1.) Content Knowledge: How much one knows about the topic in which they am teaching. The better one understands each concept, the better they can teach it to their students and help them apply it to real life situations.
The teacher understands the central concepts, methods of inquiry, and structures of the discipline(s) and creates learning experiences that make the content meaningful to all students.
Knowledge Indicators - The competent teacher:
1A. understands major concepts, assumptions, debates, principles, and theories that are central to the discipline(s) in which certification is sought.
1B. understands the processes of inquiry central to the discipline.
1C. understands how students' conceptual frameworks and their misconceptions for an area of knowledge can influence their learning.
1D. understands the relationship of knowledge within the discipline to other content areas and to life and career applications.
1E. understands how a student’s disability affects processes of inquiry and influences
patterns of learning.
Performance Indicators - The competent teacher:
1F. evaluates teaching resources and curriculum materials for their comprehensiveness, accuracy,
and usefulness for representing particular ideas and concepts.
1G. uses differing viewpoints, theories, "ways of knowing" and methods of inquiry in teaching subject matter concepts.
1H. engages students in generating and testing knowledge according to the process of inquiry and standards of evidence of the discipline.
1I. designs learning experiences to promote student skills in the use of technologies appropriate to the discipline.
1J. anticipates and adjusts for common misunderstandings of the discipline(s) that impede learning.
1K. uses a variety of explanations and multiple representations of concepts that capture key ideas to help students develop conceptual understanding.
1L. facilitates learning experiences that make connections to other content areas and to life and career experiences.
1M. designs learning experiences and utilizes adaptive devices/technology to provide access to general curricular content to individuals with disabilities.
"The competent teacher understands the central concepts, methods of inquiry, and structures of the disciplines and creates learning experiences that make the content meaningful to all students."
Central Concepts of Music: Music is core part of many cultures, ancient and modern. Not only does music give people a way to express themselves and evoke emotion in others, it also is linked to many other disciplines. It has been proven time and time again that those who participate in music courses have better test scores and grades than those who are not. This is because the Central Concepts of Music can be applied to every aspect in education: mathematics, reasoning, foreign language, problem solving, teamwork, quality of work, and the list goes on.
Methods of Inquiry: There are four big categories of approaches in teaching students. First is the speech based approach which is how folk music was initially taught way back when. Examples of this style today would the Suzuki method and teaching by rote. The second approach is the creativity based approach. Which is more of a trial and error process where students learn with basic instructions and figure out the rest on there on. Jazz improvisation is a prime example of this method. The third approach is literacy based approach which is found is most school systems today. This is where students read text books and written notation for the knowledge. The final approach is the listening based approach where students listen to example are attempt to recreate what they heard.
Structures of the Discipline: The spiral curriculum is the staple form of discipline for music education. This is where basic concept are introduced early and those same concept reoccur at different levels over the course of the learning process.
Creates Meaningful Learning Experiences: Music classes should not only teach students how to be better performers, but it should also mold them into better individuals. Music creates a meaningful learning experience for all those involved.
*This is a short essay on the structure of third movement of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's String Quartet in D minor, K. 421. This is an example of my content knowledge of the Form and Analysis of this famous classical piece music:
Tayiib Dauda
Form and Analysis
Mozart, String Quartet in D minor, K. 421, third movement
The third movement in Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s String Quartet in D minor, K. 421 is a compound ternary design. The 3 parts include the Menuetto, the Trio, and a recapitulation of the Menuetto. Measures 1-39 (the Menuetto) and measures 39-63 (the Trio) are both rounded binary forms.
Measures 1-10 are a tonally closed sentence structure. This section is in D minor and ends with a Perfect Authentic Cadence. In measure 3, a tonal sequence begins in the 1st violin. This sequence is done two bars at a time. The other 3 voices have a chromatic/real sequence that utilizes the German augmented 6th chord in measure 7.
Measures 11-20 modulate to the key of A minor. The pivot chord is debatable, but I believe it to happen right on measure 11 (as indicated in my analysis). Mozart uses another real sequence from measure 15-18. The 1st violin is sequencing down chromatically, the inner voices are playing a sequencing diminished pattern, and the bottom voice is holding a pedal E. In measures 22-27, Mozart uses a sequence that moves around the circle of 4th (backwards circle of 5th). When he gets to the Bb, following the circle, he alters that chord and makes it a German Augmented 6th chord which leads back to D minor. He finishes this section with a HC and then has a recapitulation of the opening material (which makes measure 1-39 a rounded Binary).
During the entire Menuetto, a specific rhythmic motive is established. This motive is the dotted eighth note followed by a sixteenth note.
The Trio is extremely contrasting to the Menuetto. First off, the Trio is in D major (the relative major of the Menuetto). Secondly, the texture of the music also becomes a lot less dense. And finally, the rhythmic motive that was set in the Menuetto has been inverted (from a dotted eighth note followed by a sixteenth note to a sixteenth note followed by a dotted eighth note). The Menuetto was structured as a melody in the 1st violin with a complex countermelody in the other voices, while the Trio is more of a melody in the 1st violin with accompaniment in the other voices. The chord progression is far less complex in the Trio than the Menuetto (mostly tonics and Dominants with a secondary dominant thrown in the mix).
After the Trio, Mozart recapitulates the Menuetto to finish the piece.
This is an essay on the music and traditions of Sub-Saharan Africa. This is an example of my content knowledge of World Music:
Tayiib Dauda
World Music
Sub-Saharan African Music
The BaAka (Baka), or Forest People, are a group of people from Central Africa. They are a semi nomadic group of people who are sometimes referred to (in a derogatory way) as Pygmies. Because of their nomadic nature, they live each day without really planning for the next. They hunt for food daily without storing much, if anything, for future use. Music plays a big part in their life; especially chants to ensure successful hunts. The “Yelli” is a prime example of one of those magical polyphonic songs that enchant the forest ensuring successful hunting. When food is scarce, the women wake up early and begin singing this song in a fashion similar to what we call a round or cannon.
One type of music that is particularly unique to the BaAka people is called Water Drumming. This is music created by people who are literally drumming (with their hands) on the surface of water. People of all ages and gender participate in this activity. When the children join they take the music a step further by doing cannonballs into the water to add to the drumming. Another song unique to the BaAka people is the Makala Song. This is a Mabo song and dance that is dedicated to honor Makala. The Makala is performed when the group is net hunting. The style is a mix of chanting and yodeling.
The Shona people are a group of people from Zimbabwe. The Shona use instruments that are categorized as thumb pianos (which is almost an injustice to the actual function of the instrument). These thumb pianos are called Kalimba, Lamellaphones, or more commonly, Mbira. The Mbira is used in “spiritual possession rituals” called bira (or plural, mapira). There are usually 2 Mbira players, one playing the main part, Kushaura, and one playing the 2nd part, Kutsinhira. The Shona also have 3 specific styles of singing: Mahonyera (vocables), Kudeketera (poetry), and Huro (yodeling). With these singing styles they have a song form with a 48-pulse cycle called Nhemamusa. This cycle is grouped 3x4x4.
The South African stopped flute ensembles are ensembles that use sets of end-blown flutes that are closed at one end. Each member of the ensemble has one flute that can play only one pitch. The performers usually dance while they play and are accompanied by singing and drumming. Since each player only has one pitch to play, they have to play in the hocket style (where each flute blows a note in rotation). For this reason (and the fact that improvisation plays a big role in this genre), the music performed by these ensembles usually has more than one melodic line happening simultaneously (polyphony).
The Mali Empire in West Africa is home to the Jalolu. They are profession sound artisans of the Mande ethnic tradtion. The Jalolu are similar to the troubadours of France because they were traveling musicians. However, unlike the troubadours, the Jalolu held a very high social rank. They were, in one respect, the historians of the Mali Empire. This is because they kept the history of the empire alive through songs and stories. This gave them highly regarded positions as advisors in the royal courts. Being a Jali (singular form of Jalolu) was a family inheritance. Even to this day the Jali family names are recognized and those families still follow their long tradition.
In the Jali tradition, the men usually play all the instruments while the women sing. There are 3 instruments specifc to this tradition. The first is the Kora, a West African ‘bridge-harp’. It is a cross between a harp and a lute that was built symmetrically to model the human body. When being taught the Kora, the very last thing a student learns how to do is tune the instrument. When a teacher finally teaches their student to tune the instrument, that shows that the teacher believes the student can begin his own career. The second instrument specific to the Jali tradtion is the Balo, a West African xylophone. The last instrument is the Ngoni, a West African plucked lute (which is believed the be an ancestor to the banjo).
Here are some musical terms of the Jali tradition. Kumbengo: a short ostinato pattern that serves as the tonal and metrical framework of most Jalulo songs. Birimintingo: virtuosic instrumental passages (flurries or cadenzas). Dankilo: a tune with several phrases of text. Sataro: open-ended extemporaneous forms of spoken and/or chanted text. Kon Kong: rhythmic tapping on the body of the Kora.
As I said before, the Jali tradition is still being kept alive today. One great example is Morikeba Kouyate. This tall, handsome, dark skinned man gave Professor Michael Becker the honor of performing traditional Jali music at his wedding. Mr. Kouyate performed “Ali Nyo Kano” (Let’s Love One Another). His warm, strong voice paired with his long, beautiful gown and hat was recipe for a phenomenal and memorable performance.
The West African drum ensemble or drum circle, as we know it, is an amazing experience. This ensemble uses an assortment of drums and other percussion instruments such as shakers and bells. There is usually a master drum called the gankogui, which is similar to our cowbell, and a group of secondary drums. The gankogui plays a constant, repeated rhythm underneath the other drums. This repeated rhythm controls the entirety of the ensemble. The gankogui player (master drummer) uses cues to tell the ensemble when to play and when not to play and can control tempo and pattern. Occasionally the master drummer will start a call and response section where he plays a rhythmic idea and the group repeats. The atumpans, or talking drums, are also importants instrument in the West African drum ensemble tradition. This drum has strings surrounding its body that can alter the pitch of the drum when pressure is applied to them. The pitch can also be affected by hitting it at different angles with a stick or the hand. These different sounds are used to imitate the human voice, which is why these drums are dubbed as talking drums.