Embedded Files
Overview
Below are several artifacts representing significant milestones in my professional development during my undergraduate education at the Crane School of Music. These exemplify my evolving beliefs and aspirations as a music educator. These documents underscore key principles: 1) students learn and retain positive residue when the material is relevant and meaningful to them and to their lives outside of the classroom, 2) music curriculum must be diverse, culturally responsive, and reflective of students' backgrounds, and 3) students become more engaged and retain more material when they are at the center of all learning and create their own understanding of music. These principles are informed by the insights and teachings of scholars Shaw, Bond, and Abril.
Academic Dictionary:
Academic Dictionary:
This dictionary is an everchanging resource for myself and other aspiring teachers. It can be used as a point of reference and a reminder of what has been learned. The examples from this dictionary can be applied to daily conversation, lessons, curriculums, etc.
Teaching Students Spanish Culture Through Music
Teaching Students Spanish Culture Through Music
Below is a slideshow used to accompany a seven lesson unit based around Spanish music. In doing this project I had to research what type of music would not only be fun for the students but represent the cultures (and do not perpetuate negative stereotypes). I also thought a lot about the function of the music chosen to ensure there was contrast. At the end of the unit, students have learned about Spanish-speaking countries, Spanish music, and how to say particular words and phrases in Spanish. They have responded with movement to how the music made them feel, learned how to play and understand the steady beat, as well as learned how to play quarter notes and half notes. They have used pitched and unpitched Orff instruments to reinforce their understanding of those rhythms. They have learned two new Spanish songs in their original text and understood the English translation.
The Links Between Music and Sign Language Through Music and Movement
The Links Between Music and Sign Language Through Music and Movement
Below is a slide show used to accompany an eight-lesson interdisciplinary unit revolving around music and sign language. Music and sign language are both used to communicate words, feelings, ideas, etc. With this lesson unit, students have learned about both music and ASL. Students have learned how to sign words in isolation, and how to put them to music. They have also learned about rhythm and 4/4 time. They are able to sing and sign three new pieces, perform and count various rhythms, and have a meaningful discussion about the content they learned (hopefully providing important feedback to the teacher).
Learning How to Alter Musical Dimensions to Create Contrast
Learning How to Alter Musical Dimensions to Create Contrast
This is just one lesson in a four-lesson unit for middle school students. In this unit, they learn how altering different musical dimensions as well as different interpretations can alter the way a piece is perceived as well as its impact on the listener. This "screen-cap" from one lesson shows how students are instructed in altering musical dimensions to create an original cover of the piece. With this lesson unit, students have learned an entire piece from start to finish, starting with music on a neutral syllable and ending with a piece they helped to create, fully memorized. They have learned how to alter and improvise with different elements to make a cohesive piece with lots of contrast. This piece would work extremely well with folk songs from around the world, helping students to explore the genre of folk songs, the concept of oral tradition, and how to improvise.
How Can We Represent Ideas In Music? How Does Music Represent Ideas?
How Can We Represent Ideas In Music? How Does Music Represent Ideas?
Below is a lesson video from a five-day unit centered around the expressive qualities of music and how music can represent ideas. Students in this last lesson discover how music can represent non-musical ideas. Students created their own unique animals. Then, based on adjectives used to describe those animals, they created their own musical composition. Students interpreted musical dimensions to create a composition with a non-musical focus.
Defining 21st Century Pop Music, An Exploration of Genre Organization
Below is a lesson revision and reflection on a lesson taught in an online context. This lesson focused on musical dimensions and exploring the specific dimensions associated with 21st century pop music. This lesson was part of a larger context in which students learned about musical dimensions for the larger goal of a genre swaping project. Students took a familar folk or spiritual tune and turned it into a 21st Century Pop song. This lesson was a precursor of the actual composing. It was a lesson to explore the dimensions of music that make this genre unique.
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