While studetn teaching I come across a very unique set of realities that I never would have expected. Perhaps I will delve into more later, but for now I'd like to consider my status as a non-student.
Since I spend the majority of my days off-campus, I find that I spend very little time with my peers. In fact, I rarely even see my roomates since I am here for rehersals, food, and sleep. This has, of course, put a serious strain on my relationships which is a painful reality. As I mentioned in a previous post, this stage of my personal development is characterized by a longing for a depth in relationships. Now, since I am not in any sort of romantic relationship, I find the fufillment of that desire completely in friendships. So, at this most crucial of times I find less time for the relationships I crave and even less cooperation from said friends. It has not been unusual for me to extend a hand towards one of my friends and find they are disinterested. They are more often spending time with their friends that are around more, or doing activites they planned while I was gone. This leaves me with most weekends spent alone, searching for something to do and someone to hang out with. Of course, not all the blame rests on my friends shoulders; I have been very busy and, as a result, have become distant.
At times I question putting students in this position. I student teach becuse it is a requirement for the major and also a great learning tool (only way to learn is to get your hands dirty). But perhaps it should be paired with something else or spread out over a longer period of time. At the very least, music majors should not be involved with performing groups. My colleagues go home after their student teaching and prepare for the next day/relax wheras I go from one rehersal to the next until it is 8:00 and I am too tired to accomplish anything. I'm also usually uptight becuse of this schedule which passes on to my friends and roomates, putting a strain on those relationships I so desperatley need.
In the end I will survive through this week, but I don't know what damage it will do to my friendships. Coming back to classes next semester will be a challenge and who knows what kind of person I will be at that time. Business and the cold relaity of the public school teacher's job have forced me to grow up fast. I'm beginning to like hearing the name :"Mr. Myers" and have begun to act more like my parents. I'm not sure if I will even be able to relate with m peers when I return. I just hope I can find some people whom I can truly talk with and know on a deeper level becuase I'm sick of shallow, pointless firendships that only end in dissapointment. The time will come when I'll stop reaching out to build relationships with friends who don't give back and I hope at least some of them reach back.
Sunday, October 29, 2006
Sunday, October 15, 2006
Teaching Music Through Performance
As most of you know, I am studying to be a music teacher. Well... this semster I am student teaching and have learned quit a bit in just the first 7 weeks (the business related to student teaching is why I haven't posted for a very long time). The thing that has really hit me about music education in general is understanding how to teach music in our schools.
I want to be a music educator, not just a conductor for the school's band or orchestra and prepare for concerts. I truly want to teach music; in part becuase that is the job description. As teacher it is our job to instruct and impart wisdom to our charges. But how do we do that with music? It's simple, we use our medium to help students understand music hands on. We teach them to play and instrument or use their voices to create music themselves and be part of an ensemble becuase that is what professionals in this field do. That is how science, math, and all other subjects work as well. But our work doesn't end with simply playing the instrument, no, it is merely the gateway through which we teach music. It's our version of the science lab where we teach the basics of music like rhythm, pitch, meter, etc. though hands-on activity. As a student continues through their music experience we continue to grow their knowledge of music and start experiencing phrasing, blending, communicating while also teaching life skills like working as a team, perseverance, and woodshedding. This last one is really important since so many kids these days give up if they can't do something right away. We teach them that concetrated effort on difficult theings will yield positive results. In the end we hope that student not only can go on to become professionals in music, they can also go on to become professionals in other fields wiht added skills they developed in the music classroom.
Our music class also serves and an in depth music appreciation class. Today is the day of the ipod, youtube, and other at-your-fingertips technology that allow student to hear music all the time. This both good and bad. Since we hear music so musch it has really become like aural wallpaper to our lives and we no longer listen to the actuall music. In fact a majority of popular music thee days is liked becuse of its simplicity, such as trance music, likely becuase its easy to be used as wallpaper. Music educators have the task of teaching students to listen again; to use their critical ear and to concetrate on music for its own purpose rather than using it for something else. With our help, students should be able to enjoy a night listening to classical music and will be able to critically analyze the performance (which is also an enjoyable acitivty).
One of the purposes, therefore, is to preserve music as an art and concertgoer's activity rather than something to fill up silence.
In summation, the work of the music teacher is not one of rehersals and music making, though those things arre present. It is a job with an ultimate goal of teaching music by using performance as a tool to present material. I must, as a music educator, strive contantly to plan lessons with a musical gola in mind other than to prepare for a concert. The good performance should, and will, be a positive outgrowth of student learning rather than a final goal if we put music EDUCATION first.
I want to be a music educator, not just a conductor for the school's band or orchestra and prepare for concerts. I truly want to teach music; in part becuase that is the job description. As teacher it is our job to instruct and impart wisdom to our charges. But how do we do that with music? It's simple, we use our medium to help students understand music hands on. We teach them to play and instrument or use their voices to create music themselves and be part of an ensemble becuase that is what professionals in this field do. That is how science, math, and all other subjects work as well. But our work doesn't end with simply playing the instrument, no, it is merely the gateway through which we teach music. It's our version of the science lab where we teach the basics of music like rhythm, pitch, meter, etc. though hands-on activity. As a student continues through their music experience we continue to grow their knowledge of music and start experiencing phrasing, blending, communicating while also teaching life skills like working as a team, perseverance, and woodshedding. This last one is really important since so many kids these days give up if they can't do something right away. We teach them that concetrated effort on difficult theings will yield positive results. In the end we hope that student not only can go on to become professionals in music, they can also go on to become professionals in other fields wiht added skills they developed in the music classroom.
Our music class also serves and an in depth music appreciation class. Today is the day of the ipod, youtube, and other at-your-fingertips technology that allow student to hear music all the time. This both good and bad. Since we hear music so musch it has really become like aural wallpaper to our lives and we no longer listen to the actuall music. In fact a majority of popular music thee days is liked becuse of its simplicity, such as trance music, likely becuase its easy to be used as wallpaper. Music educators have the task of teaching students to listen again; to use their critical ear and to concetrate on music for its own purpose rather than using it for something else. With our help, students should be able to enjoy a night listening to classical music and will be able to critically analyze the performance (which is also an enjoyable acitivty).
One of the purposes, therefore, is to preserve music as an art and concertgoer's activity rather than something to fill up silence.
In summation, the work of the music teacher is not one of rehersals and music making, though those things arre present. It is a job with an ultimate goal of teaching music by using performance as a tool to present material. I must, as a music educator, strive contantly to plan lessons with a musical gola in mind other than to prepare for a concert. The good performance should, and will, be a positive outgrowth of student learning rather than a final goal if we put music EDUCATION first.
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