(46 points) This course has covered a lot of material. You have had to learn much about the history of music education in America, philosophical positions, ideas on aesthetics, purposes of education, sociological and social psychological concepts, and several aspects of psychology in a short amount of time. Now, let’s put that knowledge to use!
Be sure to address all three items below with examples and support in a reflection post that connects what you've learned with how you will use it as a teacher in the future.
- How will what you learned in this course about philosophy and aesthetics affect your teaching in the future?
- How will what was covered in the parts on sociology, social psychology, or psychology affect your teaching in the future?
- Choose any one of the previous seven units in the course, and explain how what you have learned will affect your teaching in the future.
Teaching at Florida Virtual School provides a bit of a challenge as it relates to making changes. Since I do not have control over the content, I am not always able to teach the way I would like to. However, during our improvisation live lessons, I have an opportunity to provide my students with a positive aesthetic experience. The students are required to perform a brief improvisation with a pre-recorded melody. While the activity is created so the students can show that they understand the concept of improvisation, I believe the opportunity for an aesthetic experience exists. The more my students enjoy their project, the more successful I feel I will be. We listen to this performance by Ella Fitzgerald. Even through this recording, students have the opportunity to experience feelings of joy, awe, and humor as she plays with the audience. During the recording, I can talk to the students in the chat box about some of the ideas involved with improvisation. This allows them to listen on a higher, more intellectual level. The students are focused on the recording and are experiencing it together! These aspects, put together, form a strong aesthetic experience. I have my next live lesson on Monday and will work to give my students a more aesthetically pleasing experience as they listen!
I teach nearly 200 students from all over the State of Florida, and they all come from different socioeconomic, cultural, and religious backgrounds. Many of them have never taken a music course like this before. Some may not have had any music education since elementary school. This will affect how they work in my class. It is important for me to understand how they feel about music in their lives and use that to help them understand what they are learning. Many times my students will answer a question about what they likes about a particular piece of music with "I didn't like it. It's not my type of music." I generally mark it wrong (or partial credit) and move on. I think what needs to happen is for me to ask the student WHY they didn't like it. I can ask them to think critically about the music they enjoy and compare it to the Renaissance motet they just listened to and talk about the reasons they didn't enjoy it. Perhaps by validating their feelings, it could make them more open to discussing the music. They might even shift their attitude since I am not directly telling them "you will like this."
I remember watching the "Landfill Orchestra" video in Module 4 and being very moved by how important music was to these young students. I think that it is so important that our communities and administrations understand that music is vital to the complete education of a student. I deal with a lot of students who have not had a formal music education for years. One thing I am going to do it try to encourage my own virtual students to seek out the music teachers in their own schools (many of whom have top notch programs!) and get involved in music beyond their short time with me. Many of my students tell me at the end of the course how much they enjoyed learning about the history of Western Music. I can do more for them. There is so much out there for them to experience! If I can tap into their own love for music, perhaps I can encourage them to get involved. Of course, many of my students come from schools that do not have music programs. It is unfortunate that these students do not have an opportunity to experience music the way other students do. It's really a shame when administrations do not value music as an important part of education. I have seen this first hand. A good friend of mine who is a band director helped to mobilize parents to speak to the school board about cuts to a middle school band program. He received a letter of reprimand from his principal. Of course, he is a hero in the eyes of many music educators, but it is such a shame that he is being reprimanded for trying to ensure that students in his district are able to receive a solid music education.
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