Rose, L. S., & Countryman, J. (2013). Repositioning ‘the elements’: How students talk about music. Action, Criticism, and Theory for Music Education 12(3): 45–64.
When reading this article, I found many statements to be true. In my experience, music education taught me to believe that the elements are used in music as a basic foundation of how music should be analyzed and taught. I found it very interesting that the article reminded me that from a young age, I have seen teachers first start off with talking about the elements as a way to inform the students that that is the only way to analyze and view music, when music is actually much more complex with regards to many different contexts (i.e. different countries around the world see music differently). The article states, "the elements came to be treated as verbalizable objects of knowledge, decoupled from a vision of music education as a search for personal meaning in music through critical thinking and problem solving" (Rose, Countryman 47). This statement surprised me because the authors emphasize the fact that the elements are taking away the artistic and personal capabilities of music and allowing music to be seen only as a narrow, one-way street. Music, in my opinion, is something that is expressive, personal and creative. What frustrates me is that if we allowed students to voice their opinions of different works of art (not conforming only to the Western world), allowing them to describe and explore the music they are listening to and analyzing, not just focusing on the elements (because the elements do not always apply the same way in different areas around the world), then I believe that they will become more connected with music education and that they will come to understand that music cannot always be the same, that it is complex and also, not being told by their teacher that because their opinions do not conform to the elements this means that what they have contributed is incorrect. I believe that teachers are there to guide the students and that the elements is not the only foundation and basics of music in general. I would like to tell the authors that what they have stated throughout their article is entirely true and that they have taken a very realistic approach to how music education has been seen and how it is being taught and I appreciate them calling out on how the elements are being used as the only musical foundation in teaching.
Tobias, E. S. (2013). Toward Convergence Adapting Music Education to Contemporary Society and Participatory Culture. Music Educators Journal, 99(4), 29-36
This article mainly focuses on connecting how learning music in the classroom can be incorporated with music outside of the classroom. Music is one of the very few creative subjects that can allow students to actively choose what they want to contribute in relation to what they have been learning throughout the course (eg- choosing songs to cover), yet many in-school music programs do not participate in this. The article suggests that in order for a participatory culture to evolve in school music programs, music educators must expand the model for being the ONLY interpreters and they must allow their students to interpret and relate music in ways that will connect with them as individuals (Tobias, 4-5). I personally believe that this is really important in a music program because it allows the students to not only focus on strict pedagogical thinking. It allows the students to actively choose how they want to share their musical experiences and it also challenges their creativity in new ways since they are a part of a modern and evolving culture. What frustrates me is that there are many music educators that refuse to learn to adapt to new ways of teaching and understanding their students which most of the time, causes a lack of interest or motivation towards learning in the classroom. This article gives various examples on how an educator could incorporate these new ideas such as the use of soundcloud.com for covering or remixing songs, entering contests through websites such as indabamusic.com or even involving the use of social media (facebook, twitter) so the students can create pages for characters in musicals that they find enjoyable (Tobias). As a growing culture with technologies continuously advancing, I believe that it is really important to try to incorporate these technologies (social media, the internet in general) in learning because it will create a more participatory and creative environment in the classroom. In conclusion, I found this article very interesting and I agree with the author that many of these new ways of learning can and should be incorporated into the classroom!
Thibeault, M. D. (2012). The power of limits and the pleasure of games: An easy and fun piano duo improvisation. General Music Today, 1048371311435523.
I genuinely enjoyed reading this article! As a musician, have always been hesitant to improvise and while reading this article, I am really excited to try out this game. I like how the author emphasizes the fact that you do not need to have background music knowledge to play this game and I also like how the author states that by calling this game "a game", it changes the perspective of how the participators view it (Thibeault). For instance, because this game is heavily reliant on the C major scale, many people who find scales boring or who don't like scales will not enjoy this game if it was called an exercise therefore by calling it a game, it makes the experience more positive and genuinely enjoyable. The role of the teacher in this game is to facilitate, give the players new suggestions if needed and to allow for discussions once the game is over so the teacher can understand the players objectives and can help them incorporate new ideas for the next time. This article emphasizes how improvisation is really important as it allows for creativity, expression and it can be used as a "vehicle of freedom" (Thibeault, 4). In the future, I hope to use this game with my students!
Williams, D. A. (2014). Another Perspective The iPad Is a REAL Musical Instrument. Music Educators Journal, 101(1), 93-98.
I found this article very interesting to read. Most of this article contained content that I have never heard of, mainly involving "iPadists". I did know that you could create music through apps but I did not know of people who call themselves iPadists and create music professionally through apps. Generally, I like how this article questions and challenges the past and current ways of teaching music in the classroom. The article states that the human being is where musicianship, creativity and imagination come from, not from the in-animate object that is being played (Williams, 2). I find it somewhat hard to compare playing from an iPad and playing from an actual instrument because the process of learning and playing is completely different. Learning an instrument involves several different techniques (emboucher, tone, air flow, etc.) which may take many many years to learn and to perfect, whereas learning how an app works can take a day to a week even. The outcome of being musical and being creative and imaginative may be the same for both playing an iPad and an instrument, but the process is different. I believe the article has a point where you can learn to incorporate this technology into learning in a classroom, but I believe there needs to be a balance between technology and pedagogical teaching. I believe that you can make music with anything and every different kind of music has it's own players and listeners. In my opinion, I think that people need to be more open to new ideas and ways of creating music because there is no ONE way to do that. I definitely agree that this article gave me a new perspective of creating music!
Dawe, Lesley. 2016. Fumbling towards vulnerability: Moving out of the familiar for music education's sake. The Canadian Music Educator 57, (2) (Winter): 22-24
Lesley Dawe's article on the vulnerability of moving out of what is familiar for music education's sake is really fascinating to read. I believe that the main focus is not to only stick with something that you are familiar with and to go out of your comfort zone in order to change for the better! Throughout the article, Lesley Dawe speaks about her personal experiences before she was a music educator and how she has changed as a person and as a teacher. Many of her personal experiences of vulnerability, such as her first day of her Honour Specialist class at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto, allowed her to realize that there is a sense of security in the structure of our every day lives and that we shy away from anything that threatens this (Dawe). As a music educator, she has now integrated a very creative and constructive approach to her teaching because she recognizes that even though we find a sense of security in structure (the structure of traditional music education), it may not always be the best option. Dawe states that not many of her students continue music after grade 8 and she wants to be able to give them a positive experience by allowing them to have a choice in what they want to learn. This way of teaching allowed her students to be much more engaged into the program than ever before. I found this amazing because as mentioned in her article, it is very difficult to get students involved into a creative program where the "teacher knows best" and that there is only one way of learning how to do something. In relation to the other articles we've been reading, I still believe that maintaining a healthy balance between traditional and new creative ways of teaching is really important (which is in agreeance with Lesley Dawe). In conclusion, I admire Lesley Dawe for going out of her comfort zone and being in a state of vulnerability so that her students can have the optimal musical experience!