grading and rubrics

Alfie Kohn Wrote an article titled The Trouble With Rubrics. The article is all about Kohn's thoughts on grading and rubrics for students. There are a lot of things I agreed with in the article. Kohn starts off by explaining how rubrics are a standard for educators every where. Many educators think they are a good idea especially because it takes away the harshness of direct letter grades. The use of rubrics might make organizing a class and making grades more easier for a teacher but the problem is that rubrics do not teach students or explain how a student can improve. As stated in the article a B+ or “three 3's” tell a parent little on how a student can do better or what did they do wrong.

Other things I agree with Kohn are, Students are taking less risks with class work and exams because they fear getting a low grade. Students should be exploring new subjects as deep as possible to really grasp an understanding and not just focus on the information to get an A. Students get too wrapped up in “ How well am I doing” verses “ What am I doing”. Rubrics are also seen as boring objectives to students, which makes class lessons seem less appealing.

I think that it would be hard to have a set in stone rubric for music class for every student. Music is a very creative subject and should not have strict guidelines. Also all students are at different talent levels and learn at different rates. I feel a good way to asses music students is by having them recorded themselves practicing once a week, listen to the recording and just comment briefly on it. This will enforce practicing and students wont have to recorded anything in particular, just what they are practicing that day. Another way is when a new piece is first handed out the teacher will record the student sight reading a section. Then in a month record the part again and varying on their skill level asses on improvement. The teacher will then write up an explanation on the students improvement and discuss with the student.

Article: The Trouble with Rubrics by. Alfie Kohn

blog post 3

Jazz and American folk music definitely play a part in music education, it is not necessary for music educator to be experts but it is necessary for music educators to be knowledgeable and to teach Jazz and American folk. There are a couple reasons for this.

Two important reasons for teaching jazz are, Jazz introduces an easy frame for improvisation, and it is the genre of music that Americans created. Improvisation is one of the nine CT performing arts standards, but not many musicians are comfortable improvising. Music is a way of expression and a special expression that does not need the aid of words. Improvisation is one of the purest ways to express yourself through a musical performance, and jazz improvisation is a great way to start. Free jazz is also a great way to teach students. Students must understand that not all music is written down and some of it is created on the spot, and some songs are never written down and are just played by ear and performance practice. Jazz is also the American genre and One of the national standards is making connections to history. Jazz is rich with history and is full of different styles that formed in all different parts of the US. Their are endless lessons that can be taught with jazz. One more thing that is a good reason for teaching jazz is class room management. A music class might prefer to study or play fun exciting jazz tunes by Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock, or the great Satchmo.

American folk music also plays a role in music ed. It is not too important for the teacher to be an expert but it is important to teach the standard American folk tunes and any other nifty humorous ones. American folk tunes usually come with some sort of story or the song explains a story. It is important for the teacher to be familiar with the song and the story to go along with it. Incorporating the story with the song will help students understand the song better and it makes for a fun lesson. Another important reason for teaching American folk tunes is to teach classic American songs. Our communities, parents, principals all what our students to know standards such as America the beautiful, and Yankee doodle. Part of being in school is learning how to be a good citizen and a good American so it is important to start teaching these topics when the students are young.

blog post 2

The article by professor Schneider was great. Especially for beginner music teachers, this article can apply to any band class, choir, orchestra, or even theory class. Professor Schneider started his teaching carrier with “no band” and in five years created a band that could do things my high school band couldn't even think of doing. But how is something like this accomplished?

I agree with professor Schneider that a lot of school ensembles are “repertoire machines” pumping out a cliché list of tunes year after year. I also agree that this style of ensemble leaves out many other important standards that are critical to becoming a musician, and playing with expression.

Professor Schneider was not satisfied with an ensemble that just read what was given to them and then play it. He wanted to make the students better musicians. In order to do this he had to add (Dicaplin, theory, technique, and composition to his class.) Professor Schneider wanted to make sure he didnt have students just going with the motions. He wanted to make sure that if you weer a flute player you could pick up someone else's music, transpose if needed and play the part. He also wanted to have his students perform by ear and repeat a song after listening to it. Applying theory and aural theory into every rehearsal definitely helped the students. Not only are all these skills important to learn but they also create more fun activities for the music class which also increases the students skills and make the students want to come to music class.

It can be hard to determine if some one is a good musician. As mentioned before and in the article. Some students just go through the motions, they can read and play music well, but are they good musicians? Although it is true that one of the first things to look for in a good musician is if they actually play well. The next thing you want to look for is versatility, and technique. Can the musician play the song in a different key, Tempo, or in a different style. And One more thing to look for is a musicians character. Does the musician look like they are having a good time? Is there good posture? Does it look the the musician is playing cause they want to be their or because they have to be their.

Article: http://leadingnotes.org/2012/02/06/schneider/

UB methods post 1

Book: Teaching Music with Purpose, Boonshaft

Music has always been an exciting part of my life. The trombone was my first instrument. I started playing in 4^th grade and it was my first choice when it came time to select instruments. The fact that the trombone looked funny and sounded funny attracted me to it. Music and music making has always seemed to be a fun thing to me. As I got older I started to realize that music was all about having fun and the more fun I had the more I practiced and the better I got. This is one of my strongest values of music. Ensuring that students have a good time with music so they continue to stick with it and are able to learn to play on their own out side school and with friends.

Besides teaching music, music is still a huge part of my life today. This is important to me because I feel that the more I involve my life with music the more I will continue to learn and continue to grow as a musician. I am a DJ at WPKN 89.5FM, I play gigs at bars once or twice a month, I help my friend with his recording studio and I am constantly playing and practicing an hour or two a day. Its also a goal of mine and my friends to one day travel and just play music. I share all my musical experiences and practice habits with students to give them encouragement and incentive to continue practicing.

Music to me is a very special art form. A “non tangible” art form . This means that music is a art form that is complex and very difficult to explain in words. This is an important concept to me and my teaching. I explain to students that making music is like painting your own picture or writing your own book where the notes you play and the expression you use to play are the words and explanations. This makes music sound more personal and interesting to students. Music is a special subject that makes connections with daily life and other school subjects.

Something I still need a little help with while at my internship is class room management. This is a very important skill to have and there is right and wrong ways to go about it. Teaching in a Bridgeport public school presents many challenges daily with classroom management. So it is important to learn quickly or managing a class will be come more difficult. I really like the way Boonshaft addresses negative behavior and classroom management. According to Boonshaft treating negative behavior with negative behavior is not an efficient way of dealing with the behavior, and if a punishment is given it means proper steps were not taken to prevent the behavior in the first place. I agree with Boonshaft that a good personality is essential to making students want to learn from you. If they enjoy learning from you then they are less likely to act out or not want to perform well in class. It is more important to acknowledged positive behavior and reinforce it so that other students will follow. One more step to take to ensure positive behavior is to embrace opportunities to teach and use that enthusiasm to create motivation in students. If the teacher is excited about a piece of music of a subject then the student will be more inclined to want to learn.