Chapter 6
1. "Teachers with years of successful experience assume that movement is the means for leading children to singing and playing instruments more musically, to composing and improvising in meaningful ways, and to showing evidence of listening with a clear understanding of music's structures and sonic flow" (pg. 120). If all this is true, then I would certainly like to see the evidence of it. How can the author say something so objectively and then have no research to back up these assertions? Perhaps one or more of these statements are true, but the author is insinuating that just based on "movement," all children will sing, play, compose, improvise, and listen at a higher level. I think that such a theory is absurd and ludicrous. Why are we having little children composing and improvising based solely on movement anyway?
2. "How does movement teach a musical concept? How does a musical concept motivate movement" (pg. 125)? These are fascinating questions, especially for someone like myself who doesn't have any background in eurhythmics or dance. I think of my experiences in elementary music education when the teachers would demonstrate high notes and low notes by getting taller and getting shorter. My best conductors have always been able to associate some type of movement with the type of sound they are looking for. I know that this has been a very effective means of communication. I even know of some conductors who have studied with mimes to learn different expressions they could use on the podium.
3. "At times, recorded music can be used to stimulate movement, but the live and partly spontaneous music played by the teacher on piano or percussion instrument is best" (pg. 137). I completely agree with the spontaneous act of creating music. It is altogether more captivating and inspiring than some old recording. However, I must take issue with the fact that only the piano and other percussion instruments are the best. I remember when I was about 3 or 4 years old, and in preschool. There was a woodwind player who came into the classroom to put together and play for us the flute, the oboe, the clarinet, and the saxophone. I remember that this experience had a huge effect on me, and I was never quite the same afterward. But the piano, for instance, never did a whole lot for me inside or outside of the classroom.
Chapter 11
1. "The ability to motivate and manage students is one of the most necessary skills of good teachers" (pg. 273). I know this to be true from the limited amount of teaching experience that I have. No matter the age or grade level, students will look to be inspired and motivated either inside the classroom or outside the classroom. How infinitely important than is it to have good, qualified teachers who are passionate and excited about what they do. Sure, they will not reach everyone in the class. But they will do a world of good for the vast majority of the students. Student management is also very important. The best teachers really don't have to try very hard to manage their students because their students are naturally inclined to participate. When teachers are prepared for class and generally excited about what they do, they tend to have a certain glow about them. This glow is contagious, and the students will naturally respond in a positive manner.
2. "Competition can sometimes be a source of motivation, but it can also backfire" (pg. 279). I think some healthy competition can often be a good thing for teachers and students alike. But when the competition becomes the main focus rather than the music itself, it not only can backfire, it will. I tend to like self-competition a lot better than competing one against another, but this too can backfire. In high school I always loved preparing for "Solo & Ensemble" competition in the winter. This was a chance for me to do an independent project, get performance experience, and then have the chance to be evaluated. In a sense it wasn't competitive because I was competing against myself. This was a healthy way to see what kind of job I was doing on my instrument. But if this was to ever become an obsession for me, I wouldn't have gained anything from it. Likewise if I started to compare myself to others playing the same piece as me, I might lose the spirit of what I was doing.
3. "There are many ways to divide the class into groups" (pg. 283). When I was a kid, almost every teacher I had let the class members divide themselves into their own groups. This almost always backfired for me, as I was frequently the "odd man out." I personally don't like putting kids in this position. Sure, I'm obviously biased and sensitive to this subject, but any student in a similar situation will feel awkward, shy, embarrassed, unsure of themselves, and ultimately, unhappy. As the book suggests, I highly recommend picking groups by chance or by using simple mathematics. Creative teachers will no doubt find endless ways of creating meaningful groups. When "chance" methods are employed, children are more likely to be exposed to people outside of their heritage, culture, race, and background. If nothing else, it is a good way to meet new friends.
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