Jacqueline Chiu's Teaching Music Portfolio

CTL 7017- Music Instructor: Catherine West

Jacqueline Chiu Tuesday, July 18, 2017

Music Reflection #1 Please write 2-3 sentences addressing each of the following prompts. Reference your own professional experiences and the course readings where relevant. You may support this reflection with photos, audio or video if you wish. Incorporate these reflections into your portfolio at the end of the course.

1. Something new I learned.

Based on the history of the recorder by Jim Phypers (2009) and a reiteration of it in class by Catherine, I learned that there are a range of sizes of recorders varying from the smallest called a sopranino to the largest called a contra-bass. Additionally, despite having a brief background in music, I learned a new term: timbre, meaning the special quality of a sound that allows us to distinguish between different voices and different instruments from each other e.g. a xylophone versus a metallophone.

2. Something I want to try.

Doug Goodkin (2013) mentions in his TED talk that music is beauty because music is refreshing.

Even though I learned how to play the recorder in elementary school and I still have a brief memory of how to play it, something that I never really mastered and that I want to refresh when playing the recorder is tonguing the notes. I feel that every time I play music, I try and learn something new.

3. Something I can adapt.

When creating the ostinato and rondo in class today, I realized that I can adapt what we have created into a future music classroom setting of my own. The creation of an ostinato and a rondo with students also aligns with the Ministry of Education Arts curriculum as participation in the arts allows for “learning experiences that include aesthetic experiences, creative engagement, and development of skills of expressive participation�

(Ontario Ministry of Education, 2009, p.5).

4. Something I want to know more about.

Something I want to know more about is where I can find the funding or the resources to have a class set of recorders if the school that I work at in the future has a very low socioeconomic status. Furthermore, where and how would I be able to acquire musical instruments such as xylophones, metallophones, and glockenspiels?

CTL 7017- Music Instructor: Catherine West

Jacqueline Chiu Tuesday, July 18, 2017

References D Goodkin. (2013, Apr 4). Learning through music and art. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zKZAfDcU6BQ Ontario Ministry of Education. (2009). The Ontario curriculum grades 1-8: The arts. Ottawa, ON: Queen’s Printer for Ontario.

Phypers, J. (2009). The amazing recorder: A brief history. Retrieved from http://www.solarhaven.org/recorder.htm

CTL 7017- Music Instructor: Catherine West

Jacqueline Chiu Thursday, July 20, 2017

Music Reflection #2: Four-Shape Reflection Please write 2-3 sentences addressing each of the following prompts. Reference your own professional experiences and the course readings where relevant. You may support this reflection with photos, audio or video if you wish. Incorporate these reflections into your portfolio at the end of the course.

Something that SQUARES with my thinking… 

Students should learn to read music notation as opposed to reading note names. I agree with this statement because if students learn to read note names instead of music notation, they will rely on the note names to play music and it will not allow them to comprehend music notation. Based on my personal experience, I also never wrote note names on sheets of music because that would deter me from knowing the musical notation of that note when I see it on a staff.

THREE POINTS I want to remember.

1. Learning music should have an element of play and games because as Goodkin (2004) mentions, we speak to the child within the student when we honour the wisdom of playing games. Furthermore, as Grant mentions, motivation to learn is the product of interest and engagement (2011, p. 21).

2. I would like to remember to teach music based on the Orff approach because it uses games to teach percussion, speech, song, folk dance, movement, drama and instrumental ensemble (Goodkin, 2004). Students will practice the different aspects and concepts of music without ever knowing they are practicing it because of the fun element of games.

3. I want to remember that we can use many different types of percussion instruments i.e. wooden, metal, shakers, and drums to compose music such as we did in class today. We can also use these percussion instruments such as lummi sticks to emphasis the verse, the chorus, and the bridge of a song.

Something still ROLLING AROUND in my head… 

How do I teach students the skill of audiating notes if I am not able to do it myself?

Perhaps, from this week’s readings, I will incorporate an element of play and games in order to audiate notes e.g. have students try audiating the notes B, A, G in different patterns of the three notes as a warm-up game.

CTL 7017- Music Instructor: Catherine West

Jacqueline Chiu Thursday, July 20, 2017

Something I will do. 

Something I want to implement when I teach music is using the method of Point and Say/ Sing and Play that we learned in class today. I found the method that Catherine taught us about saying the rhythm, audiating the notes, fingering the notes, and then playing the notes on the recorder really gave me the preparation, time, and confidence to play the piece of music instead of playing the music right away.

References Eden, S., & Grant, J. M. (2011). Primarily play: Engaging primary learners through play. Toronto: Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario.

Goodkin, D. (2004). Play, sing, & dance: An introduction to Orff Schulwerk. Mainz, Toronto: Schott.

CTL 7017- Music Instructor: Catherine West

Jacqueline Chiu Tuesday, July 25, 2017

Music Reflection #3: Creative Composition Please write a paragraph reflecting on the experience you had in class of composing and then performing in a small group. Reference your own professional experiences and the course readings where relevant. You may support this reflection with photos, audio or video if you wish.

Incorporate these reflections into your portfolio at the end of the course.

Consider the experience in relation to the following areas:    

The Creative Process (Ontario Curriculum) Universal Design for Learning (UDL) Assessment for, as and of learning Co-creation of success criteria

My experience composing and performing in a small group was eye opening to how manageable composing and performing could be taught to primary and junior students. Despite knowing how to play music throughout my childhood and all the way into high school, I never had the chance to try composing music of my own. In composing and performing my own personal song with the notes we learned and the minimal guidelines that we needed to follow, I experienced most of the aspects of the creative process listed in the Ontario Ministry of Education Arts Curriculum (2009, p. 20). I was able to imagine and generate my own composition with a couple of my peers. We were able to plan and focus on the task at hand to create a composition. First, we explored and experimented with the different notes that we had learned in class. Next, we produced our preliminary draft to try out and see if the song would be musically appealing to us. Then, we revised and refined our preliminary draft and made minor changes to have our composition fit within the guidelines of having one repeated line and having the composition begin and end on the note G. Later on, we presented, performed, and shared our composition to the entire class. Lastly, we reflected and self-evaluated our performance as a group and as a class. Below, I have included the composition that my peers and I had created and the selfevaluation we gave ourselves.

CTL 7017- Music Instructor: Catherine West

Jacqueline Chiu Tuesday, July 25, 2017

In reflecting on the creation of this composition, the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) method comes to mind as the end goal of this activity was to compose a song. Catherine had prepared us thoroughly to successfully create this composition by setting the guidelines she wanted in our composition i.e. the repeated line and using the note G to begin and end the song. She also prepared us for success by teaching us the notes we needed to create the song and the five rules of recorder playing.

When thinking about the assessment processes related to this composition, all three types of assessment were present. We experienced assessment for learning as we assessed, as a group, which notes we were comfortable using and playing in our composition. We experienced assessment as learning as we practiced and refined the melody we created. Lastly, we experienced assessment of learning as we self-evaluated the performance of our composition. Additionally, an important aspect of the successful assessment process was the co-creation of the success criteria. When creating the success criteria together with Catherine, we had a higher likelihood of succeeding as we were also responsible and accountable for our learning and the expectations.

CTL 7017- Music Instructor: Catherine West

Jacqueline Chiu Tuesday, July 25, 2017

In summary, the creation of our own composition was a wonderful learning experience as it was an attainable challenge to achieve and a rewarding experience. As Zatorre and Salimpoor (2013) state in The New York Times, music makes our brain sing because it brings unique pleasure to humans. It releases dopamine neurotransmitters and engages our reward system of our brain, which are important for motivation and emotion, two aspects that are essential for our personal success.

References Ontario Ministry of Education. (2009). The Ontario curriculum grades 1-8: The arts. Ottawa, ON: Queen’s Printer for Ontario.

Zatorre, R. J., & Salimpoor, V. N. (2013, June 7). Why music makes our brain sing. The New York Times.

Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/09/opinion/sunday/why-music-makes-ourbrain-sing.html?_r=0

CTL 7017- Music Instructor: Catherine West

Jacqueline Chiu Thursday, July 27, 2017 Recorder Self-Assessment

Consider your current level of skill as a performer and future teacher of music and the recorder: Performing following the rules of good recorder playing: ● LH on top ● Gentle sustained air ● Tongue the notes ● Seal the holes ● Good posture

Beginnin g

Developin g

X

X

Comment on each category

When playing the recorder, I have followed all the rules of good recorder playing, but would like to continue on improving the gentle sustained air used to play the recorder and tonguing the notes as I have not mastered that fully yet.

X

My ability to read musical notation (comment on both rhythm and pitch)

My knowledge of strategies and resources for introducing the recorder at the beginning stages.

Accomplishe d

Due to my brief musical background, reading musical notation on the treble clef for both the rhythm and pitch come easy to me. However, the point and say and sing and play has been such a useful method for me to successfully play the music as pointed out by Catherine as the scaffolding of the steps provide a gradual process of sight reading music.

The strategies that I have learned from this course and that I want to implement when I teach my future students include the Point & Say and Sing & Play method, clapping and saying the rhythm e.g. ta, titi, too-oo, tika tika, and Nailing the Note for the students who have trouble reading music based on the music notation. I also what to implement some of the strategies talked about by Lucy Green (2011) in her interview about what teachers can learn from popular musicians. These five strategies include having students, 1. Choose their own music that they want to learn 2. Learn by Ear to attempt to play music

©C West, 2017

CTL 7017- Music Instructor: Catherine West

Jacqueline Chiu Thursday, July 27, 2017 3. Work individually and with friends 4. Learning is idiosyncratic, personal, haphazard, and not structured, and thus takes place without adults’ help 5. Integrate the skills of listening, composing, performing, and improvising through the learning process.

Some of the resources that I want to refer to include the squeakysrecorderplayhouse.com, the Reach for a Star teaching manual (2008), and the Follow the Drinking Gourd (1988) book to introduce constellation recorder playing.

My understanding of how recorder can be used to support delivery of the elementary music curriculum, incorporating diversity, equity, and the Creative and Critical Analysis Processes.

X

After these four classes, I can understand how the recorder can be used to support a variety of aspects in the elementary music curriculum including diversity and equity and the Creative and Critical Analysis Process.

The recorder can be used to support the incorporation of diversity through the song choices that are taught and used in the teacher’s lesson planning e.g.

African songs such as Swing Low Sweet Chariot and Fanga Alafia, as well as Westernized songs like Jellicle Cats and Juba This That.

When incorporating an equity standpoint, learning the recorder can have a low risk when playing in a group or reading the music notation on the floor staff hence including students from all levels

ŠC West, 2017

CTL 7017- Music Instructor: Catherine West

Jacqueline Chiu Thursday, July 27, 2017 of music knowledge.

Lastly, learning the recorder incorporates the Creative and Critical Analysis Process that is referenced in the Ontario Ministry of Education Arts Curriculum (2009, pp. 19-28) as every step of the creative process is used for certain recorder activities such as creating a composition for recorder playing. The Critical Analysis Process is used when students are responding knowledgeably to music e.g. recorder playing or making connections and finding meaning in the art of music.

Summative statement(s), including goal setting:

In summary, through the twelve hours spread over the course of four classes, I have learned even more of the skills and strategies needed for successful recorder playing that I could implement in my future classroom that I did not know about before this course. My favourite strategy is the Point and Say and Sing and Play strategy because it is an effective method to successfully play the recorder. My goals before I teach music to primary and junior students is to master all the notes that can be played on the recorder and to be able to tongue the notes consistently.

References Green, L. (2011, November 21). What can teachers learn from popular musicians?. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4r8zoHT4ExY Moody, M. (2008). Reach for a star: Book 1 a teacher recorder manual with CD. Toronto, ON: Canadian Music Centre.

Ontario Ministry of Education. (2009). The Ontario curriculum grades 1-8: The arts. Ottawa, ON: Queen’s Printer for Ontario.

Winter, J. (1988). Follow the drinking gourd. New York: Dragonfly Books. ŠC West, 2017

CTL 7017- ​Music Instructor:​ Catherine West

Jacqueline Chiu (PJ-141) Thursday, August 3rd, 2017

CAN MUSIC ENHANCE STUDENT ENGAGEMENT IN LEARNING FRENCH? Introduction “Music engages the reward system of the brain” (Zatorre & Salimpoor, 2013) and can be a powerful tool used to engage students in learning French since music has no language barriers. As a music appreciator and previously a music student myself, as well as a French enthusiast, I have many personal and professional experiences where music has enhanced my learning in French. For one, music was incorporated in the songs I learned to remember the conjugation of French verbs; and secondly, training my aural sense through music helped me hone the correct pronunciation of French vocabulary. Based on my observations, music can be a viable teaching strategy and an authentic means to learn the French language. I have observed that music aids students in understanding French pronunciation and the language through auditory training, creative thinking, and critical analysis.

Analysis of Class Activities, Course Readings, and Standards of Practice One method in music that could be used to enhance students’ engagement in learning French is the Orff Approach. As Benson (2010) states, the Orff Approach is an active music making approach that fosters an experience-based learning model. Creating and improvising musical pieces using movement and musical materials are examples of what occurs in the Orff Approach. Furthermore, as affirmed by Goodkin (2013), the Orff Approach teaches music organically where students learn through sound as opposed to reading notes as their initial step. We explored this approach in class by creating our own music using Orff instruments such as the xylophone and the metallophone and using our sense of hearing to discover pleasant sounds when experimenting with the instruments to play music. In essence, we also trained our auditory sense and personally developed and grew through the creative process (Ontario Ministry of Education, 2009). The Orff Approach, allows for auditory training and creative thinking which are skills that can be transferred to French language learning as well.

There are many benefits to integrating music and learning to play an instrument with another subject area especially when learning a second-language. As Collins (2014) reveals in her TED-Ed video, learning to play an instrument enhances executive brain functions, improves memory, and forges more connections between both sides of the hemispheres in the brain. These characteristics could enhance French learning as good memory is needed for the memorization of verb conjugations and certain brain functions are needed to learn a second language. Moreover, if teachers teach the way that popular musicians learned music, students are given more autonomy and responsibility to work individually and with their peers, learning will be idiosyncratic and personal, and students will combine their listening, improvising, and composing skills through the learning process (Green, 2011). Through these learning processes, students will be able to develop critical analysis skills, which is also transferred to French language learning.

In reviewing the Ontario College of Teachers Standards of Practice (n.d.), my commitment to students and student learning is to inspire most if not all my students to want to learn French through incorporating music among other arts-based subjects that I would include in my practice. Furthermore, I would like to implement the practice of journaling and reflecting on my teaching practice in French, music and all the subjects that I teach in the future. To improve my professional knowledge and continue my ongoing professional learning, I hope to partake in a music Additional Qualifications (AQ) course when time and

CTL 7017- ​Music Instructor:​ Catherine West

Jacqueline Chiu (PJ-141) Thursday, August 3rd, 2017

CAN MUSIC ENHANCE STUDENT ENGAGEMENT IN LEARNING FRENCH? money avails. Lastly, I hope to involve myself, such that I have in my practicum, or host an extra-curricular music club in my practicum or future schools as a part of my professional practice and leadership in learning communities.

Analysis of Research and Resources Some of the most prominent issues that students often posed in regards to Core French engagement is its relevance in their lives and the interdisciplinary pedagogy. As stated by Rovers (2013), students constantly voiced that they desire to have communicative competency in French with hands-on and Arts-based experiences. In the past, the curriculum did not align with these students’ desires. However, Rovers (2013) asked students how they felt about a Core FSL program taught through an Arts-based curriculum and her findings were quite astounding and align with my views that the Arts can enhance the engagement in learning French. Through a teacher’s observations, I learned that not only did the French language skills of the students improve, but the well-being of the students and the students’ attitudes toward each other were also enhanced by teaching French through the Arts (Rovers, 2013).

One of the main findings and connections between music and French that make them a good pair to integrate together is the commonalities that exist between processing, structure, and properties of language and music (Fiske, 1993). In music, there is the recognition and production of tonal-rhythmic patterns and musical forms. Those skills can be connected and transferred to French through oral and written production and comprehension (Lowe, 1998a). In studies done by Lowe (1997, 1998b), students performed better in both music and French when both subjects were integrated as opposed to when they were taught separately. This can be explained through the characteristics of interdisciplinary teaching where learning transfer is enhanced (Jacobs, 1995), where students saw the significance of the material being taught (Jacobs, 1995), and where students learned better as a result (Jacobs, 1995). Students were able to adapt songs to reinforce music concepts and reinforce oral and written production and comprehension proficiencies in French (Lowe, 1998a). In essence, incorporating music is a viable teaching strategy in second-language education such as French (de Frece, 1995).

A useful resource that was created and used in the study done by Lowe (1998a) consists of a unit plan that has day to day lesson plans and can be helpful to French teachers like myself. The unit plan and lesson plans are included in the appendix of Lowe’s study (1998a) and includes many songs that are used to teach French vocabulary and grammar.

Insights and Conclusion In summary, music can create an environment where students feel like they are a part of a community, where they feel included, and where they feel they belong. The music and French-integrated program is also inclusive of all types of students such as English Language Learners and students who have difficulty with language acquisition. Music can easily be incorporated into French learning such as through singing songs and incorporate the characteristics of an inclusive classroom. With an inclusive classroom, students are able to better engage in French learning and thus music can definitely enhance the engagement of students in learning French.

CTL 7017- ​Music Instructor:​ Catherine West

Jacqueline Chiu (PJ-141) Thursday, August 3rd, 2017

CAN MUSIC ENHANCE STUDENT ENGAGEMENT IN LEARNING FRENCH? References Benson, K. K. (2010). Compete, complement, or collaborate? Cross fertilization in the active music making approaches. ​The Orff Echo, 9​(3).

Collins, A. (2014, July 22). ​How playing an instrument benefits your brain. ​Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0JKCYZ8hng de Frece, R. (1995). The relationship of French immersion education to tonal skills of first-and fourth-grade Canadian children. ​Canadian Journal of Research in Music Education, 35​(7), 10-16.

Fiske, H. (1993). Music and mind: The concept of mind in music cognition. ​Canadian Music Educator, 34​(3), 15-26.

Goodkin, D. (2013, April 4). ​Learning through music and art: Doug Goodkin at TEDxConegoSalon.​ Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zKZAfDcU6BQ Green, L. (2011, November 21). ​What can teachers learn from popular musicians?.

Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4r8zoHT4ExY Jacobs, H. (1995). ​On curriculum integration​. Alexandria, VA: ASCD. Lowe, A. (1997). The effect of the incorporation of music learning into the second-language classroom in the mutual reinforcement of music and language. ​Canadian Journal of Research in Music Education, 38​(4), 7- I6.

Lowe, A. (1998a). Integration of music and French: A successful story. ​International Journal of Music Education, 32​(1), 33-55​.​ ​doi: 10.1177/025576149803200104 Lowe, A. (1998b). L’enseignement de la musique et de langue seconde: pistes d’intégration et conséquences pour les apprentissages. ​La revue canadienne des langues vivantes, 54​(2), 218-239.

Ontario College of Teachers. (n.d.). ​Standards of practice. ​Retrieved from http://www.oct.ca/public/professional%20standards/standards%20of%20practice Ontario Ministry of Education. (2009). ​The Ontario curriculum grades 1-8: The arts. ​Ottawa, ON: Queen’s Printer for Ontario.

Rovers, A. (2013). Teaching core French through the arts: Constructing communicative competence. ​Journal of Teaching and Learning, 9​. Retrieved from https://ojs.uwindsor.ca/ojs/leddy/index.php/JTL/article/view/3601/3009 Zatorre, R. J., & Salimpoor, V. N. (2013, June 7). Why music makes our brain sing. ​The New York Times. ​Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/09/opinion/sunday/why-music-makes-our-brain-sing. html?_r=0