Transforming Music Classes And Rehearsals With Composition And iPads: Reflections From A Mid-Career Music Educator By Spiros D. Xydax Baker Middle School Troy, Michigan
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ow can one measure a successful music program? I’m sure many of us have heard the terms “student-centered,” “constructivist,” and “student-inquiry.” They explain the learning experiences where instruction is focused on children interacting directly with the content and developing their own understanding and meaning. What does this approach look like in music performance classrooms? How can music programs become more student-centered in a setting that has always been so director-dominated? I believe the easiest, quickest way to transform your classroom atmosphere to a more student-centered, inquiry driven environment is to include students as part of the learning experience by asking good questions that provoke thought. A simple test that any teacher can do is to record and compare the amount of time that they, the teacher, are talking about the music, versus how much time the students are talking about the music. The results may tell quite a lot about who has the power and knowledge in your classroom. For example, rather then stopping a rehearsal to tell the ensemble what to do, ask meaningful questions that encourage students to interpret the music. Honoring the multiple perspectives students bring to the classroom can promote deep musical conversations, empowering the class as decision makers, and making the ultimate decisions more meaningful to the ensemble. Students take ownership in the music, the rehearsal and the performance. The depth of conversation and the growth of shared understanding will impress you and your ensemble members.
Composition May Be The True Missing Link If you had all the time in the world with your students, what would you do differently? In my teaching, I have grown to realize that students develop a greater understanding of music through composing it rather than by performing it. In my classes, we learn a new topic and then the students compose. Some of the compositions are simple etudes to demonstrate or assess for understanding. Others are revised and edited within groups or with the entire ensemble’s input to develop a thought, idea or curiosity. Some compositions are rehearsed and performed in class and presented in public concerts. Other compositions are simply shared with peers. Through the well-planned and studentcentered implementation of technology in the music classroom, everyone can be a composer and easily share their musical ideas with the entire world. Increasing the students’ understanding in music can result in better performing students and better performing ensembles. I often insist that students compose their own playing quizzes, thus focusing on their personal self-determined struggles. Further, when students have the opportunity to share and perform their own compositions, they feel empowered. It becomes their music and their learning. Elementary and general music teachers have known and practiced this for years. Perhaps instrumental and choral teachers should have more conversations with them. Empower Your Music Students And Integrate Technology The biggest connection I have made recently with my students is the integration
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of technology into my band ensembles. By using various technologies, I have been able to help students make connections with the music beyond performance and empower students to become more involved with their learning. With each new program or website, there is always a bit of a learning curve but I found the time spent has been more valuable to my students and their success than the time I’d use on score study. The way our students experience information and music now is far different than how I did at their age. Technology in band when I was in high school was a VHS player and plastic sheets on an overhead projector. The use of the iPad has been especially valuable to my instruction and to my students’ learning. I have one iPad right next to my music stand and besides the time saved with attendance, inventory, emails, tuning, tempo checking, music vocabulary searching, YouTube videos, trill fingerings, lesson plans, and composition sharing, I have also been able to keep in touch with how my students experience the world. Using the GarageBand app on the iPad, my band enjoys exploring some of the musical concepts we discuss in literature. My percussion ensemble especially enjoys creating their own pieces, or doing a cover tune using the iPad. They negotiate and discuss the various sounds and performance techniques possible with the iPad in order to create, with little guidance from me, their own musical performances. The discussions we have with the iPads in our hands directly relate to the same discussions we had with our band and percussion instruments. However, with the iPads, students are able to make the connections necessary to relate musical concepts with tools that they are familiar with and enjoy, which creates a lasting impression on them. As a result, students take ownership MARCH 2014