I tutored Math after school at Newark Arts HS under Mr. DiAntonio for my community service requirement. For the time that I tutored which was most of the semester on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, I really enjoyed the environment and teaching the students that they put in my care. It was really worth the daily commute. I found that many of the students who were motivated and came when they were supposed to, to my class truly took a lot out of it. They progressed very fast in just a couple of weeks.
I found it interesting how overall, even though HSPA scores were not very high, that most the students were very knowledgeable in math even though their focus was arts. I know that if I was an Arts HS student, I would probably be more concerned with practicing than anything else. While I was tutoring them, I kept using analogies to real like situations such as shopping, sports, etc. to make it interesting and to help them apply the knowledge.
I felt that I made a real connection with most the students. I actually never had a problem with volume and cell phones. I allowed a couple of calls since it is after-school tutoring, and the calls usually pertained to rides and siblings which is clearly important. I also found that the students were very polite and respected me. I also guessed what their focus was the first day since I am a music major, and we usually describe each other by instrument, etc. I found the students to be more civilized in Newark than my junior year high school theology class.
One of the math teachers actually trusted me with hooking her calculator up to a monitor, so I could show the students as a whole and not individually how to correctly use their scientific calculators with ease. It was interesting how much easier it was to teach them by using the monitor. Technology is very appealing to our generation, and this really made it clear to me even though it was a calculator and not a smart board. I also took a lot out of teaching the classes since I had to remind myself how to do the math correctly in the ten minutes I had before the students started to come into class.
Saturday, December 20, 2008
Thursday, November 27, 2008
Observation at Arts HS
During my observation at Newark Arts HS, I observed three different blocks and three different teachers. The blocks were sophomore band, music technology, and choir which are all within the content area that I am studying. I really had an informative experience during my visit. It is also quite interesting to take a step back from the college level classes that I am in and view them in a high school setting.
Mr. DA is the band director at Arts HS. I honestly found his class to be quite mediocre for a school dedicated to the arts. My professors would refer to many of his techniques, such as hitting the baton against the stand while conducting, as bad habits. His relationship with his students seemed to not be very dynamic, and I felt that he did not pay equal attention to his students. One of his flute players in the ensemble clearly lacked confidence in her playing, and he had just been ignoring her. I felt that she had a lot of potential and that he could have really helped her to keep up with the rest of the students. I was still very impressed with his students and how well their tone production and balance as an ensemble was even with poor instrumentation. I found his humor in class very hard to understand though his students seemed to react better to it than I did. Though I did not see many things that I liked during his rehearsal, I would still consider him a decent teacher just by the overall performance of his students.
After, I observed a Music Technology class conducted by the guitar teacher, Mr. GF. I was pleasantly surprised by how advanced and creative the class was. He had a very democratic classroom with students learning how to compose and utilize notation software. The students were working on their final project where they orchestrated a piece for voice and two instruments which they were required to learn perform their arrangement on the instruments that they were writing for. He also was teaching them how to use an electronic keyboard and drums with notational software. To be honest, the only other thing that the present music technology course I am enrolled in covered was MAXMSP software. I was truly impressed by his class, and I also found his background to be interesting since he came from Italy to the New York Metropolitan area to study jazz performance.
The last block that I observed was choir which was conducted by Mr. F. Mr. F is probably one of the oldest teachers at Arts HS, but he is certainly the most talented. The choir has an amazing sound, and at one point in one of their pieces, I actually got chills from the energy they were putting into their singing. Mr. F teaches many healthy performance techniques dealing with posture, breathing, energy, and movement that many music teachers tend to overlook. Healthy performance techniques are usually learned at the college-level if at all, but it is so important to performing well and not having performance related injuries and bad postural habits. I was pleasantly surprised with his choir and how well they respected him.
Mr. DA is the band director at Arts HS. I honestly found his class to be quite mediocre for a school dedicated to the arts. My professors would refer to many of his techniques, such as hitting the baton against the stand while conducting, as bad habits. His relationship with his students seemed to not be very dynamic, and I felt that he did not pay equal attention to his students. One of his flute players in the ensemble clearly lacked confidence in her playing, and he had just been ignoring her. I felt that she had a lot of potential and that he could have really helped her to keep up with the rest of the students. I was still very impressed with his students and how well their tone production and balance as an ensemble was even with poor instrumentation. I found his humor in class very hard to understand though his students seemed to react better to it than I did. Though I did not see many things that I liked during his rehearsal, I would still consider him a decent teacher just by the overall performance of his students.
After, I observed a Music Technology class conducted by the guitar teacher, Mr. GF. I was pleasantly surprised by how advanced and creative the class was. He had a very democratic classroom with students learning how to compose and utilize notation software. The students were working on their final project where they orchestrated a piece for voice and two instruments which they were required to learn perform their arrangement on the instruments that they were writing for. He also was teaching them how to use an electronic keyboard and drums with notational software. To be honest, the only other thing that the present music technology course I am enrolled in covered was MAXMSP software. I was truly impressed by his class, and I also found his background to be interesting since he came from Italy to the New York Metropolitan area to study jazz performance.
The last block that I observed was choir which was conducted by Mr. F. Mr. F is probably one of the oldest teachers at Arts HS, but he is certainly the most talented. The choir has an amazing sound, and at one point in one of their pieces, I actually got chills from the energy they were putting into their singing. Mr. F teaches many healthy performance techniques dealing with posture, breathing, energy, and movement that many music teachers tend to overlook. Healthy performance techniques are usually learned at the college-level if at all, but it is so important to performing well and not having performance related injuries and bad postural habits. I was pleasantly surprised with his choir and how well they respected him.
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Math Dept. Meeting at Arts HS and Advisory Meeting at Shabazz HS
I attended a Math Department meeting at Newark Arts HS, and I also attended an advisory meeting at Malcolm X Shabazz HS. Both meetings made me realize that there is more thought and planning in school districts than I originally assumed. Both meetings were also quite different from each other especially since both meetings were on two completely different levels in the school system.
The Math Dept. meeting was very interesting. There was a very long discussion on teacher-administrator relationships which seemed to never end. Many of the teachers felt that their evaluations were very unfair since many of them were being evaluated by administrators who had absolutely no experience in teaching. Comments on evaluations were many times directed toward how colorful the room was and if all the students took off their headgear instead of the actual teaching and learning that was taking place. I clearly understand exactly where the teachers are coming from, and I do believe in many cases that administrators need to be teachers before they can evaluate teachers.
I have also attached the evaluation for that was handed out at the meeting. The evaluation form includes many categories that pertain to the actual teaching that takes place, but the teachers during the Math Dept. meeting felt that comments needed to be made on the categories not just ranking on where they stand. It would be quite hard for them to improve on something in particular if it is not suggested how or what to change. Mr. DiAntonio who is the Math Dept. administrator was conducting the meeting and sympathized with his fellow teachers since he knows where they are coming from and was not allowed to evaluate them himself.
The advisory board meeting started off very late, but I was surprised how it began with student performances. One of the students said a poem and another sung a piece. Both performances took up about twenty-five minutes altogether. I actually found the auditorium and most of the facilities at Shabazz to be well taken care of and in good shape compared to what I originally thought I was going to see. The advisory board meeting hand out is about half an inch thick and full of information that I do not completely understand yet. I liked how they had a student representative reporting on what they thought needed to happen in the schools. I was very impressed by the organization, professionalism, and concern of the advisory board.
The Math Dept. meeting was very interesting. There was a very long discussion on teacher-administrator relationships which seemed to never end. Many of the teachers felt that their evaluations were very unfair since many of them were being evaluated by administrators who had absolutely no experience in teaching. Comments on evaluations were many times directed toward how colorful the room was and if all the students took off their headgear instead of the actual teaching and learning that was taking place. I clearly understand exactly where the teachers are coming from, and I do believe in many cases that administrators need to be teachers before they can evaluate teachers.
I have also attached the evaluation for that was handed out at the meeting. The evaluation form includes many categories that pertain to the actual teaching that takes place, but the teachers during the Math Dept. meeting felt that comments needed to be made on the categories not just ranking on where they stand. It would be quite hard for them to improve on something in particular if it is not suggested how or what to change. Mr. DiAntonio who is the Math Dept. administrator was conducting the meeting and sympathized with his fellow teachers since he knows where they are coming from and was not allowed to evaluate them himself.
The advisory board meeting started off very late, but I was surprised how it began with student performances. One of the students said a poem and another sung a piece. Both performances took up about twenty-five minutes altogether. I actually found the auditorium and most of the facilities at Shabazz to be well taken care of and in good shape compared to what I originally thought I was going to see. The advisory board meeting hand out is about half an inch thick and full of information that I do not completely understand yet. I liked how they had a student representative reporting on what they thought needed to happen in the schools. I was very impressed by the organization, professionalism, and concern of the advisory board.
Questioning the Future of My Content Area in Education
After completing my inquiry project, I am quite scared for the future that I will have in music education. Music education is my passion and I could never give it up. But, it seems finding a job as a public school teacher might becoming harder and harder as budget cuts and No Child Left Behind takes its toll on Music Programs. Reading about how present music teachers are discussing ways of trying to save their music programs with each other makes me wonder where a new teacher walking into the world of music education stands.
I always thought education was a safe bet, and I would not have to result to just being a poor performer. As I did my researcher, I realized that getting the job I want in music education that pays well will be extremely competitive never mind getting a job in the first place. It also pains me to know that many students will not benefit from music being a part of their music education as I did. I know that having music as an important part of my education really has disciplined me and made me appreciate the cultures around me. As a college student, I have more appreciation every day for music in my life, and I continue to develop my skills in everything I do because of it.
I do not believe I would be as cultured as I am today if I did not have music as a major part of my education. I know that I would have chosen a career in the sciences and maybe listened to music on the radio. I do not think I would be as involved in my community or church as much as I am. I really believe that my involvement in music has not only given me an appreciation for all kinds of arts, but I believe it has given me a well-rounded and continuing education.
I always thought education was a safe bet, and I would not have to result to just being a poor performer. As I did my researcher, I realized that getting the job I want in music education that pays well will be extremely competitive never mind getting a job in the first place. It also pains me to know that many students will not benefit from music being a part of their music education as I did. I know that having music as an important part of my education really has disciplined me and made me appreciate the cultures around me. As a college student, I have more appreciation every day for music in my life, and I continue to develop my skills in everything I do because of it.
I do not believe I would be as cultured as I am today if I did not have music as a major part of my education. I know that I would have chosen a career in the sciences and maybe listened to music on the radio. I do not think I would be as involved in my community or church as much as I am. I really believe that my involvement in music has not only given me an appreciation for all kinds of arts, but I believe it has given me a well-rounded and continuing education.
Saturday, November 22, 2008
The Educated Citizen and Music's Part
Democracy’s survival is dependent on the educated citizens that actively take part in it. An educated citizen is someone who is aware of his or her surroundings, the laws and regulations that he or she lives by, and the actions that are necessary in order to prevail in different situations. The understanding of the role of education in democracy is extremely important to develop educated citizens. Today, public schools are responsible for teaching students how to become an educated citizen.
Being aware of one’s surroundings is vital to being an educated citizen. The awareness of one’s surroundings includes being aware of matters such as community and world politics and cultural events and practices. It is truly about being an intellectual and taking an active role with that intellectuality. Being aware of laws and regulations is being aware of what governs one’s surrounds. Laws and regulations are made to prevent chaos and maintain order, and it is important for every citizen to understand and uphold his or her laws and regulations for the common good. Democracy is not just held together by laws and regulations, but it is held together by democratic ideas and the people who come together to make, change, and uphold them to better their community. Being aware of the actions that are necessary in order to prevail in different situations means knowing how to handle situations that occur with prior knowledge and being aware of the factors that affect the situation. In maintaining democracy and prevailing in certain situations, an educated citizen would consider his or her surroundings, the laws and regulations that affect the situation, and the factors that are specific to the situation. Also, that same educated citizen would also take into consideration that a decision based on personal fulfillment that is not beneficial to the community as a whole is in mostly all cases the wrong decision.
Public schools are responsible for teaching students how to be educated students. Many times there are regulations made in order to ensure the responsibility of and pressure the schools to produce educated citizens. An example of this is the No Child Left Behind Act. The No Child Left Behind Act was an initiative taken by George W. Bush in order to push public schools to ensure that every child would become an educated citizen (Aldridge 9). The main problem with this initiative is that it creates a standard of mediocrity and does not allow children to excel at higher levels, and it also prevents many children with disabilities from learning at their own levels when they cannot necessarily achieve what is required of them at the time. The other side of the standard created by the No Child Left Behind Act is that it pushes teachers to focus more on those children with disabilities that can achieve the standard because in some cases, many of those children were ignored in the past. Another problem is that it pushes many schools to only focus on subject areas that their students will be tested on such as Math and English. Democracy does not rely on those subjects alone, and an educated citizen needs to have a broader range of knowledge in order uphold democracy. “As we have noted, schools are inextricably linked to the communities they serve through social, political, economic, and cultural interests,” (Aldridge 11). Math and English can also be learned through students’ interests in other subject areas that focus on social, political, economic, and cultural interests. Also, learning Math or English through another subject teaches students how to apply the knowledge they have gained as en educated citizen would. Overall, the No Child Left Behind Act is preventing many schools from producing educated citizens even though this was not George W. Bush’s intent.
Public schools should not only teach their students what is now consider core content areas, English, Math, Science, and Technology, but content area, such as History, Political Science, Philosophy, Fine Arts, Music, Theatre, Communications, Film, and even Dance, which support students’ intellectual, social, and personal development (Portrait of a Teacher). Also, many of these subjects that are consider secondary can help students to develop their own individual and cultural strengths while learning to appreciate other cultures and individualities of the students in their learning community. Schools should create communities in their classrooms that are safe and supportive for their students to learn about not just their community’s issues but global issues of class, gender, race, ethnicity, language, sexual orientation, age, and people with special needs. Social interaction is also key in the development of an educated citizen, and students should be taught from an early age how to social interact with being respectful to each other. Part of that social interaction is for students to learn how to communicate clearly with each other in all content areas, not solely in their English class (Portrait of a Teacher).
Public schools play a major role in the future of democracy. Democracy is dependent on its citizens, and without educated citizens, our democracy will fall apart. Public schools are responsible for teaching their students to become educated citizens. Our government clearly recognizes the importance of public schools by initiating regulations that hold public schools responsible for their students; though, not all of the regulations made by the government have had beneficial results. Ultimately, public schools should teach a broad range of content areas in addition to core content areas in order to teach students to develop the necessary knowledge to become educated citizens that take an active role in their democracy.
Music plays a major role in being an educated citizen. An educated citizen is someone who is aware of his or her surroundings, the laws and regulations that he or she lives by, and the actions that are necessary in order to prevail in different situations. An educated citizen is aware of their surroundings which include their culture and the culture of others. An essential part to every culture has always been music. The ancient Greeks even had bards who used music as a portal from generation to generation to pass down their poems full of history and cultural traditions.
Music plays a major role in culture and is extremely beneficial to a student’s education. Music, along with its development and role in society, has always gone hand-in-hand with the culture, events, and quality of life. This is a result of the artistic expression of composers and artists who made an impact during their times and are making an impact today. Many pieces were commissioned, composed, and performed in response to the events of September 11, 2001 that had such a hard impact on our country. An earlier example of this occurrence is Beethoven’s 9th Symphony in D minor premiered in 1824. The symphony consists of four movements; the first three movements are orchestra, and the last movement is orchestra and choral. The words to the choral part are from An die Freude or Ode to Joy, a poem by Friedrich Schiller written in 1785 that had inspired Beethoven’s republican ideas even from his youth. The 9th Symphony is seen as equal to Shakespeare’s Hamlet because it had such an impact that not only does it move its audiences, but it moved Western Music into the Romantic Era (Lane). Keep in mind, Beethoven was completely deaf when he composed and conducted; he could not even have the privilege of hearing his own masterpiece.
"The master, though placed in the midst of this confluence of music, heard nothing of it all and was not even sensible of the applause of the audience at the end of his great work, but continued standing with his back to the audience, [and beating that time,] till Fraulien Ungher, who had sung the contralto part, turned him, or induced him to turn around and face the people, who were still clapping their hands, and giving way to the greatest demonstrations of pleasure. His turning around, and the sudden conviction thereby forced on everybody that he had not done so before [because he could not hear what was going on,] acted like an electric shock on all present, and a volcanic explosion of sympathy and admiration followed, which was repeated again and again, and seemed as if it would never end." (Grove, Lane)
Music has a huge impact in many peoples’ lives and cultures. Beethoven’s 9th exemplifies this and is performed over and over again for this reason. Leonard Bernstein conducted Beethoven’s Symphony No.9 in celebration of the fall of the Berlin Wall and the Reunification of Germany. Because of the major event he replaced the text by using Freiheit (freedom) for Freude (joy), and he expressed that he felt that Beethoven would have given him the liberty to do so. A performance that is almost two decades old can be viewed on a multitude of YouTube videos (Porterfield).
Technology is a huge part of today’s culture and way of communicating. Technology has been used to create electrical instruments, computerized regenerations of the sounds of instruments, crystal clear recordings and recording software, midi, notation software, video games such as Guitar Hero, cell phone ringtones and callback tones (which play actual recordings), Ipods and other Mp3 devices, and a multitude of other advancements. Music is being played when someone is receiving and making a call, driving in his or her car, listening to his or her Ipod he or she is on the bus, at the gym or walking somewhere, and even played in infants’ cribs to lullaby them to sleep. How would many filmmakers become as successful as they are without music in their films? It is common knowledge that Britney Spears can hardly sing in tune, but who would know by listening to her recordings? Our voices, our man communication device and a part of us, in themselves are musical. Music is very much a part of our culture. It is happening almost everywhere almost all the time. Music in the classroom is essential for teaching students how to become educated citizens. It is apart of their history and daily lives, and it is important for them to know how it works and how it has developed over time to truly learn how to appreciate its impact in their culture. It is also for them to understand how the artist’s thoughts and ideas affect how the music is expressed and in many cases, why certain lyrics were chosen.
In many classrooms, music is taught through performance, theory, and history. Music history and appreciation teaches citizenship by making students aware music’s part in their culture and how it developed as well as other cultures. Also, regular classroom etiquette and discussion also gives students a sense of discipline needed to communicate clearly and confidently but to follow regulations and laws. Emphasis on participation will also teach the students that doing their part in their community is critical. Cultural awareness is essential to be an educated citizen.
It is quite easy to teach citizenship during an orchestra or band rehearsal. The ensemble itself runs as if it were a small democracy. The conductor is the main leader, but he or she does not have complete control unless everyone under him or her follows him or her and the section leaders that he or she has appointed. Everyone gives their own expression of musical ideas laid out by the composer of the sheet of music in front of every student. Students learn that if they do not practice and learn their music, they will hurt other students and their ensemble as a whole. This is very similar to the aspects of being an educated citizen. Each person that is not an educated citizen and does not do their part hurts our democracy just as a student not taking the time to learn their part hurts the ensemble. The regulations that are presented to a student are the sheet music in front of him or her. A student must be aware of his or her surroundings during the rehearsal by listening to his or her part and how it fits with the other students’ parts, by watching the conductor for how to he or she wants the music expressed, and by being aware of his or her own expression and unique sound and what way he or she can use it to benefit the sound of the ensemble. Students may not be aware of it, but an ensemble is a small democracy on its own.
Music is in our everyday life. It is a part of our advancing technological time, and it is and has always been a major part of our culture. Students do not only become more aware of their culture from learning about music, experiencing it, and making their own music, but they begin to learn social and academic disciplines necessary for becoming an educated citizen and doing their part in our democracy.
Being aware of one’s surroundings is vital to being an educated citizen. The awareness of one’s surroundings includes being aware of matters such as community and world politics and cultural events and practices. It is truly about being an intellectual and taking an active role with that intellectuality. Being aware of laws and regulations is being aware of what governs one’s surrounds. Laws and regulations are made to prevent chaos and maintain order, and it is important for every citizen to understand and uphold his or her laws and regulations for the common good. Democracy is not just held together by laws and regulations, but it is held together by democratic ideas and the people who come together to make, change, and uphold them to better their community. Being aware of the actions that are necessary in order to prevail in different situations means knowing how to handle situations that occur with prior knowledge and being aware of the factors that affect the situation. In maintaining democracy and prevailing in certain situations, an educated citizen would consider his or her surroundings, the laws and regulations that affect the situation, and the factors that are specific to the situation. Also, that same educated citizen would also take into consideration that a decision based on personal fulfillment that is not beneficial to the community as a whole is in mostly all cases the wrong decision.
Public schools are responsible for teaching students how to be educated students. Many times there are regulations made in order to ensure the responsibility of and pressure the schools to produce educated citizens. An example of this is the No Child Left Behind Act. The No Child Left Behind Act was an initiative taken by George W. Bush in order to push public schools to ensure that every child would become an educated citizen (Aldridge 9). The main problem with this initiative is that it creates a standard of mediocrity and does not allow children to excel at higher levels, and it also prevents many children with disabilities from learning at their own levels when they cannot necessarily achieve what is required of them at the time. The other side of the standard created by the No Child Left Behind Act is that it pushes teachers to focus more on those children with disabilities that can achieve the standard because in some cases, many of those children were ignored in the past. Another problem is that it pushes many schools to only focus on subject areas that their students will be tested on such as Math and English. Democracy does not rely on those subjects alone, and an educated citizen needs to have a broader range of knowledge in order uphold democracy. “As we have noted, schools are inextricably linked to the communities they serve through social, political, economic, and cultural interests,” (Aldridge 11). Math and English can also be learned through students’ interests in other subject areas that focus on social, political, economic, and cultural interests. Also, learning Math or English through another subject teaches students how to apply the knowledge they have gained as en educated citizen would. Overall, the No Child Left Behind Act is preventing many schools from producing educated citizens even though this was not George W. Bush’s intent.
Public schools should not only teach their students what is now consider core content areas, English, Math, Science, and Technology, but content area, such as History, Political Science, Philosophy, Fine Arts, Music, Theatre, Communications, Film, and even Dance, which support students’ intellectual, social, and personal development (Portrait of a Teacher). Also, many of these subjects that are consider secondary can help students to develop their own individual and cultural strengths while learning to appreciate other cultures and individualities of the students in their learning community. Schools should create communities in their classrooms that are safe and supportive for their students to learn about not just their community’s issues but global issues of class, gender, race, ethnicity, language, sexual orientation, age, and people with special needs. Social interaction is also key in the development of an educated citizen, and students should be taught from an early age how to social interact with being respectful to each other. Part of that social interaction is for students to learn how to communicate clearly with each other in all content areas, not solely in their English class (Portrait of a Teacher).
Public schools play a major role in the future of democracy. Democracy is dependent on its citizens, and without educated citizens, our democracy will fall apart. Public schools are responsible for teaching their students to become educated citizens. Our government clearly recognizes the importance of public schools by initiating regulations that hold public schools responsible for their students; though, not all of the regulations made by the government have had beneficial results. Ultimately, public schools should teach a broad range of content areas in addition to core content areas in order to teach students to develop the necessary knowledge to become educated citizens that take an active role in their democracy.
Music plays a major role in being an educated citizen. An educated citizen is someone who is aware of his or her surroundings, the laws and regulations that he or she lives by, and the actions that are necessary in order to prevail in different situations. An educated citizen is aware of their surroundings which include their culture and the culture of others. An essential part to every culture has always been music. The ancient Greeks even had bards who used music as a portal from generation to generation to pass down their poems full of history and cultural traditions.
Music plays a major role in culture and is extremely beneficial to a student’s education. Music, along with its development and role in society, has always gone hand-in-hand with the culture, events, and quality of life. This is a result of the artistic expression of composers and artists who made an impact during their times and are making an impact today. Many pieces were commissioned, composed, and performed in response to the events of September 11, 2001 that had such a hard impact on our country. An earlier example of this occurrence is Beethoven’s 9th Symphony in D minor premiered in 1824. The symphony consists of four movements; the first three movements are orchestra, and the last movement is orchestra and choral. The words to the choral part are from An die Freude or Ode to Joy, a poem by Friedrich Schiller written in 1785 that had inspired Beethoven’s republican ideas even from his youth. The 9th Symphony is seen as equal to Shakespeare’s Hamlet because it had such an impact that not only does it move its audiences, but it moved Western Music into the Romantic Era (Lane). Keep in mind, Beethoven was completely deaf when he composed and conducted; he could not even have the privilege of hearing his own masterpiece.
"The master, though placed in the midst of this confluence of music, heard nothing of it all and was not even sensible of the applause of the audience at the end of his great work, but continued standing with his back to the audience, [and beating that time,] till Fraulien Ungher, who had sung the contralto part, turned him, or induced him to turn around and face the people, who were still clapping their hands, and giving way to the greatest demonstrations of pleasure. His turning around, and the sudden conviction thereby forced on everybody that he had not done so before [because he could not hear what was going on,] acted like an electric shock on all present, and a volcanic explosion of sympathy and admiration followed, which was repeated again and again, and seemed as if it would never end." (Grove, Lane)
Music has a huge impact in many peoples’ lives and cultures. Beethoven’s 9th exemplifies this and is performed over and over again for this reason. Leonard Bernstein conducted Beethoven’s Symphony No.9 in celebration of the fall of the Berlin Wall and the Reunification of Germany. Because of the major event he replaced the text by using Freiheit (freedom) for Freude (joy), and he expressed that he felt that Beethoven would have given him the liberty to do so. A performance that is almost two decades old can be viewed on a multitude of YouTube videos (Porterfield).
Technology is a huge part of today’s culture and way of communicating. Technology has been used to create electrical instruments, computerized regenerations of the sounds of instruments, crystal clear recordings and recording software, midi, notation software, video games such as Guitar Hero, cell phone ringtones and callback tones (which play actual recordings), Ipods and other Mp3 devices, and a multitude of other advancements. Music is being played when someone is receiving and making a call, driving in his or her car, listening to his or her Ipod he or she is on the bus, at the gym or walking somewhere, and even played in infants’ cribs to lullaby them to sleep. How would many filmmakers become as successful as they are without music in their films? It is common knowledge that Britney Spears can hardly sing in tune, but who would know by listening to her recordings? Our voices, our man communication device and a part of us, in themselves are musical. Music is very much a part of our culture. It is happening almost everywhere almost all the time. Music in the classroom is essential for teaching students how to become educated citizens. It is apart of their history and daily lives, and it is important for them to know how it works and how it has developed over time to truly learn how to appreciate its impact in their culture. It is also for them to understand how the artist’s thoughts and ideas affect how the music is expressed and in many cases, why certain lyrics were chosen.
In many classrooms, music is taught through performance, theory, and history. Music history and appreciation teaches citizenship by making students aware music’s part in their culture and how it developed as well as other cultures. Also, regular classroom etiquette and discussion also gives students a sense of discipline needed to communicate clearly and confidently but to follow regulations and laws. Emphasis on participation will also teach the students that doing their part in their community is critical. Cultural awareness is essential to be an educated citizen.
It is quite easy to teach citizenship during an orchestra or band rehearsal. The ensemble itself runs as if it were a small democracy. The conductor is the main leader, but he or she does not have complete control unless everyone under him or her follows him or her and the section leaders that he or she has appointed. Everyone gives their own expression of musical ideas laid out by the composer of the sheet of music in front of every student. Students learn that if they do not practice and learn their music, they will hurt other students and their ensemble as a whole. This is very similar to the aspects of being an educated citizen. Each person that is not an educated citizen and does not do their part hurts our democracy just as a student not taking the time to learn their part hurts the ensemble. The regulations that are presented to a student are the sheet music in front of him or her. A student must be aware of his or her surroundings during the rehearsal by listening to his or her part and how it fits with the other students’ parts, by watching the conductor for how to he or she wants the music expressed, and by being aware of his or her own expression and unique sound and what way he or she can use it to benefit the sound of the ensemble. Students may not be aware of it, but an ensemble is a small democracy on its own.
Music is in our everyday life. It is a part of our advancing technological time, and it is and has always been a major part of our culture. Students do not only become more aware of their culture from learning about music, experiencing it, and making their own music, but they begin to learn social and academic disciplines necessary for becoming an educated citizen and doing their part in our democracy.
Monday, November 10, 2008
Introduction and Annotated Bibliography for Inquiry Project on NCLB and Music Ed.
Introduction
Historically, budget cuts affect Art and Music Programs in schools before any other program. No Child Left Behind and continual budget cuts on education have been putting even more pressure on downsizing and, in some cases, eliminating Music and Art Programs from many schools’ curriculums. The current state of our economy and the ideals brought upon by No Child Left Behind has encouraged schools districts to put their spending toward their students getting better HSPA scores than focusing on imagination and creativity brought on by Music and Fine Arts courses.
Even though No Child Left Behind includes music in its ten core courses, it is really a movement back to the basics which most schools see the basics as being a focus on Math and English. At a conference at West Warwick HS in Rhode Island, a district art supervisor, Stephen Saunders said, “But art is not a luxury — it’s a necessity,” (Jordan, 2008). The two factors that are as extremely central to the global economy as knowledge and technique are creativity and imagination. Fine art and music are the major promoters of those two factors. In our present economy, who makes more: the scientist, the doctor, or the pop star, and why is that? At the same conference at Warwick HS, an art teacher, Susan Sward, said “On the one hand, we hear the arts are important, but on the other hand, whenever there are tight finances, the arts are looked at as something that is disposable,” (Jordan, 2008).
Annotated Bibliography
Abril, R. Carlos & Gault, M. Brent, (2006). The State of Music in the Elementary School: The Principal's Perspective. Retrieved November 30, 2008, from http://www.jstor.org/stable/pdfplus/3653452.pdf.
The beginning of this article focuses on the opinions of principals in elementary schools about incorporating music into their curriculum Many other questions were asked in a survey that was filled out by 350 elementary school principals. Questions posed are essential in developing my topic of No Child Left Behind’s affect on Music Education.
Alcindor, H. (2008). Joel Klein Should Not Be Secretary of Education . The Nation. Retrieved, December 2, 2008, from http://www.thenation.com/blogs/question/383200/joel_klein_should_not_be_s ecretary_of_education
This article focuses on how many U.S. citizens are upset about Obama’s choice for Secretary of Education, Joel Klein, who was the chancellor in the NY Public Schools system.
Jordan, J. D. (2008). Arts education threatened by budget cuts, say teachers. The Providence Journal. Retrieved December 2, 2008, from http://www.projo.com/education/content/arts_education_11-02- 08_2MC4S53_v24.3592d12.html
This source focuses on how teachers feel about budget cuts in the arts, and how budget cuts have affected the arts. This also includes a meeting of administrators and teachers from a high school in Rhode Island.
MENC: The National Association for Music Education, (Sep., 1967). Research Projects in Music Education. Retrieved November 30, 2008, from http://www.jstor.org/stable/pdfplus/3391128.pdf.
This source contains research projects in Music Education from 1967. This helps to show the differences of what was going on then and now in Music Education, and the different possibilities that they presented.
White, D. (2007). Bush 2006-07 Budget Cuts 4.3 Billion from Education, Ends 42 Programs. About.com. Retrieved December 2, 2008, from
http://usliberals.about.com/od/education/a/EdBudget07_2.htm
This article shows the budget cuts President Bush made in Education, and what specifically was affected by these budget cuts.
White, D. (2007). Barack Obama Speaks Out on Education, No Child Left Behind. About.com. Retrieved December 2, 2008, from http://usliberals.about.com/od/extraordinaryspeeches/a/ObamaNCLB.htm
This article shows what Barack Obama has planned to do in order to improve education in the United States. He focuses on more support for teachers, education being at the heart of the American dream, drop out rates, and funding in our educational system.
Historically, budget cuts affect Art and Music Programs in schools before any other program. No Child Left Behind and continual budget cuts on education have been putting even more pressure on downsizing and, in some cases, eliminating Music and Art Programs from many schools’ curriculums. The current state of our economy and the ideals brought upon by No Child Left Behind has encouraged schools districts to put their spending toward their students getting better HSPA scores than focusing on imagination and creativity brought on by Music and Fine Arts courses.
Even though No Child Left Behind includes music in its ten core courses, it is really a movement back to the basics which most schools see the basics as being a focus on Math and English. At a conference at West Warwick HS in Rhode Island, a district art supervisor, Stephen Saunders said, “But art is not a luxury — it’s a necessity,” (Jordan, 2008). The two factors that are as extremely central to the global economy as knowledge and technique are creativity and imagination. Fine art and music are the major promoters of those two factors. In our present economy, who makes more: the scientist, the doctor, or the pop star, and why is that? At the same conference at Warwick HS, an art teacher, Susan Sward, said “On the one hand, we hear the arts are important, but on the other hand, whenever there are tight finances, the arts are looked at as something that is disposable,” (Jordan, 2008).
Annotated Bibliography
Abril, R. Carlos & Gault, M. Brent, (2006). The State of Music in the Elementary School: The Principal's Perspective. Retrieved November 30, 2008, from http://www.jstor.org/stable/pdfplus/3653452.pdf.
The beginning of this article focuses on the opinions of principals in elementary schools about incorporating music into their curriculum Many other questions were asked in a survey that was filled out by 350 elementary school principals. Questions posed are essential in developing my topic of No Child Left Behind’s affect on Music Education.
Alcindor, H. (2008). Joel Klein Should Not Be Secretary of Education . The Nation. Retrieved, December 2, 2008, from http://www.thenation.com/blogs/question/383200/joel_klein_should_not_be_s ecretary_of_education
This article focuses on how many U.S. citizens are upset about Obama’s choice for Secretary of Education, Joel Klein, who was the chancellor in the NY Public Schools system.
Jordan, J. D. (2008). Arts education threatened by budget cuts, say teachers. The Providence Journal. Retrieved December 2, 2008, from http://www.projo.com/education/content/arts_education_11-02- 08_2MC4S53_v24.3592d12.html
This source focuses on how teachers feel about budget cuts in the arts, and how budget cuts have affected the arts. This also includes a meeting of administrators and teachers from a high school in Rhode Island.
MENC: The National Association for Music Education, (Sep., 1967). Research Projects in Music Education. Retrieved November 30, 2008, from http://www.jstor.org/stable/pdfplus/3391128.pdf.
This source contains research projects in Music Education from 1967. This helps to show the differences of what was going on then and now in Music Education, and the different possibilities that they presented.
White, D. (2007). Bush 2006-07 Budget Cuts 4.3 Billion from Education, Ends 42 Programs. About.com. Retrieved December 2, 2008, from
http://usliberals.about.com/od/education/a/EdBudget07_2.htm
This article shows the budget cuts President Bush made in Education, and what specifically was affected by these budget cuts.
White, D. (2007). Barack Obama Speaks Out on Education, No Child Left Behind. About.com. Retrieved December 2, 2008, from http://usliberals.about.com/od/extraordinaryspeeches/a/ObamaNCLB.htm
This article shows what Barack Obama has planned to do in order to improve education in the United States. He focuses on more support for teachers, education being at the heart of the American dream, drop out rates, and funding in our educational system.
Monday, November 3, 2008
Music Education and NCLB Project
For my inquiry project, I am focusing on how No Child Left Behind has and is affecting music education. Besides using sources such as online journals and articles, my group is sending out surveys to all the music educators that we know in order to get feed back on a first hand experience of the effects caused by No Child Left Behind in the music classroom. Between budget cuts and No Child Left Behind, funding music in education is hardly even existent. Many school districts have downsized their programs or even eliminated them due to putting the funds towards curriculum that helps them pass AYP or have just found music not to be as important as subjects such as Math, Science, and Technology. I am also researching what Obama has proposed for helping music education. In my inquiry project, I plan to include evidence as to the importance of music in curriculum and as a part of a well-rounded education. I also plan to include the psychological effects of music studies and how students apply skills learned in music them in other content areas.
Below is the survey that my group has composed:
Effects of No Child Left Behind on Music Education
In Public Schools
Your participation in this survey is optional. Should you choose not to answer, you may either submit this form back with question 1 answered “No,” leaving the rest blank or disregard the survey in its entirety. All questions here have been modeled to find a statistical analysis of the opinions of music educators in public schools regarding the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). This survey will be conducted anonymously. No information will be released regarding to which specific school in which you are employed, nor will any information contained in this survey be relayed to your employer. A model of this survey has been submitted for approval by the administrators of your place of employment before it was distributed to you. Answer to the best of your ability. You may leave any question blank should you feel it does not represent your opinion. Any omissions will be used statistically as well, though to which survey it came from will remain anonymous. This survey is conducted in partial fulfillment of a final project for CURR 210-04 Public Purposes of Education class at Montclair State University. Your participation is appreciated.
For each question below, indicate your response by placing a check mark in the provided field correlating with your answer. All fields will be located directly to the left of the beginning of the answer.
1. Are you willing to participate in this survey?
Yes
No
2. Are you aware of the existence of the NCLB Act?
Yes
No
3. Are you aware of the goals of NCLB?
Yes
No
Unsure
4. Did your school meet Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) for the past academic year (2007-2008)?
Yes
No
Unsure
5a. Do you currently feel as though NCLB has had any effect on the school in which you are now employed?
Yes
No
Unsure
5b. If you answered yes to the above mentioned question (5a.), indicate whether the effect was positive or negative.
Positive
Negative
Unsure
If you would like to say more please do so below.
6a. Do you currently feel as though NCLB has had any effect on you as a music educator in the school in which you are now employed?
Yes
No
Unsure
6b. If you answered yes to the above mentioned question (6a.), indicate whether the effect was positive or negative.
Positive
Negative
Unsure
If you would like to say more please do so below.
7. Do you feel that you have adequate resources for your teaching (this may include seats, music stands, music, instruments, storage/lockers, etc.)?
Yes
No
Unsure
8. Do you feel as though NCLB has had any effect on your answer in the previous question (7.)?
Yes
No
Unsure
9a. Do you feel as though NCLB will, at some point, have an effect on you as a music educator?
Yes
No
Unsure
9b. If you answered yes to the above mentioned question (9a.), indicate whether the effect is anticipated to be positive or negative.
Positive
Negative
Unsure
If you would like to say more please do so below.
10. Do you agree to submit this survey for the use of anonymous statistical analysis for use in CURR 210-04 at MSU?
Yes
No
Below is the survey that my group has composed:
Effects of No Child Left Behind on Music Education
In Public Schools
Your participation in this survey is optional. Should you choose not to answer, you may either submit this form back with question 1 answered “No,” leaving the rest blank or disregard the survey in its entirety. All questions here have been modeled to find a statistical analysis of the opinions of music educators in public schools regarding the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). This survey will be conducted anonymously. No information will be released regarding to which specific school in which you are employed, nor will any information contained in this survey be relayed to your employer. A model of this survey has been submitted for approval by the administrators of your place of employment before it was distributed to you. Answer to the best of your ability. You may leave any question blank should you feel it does not represent your opinion. Any omissions will be used statistically as well, though to which survey it came from will remain anonymous. This survey is conducted in partial fulfillment of a final project for CURR 210-04 Public Purposes of Education class at Montclair State University. Your participation is appreciated.
For each question below, indicate your response by placing a check mark in the provided field correlating with your answer. All fields will be located directly to the left of the beginning of the answer.
1. Are you willing to participate in this survey?
Yes
No
2. Are you aware of the existence of the NCLB Act?
Yes
No
3. Are you aware of the goals of NCLB?
Yes
No
Unsure
4. Did your school meet Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) for the past academic year (2007-2008)?
Yes
No
Unsure
5a. Do you currently feel as though NCLB has had any effect on the school in which you are now employed?
Yes
No
Unsure
5b. If you answered yes to the above mentioned question (5a.), indicate whether the effect was positive or negative.
Positive
Negative
Unsure
If you would like to say more please do so below.
6a. Do you currently feel as though NCLB has had any effect on you as a music educator in the school in which you are now employed?
Yes
No
Unsure
6b. If you answered yes to the above mentioned question (6a.), indicate whether the effect was positive or negative.
Positive
Negative
Unsure
If you would like to say more please do so below.
7. Do you feel that you have adequate resources for your teaching (this may include seats, music stands, music, instruments, storage/lockers, etc.)?
Yes
No
Unsure
8. Do you feel as though NCLB has had any effect on your answer in the previous question (7.)?
Yes
No
Unsure
9a. Do you feel as though NCLB will, at some point, have an effect on you as a music educator?
Yes
No
Unsure
9b. If you answered yes to the above mentioned question (9a.), indicate whether the effect is anticipated to be positive or negative.
Positive
Negative
Unsure
If you would like to say more please do so below.
10. Do you agree to submit this survey for the use of anonymous statistical analysis for use in CURR 210-04 at MSU?
Yes
No
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