What about the other 80%???Oct 07 '01 Write an essay on this topic.
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The Bottom Line Get your kid into music - the benefits are endless!!!
As I’m sure you are probably aware if you regularly read my stuff, I am a middle school band director. Generally I write about everything BUT what I do for a living, what with Epinions being a hobby and all. I saw this category and thought I’d throw in some ideas. Nationwide there has been a decline in the number of students at the secondary level who are enrolled in band, orchestra and choral programs. Since I think we all agree that music in the lives of our children has a profound positive effect, from responsibility growth, raised test scores, building teamwork skills, etc., I think the question needs to be asked, What about the other 80%?. We have about 20% of secondary students getting this valuable experience - what can we do about all of the other kids? Don’t they also deserve the chance to make music a part of their lives and reap the benefits of this? The answer may lie in the offering of a general music course that would be fun and effective for the other 80%. Here’s what I would do (just a thought) if I had the opportunity to teach a general music course to my middle school kids (the other ones in the school). For me specifically this is not possible in the course of my day, as I see about 200 kids a day already, but it’s always nice to think of the what ifs...... Here’s a course title: Course Title: Explorations in Music (could be applied to either Middle or High School) Course Description: Students will explore different types of music through listening, performing and composing. Students will develop skills for choosing good music for personal use. National Standards Addressed: All, at least to some degree. Timeline: One semester - class will meet daily for 50 minutes. Class size will be limited to about 35-40. Activities/Objectives: 1) Students will learn some basic musical terms and notation skills using Alfred’s Essential Music Theory (computer program) in a lab setting. Assessment is built right into the program; each student will be assessed at some point during the semester. 2) Working in small groups of 4 or 5 students will create original compositions, then later perform them using percussion instruments and recorders. 3)Students will listen to various kinds of music from jazz to rock and pop. Students will compare and contrast different types of music and make decisions about what can be considered “good” music. 4) Students will create a video that will be filmed toward the end of the semester using a piece that they consider to be “good” music. 5) Students will use Sibelius to compose and notate a short piece of their own - they will perform it on percussion instruments and recorders in their small groups. Within the small group all of the students must use the program for at least part of the composition. Assessment: 1) Students will be assessed by participating in and completing each project. 2) Each student will complete the assessments through Unit 6 of Alfred’s Essential Music Theory. 3) Students will analyze and critique each other’s performances and compositions. Value will be assigned by the students. 4) Students will assert values and opinions about different musical examples provided, focusing on what makes the music expressive (or not). Outline: Week 1-2: Alfred Essential Music Theory and Listening. Assessment using Alfred program. Week 3-4: Introduction to instruments (percussion instruments to include glockenspiel, xylophone, tambourine, snare drum, bass drum, triangle, cymbals, timpani (if available); recorders to be purchased by the students at the beginning of the course, keyboard). Experiment in small groups with the different kinds of sounds that are available with these instruments. Listening examples of percussion music as well as some popular music using drums. Assessment using Alfred program. Week 4-5: Listening to popular music of our culture, from current offerings to “oldies”. Identify different aspects of this music such as mood (adjectives: happy sad, angry, etc. - how does the music move them?), instrumentation (what instruments are being utilized), tempo (use terms learned in Alfred program), identify basic form. Begin using instruments to experiment in small groups with making pieces similar in style to those offered in listening examples. Assessment using Alfred program. Homework: Gather sources of popular music to bring in and share with the class, with specific guidelines (no foul lyrics, etc.). Week 6-9: Using basic notation skills, work in small groups to create your own composition with available instruments. Assessment will include performing your composition for the class as well as sharing your notation. Include movement to express the feeling intended by the music (you may create a skit for your performance). Week 10 - 12: Introduction to Sibelius in lab setting. Assignment is to create a 16 measure composition (keep it playable) that will be performed by the class using recorders. Use Sibelius to write out (and experiment with) composition. Week 13-16: Introduction to Imovie to learn to edit movies. Outline then create a music video of your own, using a piece of music (popular or otherwise) that you consider to be “good” music, according to what you have learned in this course. Your small group will have access to a digital camcorder at least twice each week. We will use Imovie to edit the videos. Maybe someone out there has the ability to take this thought and run with it - I know that it’s a crying shame that the non performers out there miss out on the joy and meaning of music in their lives. I know that was a long read - thanks for reading!!  |
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