Vol. 66, No. 1
Fall 2019
MARYLAND MUSIC EDUCATOR
Official Journal of the Maryland Music Educators Association
In this issue: • Including Folk Dance in the General Music Classroom • De-Stress for Success • Support for the Beginning Music Teacher • High School Scheduling Practices • 2020 MMEA Awards for Excellence Nominations • National Assembly Resources
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To o jo join o or rene renew e e ew visit s t www.nafme.org ww ww.nafme.o a eo org g
MMEA Annual Conference March 13-15, 2020 Baltimore Convention Center • March 14 Elementary Demonstration Chorus Sessions Open Rehearsal and Performance Plus All State Junior Band Concert Morgan State University • March 15 All State Concerts Senior Band Senior Orchestra Senior Mixed Chorus Senior Treble Chorus Morgan State University
MMEA 2020 Awards for Excellence nominations and supporting materials are due January 8, 2020. For information and online nomination forms, visit: https://www.mmea-maryland.org/2020award.
Fall 2019
Maryland Music Educator
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Maryland Music Educator Official Journal of the Maryland Music Educators Association
Fall 2019 Volume 66, Number 1
Features…
23 30 32
Fitting It All In: A Look at High School Scheduling Practices by Matthew J. LaPine, Bernards High School, New Jersey
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De-Stress for Success: Eight Tips for Feeling Better by Ella Wilcox, NAfME Editorial Communications Manager
Effective Support Systems for the Beginning Music Teacher by Jason P. Cumberledge, University of Louisville Dancing Your Way Through the Curriculum: Including Folk Dance in the General Music Classroom by Erin Zaffini, Keene State College, New Hampshire
Advertisers Index
Contents… 02 MMEA/NAfME Membership 03 MMEA 2020 Annual Conference 06 MMEA Executive Board Directory, Presidents 06, 22 MME Article & Ad Information 07 Hall of Fame, Award Recipients, Executive Directors, Editors 07 MMEA Giving and Sponsorship 08 Music & Arts Recognition 09 Young Composers Project 2020 13 President’s Page
14 President-Elect’s Page 14 Resources, 2019 National Assembly 15 Executive Director’s Page 16, 17 MMEA Awards for Excellence 22 Advocacy Chair’s Page 25 MMEA Calendar of Events, 2019-2020 26 Band Directors’ Page 27 Orchestra Directors’ Page 28 General Music Teachers’ Page 29 Editor’s Page 34 Back Cover-NAfME Career Center
Alfred Music ........................................11 Frostburg State Univ. Dept. of Music....16 Ithaca College School of Music ............21 James Madison Univ. School of Music ..12 Menchey Music Service ........................17 Rome School of Music, Catholic Univ.....8 Sunderman Conservatory of Music, ........ Gettysburg College.......................7 Tell School of Music, Millersville Univ. ..20 Univ. of MD Baltimore Co. ...................10 Yamaha Band & Orchestra ......................4
On the Cover: Early fall color at Prettyboy Reservoir, Baltimore County, Maryland. © Can Stock Photo. Artist: appalachianviews. Number 17770632. Used with licensed permission. Licensee: Felicia B. Johnston. The Maryland Music Educator is published for the members of the Maryland Music Educators Association, Inc., a federated state unit of the National Association for Music Education (NAfME), and music teachers in Maryland four times annually in the months of September, January/February, late March, and May. Articles for publication must be submitted to the editor by August 1, October 1, January 2, and March 15, respectively. Publication dates, advertising rates, and closing dates may be found on the MMEA web page, www.mmea-maryland.org, under “Resources/Publications”. Maryland Music Educator will be distributed digitally to all Maryland music teachers and all MMEA members. It will also be posted on the MMEA website at www.mmea-maryland.org (MMEA Executive Board decision, June 8, 2018). Editor: Felicia Burger Johnston, P. O. Box 3362, Cumberland, MD 21504-3362 304-613-2871 E-Mail: mmea.editor@gmail.com Maryland Music Educators Association (MMEA) is the professional association for the school music teachers of Maryland. MMEA is a 501 (c)(3) not-for-profit association incorporated in the State of Maryland. MMEA's mission is to advance music education in Maryland schools. We do this by providing professional development for music teachers, involving students and teachers in opportunities for excellence through state-wide music activities and events, and serving as an advocate for music education.
MMEA is supported in part by a grant from the Maryland State Arts Council (https://www.msac.org/), an agency funded by the State of Maryland and the National Endowment for the Arts. MSAC on Facebook™: https://www.facebook.com/mdartscouncil/ MSAC on Twitter™: @mdartscouncil Fall 2019
Maryland Music Educator
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MMEA Executive Board Directory 2019-2020 The MMEA Executive Board and staff listing is updated at https://www.mmea-maryland.org/executive-board. Elected Officers
Appointed Officers
President Paul Dembowski Anne Arundel County
Advocacy Chair Ronald P. Frezzo Montgomery County (retired)
President-Elect Brian Schneckenburger Baltimore County
Collegiate Membership Advisor Laura Hicken Towson University
Immediate Past President Angela Adams Anne Arundel County
Conference Exhibits Chair Shefali Shah Anne Arundel County
Recording Secretary Emily Hill Frederick County
Membership Chair Janet Gross Calvert County
Member At Large Ashley Ashman Montgomery County
Membership Development Chair Judith Hawkins Prince George’s County
Component Association Presidents
Music Industry Representative Scott Schimpf Music & Arts
Band Directors (MBDA) John R. Stevenson Carroll County
Music Supervisors Representative Karl Stewart Carroll County
Choral Directors (MCEA) Katherine Meloro Howard County
Private Schools Representative Joseph Shortall Private School
Orchestra Directors (MODA) Dan Sitomer Anne Arundel County General Music Teachers (MGMTA) Jennifer Kauffman Anne Arundel County College Music Educators (MSMTE) Stephanie Prichard University of Maryland
Public Relations Chair Deborah Turner Anne Arundel County Research Chair Cathleen Russell Baltimore County Sight Reading Committee Chair Todd Burroughs St. Mary’s County
Special Learners Chair Paul Tooker University of Maryland Eastern Shore State Dept. of Education Representative Alysia Lee Maryland State Department of Education State Large Ensemble Festivals Chair Scott Engel Baltimore County Tri-M Chair Erick Von Sas Anne Arundel County Staff Members Executive Director Mariama Boney, LMSW, CAE E-Mail: mmeaexec.mb@gmail.com mmeamarylandinfo@gmail.com PMB#472 6710 F Ritchie Highway 410-981-9662 Glen Burnie, MD 21061 Event and Membership Assistant Beatrice Bangura Publications Editor Felicia Burger Johnston Upshur County, WV (retired) E-Mail: mmea.editor@gmail.com
Updates, news, and more at: www.mmeamaryland.org Maryland Music Educator
Issue
2019-2020 MMEA Professional Development Event Save the dates!
Maryland Music Educator
Article Submission Deadline
Spring 2020
January 2, 2020
Summer 2020
March 15, 2020
Fall 2020
August 1, 2020
Winter 2020-2021 October 1, 2020 Please send article submissions to: Felicia B. Johnston, Editor, at mmea.editor@gmail.com or submit articles at https://form.jotform.com/mmeamaryland/-mmea-content-submission-form. Thank you! Issue
March 13 - 15, 2020 Annual Conference Baltimore Convention Center Morgan State University
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MMEA Presidents 1941-43 – Robert S. Bolles 1943-45 – C. James Velie 1945-47 – Frances Jackman Civis 1947-49 – Miriam Hoffman 1949-51 – Mary M. Hunter 1951-53 – Mary de Vermond 1953-55 – Thomas R. Lawrence 1955-57 – Blanche F. Bowlsbey 1957-59 – Mildred B. Trevvett 1959-61 – Emil H. Serposs 1961-63 – Chester J. Petranek 1963-64 – Ward K. Cole 1964-65 – Chester J. Petranek 1965-67 – Donald Regier 1967-69 – Nicholas Geriak 1969-71 – Alice S. Beer 1971-73 – Joseph Chalker 1973-75 – Bert L. Damron 1975-77 – Robert E. Kersey 1977-79 – David Marchand 1979-81 – Thomas E. Silliman 1981-83 – Thomas W. Fugate 1983-85 – Clarence T. Rogers 1985-87 – John E. Wakefield 1987-89 – R. Bruce Horner 1989-91 – Patricia W. Teske 1991-93 – Phyllis R. Kaplan 1993-95 – Roger J. Folstrom 1995-97 – Barbara F. King 1997-99 – Richard A. Disharoon 1999-01 – Michael L. Mark 2001-03 – Michael L. Mark 2003-05 – Ann Vaughn 2005-07 – Amy Cohn 2007-09 – Chrystie Adams 2009-11 – Carol Howell 2011-13 – Ginny Flynn 2013-15 – Stephen W. Miles 2015-17 – Katherine A. Murphy 2017-19 – Angela Adams 2019- – Paul Dembowski
Ad Contract Submission Deadline
Spring 2020
January 2, 2020
Summer 2020
March 15, 2020
Fall 2020
August 1, 2020
Winter 2020-2021
October 1, 2020
Advertising information & contract submission for Maryland Music Educator and the MMEA In-Service conference programs: https://www.mmea-maryland.org/publications.
Fall 2019
MMEA Hall of Fame 1988 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Margaret Black 1988 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Robert S. Bolles 1988 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; David Burchuck 1988 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Frances Jackman Civis 1988 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; John Cole 1988 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Mary G. Cross 1988 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; John Denues 1988 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Nicholas Geriak 1988 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Thomas L. Gibson 1988 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Rose Marie Grentzer 1988 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; S. Fenton Harris 1988 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Miriam Hoffman 1988 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Mary M. Hunter 1988 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; John Itzel 1988 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Henrietta Baker Low 1988 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Otto Ortmann 1988 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Philip S. Royer 1988 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Osmar Steinwald 1988 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Charles C. T. Stull 1988 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Eugene W. Troth 1988 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Homer Ulrich 1988 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; C. James Velie 1988 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Levi Wilder 1988 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Dorothy Willison 1988 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; William Llewelyn Wilson 1989 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Alice S. Beer 1989 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Thomas R. Lawrence 1989 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Corwin H. Taylor 1990 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Robert E. Kersey 1990 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Dorothy S. Pickard 1991 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; John Fignar, Jr. 1992 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Blanche F. Bowlsbey 1992 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Joseph F. Chalker 1992 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; James L. Fisher 1993 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Thomas W. Fugate 1993 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; C. William Johnson 1993 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Michael Pastelak 1994 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Mildred R. Reiner 1994 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Shirley J. Shelley 1994 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Donald Regier 1995 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; David Marchand 1995 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; W. Warren Sprouse 1996 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; James H. Avampato 1996 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Carmelo J. Palazzo 1997 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Clarence T. Rogers 1998 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Maurice R. Feldman 1999 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Sr. Mary Theresine Staub S.S.N.D. 1999 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Nancy M. Cook 2000 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Mildred B. Trevvett 2003 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Leroy Battle 2003 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Glenn Patterson 2004 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Roger J. Folstrom 2004 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Phyllis R. Kaplan 2005 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Barbara F. King 2005 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Michael L. Mark 2006 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Mary Ellen Cohn 2006 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; John Wakefield 2007 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Olivia W. Gutoff 2008 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Richard A. Disharoon 2008 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; James L. Tucker, Jr. 2009 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Leone Y. Woodall 2010 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Bruce D. Wilson 2011 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Lee Stevens 2012 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; C. Scott Sharnetzka 2012 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Cherie Stellaccio 2013 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Ray Danner 2014 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Dana Rothlisberger 2018 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Gilbert A. Brungardt (Posthumous) 2019 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Chris Vadala (Posthumously) Rosemary & James Walters Service Award 2002 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Thomas W. Fugate 2003 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Chrystie L. Adams 2004 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Richard A. Disharoon 2010 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Mabel Leonore Sawhill 2011 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Howard L. Miskimon 2011 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Sabra C. Steward 2012 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Deborah Turner 2013 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Jan Strevig 2014 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; James L. Turk 2015 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Sally Wagner 2017 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Ginny Flynn
Fall 2019
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Maryland Music Educators Association: Giving and Sponsorship MMEA provides in-service networking and professional learning for music teachers, opportunities for thousands of music students and teachers, and serves as an advocate for music education. MMEA provides student and teacher enrichment by sponsoring professional learning conferences, annual Awards for Excellence, and eight music groups for student All State music events. MMEA and five component associations, with over 300 volunteers, host district and state Solo and Ensemble events. During the spring, orchestras, bands, and choruses perform in festivals with nearly 10,000 students participating. Give Today! Become an MMEA Sponsor! https://www.mmea-maryland.org/give
Corwin Taylor Music Education Leadership Award 1994 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Karen Douglas 1995 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Rosa Fletcher Crocker 1996 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Mary Ann Mears 1997 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; James L. Tucker, Jr. 1998 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Roger J. Folstrom 1998 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Phyllis T. Kaplan 1999 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Barbara F. King 2002 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Mary Ellen Cohn 2004 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Chris Tuel 2005 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Linda Patton 2006 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Gary Beauchamp 2009 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Joan Orcutt 2010 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Katherine A. Rodeffer 2011 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Richard J. Deasy 2012 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; C. Nelson Fritts 2013 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Nancy S. Grasmick 2017 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Anita Lambert 2018 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Michael L. Mark 2019 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Scott Herman
Maryland Music Educator
Executive Directors Maryland Music Educators Association 1998-2018 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Mary Ellen Cohn 2018â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Mariama Boney Editors, Maryland Music Educator 1954-57 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Homer Ulrich 1957-61 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Corwin H. Taylor 1961-65 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; James L. Fisher 1965-67 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Robert E. Kersey 1967-73 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; W. Warren Sprouse 1973-84 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; James H. Avampato 1984-86 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; W. Warren Sprouse 1987-96 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Thomas W. Fugate 1996-01 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Ray H. Zeigler 2001-08 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Thomas W. Fugate 2008-09 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Dawn Farmer 2008-09 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Felicia Burger Johnston
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Thank you, Music & Arts! MMEA would like to clarify and recognize Music & Arts, our Symphony Level Strategic Partner, for the following at the Fall In-Service Day Conference on October 18, 2019: â&#x20AC;˘ Providing music for and sponsoring two choral music reading sessions: High School Choral Music Reading Session, presented by Rachel Carlson of Shepherd University; and Elementary School Choral Music Reading Session, presented by Carla Wardell of Montgomery County. â&#x20AC;˘ Music & Arts also sponsored the Lunch Reception for College Students, 1st & 2nd year teachers, and teachers new to Maryland.
UNDERGRADUATE DEGREES OFFERED: Music Education, Vocal Performance, Piano Performance, Composition, Orchestral Instrument Performance, Music History and Literature, Collaborative Piano Musical Theatre, Pedagogy (Piano or Voice), and Organ.
GRADUATE DEGREES OFFERED: Conducting (Choral or Orchestral), Composition, Pedagogy (Piano or Voice), Music Education, Sacred Music, Performance (Piano, Orchestral Instruments/Guitar, Voice, Chamber Music (Piano or Vocal Accompanying), Organ Performance, and Musicology.
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The President’s Page
Paul Dembowski
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Stewardship, Diversification, and Transparent Leadership
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t is my hope that the start of your school year has been a fantastic one and that you are experiencing the joy of making music with students. I am honored to be serving as your MMEA President for 2019-2021 and look forward to working with all of you to make our professional association a strong and relevant one that serves both you as members as well as the students that you teach. We also need to extend our gratitude to Immediate Past President Angela Adams for her vision, for the resolve and dedication of the outgoing MMEA Board members, and to the new Executive Director, Mariama Boney, to reimagine MMEA between 2017-2019. Many of you have asked, “In what direction MMEA will be heading in the future?” It is my intention to guide the MMEA Board and the association in three broad areas of stewardship, diversification, and transparent leadership.
Stewardship You have already seen the results of fiscal stewardship in an improved website, greater virtual communication, electronic registration for events, digital voting, and online conference proposal submissions. We have also drastically reduced costs in those areas that were no longer cost-efficient by ending the lease on our office space and ceasing publication of a physical MMEA Journal. This realignment will allow for new approaches to the festival experience and annual conference. While MMEA is not a corporate business, we must have a solid financial model for sustainability of the association. This means that we will use our mission and contemporary business practices to honor our partnership with NAfME, meet our mission, and continue to offer professional development, music events, festivals, and advocacy for MMEA members, teachers and students. To meet the rising operational costs of events, there will be fees associated with events that bring us closer to representing the true cost of the resources used so that we can remain solvent. It is important to the MMEA Board that Maryland remains one of the few federated states that does not require teachers to be members of NAfME/MMEA for students to participate. We will also continue to seek external funding opportunities through increased donations, advertising, and sponsorship, as well as through grants. In fact, we were excited to hear in July that our grant from the Maryland State Arts Council has increased by
$5,000.00 over the previous year! Diversification and Relevance MMEA provides dynamic learning opportunities to teachers and in the events that we provide to students. We will continue to strengthen these experiences. There are also many areas where MMEA can do better to keep pace with the needs of teachers and students. We plan to explore the successes achieved from the MMEA strategic plan and outline a timeline for updating the strategic plan for the association. We will examine our professional development offerings to ensure relevance for teachers of increasingly diverse musical experiences and students in our schools. Likewise, our student events need to be more inclusive of performance opportunities for guitar, rock/modern band, electronic performance, steel band, and any one of many other mediums outside of the traditional offerings. We have articulated our commitment to diversity (https://www.mmea-maryland.org/idea-statement). Look for an invitation to participate in a new committee plus other volunteer opportunities to examine these experiences and practices. Distributive and Transparent Leadership A professional organization with the breadth of offerings that MMEA provides requires people power, and it requires transparency for those who wish to serve. We will advertise for elected and appointed board positions to ensure that we are geographically representative of the state and that those who wish to assume leadership can do so. MMEA component associations (MBDA, MCEA, MODA, MGMTA, MSMTE), committees, and event chairs are being utilized and valued for their areas of expertise, and they have direct responsibility for curriculum and educational outcomes. Fostering collaborative leadership and empowering event managers to operate within association guidelines is a recipe for success! By the time that you have received this edition of the journal, I will have had the opportunity to have shared time with you at your county professional development sessions in August. I look forward to having had time to reflect on those conversations so that we can continue to provide our members and students with continual growth and improvement of all of our MMEA experiences. MMEA and component leadership is committed to being available and responsive to members. Contact us at https://www.mmea-maryland.org/executive-board.
MMEA 2020 Awards for Excellence nomination information is available at https://www.mmea-maryland.org/2020award. Fall 2019
Maryland Music Educator
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The President-Electâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Page
Brian Schneckenburger
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Supporting Literacy
W
elcome to the 2019 School Year! To those of you who are new teachers, welcome to music education in Maryland. For those of you experienced folks, welcome back: I hope that your summers were restful. Summer has been busy but productive for MMEA, including advocacy at NAfME's Hill Day, the Executive Board retreat, and preparation for annual conferences and All State festivals and concerts. All of us will likely be asked this year about the ways that we are supporting literacy through our roles as teachers in music classrooms or rehearsal spaces. One way to infuse literacy and research skills is through implementation of units that NAfME has written through a partnership with the Library of Congress. Materials are digitized primary sources from the Library's collection, and hyperlinks are embedded in documents posted on the NAfME website.
The units cover all teaching areas (General Music, Chorus, Band, Orchestra, and High School Composition/Theory), focus on the artistic process of Responding, and are aligned to the National Core Standards for Music. They have been crafted by theme and to leverage the available digital resources at the Library. You may peruse and freely download these resources and learn more about the project by visiting https://nafme.org/my-classroom/nafme-tps-curriculum-units-2014music-responding-standards/. These can also be used in part or in whole and could provide valuable support for literacy implementation and authentic research opportunities. I want to extend best wishes for a great start to your school year, and I hope each of you attended the Fall In-Service Day conference on Friday, October 18! In the meantime, if you have any ideas or questions, please contact me at mmeamarylandpres.elect@gmail.com.
Resources for You! From the 2019 National Assembly Courtesy of Lynn Tuttle, Director of Public Policy, Research, and Professional Development for the National Association for Music Education.
Scott Sheehan presented on standards at ANHE - with the AllNational Honor Ensembles The conductors of the 2018 NAfME All-National Honors Ensembles incorporated aspects of the 2014 National Music Standards throughout the rehearsal and performance processes this past November. Here's the brief video showcasing the work: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=grhozTqqQ-M&feature=youtu.be Rob Deemer presented on standards-based creating - with the Student Composition Competition and the resources of the Institute for Composer Diversity Rob, as Chair of the Composition Council, has helped chair the student competition and then "emcee" along with President Sanz the Young Composers' Concert at conference. He showed snippets from that concert, including students speaking about their creating process. The entire concert (showcasing each student's composition performed by string ensemble, then conversation with the student, ending with a panel discussion with the students and audience) is available here: https://www.dropbox.com/s/l8uycwe0w644twt/Young%20Composers% 20Concert.mp4?dl=0
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The Institute for Composer Diversity website, which includes searchable databases of band, choral and orchestral music available from living composers, composers of color, and female composers, is available here: https://www.composerdiversity.com/ Tom Dean presented on the National Endowment for the Arts' funded NAfME Professional Development project, Experiential Ensembles. Working with 16 band, choir and orchestra teachers (many of whom state leaders recommended!) and 4 great clinicians, including Tom, these snippets highlight ways to more fully engage students in their ensemble rehearsal process, as the performing process standards ask us to do. https://www.dropbox.com/s/vduiou8kswl9jr4/Experiential%20Ensemble s.pptx?dl=0 Johanna Siebert presented on the NAfME Library of Congress Teaching with Primary Sources Project. Attached is Johanna's slide deck for the presentation, focusing on how the Library's primary sources can support learning about the Responding process. You can find the curriculum units developed so far here: https://nafme.org/my-classroom/nafme-tps-curriculum-units2014-music-responding-standards/
Maryland Music Educator
Fall 2019
The Executive Director’s Page
Mariama Boney, LMSW, CAE
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MMEA Matters in Maryland: Executive Director’s Message It's not where you start or even what happens to you along the way that's important. What is important is that you persevere and never give up on yourself. ~ Zig Ziglar
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n 2019 over 30,000 MMEA members, students, artists, teachers, educators, administrators, partners, sponsors, volunteers, community members, and families were integrated, partnered with, and impacted by the Maryland Music Educators Association. Your ongoing support, assistance, ideas, and feedback make a difference. Thank you for taking the time and making the investment as a member to participate with us and with each other. I appreciate continuing to learn, grow, and lead with you!
tion, performances, and music as the snow rolled through.
All State Concerts Eight signature All State Concerts for band, orchestra, and chorus were held with 1,000 middle and high school students participating along with 8 nationally recognized conductors. Teachers, parents, and community members attended. The registration process and concert programs were provided in a digital format and featured online for the first time at https://www.mmea-maryland.org/event-blog/2019/3/21/celebrate-all-statemusicians-the-best-of-the-best. Transportation and housing for the students and transportation of the instruments were also a success.
Summer Fun The summer brought great engagement during the National Assembly and Hill Day in June plus an energizing presentation I delivered on Leadership and Presentation Development to over 100 NAfME/MMEA collegiate members with the National Collegiate Summit. And I celebrated a birthday at the end of August!
Festivals Chorus, band, and orchestra festivals occurred for middle schools and high schools in May over two weeks at three Maryland schools and Morgan State University. Over 3,200 students, music educators, and 150 schools participated. Solo and Ensemble Festival generated great energy! We appreciate all of our component association leaders, volunteers, adjudicators, event hosts, administrators, and the collaboration of the Arts and Music county/district supervisors or coordinators. Professional Learning Two major professional learning events occurred. First, the Fall InService Day Conference was held in October. Then, the Annual Conference was held in February. Each event featured dynamic educa-
The Digital Age We are making greater use of www.mmea-maryland.org and the features it offers for event blogs, payments, products, video, etc. The new online proposal system, Submittable, is a user-defined experience; the system communicates via the information that has been entered by the user.
Moving MMEA Ahead More steady planning occurred throughout the summer with the unveiling of the MMEA statement for accessibility and inclusion, diversity, equity, and access. We’ve enhanced our advertising opportunities (https://www.mmea-maryland.org/advertising) and launched sponsorship with MMEA as a Strategic Partner or Organizational Champion (https://www.mmea-maryland.org/sponsorship). Of course, we continue to appreciate our individual sponsors and welcome everyone to give together of your time, talents, and contributions. We are excited that funding from the Maryland State Arts Council was renewed and increased by $5,000 for FY2019-2020. As all of the learning, leadership, and event activities emerge for 2019-2020, share your positive experiences and caring feedback with me on Facebook™ at https://www.facebook.com/mmeaexec.mb. Look for many more great avenues for engagement, learning, and growth to come.
MMEA Opportunities to Volunteer Interested in volunteering with MMEA? See https://www.mmea-maryland.org/volunteer
Fall 2019
Maryland Music Educator
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Fall 2019
Maryland Music Educator
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MMEA Member at Large
Ashley Ashman
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MMEA 2019 Awards for Excellence
Maryland Music Educators Association 2019 Awards for Excellence Hall of Fame Chris Vadala (Posthumous) University of Maryland College Park
Corwin Taylor Music Education Leadership Award Scott Herman, Cabin John Middle School Montgomery County
School Administrator Award Matthew Record, Pocomoke Middle School Worcester County
Outstanding Music Teacher Awards Lisa Adams, Berlin Intermediate School, Worcester County Sarah Burton, North Salisbury Elementary School, Bennett Middle School, Parkside High School, James M. Bennett High School Wicomico County Emily James, South Shore Elementary School Anne Arundel County Randine Levy, Roberto Clemente Middle School Montgomery County David Matchim, Centennial High School Howard County The Executive Board of MMEA congratulates this yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s award recipients for their outstanding achievements as music educators, administrators, and music supporters. These extraordinary men and women devote(d) their professional lives to educating the whole child, ensuring that students whom they teach, supervise, or support have a strong and complete music education. They were honored for their accomplishments at an MMEA Awards for Excellence Luncheon at Turf Valley Resort in Ellicott City in April. 18
Maryland Music Educator
Fall 2019
MMEA 2020 Awards for Excellence Nominations
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MMEA Advocacy Chair
Ronald P. Frezzo
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Advocacy - Many Thoughts Hill Day, 2019 On June 19, 2019, MMEA participated in the Annual Hill Day in Washington, DC, held in conjunction with the NAfME National Assembly and Collegiate Advocacy Summit. This year, representatives from about 32 states were present to meet with senators and representatives in the Congress and present our rationale for the presence of music in the curriculum. As many of you know, the ESSA (Every Student Succeeds Act) listed music as a discrete subject and as part of a “well-rounded curriculum.” We pushed for complete funding and especially for Title I, II, & IV part A. It has been authorized at $1.8 billion, but funded at $1.6 billion…not a small amount, but we sure would like the larger amount. This year, Maryland was represented by: Ron Frezzo, Advocacy Chair; Paul Dembrowsky, MMEA President; Brian Schneckenburger, MMEA President-Elect; Jen Kauffman, MGMTA President; David Kauffman, NAfME Jazz Chairman; Shefali Shaw, Exhibits Chair; and seven student NAfME Collegiate members from Frostburg State University: Elizabeth Munger, Hanna Polk, Robert Bittinger, Kristen Feaster, Emma Lepore, Maggie Malat, and Carmen Grimes. With this larger delegation, we were able to split into two teams and meet with staffers in the offices of both Maryland Senators and seven of the eight House Members - a first for us. We were well received by the staffers (and there was brief meeting with Senator Ben Cardin) who are very • asuccessful warm-ups • successful warm-ups supportive of music education in the schools. This annual visit to our motivating students •• motivating federal legislators is exciting and stimulating, and is an important step students • intonation in keeping our discipline as an important part of the curriculum. •
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July 23 (this show aired September 23). The surprise guest was none other than Paul McCartney! Colbert interviewed McCartney for a total of 50 minutes, which is almost unheard of on the late-night talk shows. Much was amusing, much poignant. Colbert asked McCartney if he had any special thoughts as to how the Beatles (and McCartney’s later music) affected people on a personal basis. Colbert’s own testimony spoke so much to the core of what we all do and believe: when he was ten, his father and two brothers were killed in an airlines crash. He spoke to the fact that “Band on the Run” helped get him through that summer. Isn’t this what we all know about the power of music? I wish I had the opportunity to thank him for that comment.
Have you you ever ever wanted wanted to... to... Have
be a a published published writer? writer? •• be help other other music music teachers? teachers? •• help share your your music music teaching teaching expertise? expertise? •• share
Article about High School Scheduling Practices Lastly, I refer to a terrific article that appeared in Teaching Music in August 2018. Matthew LaPine, a choral teacher at Bernards High School in Bernardsville, New Jersey, wrote an article entitled “Fitting It All In: A Look at High School Scheduling Practices.” Matt had an issue many of you face, i.e., 60 students telling you they expect to take a choral class the following year and only 30 appear on your lists! This article gives you research-based advocacy information to share not only with the students, but most importantly, also with the parents, many of whom think taking as many AP (and IB) tests• asenrichment possible is the route to a good school. We have per• enrichment mission from Matt and NAfME to publish his article in full, and I • rehearsal techniques hope it•gives you research-based supporting statements that you rehearsal techniques • All State preparations may need to advocate for your music program. •
You can! can! You You can can write write for for Maryland Maryland Music Music Educator*! Educator*! You TOPICS to to CONSIDER: CONSIDER: TOPICS !!
intonation All State preparations •• sight reading •• scheduling scheduling Stephen Colbertsight Said It! reading Note: Mr. LaPine’s article begins on the next page. •• general ••Editor’s music advocacy As part of ourgeneral vacation, my music wife and I had special seats in the third advocacy assessment dealing with with downsized downsized row at a taping of the “Late Show with Stephen Colbert” on Tuesday, •• assessment •• dealing •• small-group learning programs small-group learning programs •• serving at-risk students •• summer music camps serving at-risk students summer music camps Have you ever wanted to... •• visual aids •• communicating with parents, parents, visual aids communicating with •• technology• colleagues, administrators administrators technology be a published writer? colleagues, •• remediation •• fund-raising remediation fund-raising
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• help other music teachers? • share your music teaching expertise?
If you would like to write for Maryland Music Educator, please submit inquiries or articles If you would like to write for Maryland Music Educator, please submit inquiries or articles to be considered for publication to: to be considered for publication to:
You can!
You can write for Maryland Music Educator*! Felicia Burger Burger Johnston, Johnston, Editor, at mmea.editor@gmail.com, mmea.editor@gmail.com, or submit submit Felicia Editor, at or articles to: to: https://form.jotform.com/mmeamaryland/-mmea-contenthttps://form.jotform.com/mmeamaryland/-mmea-contentarticles submission-form submission-form TOPICS to CONSIDER: Deadlines for quarterly issues: August 1, October 1, January 2, March 15 ! Deadlines for quarterly issues: August 1, October 1, January 2, March 15
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Marylandof Music *Maryland Music Educator is the official journal the Educator Maryland Music Educators Association (MMEA) Fall 2019 • successful *Maryland Music Educator is the official journal of the Maryland Music•Educators Association (MMEA) warm-ups enrichment (www.mmea-maryland.org). MMEA is a federated state unit of NAfME: The National Association for Music (www.mmea-maryland.org). MMEA is a federated state unit of NAfME: The National Association for Music • motivating • rehearsal students techniques Education (www.nafme.org). MMEA’s mission is to advance music education in Maryland schools. The
Advocacy
Matthew J. LaPine, Guest Author
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Fitting It All In: A Look at High School Scheduling Practices by Matthew J. LaPine, Choral Music Director, Bernards High School, Bernardsville, New Jersey Reprinted from the August 2018 issue of Teaching Music, with permission from Caroline Arlington, Program Assistant, Copyrights/Permissions, Publications, National Association for Music Education
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ies irae - the day of wrath, when judgment is passed. This is the moment of truth, when I get nervous each year - the time that my high school’s guidance department begins the student-scheduling process for the next academic year. As a choral director in a relatively small, suburban New Jersey public high school, this is my “How am I doing as a teacher?” evaluation. For the past several years, I have buried my head in the sand and pretended that it wasn’t happening. I may have mentioned something to my students here and there - something along the lines of “Don’t forget to register for chorus!” I even went so far as to remind students to use the words “I want to make choir a priority in my schedule.” For these years, I’ve seen consistent enrollment in my ensembles. Most students who join choir stay with it throughout high school. The last year or two, however, I haven’t been able to graduate anywhere near the number of students who join in their freshman year. I wondered: “Where are these students going? Why aren’t they sticking with choir?” I began to reflect: “What am I doing that’s driving them away?”
A Proactive Survey This year, I decided to be proactive. Using Google for Education™, I created a form that surveyed students about their scheduling plans for the following year. The form had some basic questions: • What is your current grade? • What class (ensemble) are you in? • What voice part do you sing? • Will you be returning to choir next year? Yes/No/Unsure. (If the answer is “No” or “Unsure,” I ask “Why?” and provide an open-ended text box for a response.) Of the 120 chorus students that I teach, 98 completed the survey. Of those who responded: • 12 were graduating seniors (several seniors chose not to take the survey since it really didn’t apply to them). • 56 provided a resounding “Yes.” • 17 said that they were “Unsure.” • 13 said “No.” Disheartened from the results of my survey, I was down on myself. Why don’t these kids like me? Why don’t my students like my class? How can 30 of 100 respondents not want to continue? I thought that my students enjoyed being a member of the various choirs at my school. I thought I was working to build the choral program. I thought I was doing well. I was up all night - thinking, reflecting, praying. Where did I go wrong? So, I sorted more thoroughly through the data. Of the “No” answers: • Three students stated that, while they enjoyed the class, chorus Fall 2019
When he explained that he dropped orchestra to focus on his academics, the school rescinded their offer of acceptance - he was no longer the student they wanted. “isn’t for me.” • Three said they would like to “try other electives.” • Six said that chorus would not “fit in my schedule.” Of the “Unsure” answers: • One was afraid to audition for the next level of choir (and doesn’t want to repeat “freshman” chorus). • Two wanted to try other electives. • 14 did not believe it would “fit into my schedule.” Now I could put this information into better perspective. Of the 98 respondents: • 12 were graduating (so they shouldn’t be counted). • 55 were excited to continue. • Three were no longer interested in singing (which is sad, but it’s an understandable number). • Five wanted to try other electives (which is, again, sad, but also an understandable number). • 20 didn’t think chorus would fit into their schedules. Wait - 20 students are unable to fit choir into their schedules? How can so many students be concerned with fitting this class into their schedule? These students have nine periods to fill! One must be their lunch period, and one must be a physical education class. Other than that, there are seven classes remaining: English, math, science, science lab once or twice per week, social studies, and language. What about the last class? Why can’t chorus be the last class? Why won’t it fit? The Pre-College Pressure Cooker Many students take a second science course, which doubles the amount of lab required. Other students are taking five or more AP classes and truly need that last period to be a study hall. Wondering whether these students were just using the schedule as an excuse, I asked the 20 who said the schedule was keeping them from responding “Yes.” Unanimously, they all told me that they really love to sing, they love being in my class, and they want to continue with chorus. So, why are students doing this to themselves? Why are they overloading their classes? Where is this pressure coming from? I learned that all 20 believed that they needed to do “what’s best for getting into college.”
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That evening, I happened to be meeting with a friend of mine: a veteran, well-respected teacher who recently retired. I mentioned my situation to her, stating my concern with so many students citing the schedule as being an issue. She immediately shared an anecdote from one of her last years of teaching. Her school district was known for having an incredible arts program. One student had been in the award-winning orchestra program from the time it was first offered in elementary school. At the end of his junior year, he decided to apply to a top-tier college early-decision, and he was accepted into the school. To make sure he was prepared for the school, he decided to overload his schedule with AP and other “academic” courses, and he chose to drop orchestra for his senior year. Like most seniors, he was required to submit his first marking period grades from his senior year to the college. Shortly thereafter, the college called him and inquired why he dropped orchestra in his senior year. The student they had accepted was a well-rounded student who was committed to academics and was also heavily involved in sports and the arts. When he explained that he dropped orchestra to focus on his academics, the school rescinded their offer of acceptance - he was no longer the student they wanted. How could this be? Wouldn’t the school be thrilled that he buckled down and worked extra-hard on his academics? No, not at all. Colleges are looking for students who are involved in school activities other than just academics. Additionally, they don’t want students just to be involved - they want students who have been committed to these activities. According to Jeffrey J. Selingo, author of There Is Life After College: What Parents and Students Should Know About Navigating School to Prepare for the Jobs of Tomorrow and former editor of The Chronicle of Higher Education, colleges are looking for students to “[show the] deep and sustained involvement, passion, and dedication that employers seek.”1 Colleges believe that “well-rounded students typically turn into generalists on the job. While jack-of-all-trades were useful in previous generations, these days students need to be what is known as ‘Tshaped,’” where the top stroke of the “T” reflects someone’s deep understanding of one subject matter while the downstroke represents his or her ability to work across a variety of subject areas. Learn What You Love In a recent Money magazine article, certified educational planner Lora Block argues that a student should “spend more time deciding what’s important to you or what you’re curious about, and what you’re learning from these activities - and less time amassing long lists. Colleges don’t care about the ‘whats’ or the ‘how manys’ on your activity list. They are more interested in the ‘whys’ and ‘so- whats.’”2 Political and higher education journalist Fred Thys, in an article for
WBUR, Boston’s NPR news station, argues that the student mindset has shifted to making scholastic choices that they believe will look best on an application rather than choosing a path about which he or she feels passionate.3 Thys quotes an anecdote from Andrew Flagel, senior vice president for students and enrollment at Brandeis University: Andrew Flagel…tells the story of a huge high school student and his parent who recently walked up to him. The student was towering over Flagel, his muscles rippling, a big, tough- looking kid. His mom, maybe a third of her son’s height, storms up, wagging her finger in Flagel’s face, “...saying [sic], ‘You need to tell my son to drop crew because I need him to do better in his extracurricular and he’s got to take more APs, and that’s what’s going to get him into college, and you gotta tell him it’s about debate and about...doing the APs and get out of crew.’ And I turn around and look and this big, tough-looking, powerful kid has tears in his eyes. And he gets all choked up and says, ‘I just love crew.’” Flagel wonders why anyone would encourage a student to quit something they love. His advice - and that of most college admissions directors and high school counselors - is to do what you love.4 These articles suggest that students should choose an elective or elective area and stick with it throughout high school. For the students who truly love to sing in an ensemble, why do they feel they need to drop a class for which they feel passionate in order to overload their schedule with AP and other high-intensity classes? As stated in a 2015 Ivy Coach article, “Don’t be ordinary at lots of things. Be extraordinary at one thing. Ordinary’s boring. Extraordinary’s anything but boring. Highly-selective colleges don’t want boring. They want extraordinary.”5 Notes 1. Jeffrey L. Selingo, “The Myth of the Well-Rounded Student? It’s Better to be T-Shaped.” The Washington Post, June 1, 2016. Accessed at washingtonpost.com/news/gradepoint/wp/2016/06/01/the-myth-of-the-well-rounded-student-its-better-to-be-t-shaped/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.a2d5cde42759. 2. “Why Colleges Don’t Want Well-Rounded Students (2017). Accessed at time.com/money/4444681/colleges-well-rounded-students/. 3. “‘Well-Rounded versus Angular’: The Application Colleges Want to See,” WBUR Radio, Boston, Massachusetts. Accessed at wbur.org/news/2013/12/26/well-rounded-passion-college-application. 4. WBUR, Boston, Massachusetts. 5. “The Myth of the Well-Rounded Student,” Ivy Coach (2015). Accessed at ivycoach.com/the-ivy-coach-blog/tag/well-roundedstudents/.
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Maryland Music Educator
Fall 2019
Maryland Music Educators Association Calendar for Students and Teachers - Subject to Change 2019 - 2020 HS: High School MS: Middle School The MMEA Executive Board and staff listing is updated at https://www.mmea-maryland.org/2019-20calendar. November 16 November 23
All State Junior Auditions All State Senior Auditions
December 4 Deadline: All State Jazz Submission December 9-20 All State Notifications January 10 January 18
Deadline: All State Commitment, Registration, and Payment Awards for Excellence Applications Due
February 20-22 All State Jazz Band Rehearsals, UMBC Performing Arts & Humanities Building February 22 All State Jazz Concert, UMBC Performing Arts & Humanities Building February 20-22 All State Junior Chorus and Orchestra Rehearsals February 22 All State Junior Chorus and Orchestra Concerts March 13-14 March 12-15 March 14 March 15 March 27 Apr. 3 Apr. 3 Apr. 16 Apr. 18 Apr. 27-May 1 May 4-8 May 9 May 16 Fall 2019
Annual Conference, Baltimore Convention Center All State Junior Band, Senior Band, Senior Orchestra, Senior Mixed Choir and Senior Treble Choir Rehearsals Baltimore Convention Center All State Junior Band Concert, Morgan State University All State Senior Band, Orchestra, Mixed Choir and Treble Choir, Morgan State University Deadline: HS Band, Chorus and Orchestra Festival Registration/Application Deadline: MS Band, Orchestra and Chorus Festival Registration/Application Deadline: State Solo and Ensemble Applications Deadline: State Solo and Ensemble Festival Eligibility Confirmation/Payment to be received MMEA Awards for Excellence Ceremony and Luncheon State HS Band, Chorus and Orchestra Festivals, Morgan State University State MS Band, Chorus and Orchestra Festivals State String and Vocal Solo and Ensemble Festival State Winds and Percussion Solo and Ensemble Festival, Towson University (Tentative) Maryland Music Educator
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Maryland Band Directors Association
John Stevenson, President
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MBDA News
Just as a snake sheds its skin, we must shed our past over and over again. ~ Gautama Buddha
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s teachers we recognize the value of mindfulness and lifelong learning, yet we often find ourselves falling prey to some of the same habits that prevent our students from reaching their potential. I get it. Life happens, stress abounds, and our responsibilities can lead us to de-prioritize our own professional growth. Although we could all come up with a long list of things we can or should be doing better, the mere act of reflecting upon what we’re doing and why we’re doing it is a useful exercise. Here are two such reflections that I’ve had in the past few weeks: Monitor How You’re Using Your Time - What are your personal and professional priorities? Does your time use reflect those priorities? Are you protecting your personal and family time? When you are working, are you taking the time to invest in the long-term growth of your program and students or are you just trying trying to make it to Friday? Surround Yourself with Achievers - Many years ago, a mentor told me to “play with the best musicians who will let you play with them.” In other words, seek out individuals who are growing and learning and try to connect with them. As they experience and accomplish new things, you’ll be inspired to do the same. To this end, please consider the many professional development and student performance opportunities that MMEA/MBDA has to offer. It’s a wise investment of time and an opportunity to connect with other high-achieving music educators. As MBDA President, I want to engage in dialogue with and facilitate discussions among music educators to be responsive to the needs of Maryland music educators and students. That said, I need your help. Please continue to let me know what you think MBDA is doing well and what you think we need to do better. This is your association the MBDA Board and I work for you and your students. You can send your comments to me at MBDAPresident@gmail.com. Please know that all input will be taken seriously and shared anonymously with MBDA Board for consideration. MBDA Music List Thank you to Cliff Whitford for his work to update the Maryland Band Literature List over the summer. At the June 14, 2019 summer music review, the Music Review Committee approved the deletion of "Permanently Out of Print" (POP) titles in both band and solo and ensemble (S&E) festivals. The pieces that are currently POP and marked for deletion are listed in the main worksheet tab entitled "2019-2020 Full List" and highlighted in yellow with red text. You can access the list here: https://www.mmea-maryland.org/lists. To balance the concerns of those who wish to update the list and trim POP titles with those who have these works in their libraries, these works will be given until June 1, 2020 before they are deleted 26
from the MBDA list. If you would like to keep any of the POP works currently marked for deletion, please email cliffwhitford@gmail.com. This is a work in progress; research on POP titles has been done on the band list from grade 1 through 6. In the coming months, research will be completed on both the solo and ensemble lists. If you know of additional POP titles not currently marked, please email those as well. POP Solo and Ensemble titles will be marked for deletion in June 2021. The list stays accurate and current with your help. Thank you for your time, effort, and support. Fall In-Service Day We had a great Fall In-Service Day on Friday October 18th. Thanks to Anthony Townes and his outstanding students for hosting the conference and making sure that everything ran smoothly. Clinicians included Sally Wagner, David Fedderly, David Wagner, Mark Lortz, Christopher Cicconi, Erick Von Sas, Stephen Miles, and Lisa Schultze. All the sessions were well-received and several of them had standing room only! If you couldn’t attend the Fall InService Day Conference, be sure to register for the Annual Conference (March 13 - 14); we have many more quality professional development opportunities planned! All State Auditions • November 16 (All State Junior Band) • November 23 (All State Senior Band) • December 4 (All State Jazz Band Submission Deadline) The All State Auditions Handbook has been posted online at http://www.mmea-maryland.org/handbook. Please click on all the associated links and review the relevant materials. Instrumental auditions will take place at Edgewood High School in Harford County. 2019-2020 All State Conductors • Junior Band - Richard Roberts, Wind Ensemble Director and Instrumental Instructor, Catholic University of America • Senior Band - Maj. Dustin Doyle, Commander and Conductor of the United States Air Force Band of the West Jazz Ensemble - Steve Fidyk, Jazz Drummer, Composer, Author • and Educator I am excited about the upcoming events and possibilities that lie ahead!
Maryland Music Educator
Follow MMEA on Twitter! @MMEA_Maryland
Fall 2019
Maryland Orchestra Directors Association
Dan Sitomer, President
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MODA News
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y name is Dan Sitomer, and I’m delighted to welcome all music teachers to school year 2019-2020. As I begin my tenure as your MODA President, I reflect on how much I’ve learned over the past two years as President-Elect. One thing is certain: string teachers are passionate about their profession. Whether it’s exploring new teaching practices at our conference sessions, volunteering for state events, proposing new ideas, or leading their students to the State Festival stage - every orchestra teacher I’ve met has shown this fire and determination to improve the quality of and access to music education in Maryland. Perhaps no one embodies this idea for me greater than our outgoing MODA President, Jennifer Murray. Getting to know and work with Jenn has shaped my ideas for the future of MODA, and has shown me the importance of personal connections to help foster growth in our organization. Jenn served tirelessly and with unmatched drive and commitment, and with her guidance, I can continue to realize the vision she has set forth for MODA. I hope you will all join me in thanking Jenn. One large step towards the vision has already taken place - we have a brand-new MODA Board consisting of 20 members, 15 of whom are new, with members teaching in counties from Western Maryland to the Eastern Shore. In recent years the MODA Board has consisted of about 4-6 people handling an incredible workload. With the new MODA Board in place representing a variety of areas and specialties, it is my hope that all teacher and student viewpoints will help steer policy and procedure. For a listing of our current Board members and their responsibilities, please see the MODA website at https://www.mmeamaryland.org/moda?rq=MODA. You are greatly encouraged to contact any Board member for questions or concerns, or you may always contact me at modapresident@gmail.com. Let us be your go-to for all things MODA!
MODA Conferences This year’s conference planning is going very well, thanks in large part to our new Proposals, Sessions, and Presenters Manager, Michelle Roberts. The Fall In-Service Day featured two sessions on jazz music instruction in the string classroom, presented by violinist Dr. Stanley Chepaitis. We’re also proud to announce our first Fall reading session in some time, sponsored by the Alfred Publishing Company and showcasing the Arundel Middle School String Orchestra.The day was rounded out with some beginning string pedagogy as well as a care and maintenance session. Fall In-Service Day is always an excellent time to connect with the string community at the beginning of the school year. The Annual Conference is loaded with great learning opportunities. We’re excited to feature Dr. Michael Hopkins, chair of music education
Fall 2019
at the University of Michigan, who will present four sessions covering topics such as shifting technique, vibrato, aural skills, tone quality, and bow arm technique. We’ll have John Reed of Mona Lisa Sound rocking with the Montgomery Blair Chamber Orchestra, a session on programming diversity with Nanette Foley from the Philadelphia School for the Arts, Dr. Scott Seifried of the ASTA Guitar-in-the-Schools task force presenting on music literacy in the guitar classroom, and other sessions and performances from Jason Heath, Rebecca Henry, Warren Gramm, the Dulaney High School Chamber Orchestra, and the Thomas Pullen Middle School Orchestra. MODA Policy and Procedure It is a good idea to familiarize yourself with the MODA Policy and Procedure document, available on our website. At the beginning of each school year, this document is revised by the MODA Board to meet the needs of our teachers and students. Major changes will be posted clearly on the website to avoid confusion. Starting Off Right with Communication As you begin your school year, organizing rosters, finding instruments for your students, enrolling first-time players, and getting your students excited to be making music once again, take a moment to recommit yourself to the art of communication with parents and guardians. As a father of a first-grader, I greatly appreciate the updates I receive from my son’s teachers, and the ability to contact them with questions. As we all know, communication can be a huge burden on your precious planning time - try one of the following ideas to manage and connect! • Create an e-newsletter or share a Google Slides™ Presentation with monthly updates. • Try an app such as Seesaw™ or ClassDojo™. • Keep a teacher social media account. • Invite parents to your Google™ Classroom. • Keep a classroom blog/vlog complete with student entries. • Update your website with student highlights and recordings. • Set office hours to make yourself available for phone calls or walk-ins. As always, be mindful of what your school district deems as acceptable policy in terms of communication, using student images and work, and approved technology. What do you do to increase communication in your music classroom? Share with us on our MODA Facebook™ page! Best wishes for a successful school year!
Maryland Music Educator
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Maryland General Music Teachers Association
Jennifer Kauffman, President
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MGMTA News
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elcome to a great year of music teaching in the state of Maryland! My name is Jennifer Kauffman and I have the honor of being the current president of Maryland General Music Teachers Association (MGMTA) for another year. I am a K-5 general music and chorus teacher at Crofton Elementary School in Crofton, MD.As a teacher who has taught in Baltimore, St.Mary’s, Calvert, Allegany, and Anne Arundel counties, I hope that I can bridge my knowledge of these communities to support all of you. This past year we worked on continuing sessions for the elementary grades and increased support to the secondary general music needs of Maryland educators. There is still more work to do as your president to provide high-quality general music conference sessions for all Maryland PreK-12 general music educators. It’s a privilege to work with the current president-elect, Christie Cook, who is the Supervisor of Fine & Performing Arts in Calvert County. Christie is a well-organized hard worker who has given so much guidance and input into making MGMTA improvements. In addition to the president-elect, MGMTA has an advisory board of general music educators to assist and advise on general music matters. These board members provide feedback and suggestions electronically for sessions, article submissions, etc. pertaining on what you might like to see presented around the state. I’d like to introduce the current board members to you: Shoshanah Drake (Montgomery County), Marci Fleck (Calvert County), Lydia Gonzalez (Anne Arundel County), Rodney Lewis and Thomas Pierre (Prince George’s County), and Stephanie Thompson (Calvert County). Thanks to all of you for
your past commitment and continued service to the board!If you would have an interest in helping us by serving on the advisory board please email at mgmtapresident@gmail.com. Thanks to the help of the advisory board, we were able to collect proposals, approve, and schedule for a super packed MMEA Fall InService held October 18. In-service conferences are a great way to pick up a new idea, a new strategy, or a new point of view - a time for you to get some personal professional development that will meet your needs. It’s also a venue for you to connect with other music teachers from around the state. Fall In-Service sessions for general music teachers included mindfulness & yoga technique in the classroom, games, early childhood best practices, music therapy tech, using music to support and enhance Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) in your classroom, folk songs, and much, much more! It’s up to you to put your plan in action - to be the best general music educator you can be in 2019-2020. We look forward to seeing you MMEA conferences and events this year! Whether you are a veteran teacher or a first year teacher, we like to stay connected. Feel free to find us on Twitter™, Instagram™, and Facebook™ to network, collaborate, and share new ideas about teaching general music. Take a moment to join and share our social outlets with other general music teacher friends. It’s going to be a great year for MGMTA and we are glad that you are along for the ride. Feel free to approach me or anyone on the advisory board with questions, comments, concerns, or suggestions.
Dancing Your Way Through the Curriculum: Including Folk Dance in the General Music Classroom, continued from page 32 5. Make the case for space. If possible, find a space bigger than a traditional classroom. The gym works well, or go outside when the weather is nice. I’ve usually found luck when collaborating with the physical education teacher in the building. Resources for Beginning to Intermediate Folk Dances Resources abound for learning and teaching folk dance. Here are some favorites that I reach for time and again: 1. Anything by New England Dancing Masters Productions: Chimes of Dunkirk, Listen to the Mockingbird, Sashay the Donut, and Alabama Gal. Books, CDs and videos can be purchased at www.dancingmasters.com. My favorite recordings of choice are those found on the CD entitled Other Side of the Tracks. 2. The Book of Song Dances (2014) by John M. Feierabend, GIA Publications (https://www.giamusic.com/store/resource/the-book-ofsong-dances-print-g8663). These are highly accessible for children and fairly simple to learn and teach. 3. Cristy Lane’s Multicultural Folk Dance Treasure Chest (volumes 1 & 2). This is perhaps my favorite resource for multicultural folk dances that are authentic and can be used for students of varying abilities and ages. 28
Although it includes beginner dances, if you are looking for folk dances that are challenging enough for middle school and high school students, this is a safe bet. The best part is that it includes all the music and accompanying DVDs to help you watch, learn, and practice! 4. Teaching Movement & Dance: A Sequential Approach to Rhythmic Movement, 6th edition (2006), by Phyllis Weikart. Available from many online sources. Wonderful dances and recordings that focus on the needs of beginning folk dancers. She has many more publications as well, and all are accompanied by authentic music! Regardless of the status of folk dance in your classroom, I hope you consider finding more ways to include it! Learning new folk dances keeps us fresh and excited when we introduce them to our students, and who doesn’t love an excited teacher? Happy dancing! About the Author: Dr. Erin Zaffini is an adjunct Music & Music Education Professor at Keene State College in New Hampshire. She serves as General Music Council Chair and Collegiate Coordinator for the New Hampshire Music Educators Association.
Maryland Music Educator
Fall 2019
The Editor’s Page
Felicia Burger Johnston
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Young Composers, Dancing, Scheduling, and More!
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elcome to the Fall 2019 issue of Maryland Music Educator! Many things have happened and are planned to help music educators and their students achieve great success. At the Fall In-Service Day conference at Northwestern High School in Hyattsville, I was especially inspired, as always, by the performances of the winning compositions in the MMEA 2019 Young Composers Project (YCP) composition competition. Thanks to Richard Disharoon, Past YCP Chair; Michelle Roberts, Presider at the fall conference session; and the other YCP committee members for their many hours of helping young composers’ work be recognized and be heard!
In This Issue In this first 2019-2020 issue of our quarterly journal, we welcome two contributors from NAfME, the National Association for Music Education. MMEA is a federated state unit of NAfME. Lynn Tuttle, Director of Public Policy, Research, and Professional Development for NAfME, contributes “Resources for You! from the 2019 National Assembly”, with a list of presentations from that National Assembly and links to their information. Ella Wilcox, NAfME Editorial Communications Manager, contributes “De-Stress for Success! Eight Tips for Feeling Better”, citing research-based wellness tips to feel better and de-stress. We also welcome an Advocacy guest author, Matthew J. LaPine, a choral music director in New Jersey, with his article from Teaching Music, “Fitting It All In: A Look at High School Scheduling Practices”. Mr. LaPine’s article provides research-based information for music teachers of high Maryland Music Educator Issue
Article Submission Deadline
Spring 2020
January 2, 2020
Summer 2020
March 15, 2020
Fall 2020
August 1, 2020
Winter 2020-2021
October 1, 2020
Please send article submissions to: Felicia B. Johnston, Editor, at mmea.editor@gmail.com or submit articles at https://form.jotform.com/mmeamaryland/-mmea-content-submission-form. Thank you! Issue
Ad Contract Submission Deadline
Spring 2020
January 2, 2020
Summer 2020
March 15, 2020
Fall 2020
August 1, 2020
Winter 2020-2021
October 1, 2020
Advertising information & contract submission for Maryland Music Educator and the MMEA In-Service conference programs: https://www.mmea-maryland.org/publications.
Fall 2019
school students and their parents who plan to enroll for multiple advanced high school courses, at the expense of music courses, to enhance college admission applications. The article includes quotations from college admissions officials who favor admitting students who, in addition to other coursework, have immersed themselves in arts and extra-curricular experiences that they love. Thanks to Caroline Arlington of NAfME for granting permission to reprint Mr. LaPine’s article and to Ronald Frezzo, MMEA Advocacy Chair, for his reference to the article. Our MMEA leaders and Executive Director Mariama Boney have contributed many helpful and interesting articles to this issue, bringing news of the organization and of their particular areas of MMEA. Check out their articles for updates and information about upcoming events! Also in this issue are “Dancing Your Way Through the Curriculum: Including Folk Dance in the General Music Classroom”, by Erin Zaffini of Keene State College in New Hampshire. Teaching folk dance was a favorite part of my career as an elementary general music teacher, and Dr. Zaffini’s excellent tips will help anyone wishing to include more folk dance in the general music curriculum. In “Effective Support Systems for the Beginning Music Teacher”, Jason P. Cumberledge, former instrumental music teacher in Snow Hill, Maryland, offers ideas for both novice teachers and experienced teachers wishing to support them in their first years of teaching music. Dr. Cumberledge is now teaching at the University of Louisville. 2020 MMEA Awards for Excellence Nomination Forms MMEA Awards for Excellence 2020 nomination forms are posted online at https://www.mmea-maryland.org/2020award. Consider nominating those who have done exemplary work to further music education for students. Past nominators have included colleagues, administrators, parents of students, booster groups, or former students. Recipients of MMEA Awards for Excellence are immensely grateful for the recognition. Let’s continue to give that recognition to deserving music educators and supporters of music education - nominate worthy candidates for the 2020 MMEA Awards for Excellence! MMEA Member at Large Ashley Ashman coordinates nominations. Nomination materials are due before or on January 8, 2020. Writing for Maryland Music Educator Articles written about an aspect of your teaching are helpful to your peers. Article submissions are always welcome - completed articles or those providing content for which I provide writing assistance. Session outlines or handouts from In-Service sessions you have presented can often be developed into articles. I welcome your articles, article topic suggestions, and suggestions for improvement. I am here to serve you as you serve Maryland’s music students. Our publications email address is mmea.editor@gmail.com. I look forward to hearing from you!
Maryland Music Educator
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Effective Support Systems for the Beginning Music Teacher by Jason P. Cumberledge, Assistant Director of Bands and Assistant Professor of Performance Studies, University of Louisville
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he teaching profession is certainly difficult and demanding. Classroom management, lesson planning, student assessment, communication with parents, and adapting to school policies and procedures can be arduous for all teachers. Due to unique circumstances in the music classroom, music teachers can face additional challenges in their professional lives, including the high number of students that music teachers instruct, isolation due to the geographical location of music classrooms in schools, a heavy extracurricular schedule and the concurrent administrative tasks, the demands of public performances, and the necessity of traveling between multiple school buildings. For beginning music teachers, facing these challenges alone may be a leading cause of high attrition rates.1 As a result, beginning music teachers have a great need for support during their first years of teaching. This article, written for novice teachers and the experienced teachers and school leaders supporting them, will help address the challenges encountered at the start of a teaching career. Novice teachers who are informed of the avenues of assistance available to them will know where to turn for advice. Experienced music teachers who become familiar with these support systems will be better prepared to assist new colleagues. Mentorship Programs Mentor/mentee programs are common in many school districts in the United States. Due to the specific challenges presented in music classrooms, novice teachers will benefit most from a mentor with a professional music background, preferably another music teacher. However, informal mentor/mentee relationships can also be very effective in providing guidance to beginning teachers. All novice music teachers are encouraged to seek out relationships with other music teachers for the purpose of informal learning and professional development. Teacher supervisors can facilitate these relationships between novice and experienced teachers, particularly in cases where the new teacher is timid or too overwhelmed to reach out for assistance. Professional relationships with former cooperating teachers can also be beneficial to novice teachers. Cooperating teachers welcome opportunities to provide advice and guidance to novice teachers. Researchers have shown that effective cooperating teachers give a sense of empowerment to student teachers.2 This forms a collegial relationship and fosters a sense of trust between the cooperating and student teacher. Established trust can be valuable later, when novice teachers need professional advice and support. Cooperating teachers often see their mentorship of student teachers as stewardship to the future of education.3 It is recommended that cooperating teachers continually reach out to recent student teachers and that university teacher preparation programs encourage this frequent communication. Professional Feedback Successful veteran music teachers understand the process of receiving professional feedback and using it to shape daily teaching. While 30
beginning teachers welcome feedback on their classroom performance, they prefer such feedback to occur in an informal setting, such as an open-door meeting with a principal or a passing discussion with an experienced music colleague.4 Currently, it is common for administrators to conduct formal classroom observations once or twice per year. Perhaps observations could be conducted more frequently and for shorter periods of time, enabling beginning teachers to receive feedback in a brief consultation or informal post-lesson hallway conversation with the observer. It is also beneficial for mentors to visit mentee classrooms and offer informal feedback. Another form of welcome feedback for novice teachers is the Beginning Educator Support and Training (BEST) program.5 Adopted by school districts across the United States, the BEST program gives novice teachers specific feedback provided by peers and related to their content area. In the BEST program, novice teachers compile portfolios, which are then reviewed by veteran teachers. Peer feedback can increase the ability of new teachers to develop teaching pedagogies and become more reflective about their classroom practices.6 Peer Feedback Teacher isolation can easily occur in music education. Music teachers who divide their clock time between school buildings must often travel during lunch break or are scheduled to be at one school during another school’s staff meeting times, thus severely limiting their opportunity to interact with other school employees. It is recommended that beginning teachers seek out colleagues throughout the school building, and if possible, spend time getting to know them in informal settings. At the very least, colleagues from all content areas can help eliminate feelings of isolation and provide emotional support to novice teachers, as a sense of community is important for beginning music teachers who feel alone in their classroom. Professional learning communities (PLCs) may also help fill this void. PLCs are face-to-face or virtual mentorship groups, collegial discussion groups, or communities of practice. In their most effective form, PLCs contain homogeneous groups of content area teachers. Music teachers need communities of practice to support their teaching and find community in a setting where isolation is inherent to the job. Supporting each other and functioning as a community can have positive effects on music teachers’ learning, reflection, development, and sense of belonging. There is also an online component of beginning music teacher support. One recent study found that online communities could meet novice music teachers’ emotional needs and allow them to discuss content area concerns and non-classroom specific content.7 Internet blogs, message boards, and social media networks can further develop a sense of community, offer an outlet for feelings, and cultivate altruism towards the teaching profession.8 Facebook™ was recently examined in a study that investigated novice teachers’ perceptions
Maryland Music Educator
Fall 2019
of the Facebook Band Directors Group (FBDG).9 Results indicated that the FBDG provided emotional and practical support and helped reduce beginning teachers’ feelings of isolation. The FBDG can serve as a free, effective, teacher-driven, content-area and grade-level specific induction support for novice music teachers. However, as with most online communities, music teachers are advised of the limitations of the FBDG and other social media groups as they are often operated with little quality control. PLCs and virtual communities can supplement existing, traditional mentorship framework currently present in schools.10 While these communities have been widely researched in the realm of general education, less is known about their role in music education. More research is suggested to investigate the effects of these communities in music education. Self-Feedback Self-feedback, through reflection, is a vital component in facilitating teachers’ ability to identify and recognize areas for improvement in their teaching. Many experienced teachers write journals, watch rehearsal videos, listen to rehearsal audio, and set aside time to mentally review lessons and rehearsals. These habits should be passed along to beginning teachers early in their career. In a series of interviews conducted at the Eastman School of Music, beginning teachers reported that they felt thrown into their new job, unsure of exactly what they were supposed to be doing at the start of their first year in the classroom.11 This causes teachers to feel they have no control over their professional environment. These interviews shed some light on the thought processes of novice music teachers who, in the study, were once primarily music performers. Interviewees indicated that they often made sense of their new surroundings in the same way they once learned to perform in front of an audience. They learned the ability to make a transfer by connecting new, unknown circumstances to something that is known and familiar. Clearly, self-reflection can
Notes 1. Catherine G. Bell-Robertson, "Beyond Mentoring: A Review of Literature Detailing the Need for Additional and Alternative Forms of Support for Novice Music Teachers," Update: Applications of Research in Music Education 33, no. 2 (2015): 41-48. 2. Patti J. Krueger, "Empowering Music Student Teachers Through Inquiry: Cooperating Teacher Views," Music Educators Journal 92, no. 3 (2006): 56-61. 3. Alden H. Snell, Jill Wilson, and Carolyn S. Cruse, "Cooperating Teachers’ Perceptions of Hosting and Mentoring Music Student Teachers," Journal of Music Teacher Education 28, no. 2 (2019): 8497. 4. Susan W. Conkling, "Uncovering Preservice Music Teachers' Reflective Thinking: Making Sense of Learning to Teach," Bulletin of the Council for Research in Music Education 155 (2003): 11-23; and DeLorenzo, “Perceived Problems.” 5. Robinson, “The Impact.” 6. Conkling, “Uncovering;” Robinson, “The Impact.”
This article, written for novice teachers and the experienced teachers and school leaders supporting them, will help address the challenges encountered at the start of a teaching career. help beginning music teachers make a transfer, adapt their behavior, and gain a sense of ownership over their teaching practices. Video feedback is also useful for beginning music teachers. While self-reflection can sometimes result in generic thoughts and statements about one’s teaching, especially when the reflection is not completed immediately after the teaching episode, written reflections can be more detailed and specific as a result of video feedback. In one recent study, pre-service music teachers watched a video of a self-taught lesson and were immediately able to make a series of very specific comments reflecting on their communication with students, musical error detection, lesson objectives, assessment, physical appearance, and unwanted physical habits.12 Therefore, detailed and specific self-reflection can be very beneficial to beginning teachers’ success. Summary Novice teachers encounter many challenges during their first year on the job. The sheer magnitude of these challenges can lead to high attrition rates and feelings of isolation. These new teachers need help setting longterm goals for growth, committing to daily refection, connecting with peers, and becoming aware that they are not alone. Meaningful feedback, often in the form of an informal conversation with a colleague, can make a new teacher feel welcome and more at ease as they begin their teaching journey. Professional learning communities can limit feelings of isolation and allow beginning teachers to discuss their thoughts with peers. Through these supports, novice teachers will be better prepared to achieve success in the music classroom.
7. Catherine G. Bell-Robertson, “Staying On Our Feet” Novice Music Teachers’ Sharing of Emotions and Experiences Within an Online Community," Journal of Research in Music Education 61, no. 4 (2014): 431-451. 8. Mario Ajero, "Web 2.0: How the New World Wide Web is Connecting Music Teachers and Students," American Music Teacher 57, no. 3 (2007): 48-49; and William I. Bauer and Matthew R. Moehle, "A Content Analysis of the MENC Discussion Forums," Bulletin of the Council for Research in Music Education (2008): 71-84. 9. Andrew L. Rhodes, "Early-Career Music Teachers’ Perceptions of the Facebook Band Directors Group as Professional Induction," (PhD diss., University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2017). 10. Bell-Robertson, “Beyond Mentoring.” 11. Conkling, “Uncovering.” 12. Sean R. Powell, "The Influence of Video Reflection on Preservice Music Teachers’ Concerns in Peer and Field-Teaching Settings," Journal of Research in Music Education 63, no. 4 (2016): 487-507.
About the Author: Jason P. Cumberledge is Assistant Director of Bands and Assistant Professor of Performance Studies at the University of Louisville. He earned a PhD degree in Music Education from Florida State University. Prior to graduate school, he taught instrumental music for nine years in Snow Hill, Maryland. Comments and questions are welcome at jason.cumberledge@louisville.edu. Fall 2019
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Dancing Your Way Through the Curriculum: Including Folk Dance in the General Music Classroom by Erin Zaffini, Keene State College, New Hampshire Reprinted with permission from New Hampshire Quarter Notes, Fall 2018, Vol. 51, No. 1
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uccess looks different for many students. For some, it is their apparent high music aptitude and enjoyment of seemingly everything we teach and do in our classrooms. For others, success and enjoyment might come about slowly. Why is it that regardless of how much we try, we fail to win over some of our most critical students? Winning students over is not necessarily the final goal for music education, but it certainly helps when it comes to student engagement and learning. In my experiences, very few activities have helped students learn to enjoy general music as much as folk dancing. Even the most reluctant students (for me, it is always 7th and 8th grade boys) can’t help but crack a smile as they work collaboratively with their peers to perfect a folk dance.
Why Include Folk Dance in the K-8 General Music Curriculum? Consider your own general music program. Is folk dancing a part of it, and if so, how much? What does folk dancing have to offer to all students, regardless of musical ability and grade level? The benefits of including folk dance in the curriculum are far greater than student enjoyment. It fulfills students’ needs to move, a need which extends beyond the K-5 general music setting. Kinesthetic awareness is a powerful tool for students who are learning about such concepts as tempo, phrasing, dynamics and musical form (to name a few). With kinesthetic awareness comes deeper engagement and enhanced understanding of the concepts and content being taught. Beyond students’ need to move, they also need many opportunities to experience cultural and historical connections between themselves and the world around them. Students can experience their own heritage here in the states through New England contra-dance and English country dances. They can learn of the history of the Italian Tarantella, a dance used to symbolize Italy’s past epidemic caused by the bite of a tarantula. Including a variety of folk dances from around the world enables students to understand that just like folk music, folk dance is something that everyone in the world, regardless of his or her culture, has in common - that is, it is a phenomenon that reflects the history and culture of the people it represents. Therefore, regular inclusion of folk dance in our curriculum helps us meet the 2014 Connecting artistic process with which we are now familiar. General Tips for Future Inclusion of Folk Dancing Including folk dance in the curriculum can be time-consuming and perhaps daunting for those who might not be comfortable with kinesthetically-based general music classes. Here are some ideas on next 32
Kinesthetic awareness is a powerful tool for students who are learning about such concepts as tempo, phrasing, dynamics and musical form... steps you might want to consider for the future: 1. Include folk dancing often and at every grade level. As with everything else, the more you use folk dance in your classroom, the easier it will become to do so. I was not always confident in my own ability to teach folk dances, but the more time I put towards including them, the more I could see the benefits for my students. This particularly holds true for the middle school general music setting, where, for some reason, our society has decided that students should be sitting more during class time. Challenge yourself to make room for folk dance with these upper-level students. They’ll thank you for it (even if they never say it to you directly). 2. Include your expectations for folk dancing in your classroom management plan. Folk dancing can be a scary prospect for teachers. If it is not managed well, it can ensure chaos for both teachers and students. If you plan to include a fair amount of dance in the classroom during a school year, have your students practice getting into different dance formations at the beginning of the year (such as longways, circle, concentric circles, etc.). This could be practiced just as you would practice lining up for a fire drill or distributing mallets for Orff instruments. 3. Remain authentic and accessible. Don’t be afraid to modify dance moves, but try to keep the music as authentic as possible. For instance, many students have difficulty spinning, so change it! This is not cheating; it is making this more accessible to students of various ages and abilities. Keeping the music authentic helps maintain the authenticity of the dance. Dancing the Hora to Hava Nagila performed by a Mariachi band is not as authentic as using a traditional Jewish Klezmer band. 4. Decide what your goals are for students. Many dances will indicate that boys need to be partnered with girls. This is not always feasible because of the number of boys and girls in class, nor is it in the best interest of many of your students. Many students will feel uncomfortable with this kind of forced pairing, which will undermine their ability to learn from the dancing. Ask yourself if it is more important for students to be paired this way, or that they are moving and feeling the beats and counting and learning about the culture. For me, it has always been the latter.
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MARYLAND MUSIC EDUCATOR Vol. 66, No. 1 Fall 2019 Official Journal of the Maryland Music Educators Association Maryland Music Educators Association, PMB#472, 6710 Ritchie Highway, Glen Burnie, MD 21061 This issue of Maryland Music Educator will be posted at www.mmea-maryland.org
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