IMITATE–ASSIMILATE–INNOVATE: REVOLUTIONIZING THE ORCHESTRA LESSON IN AN UNCERTAIN TIME Roberto Iriarte Musicians often live by philosophies that drive them in positive directions in order to reach goals in every aspect of performance, composition, production, and education. Trumpet master Clark Terry often taught this philosophy in relation to jazz improvisation– imitate, assimilate, innovate. I was fortunate enough to have heard Clark deliver this at a master class in 1991 at the Elmhurst College Jazz Festival. While this philosophy can apply to many things in life, let us stick to the orchestra at this time. In these uncertain times, your music classroom has likely gone through a rebirth and/or transformation since you left the building in March. By now, you may have been “All-in,” “Hybrid,” or “All Remote” in your school. Some of you may have been reassigned to another subject with music having been cancelled in your building. These are all realities of the pandemic era. Let us take this opportunity to explore some things in order to remain relevant in educating our students during these unprecedented times. IMITATE Humans first learn language by ear, not by reading. Treat music the same way. It is beneficial to listen to the music more than to read the music, particularly in the early stages of learning. Use balance to build both skills, keeping in mind that balance does not necessarily mean 50/50. Tip the balance heavier toward the listening, and the achievement of your students will begin to increase.
We should be modeling best practices for our students on one or more instruments in order to show them how we want them to look and sound. Our students need to see us demonstrate what we are asking them to do. Play for your students in person and on recorded lessons for them to have at home. If you are not comfortable with playing as an example for your students, make a change. Practice more or hire a professional to be the example if it is an instrument you are not comfortable playing. Share great performances of music with your students. You can do this via audio and video for your students to copy sound, style, bow skills, and more. Using real-world examples is one of the most effective and efficient ways for them to hear and to see where we want them to go. Do this for your students often. Use a variety of resources including books, audio recordings, scores, and electronic media of all kinds in order to meet today’s expectations in the music world. PLATFORMS AND APPLICATIONS All of these examples can be organized and shared with your students using a variety of platforms, including Google Classroom or YouTube for posting video and audio. Create interactive Google Slides using the add on Flat. io which you can use to write out music on Slides and on Google Docs. Teachers and students can use this tool if they do not have access to Sibelius or Finale. Screencastify (video/audio add-on to browser) and Audacity (audio only application) are free. For students using phones APRIL/MAY 2021 | 21
