Fairynne's Service-Learning Reflection

Introduction

When choosing a focus for my service-learning project, I wanted to partner with one of my existing students. There were many benefits to this - the main one being that the student and I have already established a relationship of safety and trust. I knew that they were continually frustrated with the standard private voice lesson format at the collegiate level and continued to experience difficulties because of the policies and procedures that this particular university employs to the private voice lesson class. We have been working together since January 2023 and have shared in our frustration with some of the policies that are in place. What better time to explore how to work within these policies than with this project?

This student was diagnosed with ADHD at an early age and was recently diagnosed with a tic disorder, and we identified two areas that we could focus on: dedicated practice time and movement during performance. In looking at the effect that ADHD has on this student, they shared with me that they have difficulty with managing their time and schedule, especially if something was not on their e-calendar. The most forthright solution was to have the student schedule their practice time each week and put it on their e-calendar, however, the next issue is what to do during that time. We needed to find a way to remind the student to (a.) practice and (b.) know what to do during that practice time. This is something that we have continually tried to find solutions for in the two previous semesters that we have worked together, and none have been successful so far. Identifying this need was great, but initially, I was a little bit frustrated with this student because these are things that we have truly been working on for a year. We’ve discussed practicing and what to do during that time in detail, and it was irksome that we had to spend more time finding solutions to this.

An additional need that we identified was that the student needed to move during performances. In the past year, they had been trying to suppress their tics during performances because excessive movement is generally deemed as a reason for a lowered point value or grade. This was creating problems during and after performances for the student, and we wanted to find a solution that allowed the student to incorporate movement into their performances while providing minimal distractions for the audience. The effect that a tic disorder would have on performance was something that I had not really considered before, as I have had minimal experience working with students with this type of disability. It made me question why we hold every student to the same standards. Shouldn’t we consider their aspirations more in a private voice lesson setting and work towards that rather than some arbitrary requirement that someone years ago decided was important?

Outcomes: Myself

Something that I will take away from this experience is the importance of student agency. My students know themselves better than I do, and it is vital to listen to them. The aspect of student voice and choice is a tenant of my vocal studio, and that always needs to be front and center, especially in goal setting. I do ask my students what their goals are, but I learned how important guided goal setting can be this semester. The student and I were able to have a level of open communication and trust throughout the process where the student really opened up about what they needed. If they weren’t sure what they needed, we were able to work together to come up with a plan.

Outcomes: Community Partner

The student responded very positively to the activities that we implemented. When I first approached them about this project, they were so excited to be a part of it. They are continually trying to find solutions on how to function in a world that is built for neurotypical people, so they said that they really appreciated the intentional time that we took to plan for their lessons. When I received their final feedback, they wanted to continue the activities that we introduced this semester with no changes to the format of them. They also mentioned some additional things that they would like to focus on for next semester.

I believe that this is a wonderful case study showing how the input of the student truly needs to be considered in private voice lessons. Yes, there are protocols and regulations we need to follow, but there is so much space to figure out how to meet those regulations without costing the student agency or confidence. The student was committed to attending lessons each week and being on time, which is an improvement from previous semesters, and was truly excited to try the new activities I proposed. They said that they felt less “trapped in their own body” and were able to articulate new goals that came about as a result of our work this semester. 

Outcomes: My Knowledge and Skills

I did not know much about tic disorders before this project. They are something that I would like to learn more about, especially because they appear in many different ways. For this student, most of their tics were movement based, so we really worked on incorporating movement into their lessons and performances. I also was confronted with my own perceptions of ADHD, and how it does not affect each person the same way. This is another area that I would like to research more, specifically the effect that ADHD has on learning and performing music. I was embarrassed for not being more aware of these things, but it pushed me to become a more educated teacher. It’s not enough to be knowledgeable about the voice - I need to be knowledgeable about the students and any barriers they may be facing, whether it be physical or emotional. This will be extremely helpful moving forward because there is no telling who will walk through my door, and each student deserves a positive and helpful voice lesson experience.

Outcomes: My Values

As stated above, each student deserves a positive voice lesson experience. This experience affirmed the need for open communication between student and teacher. Because the voice lives inside the body, the student is the expert when it comes to what they need. I can provide the foundation, and it is my job to give them all of the tools and resources that I can. This is dependent on them voicing their goals, their frustrations, and their struggles. There are some times where, in a collegiate voice lesson setting, we need to stay within certain parameters of required repertoire and performance etiquette. Unfortunately, that is just how this world works at this level - however, cases like this allow for pushback of traditional standards and evidence for some change to take place. Even if the change does not take place, the teacher and student become a team that works to overcome barriers that they are facing and allow for a successful experience, which will change based on the student. 

My viewpoint of a successful experience has shifted because of this project. I had two main goals for the student at the beginning of the semester: consistent attendance and a memorized performance of a foreign language piece on their jury. These are things that I identified as goals after having worked with the student for two semesters. I learned that, while my goals for the student were admirable, I needed to let go of what I thought was going to be a successful semester. The student still missed several of their coachings that occurred outside of our lesson time but is a part of the lesson requirements. However, the student was at every lesson on-time and did not miss even one - which is a significant improvement from past semesters. The student also performed their foreign language piece with a binder, reading the words rather than it being from memory. They remained poised, sang healthily, and due to my permission ahead of time to use music, they were able to prepare their other two pieces and manage the rest of their coursework in an easier way. The most important thing that I can take away from this experience is that the student’s feeling of success far outweighs mine. While my pride took a little ding reading comments from other adjudicators like “Shouldn’t this be from memory?” or “Memorized,” I knew that the student felt proud of their performances and made significant progress in their technique and vocal production this semester. That is what truly matters.

Outcomes: Action

I would like to check to see if there are any additional steps that we can take for this student’s accommodations. There is still a hurdle of a foreign language piece requirement that will likely still be in place when we begin our lessons again in the Fall. This student has a difficult time with memorization, and hopefully we can find some sort of solution where the student can gain confidence in this requirement. My first thoughts are to see if we can add an exception to the foreign language requirement into their accommodations, or add something that allows the student to use their music during their jury. I am also hoping that with the implementation of the practice log activity at the beginning of the semester the student will gain confidence with the memorization aspect.

Conclusion

Service-learning is an invaluable tool for expanding knowledge and establishing an open line of communication with a community partner. They are the experts when it comes to the things that they experience, how their brains and bodies work, and what they need. A year ago, I was at a loss for how to help this student. I had tried everything I knew to support this student, and it still was not enough. Through relying on the student to tell me what they needed and following through with the support I promised, we have been able to redefine what success means for this student. This directly relates to a Universal Design for Learning and Social Emotional Learning frameworks, which I plan to integrate more fully into all of my lessons. So, the remaining question is this, is tradition for tradition's sake really worth it? Or is now the time for change?