Creative Process

My Creative Process

When structuring the lesson plan each week, I designed it to engage the participants, while also helping them to grow their musical abilities.  Moreover, I also based it on the research I conducted last semester as well as the concepts I learned from the practicum held right before each workshop.

Every week, I began with a karaoke warm-up, in which the participants could sing a song of their choice in front of the classroom.  Afterward, I moved into the discussion portion where the participants discussed a specific topic or question they had.  When leading the discussion portion, I implemented active learning by facilitating a round-robin or think-pair-share discussion.  In CPSA260, I learned about the importance of active learning since it not only allows the students to take charge of their learning but also allows everyone to be engaged (Jay Howard).  Thus, after I implemented this learning strategy, I saw increased engagement among the participants.

 Afterward, I transitioned into the lecture portion where the participants learned topics ranging from scales and key signatures, to improving one’s singing. From my research last semester, I felt that there were specific topics that were worthwhile teaching. Most notably, in the book, The Naked Voice: A Wholistic Approach to Singing written by Stephen Smith, I learned that there were physical attributes that can elevate one’s singing such as utilizing various parts of the body and mouth. 

With this in mind, I dedicated one lecture to teaching ways in which the participants can improve their singing through their posture and stage performance. Finally, I moved on to the main activity, which consisted of teaching a song and having the participants sing it karaoke style afterward.

Through this workshop, the participants should ultimately be familiarized with singing karaoke, while also understanding the various impacts it can have on individuals, most notably, on their well-being.

Citation

Howard, Jay. “How to Hold a Better Class Discussion.” The Chronicle of Higher Education, The Chronicle of Higher Education, 18 Jan. 2023, https://www.chronicle.com/article/how-to-hold-a-better-class-discussion/.

Smith, W. Stephen, and Michael Chipman. The Naked Voice: A Wholistic Approach to Singing. Oxford University Press, 2017.