosophic epic) is that even if every child is not a 'exceptional child' they should be taught as if they are. If the goal of teaching exceptional children is to help them reach their full human potential then every child should be taught as if they are exceptional.
The IEP and music also caught my eye. For my educational psychology class I wrote an essay on the IEP in our schools and its effects. I found that the number of students who attain an IEP has skyrocketed since the installment of the IEP. This is why I think that the IEP should be done with.
The IEP was meant to help both the student and teacher. The student would get the appropriate help that they needed and the teacher was given the exact parameters of the student's needs. While the IEP does accomplish this, it has been heavily abused.
Many students obtain an IEP but, do not show a specific deficiency in which they would actually need an IEP for. Some of my research showed that while the number of students with IEP's increased in major cities, the number of students with disabilities (both physical and learning) was going down. This fact showed me that many students, who may not necessarily need the IEP, were getting them like candy.
My third point of interest is a bit of a cop out. I found this chapter very interesting in that it is so controversial. While every student does need to be educated, it cannot be at the cost of other students. I find that many special education programs start impacting other students negatively. If it is the right of all Americans to have a public education then another student's education may not come before another student's.
While this comment may seem harsh, I do firmly believe it. There is a saying from one of the founding fathers, "My rights end where my fellow citizen's rights begin." This should follow through to education. It is our goal as educators to find a way to educate all of our students to a point where they can understand and appreciate what we are teaching them.
As a music educator I want my students to accomplish three things. They must be able to sing happy birthday, clap to a steady beat, and pick a favorite piece of music. I feel that these three things carry through everyone life. If, at the base of my teaching, I accomplish these three things, then I have succeeded in starting the love of music in a student's life.
My first point of interest comes from a line that starts the section on identifying exceptional children. "Although it may be said that on some level every child is exceptional, with unique abilities and needs, current practice defines exceptional children as "those whole require special education and related services if they are to realize their full human potential (Hallahan and Kauffman, 2000, p. 7).
This quote bothers me because it leaves a lot to be desired. As an educator I want to know what an exceptional child is. This definition makes me confused by using the term 'special education' and 'full human potential'. I think that every child is exceptional and should be specially educated so they can achieve their full human potential. I do not think that this definition is correct at all.
The one point I would like to get across (to stop myself from writing a philosophic epic) is that even if every child is not a 'exceptional child' they should be taught as if they are. If the goal of teaching exceptional children is to help them reach their full human potential then every child should be taught as if they are exceptional.
The IEP and music also caught my eye. For my educational psychology class I wrote an essay on the IEP in our schools and its effects. I found that the number of students who attain an IEP has skyrocketed since the installment of the IEP. This is why I think that the IEP should be done with.
The IEP was meant to help both the student and teacher. The student would get the appropriate help that they needed and the teacher was given the exact parameters of the student's needs. While the IEP does accomplish this, it has been heavily abused.
Many students obtain an IEP but, do not show a specific deficiency in which they would actually need an IEP for. Some of my research showed that while the number of students with IEP's increased in major cities, the number of students with disabilities (both physical and learning) was going down. This fact showed me that many students, who may not necessarily need the IEP, were getting them like candy.
My third point of interest is a bit of a cop out. I found this chapter very interesting in that it is so controversial. While every student does need to be educated, it cannot be at the cost of other students. I find that many special education programs start impacting other students negatively. If it is the right of all Americans to have a public education then another student's education may not come before another student's.
While this comment may seem harsh, I do firmly believe it. There is a saying from one of the founding fathers, "My rights end where my fellow citizen's rights begin." This should follow through to education. It is our goal as educators to find a way to educate all of our students to a point where they can understand and appreciate what we are teaching them.
As a music educator I want my students to accomplish three things. They must be able to sing happy birthday, clap to a steady beat, and pick a favorite piece of music. I feel that these three things carry through everyone life. If, at the base of my teaching, I accomplish these three things, then I have succeeded in starting the love of music in a student's life.
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Chapter 11 Points of interest
Chapter 11 was about Motivation and Management, two key factors in running an efficient classroom. My first point of interest came later in the chapter than I would have expected.
The section that talks about competition as a motivator was a bit lost on me. This summer I started to read a book called "Compassion". It was about Christianity and what it truly means to be compassionate. The authors of the book found that in order to be completely compassionate humans had to forgo any competition. The only problem with this statement is that humans are competitive by nature.
Competition is how we make decisions. Which person would I like to date? What food do I want to eat? These two questions are trivial but they compare different object, thus causing a competitive mindset. I feel that using this mindset in the classroom is completely natural.
If competition does not happen externally (with another person) it will happen internally (with oneself). This competitiveness with oneself is more commonly known as motivation. I see no problem in having a sense of competition in my classroom. I feel it is an innate human characteristic and should be utilized.
My next point of interest comes a couple of pages later in the section about Enneagrams. I thought that this section was very questionable, yet I feel that it is overall useful.
Enneagrams are personality trait tests. These tests determine what type of personality you have, such as a perfectionist. The tests come in handy when a teacher needs to adopt specific strategies for students.
Knowing that you have many reclusive students is a good thing to know if you have an abrasive and brash personality. I think in the grand scheme of things, you do get a feel for people's personalities and are able to change your own if you are to accommodate them. For teachers this skill is necessary.
The last section that I thought stood out was "remembering student's names". Again my first reaction was "Well duh." Then I realized how important a name is to a child.
From my camp experiences as a specialist I have to remember every kid's name. I find that is it pretty easy. However I can see the look on a child's face when I either forget their name or call them the wrong one. They are less likely to participate because they no longer feel connected to me as a 'friend'.
It is such a very simple concept to remember a name, and yet people forget them so often. A good colleague of mine, Brad Hruska, told me some great advice. He said to memorize your students' names before your first day. I asked him how his first day went. He smiled and he said, "Better than if I hadn't learned any at all." Some of the best words of advice I have heard.
I will leave you with some more words of wisdom from Dan Crain. "Your students will never care how much you know, until they know how much you care." Priceless.
The section that talks about competition as a motivator was a bit lost on me. This summer I started to read a book called "Compassion". It was about Christianity and what it truly means to be compassionate. The authors of the book found that in order to be completely compassionate humans had to forgo any competition. The only problem with this statement is that humans are competitive by nature.
Competition is how we make decisions. Which person would I like to date? What food do I want to eat? These two questions are trivial but they compare different object, thus causing a competitive mindset. I feel that using this mindset in the classroom is completely natural.
If competition does not happen externally (with another person) it will happen internally (with oneself). This competitiveness with oneself is more commonly known as motivation. I see no problem in having a sense of competition in my classroom. I feel it is an innate human characteristic and should be utilized.
My next point of interest comes a couple of pages later in the section about Enneagrams. I thought that this section was very questionable, yet I feel that it is overall useful.
Enneagrams are personality trait tests. These tests determine what type of personality you have, such as a perfectionist. The tests come in handy when a teacher needs to adopt specific strategies for students.
Knowing that you have many reclusive students is a good thing to know if you have an abrasive and brash personality. I think in the grand scheme of things, you do get a feel for people's personalities and are able to change your own if you are to accommodate them. For teachers this skill is necessary.
The last section that I thought stood out was "remembering student's names". Again my first reaction was "Well duh." Then I realized how important a name is to a child.
From my camp experiences as a specialist I have to remember every kid's name. I find that is it pretty easy. However I can see the look on a child's face when I either forget their name or call them the wrong one. They are less likely to participate because they no longer feel connected to me as a 'friend'.
It is such a very simple concept to remember a name, and yet people forget them so often. A good colleague of mine, Brad Hruska, told me some great advice. He said to memorize your students' names before your first day. I asked him how his first day went. He smiled and he said, "Better than if I hadn't learned any at all." Some of the best words of advice I have heard.
I will leave you with some more words of wisdom from Dan Crain. "Your students will never care how much you know, until they know how much you care." Priceless.
Chapter 6 Points of Interest
I was intrigued by this chapter. I love to incorporate movement in my teaching strategies. This chapter posed a lot of questions for me about movement. I think I have a general understanding of movement and the human body, but this chapter threw me some loops.
My first question and point of interest was where do you define the difference from just movement and dance. This was very confusing to me even after I read the definition of what 'dance' is. I still am having trouble with the differentiation with the two.
Dance seems to specify that there needs to be intent and choreography to be considered dance. While that is all fine and dandy, the 'creative movement' and eurythmics described in this chapter turn out to be dancing. Choreography is planning movements that fit with each other in context of the music and intent to move is giving a purpose to the movement being done. I am having trouble deciding what is plain movement, even if it is creative, and dancing.
I am not sure that it is such a big deal, but I feel that it is because the concepts I want to teach through 'dance' are not those that I want to teach through movement alone.
An observation I made about this chapter was that a lot of common sense is needed to be able to teach movement along with music. I found myself saying aloud, "Well duh!" at the book. Movement is one of the hardest concepts for the human body. I do not know why, but if you take a look at our sports and entertainment, physical roles of the human body are enhanced and pushed to their limit.
I felt like a big point of this chapter was to make motion and music connect and feel that they naturally fit together. Because music uses motion as a base to make sound (singers move wind over their vocal chords as well as facial expressions, string players bow, and wind players tongue and finger) it should be natural that movement should go hand in hand with music.
The last point that I found started me thinking about higher education and teaching dance. The book said that it was important that kids learn to move their bodies in conjunction with the music. The book also said that a great way to do this was to teach folk dances.
To further this thought, I think it almost necessary to teach older musicians how to dance classic dance forms like a jig (gigue), minuet, passpied, or salterello. I feel that teaching musicians these dance forms will help them perform better in general because they understand the movements that are associated with them. It is an interesting idea that I would be interested in perusing myself.
Lastly while on the dance topic, here are a few videos of some fantastic dancers from So You Think You Can Dance.
Billy Bell and Ade Obayomi (Contemporary)
Lauren Froederman and tWitch Boss (Hip Hop)
Robert Roldan and DTrix Sandoval (Hip Hop)
Kent Boyd and Allison Holker (Contemporary)
Travis Wall
Alex Wong and Allison Holker
My first question and point of interest was where do you define the difference from just movement and dance. This was very confusing to me even after I read the definition of what 'dance' is. I still am having trouble with the differentiation with the two.
Dance seems to specify that there needs to be intent and choreography to be considered dance. While that is all fine and dandy, the 'creative movement' and eurythmics described in this chapter turn out to be dancing. Choreography is planning movements that fit with each other in context of the music and intent to move is giving a purpose to the movement being done. I am having trouble deciding what is plain movement, even if it is creative, and dancing.
I am not sure that it is such a big deal, but I feel that it is because the concepts I want to teach through 'dance' are not those that I want to teach through movement alone.
An observation I made about this chapter was that a lot of common sense is needed to be able to teach movement along with music. I found myself saying aloud, "Well duh!" at the book. Movement is one of the hardest concepts for the human body. I do not know why, but if you take a look at our sports and entertainment, physical roles of the human body are enhanced and pushed to their limit.
I felt like a big point of this chapter was to make motion and music connect and feel that they naturally fit together. Because music uses motion as a base to make sound (singers move wind over their vocal chords as well as facial expressions, string players bow, and wind players tongue and finger) it should be natural that movement should go hand in hand with music.
The last point that I found started me thinking about higher education and teaching dance. The book said that it was important that kids learn to move their bodies in conjunction with the music. The book also said that a great way to do this was to teach folk dances.
To further this thought, I think it almost necessary to teach older musicians how to dance classic dance forms like a jig (gigue), minuet, passpied, or salterello. I feel that teaching musicians these dance forms will help them perform better in general because they understand the movements that are associated with them. It is an interesting idea that I would be interested in perusing myself.
Lastly while on the dance topic, here are a few videos of some fantastic dancers from So You Think You Can Dance.
Billy Bell and Ade Obayomi (Contemporary)
Lauren Froederman and tWitch Boss (Hip Hop)
Robert Roldan and DTrix Sandoval (Hip Hop)
Kent Boyd and Allison Holker (Contemporary)
Travis Wall
Alex Wong and Allison Holker
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