Hello parents and guardians!
Welcome back to another year at ____ Middle School! I hope you all have had a wonderful summer and I'm really looking forward to teaching your children this year.
For those of you who are new to ____ Middle School, my name is Mr. FitzGerald and I teach chorus and general music at the middle school. I have degrees in Music Performance and Communications from Salve Regina University and a Masters in Music Education from the University of Bridgeport. I'm a classically-trained tenor with a passion for both pop and classical music. I've performed all over New York City and have shared the stage with acts such as Hanson, Sum 41, and the late Christina Grimmie. I've worked my fair share corporate jobs. I've interned at two government agencies and spend my summers working in human resources for William Raveis Real Estate and Insurance. If i'm not teaching, performing, or working, I'm probably in front of the TV watching Notre Dame Football or enjoying Sunday dinner with my family.
Yes, I have an incredible passion for music, but I try to be as well-rounded as possible; and I want to help your children become well-rounded individuals as well.. My classes aren't necessarily class on music. Rather, I use music as a vehicle to prepare your children for real-world experiences. I use music to teach things like improvisation, teamwork, and project management. Performing is a physical activity, and we'll spend a good deal of time exercising the muscles that help us make music. Through my lessons, I try to help your kids make connections between music and all the other subjects they are studying.
I going to be using this blog as a primary form of communication with all my students' parents and guardians so you are all aware of everything your kids are learning and experiencing in my classes. I will try to post a blog to the class Edmodo page every other week. If you have any questions, all of my contact information can be found here (would be hyperlinked in an actual post). Once again, I'm really looking forward to getting to know all of your children in the coming days as we begin the academic year. Thank you and have a lovely evening.
Mr. FitzGerald
Tuesday, June 21, 2016
Monday, April 25, 2016
Final Lesson Reflection
For my final lesson I decided to redo and improve on my initial lesson on national anthems from around the world. I attempted to incorporate guitar playing and little bit of singing to make the lesson a little more musical. While I did achieve a more musical experience, I feel like a struggled to flow from playing/singing (which was very high energy) to speaking (low energy).
I also added a KWL chart and had students write down their reaction to my video clip rather than talking in groups. While I am happy I had the class write out a hard assessment, I feel like I lost a bit of the spontaneity I enjoyed so much in the first lesson. Also, I do not think the video hit as hard primarily because the class had already seen the clip before and knew what was going to happen. Also when describing the characteristics of Epic Latin Anthems, I did not allow the students to make the connection between colonization and European-sounding Latin anthems. I felt like I lectured a little too much for my liking.
Mr. Schneider mentioned in his comments that there is one VERY IMPORTANT video clip I could have definitely shown during my lesson:
For those of you that are not familiar with this clip. This scene is from the 1941 masterpiece Casablanca. In the scene (which you can read more about here), the film's main character, Rick, strikes up the band for a rousing rendition of the French national anthem La Marseillaise; overpowering the Nazi Germans singing Die Wacht am Rhein, The scene recognized as one of the most important scenes in the history of cinema and a wonderful example to remind students that they hear national anthems in cinema and television. All students should analyze this scene in a general music or integrated arts course for its cultural and historical significance.
On the plus side, I did save a bit of time by having students write things down during the clip which kept me right on schedule amidst technical issues. Overall I am very satisfied with my lesson and I am merely being super critical of my mistakes and flaws. I look forward to one day teaching this lesson to my future students and continue to improve my overall flow of my lessons.
I also added a KWL chart and had students write down their reaction to my video clip rather than talking in groups. While I am happy I had the class write out a hard assessment, I feel like I lost a bit of the spontaneity I enjoyed so much in the first lesson. Also, I do not think the video hit as hard primarily because the class had already seen the clip before and knew what was going to happen. Also when describing the characteristics of Epic Latin Anthems, I did not allow the students to make the connection between colonization and European-sounding Latin anthems. I felt like I lectured a little too much for my liking.
Mr. Schneider mentioned in his comments that there is one VERY IMPORTANT video clip I could have definitely shown during my lesson:
For those of you that are not familiar with this clip. This scene is from the 1941 masterpiece Casablanca. In the scene (which you can read more about here), the film's main character, Rick, strikes up the band for a rousing rendition of the French national anthem La Marseillaise; overpowering the Nazi Germans singing Die Wacht am Rhein, The scene recognized as one of the most important scenes in the history of cinema and a wonderful example to remind students that they hear national anthems in cinema and television. All students should analyze this scene in a general music or integrated arts course for its cultural and historical significance.
On the plus side, I did save a bit of time by having students write things down during the clip which kept me right on schedule amidst technical issues. Overall I am very satisfied with my lesson and I am merely being super critical of my mistakes and flaws. I look forward to one day teaching this lesson to my future students and continue to improve my overall flow of my lessons.
Building an Audience
As music educators, how do we build an audience for our programs? Should we be worried about attendance at concerts?
Concert attendance is a very visible representation of how well a music program is supported by the school community as well as the local community. In some cases, concert attendance might hold more weight than assessments. I believe that music educators should be concerned with concert attendance. I agree with with Dale that large programs have a big advantage over small programs as far as filling up a performance venue is concerned. Therefore, the best way to increase attendance at our concerts is to build our enrollment over time.
Students are the best ambassadors and recruiters and I, along with my students, need to be very active recruiters in order to increase enrollment. If I am doing my job well and I am truly awakening possibility in each one of my students, they will talk about their achievements in their music classes and ensembles on the bus, in the cafeteria, and at the dinner table. The goal is to generate buzz and curiosity about the program and prepare concerts that live up to the hype.
School concerts should not only be culminations of what ensembles have accomplished over the span of a semester, but EVENTS the whole school community can enjoy from younger siblings to great grandparents. Why sit in a seat for two hours listening to ensembles when you can enjoy a meal at the same time, or set up a dance floor for your jazz concert? If your music program is very small, maybe a smaller concert space is more appropriate than a large auditorium, or have all ensembles perform on the same night to fill a larger room.
In most secondary level situations, I think music educators should actively strive to create and/or maintain some sort of tradition. Maybe your concert is held on a particular weekend every year. Maybe your students wear bowties or scarves in the school's colors. Maybe your chorus performs a piece each year with orchestral accompaniment or with a rock band. Maybe there's a pizza party or pasta dinner before the concert as a sign of camaraderie. Creating and maintaining traditions can have a lasting impact on a school district for generations to come.
Concert attendance is a very visible representation of how well a music program is supported by the school community as well as the local community. In some cases, concert attendance might hold more weight than assessments. I believe that music educators should be concerned with concert attendance. I agree with with Dale that large programs have a big advantage over small programs as far as filling up a performance venue is concerned. Therefore, the best way to increase attendance at our concerts is to build our enrollment over time.
Students are the best ambassadors and recruiters and I, along with my students, need to be very active recruiters in order to increase enrollment. If I am doing my job well and I am truly awakening possibility in each one of my students, they will talk about their achievements in their music classes and ensembles on the bus, in the cafeteria, and at the dinner table. The goal is to generate buzz and curiosity about the program and prepare concerts that live up to the hype.
School concerts should not only be culminations of what ensembles have accomplished over the span of a semester, but EVENTS the whole school community can enjoy from younger siblings to great grandparents. Why sit in a seat for two hours listening to ensembles when you can enjoy a meal at the same time, or set up a dance floor for your jazz concert? If your music program is very small, maybe a smaller concert space is more appropriate than a large auditorium, or have all ensembles perform on the same night to fill a larger room.
In most secondary level situations, I think music educators should actively strive to create and/or maintain some sort of tradition. Maybe your concert is held on a particular weekend every year. Maybe your students wear bowties or scarves in the school's colors. Maybe your chorus performs a piece each year with orchestral accompaniment or with a rock band. Maybe there's a pizza party or pasta dinner before the concert as a sign of camaraderie. Creating and maintaining traditions can have a lasting impact on a school district for generations to come.
Sunday, April 24, 2016
Thoughts on Fundraising
Hey guys!! It's good get back to blogging after a very productive April break. I must say, it was really nice to hang out in UB's music department all week and pretend to be an undergrad music major again.
On to this weeks topic, fundraising. Specifically, should we have to rely on parents and fundraising to run a modern BOJC (band, orchestra, jazz, choral) program? Like many of the topics I've talked about on this blog, this is the first time I'm developing a philosophy on fundraising, so here we go.
I want my students to have the best opportunity to use quality music equipment. With today's advancements in music technology, quality music equipment has become much more affordable (I'm talking about speakers, microphones, and amplifiers, NOT tubas, violins, and cellos). I really like to be current with the trends in music equipment and I believe that I can build a choral+general music program on a smart and friendly budget. My school budget would be dedicated primarily to purchasing repertoire, essential music equipment, and maintaining school instruments. I have absolutely no problem using my own equipment in my classroom if it gives my students the best opportunity to create, perform, and respond.
In my ideal music program, fundraising would be set aside for funding special events and class trips. I have a very DIY mentality and I'm not very comfortable with asking parents to volunteer their time to work fundraisers and invest time and money into my program. This is something I am really going to have to work on in the future.
On the flip side, Instrumental ensembles require instruments that are very expensive and I am much less of an expert in the price ranges of these instruments. I believe that students should have their own quality instruments and parents should be very informed on their options when financing an instrument. However, large instruments, such as double basses, bass drums, and some low brass instruments should be owned and maintained by the school. Fundraising is very necessary to purchase and maintain such instruments for instrumental program.
To wrap up, I believe fundraising is not as necessary to maintain a modern choral or general music program, but a definite must for band, orchestra, and jazz ensembles. I still have tons to learn about budgets and funding and I look forward to learning more about the matter from my fellow classmates and colleagues.
I want my students to have the best opportunity to use quality music equipment. With today's advancements in music technology, quality music equipment has become much more affordable (I'm talking about speakers, microphones, and amplifiers, NOT tubas, violins, and cellos). I really like to be current with the trends in music equipment and I believe that I can build a choral+general music program on a smart and friendly budget. My school budget would be dedicated primarily to purchasing repertoire, essential music equipment, and maintaining school instruments. I have absolutely no problem using my own equipment in my classroom if it gives my students the best opportunity to create, perform, and respond.
In my ideal music program, fundraising would be set aside for funding special events and class trips. I have a very DIY mentality and I'm not very comfortable with asking parents to volunteer their time to work fundraisers and invest time and money into my program. This is something I am really going to have to work on in the future.
On the flip side, Instrumental ensembles require instruments that are very expensive and I am much less of an expert in the price ranges of these instruments. I believe that students should have their own quality instruments and parents should be very informed on their options when financing an instrument. However, large instruments, such as double basses, bass drums, and some low brass instruments should be owned and maintained by the school. Fundraising is very necessary to purchase and maintain such instruments for instrumental program.
To wrap up, I believe fundraising is not as necessary to maintain a modern choral or general music program, but a definite must for band, orchestra, and jazz ensembles. I still have tons to learn about budgets and funding and I look forward to learning more about the matter from my fellow classmates and colleagues.
Tuesday, April 12, 2016
Movie Reflection: Chops (No Spoilers!)
The 2007 documentary Chops follows the Douglas Anderson School of the Arts' jazz combo from the first day of school to their participation in the Essentially Ellington High School Jazz Band Competition & Festival. The prestigious competition is hosted by Jazz at Lincoln Center's artistic director Winston Marsalis.
The first thing that struck me was the level of musicianship all these young students had. Many understand the elements of music and the elements of jazz far better than I do. It's pretty intimidating. The culture of music programs with traditions of competitive excellence something I'm not familiar with; yet I find it quite fascinating.
When I see movies like Chops and TV shows such as Sing it on! and Taking the Stage (throwback!) I often think to myself, "What if I took guitar lessons at 6 years old? What if I payed more attention to music than sports growing up? How different would I be if I attended a performing arts school, did all state choir, and sang Division 1 a Capella? Did I miss out?"
Sure I'd most likely be a way better musician than I am right now. But you know what? I'm very happy with where I am, where I'm going, and what I've accomplished on my never ending quest to master my craft as a musician and as an educator.
The students in Chops are clearly passionate about music and have a love and respect for jazz that's beyond the comprehension of most teenagers. How can I create a culture where my students love music to the extent of these incredibly talented young musicians? Then I'm introduced to the fabulous Wynton Marsalis:
The first thing that people want to know is that it's alright to be themselves. If you're six years old you wanna know that. "Hey, is it alright for me to be me?" And jazz tells you, "Yeah man, that's the thing that IS alright."
The first thing that struck me was the level of musicianship all these young students had. Many understand the elements of music and the elements of jazz far better than I do. It's pretty intimidating. The culture of music programs with traditions of competitive excellence something I'm not familiar with; yet I find it quite fascinating.
When I see movies like Chops and TV shows such as Sing it on! and Taking the Stage (throwback!) I often think to myself, "What if I took guitar lessons at 6 years old? What if I payed more attention to music than sports growing up? How different would I be if I attended a performing arts school, did all state choir, and sang Division 1 a Capella? Did I miss out?"
Sure I'd most likely be a way better musician than I am right now. But you know what? I'm very happy with where I am, where I'm going, and what I've accomplished on my never ending quest to master my craft as a musician and as an educator.
The students in Chops are clearly passionate about music and have a love and respect for jazz that's beyond the comprehension of most teenagers. How can I create a culture where my students love music to the extent of these incredibly talented young musicians? Then I'm introduced to the fabulous Wynton Marsalis:
The first thing that people want to know is that it's alright to be themselves. If you're six years old you wanna know that. "Hey, is it alright for me to be me?" And jazz tells you, "Yeah man, that's the thing that IS alright."
-Wynton Marsalis
What a fantastic thought! In that moment I instantly thought the singers in my internship's glee club. I think of how many students try to impersonate their favorite pop singers; clearly not singing as themselves. How many of these students don't think their own voice is good enough?
I can create love for music and performing in my classroom by creating a culture where individuality is praised; where kids learn to love themselves as musicians and as people. A culture where kids embrace the highs and lows of the journey from first rehearsal to final concert. A journey where student's find their own voice or style though proper technique and learn to blend their unique timbre with the rest of the ensemble, creating one voice, one heartbeat.
My job is to awaken possibility in other people. If their eyes are shining, you know you're doing it. If they're not shining you get to ask this question: "Who am I being that my children's eyes are not shining"
-Benjamin Zander
Monday, March 28, 2016
Reflection: Nat'l Anthems General Music Lesson #1
This afternoon I conducted part of my 8th grade general music unit on national anthems in front of my Secondary Methods classmates. My objective for this lesson was as follows:
Students will be able to compare national anthems and hypothesize about nation’s history and core values and based on the lyrical content and musical characteristics of their national anthem.
This lesson and the previous lesson (I started in the middle of my unit) would prepare students for a project where they would compose and present their own anthems whose lyrics and musical characteristics (melody of a pre-existing national anthem) reflect the key values of a fictional setting of their choice.
I recently attended a professional development seminar where Professor Joseph Abramo discussed his philosophies on teaching pop music in middle school. One of his ideas that stuck with me is to allow students to explore and share their broad ideas, thoughts, hypotheses first and guide the class discussion towards the narrower key points you are trying to get them to understand.
I started out by asking students open-ended questions about national anthems (What national anthems do you know? Where have you heard them?) and share what they know. This reassures the students that they already know a little bit about national anthems. I could have totally plucked out "God Save the Queen" on my guitar and shown students that they know already know the melody as "My Country Tis of Thee"
I already know that students realize they hear many different national anthems at sporting events such as the Olympics and the World Cup, thus I guided them into my youtube video of the world cup. To save time, I should have had the students writing down at least 3 takeaways from the clip rather than having them discuss in groups.
When discussing what the student's took away from the clip, a couple students (Abe and Natalie) hit on some of the key points I wanted the class to know. I didn't have to drill this points into their brain, they figured them out on their own. I could have really kept the class engaged by saying, "That's a good thought Abe! You're on to something. Hold on to that idea just a bit longer."
If I had gotten to the last slide (10 seconds away), students would have discovered that the Chilean and Brazilian national anthems are both classified as Latin American Epic Anthems (genre), many of which were written by Europeans (colonization) and contain many verses; all of which are part of their official anthem (why the fans/players kept singing). So let the kids explore and share their ideas without discriminating between right or wrong and guide them towards what they need to know. Let learning feel like discovery with the teacher, not a lecture to the student.
Tuesday, March 22, 2016
Technology in Music Education
Technology has opened the doors to endless possibility for music educators. Though music technology, students can access new musical traditions, learn an instrument, and create and share their own work with the world. In a education environment that demands concrete assessment, music technology help music educators assess their students and present their administrators with concrete evidence of their students' growth over time. I'll briefly go over some of my favorite music technologies. Their rank is in no particular order.
YouTube: YouTube is the biggest everything for music education (yes I said biggest everything). YouTube is the largest catalogue for studio-recorded and live music (and integrated arts) in every genre from Jazz to Classical to K-Pop and Bollywood. YouTube offers access to lessons and performances by independent artists in ways never though possible before. Just imagine teaching musical form to high school theory students using this!
The possibilities for using YouTube in the classroom are possibly endless, BUT I believe that it should be used as a supplementary resource. YouTube is a tool, it is not the teacher and it should not replace the teacher.
Ultimate Guitar: ultimate-guitar.com is a library of user-created guitar and bass (and occasional ukulele) tablature and chord charts. Users also create and share reviews of guitar and bass products as well as reviews of new albums. All of the chord charts are transposable in all 12 keys which makes this a wonderful tool for finding accompaniments that fit a student's vocal range. I used this website to teach myself guitar and bass in high school. Do I have impeccable technique from this website? No. What I did gain from from this website over time was the ability to quickly recognize chord progressions, transpose them on the fly, and learn several songs in a short period of time to accompany a large number of performers. Overall a very solid tool for teachers and students that is also available as an app for mobile devices.
Finale, SmartMusic, and Auralia: In my opinion, Finale, SmartMusic, and Auralia are the three most important software programs for the modern day music educator. Briefly, Finale is the industry standard music notation software, Auralia is the industry standard for ear training and assessing aural skills, and SmartMusic is the industry standard for practicing and assessing sight-reading. I've personally have barely scratched the surface of what is possible with these softwares, but I know that the concrete assessments that SmartMusic and Auralia provides to teachers is vital data that administrators will demand from us.
I could go on and on and on about all of the countless other music apps, softwares, and hardwares of that music educators have access to. With technology, music education has become an exciting new frontier and the possibilities for what students can do in the music classroom is truly endless. I believe that these technologies should be embraced. I do not think that technology diminishes the need for music education in the classroom, but rather enhances the opportunities that we offer to our students.
Other music technologies and websites teachers should be aware of:
YouTube: YouTube is the biggest everything for music education (yes I said biggest everything). YouTube is the largest catalogue for studio-recorded and live music (and integrated arts) in every genre from Jazz to Classical to K-Pop and Bollywood. YouTube offers access to lessons and performances by independent artists in ways never though possible before. Just imagine teaching musical form to high school theory students using this!
The possibilities for using YouTube in the classroom are possibly endless, BUT I believe that it should be used as a supplementary resource. YouTube is a tool, it is not the teacher and it should not replace the teacher.
Ultimate Guitar: ultimate-guitar.com is a library of user-created guitar and bass (and occasional ukulele) tablature and chord charts. Users also create and share reviews of guitar and bass products as well as reviews of new albums. All of the chord charts are transposable in all 12 keys which makes this a wonderful tool for finding accompaniments that fit a student's vocal range. I used this website to teach myself guitar and bass in high school. Do I have impeccable technique from this website? No. What I did gain from from this website over time was the ability to quickly recognize chord progressions, transpose them on the fly, and learn several songs in a short period of time to accompany a large number of performers. Overall a very solid tool for teachers and students that is also available as an app for mobile devices.
Finale, SmartMusic, and Auralia: In my opinion, Finale, SmartMusic, and Auralia are the three most important software programs for the modern day music educator. Briefly, Finale is the industry standard music notation software, Auralia is the industry standard for ear training and assessing aural skills, and SmartMusic is the industry standard for practicing and assessing sight-reading. I've personally have barely scratched the surface of what is possible with these softwares, but I know that the concrete assessments that SmartMusic and Auralia provides to teachers is vital data that administrators will demand from us.
I could go on and on and on about all of the countless other music apps, softwares, and hardwares of that music educators have access to. With technology, music education has become an exciting new frontier and the possibilities for what students can do in the music classroom is truly endless. I believe that these technologies should be embraced. I do not think that technology diminishes the need for music education in the classroom, but rather enhances the opportunities that we offer to our students.
Other music technologies and websites teachers should be aware of:
- www.sfskids.org
- www.soundation.com
- www.classicsforkids.com
- www.incredibox.com
- www.melodystreet.com
- www.isleoftune.com
- Garage Band
- Amp Modeling Technology
- Live sound and Recording Hardware (mixers, speakers, interfaces, microphones etc..)
Sunday, March 6, 2016
On Assessment and Rubrics
As a young aspiring music educator, I've spent a great deal of time assessing my own core values and tying them to my philosophies on teaching; but I really haven't flushed out my thoughts on assessing my own students. I've recently read Alfie Kohn's article The Trouble with Rubrics. As of right now I am not the biggest fan of rubrics. I believe that a major goal of education is to create engaged citizens who are capable of thinking intelligently on their own. In my opinion, rubrics, in some cases, stifle a students' ability to think for themselves. In this post I aim to do three things: 1) Modify the rubric to inspire creativity, 2) Present an extreme alternative for assessment in the music classroom, and 3) How I would assess my music students as of right now in my limited thoughts towards assessment.
Kohn argues that because of rubrics, "They [students] tend to think less deeply, avoid taking risks, and lose interest in the learning itself." So how can we create a rubric that encourages students to think critically and take risks? I suggest creating rubrics that clearly states what constitutes "B", "C", and even "D" work, but not A work. Rather, in the "A" column I might write, "An A exceeds the expectations laid out in this rubric." Now if students want to get an "A", they need to go beyond the comforts of the rubric. They are encouraged to take risks, be creative, and think more critically than before. Is this a perfect solution? I don't know. It's merely a thought to be shared with all of my readers.
Now for the extreme alternative. Below is a talk from Benjamin Zander titled How to Give an A. It's rather lengthy but rather fitting for this conversation and definitely worth a watch.
Overall I love this talk and there are plenty of ideas that I really really like. The challenge is pulling it off in our current education system. I would absolutely love it if my students shouted "HOW FASCINATING!" every time they made what I call a "good" mistake. As for his grading policy. I can certainly see how this would work with intrinsically motivated collegiate music students; and how a tenured college professor can get away with it. I can't really see his grading policy work with compliant or disengaged students at the elementary or secondary level. Although I'd like to try it out at some point in my teaching career, I don't know any school administration that would let his grading policy fly in their school. I'd love to hear your thoughts so please post comments!
I agree with Natalie that grading, especially in the music setting, should be individualized based on the student's ability to improve their performance in the class over time. In the music classroom, students can really vary in experience, talent, motivation, and interest; and a one size fits all model doesn't really work. Student's should be assessed in relationship the their own abilities and their potential. Even if a student shows great improvement, they still might fall short of the national music standards. Does this mean they're a failure? Absolutely not!
As I stated in the beginning of this post, my thoughts on assessment are still quite primitive. Over time and through experience I hope to flush out a true philosophy on how to assess my students. I hope to grade my students in way that encourages students to take risks and strive do perform at their absolute best. I look forward to reading my peers' thoughts on rubrics and assessment in hopes of learning new ideas on the matter.
Tuesday, March 1, 2016
Jazz and American Music
For this week's post I am tasked with answering the following questions:
- Should music teachers be experts on jazz or American folk music?
- What American songs should all students know?
Let me start off by saying I am by no means an expert on either jazz or folk music. I do not believe that music educators need to be experts in these genres. However, I do believe that all students who get the opportunity to experience jazz and folk in the general music classroom should be able to make the following connections.
For the past two years I've worked at the Newport Festivals Foundation' International Jazz Day Concert held every April. Last year's act was Danilo Perez along with students from the Berklee Global Jazz Institute. The students were from across the globe, from South American and the Caribbean, to Germany, Israel, and even Japan. Here they shared the same stage performing jazz together. Their solos and improvisations reflected not only their individuality, but their unique cultural and musical traditions while still following the form of the song. From this experience, I hope to teach my students that jazz is a style of music that is truly universal and multicultural.
Jazz is an embodiment of African and European music traditions. More specifically, it combines Western melodies and harmonies with the polyrhythmic characteristics of West African music traditions. It is performed with a "swung" rhythmic pattern and members of the ensemble take turns performing improvised solos over a particular set of chord changes. American folk songs collectively tell the story of American History. Our own national anthem is a folk song. Through folks songs we learn about life on the frontier, life in the city, and life on the battlefront. Folk songs even provide first hand accounts of political movements. Both jazz and folk offer opportunities to integrate American history into the music curriculum. Most importantly, students should recognize that without jazz and folk music, there is no rock n' roll, blues, pop, Motown, disco, grunge, punk, metal, or hip hop.
What American songs should all students know? Most my fellow classmates have talked specifically talked about certain folk songs and patriotic songs. I agree that students should know all of those songs. Taking the topic a bit further, what songs truly capture an American childhood and an American upbringing? The first thing that popped into my head wasn't My Country tis of Thee or Home on the Range, but songs from broadway musicals, Disney movies, and other American films; from Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah, When you Wish Upon a Star, and Doe, a Deer... all the way to Let it Go! Although the themes and settings of many of these musicals are not American, the movies themselves are example of American theater and cinema, thus they are imbedded into one's American upbringing just as much as the patriotic songs.
For the past two years I've worked at the Newport Festivals Foundation' International Jazz Day Concert held every April. Last year's act was Danilo Perez along with students from the Berklee Global Jazz Institute. The students were from across the globe, from South American and the Caribbean, to Germany, Israel, and even Japan. Here they shared the same stage performing jazz together. Their solos and improvisations reflected not only their individuality, but their unique cultural and musical traditions while still following the form of the song. From this experience, I hope to teach my students that jazz is a style of music that is truly universal and multicultural.
Jazz is an embodiment of African and European music traditions. More specifically, it combines Western melodies and harmonies with the polyrhythmic characteristics of West African music traditions. It is performed with a "swung" rhythmic pattern and members of the ensemble take turns performing improvised solos over a particular set of chord changes. American folk songs collectively tell the story of American History. Our own national anthem is a folk song. Through folks songs we learn about life on the frontier, life in the city, and life on the battlefront. Folk songs even provide first hand accounts of political movements. Both jazz and folk offer opportunities to integrate American history into the music curriculum. Most importantly, students should recognize that without jazz and folk music, there is no rock n' roll, blues, pop, Motown, disco, grunge, punk, metal, or hip hop.
What American songs should all students know? Most my fellow classmates have talked specifically talked about certain folk songs and patriotic songs. I agree that students should know all of those songs. Taking the topic a bit further, what songs truly capture an American childhood and an American upbringing? The first thing that popped into my head wasn't My Country tis of Thee or Home on the Range, but songs from broadway musicals, Disney movies, and other American films; from Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah, When you Wish Upon a Star, and Doe, a Deer... all the way to Let it Go! Although the themes and settings of many of these musicals are not American, the movies themselves are example of American theater and cinema, thus they are imbedded into one's American upbringing just as much as the patriotic songs.
Monday, February 29, 2016
Reflection: First Clarinet Lesson
In my last Secondary Methods class I was tasked with conducting the first five minutes of a 5th grade student's first ever clarinet lesson. Since fifth graders tend to have rather short attention spans, my goal was to have my test student (Prof. Schneider) attempt to blow into the mouthpiece precisely at the 5 minute mark. In that context, my test lesson was a success.
Not only did I want him to blow into his instrument at the five minute mark, but I wanted him to fail to make a good sound. I purposely did not go into detail about breath support or embouchure before having my student blow into his mouthpiece. I wanted my student to explore, experiment, and inevitably fail so that I could really stress the importance of breath support and embouchure during the ensuing five minutes. I believe that mistakes are great learning opportunities. I would like to create a learning environment where students feel comfortable experimenting, pushing their limits, and making GOOD mistakes that are not related to lack of practice. During a student's first few years of study, It is my responsibility to recognize and correct those good mistakes. However, there comes a point where the student must be the one responsible for their own mistakes and must know how to correct themselves on their own. The ability to recognize and correct one's own mistakes is what often separates a good musician from a great musician.
Not only did I want him to blow into his instrument at the five minute mark, but I wanted him to fail to make a good sound. I purposely did not go into detail about breath support or embouchure before having my student blow into his mouthpiece. I wanted my student to explore, experiment, and inevitably fail so that I could really stress the importance of breath support and embouchure during the ensuing five minutes. I believe that mistakes are great learning opportunities. I would like to create a learning environment where students feel comfortable experimenting, pushing their limits, and making GOOD mistakes that are not related to lack of practice. During a student's first few years of study, It is my responsibility to recognize and correct those good mistakes. However, there comes a point where the student must be the one responsible for their own mistakes and must know how to correct themselves on their own. The ability to recognize and correct one's own mistakes is what often separates a good musician from a great musician.
Sunday, February 21, 2016
Developing Musicianship in the Classroom
Mr. Brandt Schneider's article Creating Musical Flexibility Through the Ensemble provides a road map towards developing a music ensemble environment that goes beyond playing notes on a page and plowing through repertoire to perform at concerts and competitions. In referring to what he calls "repertoire machines," he writes, "This system creates an overemphasis on reading and performing music, a fraction of our national standards."
I tell this story because although I can read music and can create really cool arrangement by plugging notes into Finale, I still don't feel fluent in reading music. My beast friend learned to read music before she could read words. Many of my colleagues in my classes have been reading music anywhere from two to five times longer than I have. The overemphasis on reading music Mr. Schnider talks about still makes me feel very self conscious of my own musicianship.
I do believe that reading music is very important and I'm really trying to improve my fluency, but there are many more facets that embody a "good" musician. Schneider focuses on four key skills to help his students develop into well-rounded musicians.
- Musical Discipline- The ability to play/sing dynamically and think quickly as a musician.
- Technique- Having a vast knowledge of one's primary instrument.
- Theory- Understanding what is happening "both melodically and harmonically" and why it is happening.
- Composition- The ability to create and arrange music.
I think these skills cover the bulk of one's overall musicianship. However, I would also like to briefly discuss two more skills that I find important to one's overall musicianship.
Working With Peers- Schneider might categorize this as part of Musical Discipline. Performing music is seldom a solo affair. The interaction between members of an ensemble can separate the good bands from the great bands. Think about the relationship between a bassist and a drummer and how great a band can sound when the two are really locked in the pocket. Is't one thing to have solid technique, but how well do you blend with the rest of the ensemble? How well do you collaborate when working with other musicians of different backgrounds and skill levels?
Understanding Performance Space- Understanding where you are playing and who you are playing for is a vital skill for the modern musician. Teachers can begin to instill this skill in young students by having them listen to the acoustics of different types of rooms and learn to recognize concepts like reverberation. At a more advanced level, understanding the performance space can mean altering a performance based on acoustics, planning repertoire appropriate for your audience, and knowing what technology may be needed to properly amplify or record your performance and how to use that technology.
As a music teacher I hope to instill all of these skills into my students. Will they all grow up to be professional musicians? Probably not. However, what we can certainly teach our students the importance of learning all the facets of a particular craft. A great basketball player can be a great shooter, but must also be good at dribbling, playing defense, and know how to execute the team's plays.
Sunday, February 7, 2016
Who Am I?
Hello readers! My name is John FitzGerald, the students at my internship call me Mr. Fitz, and I am on my way to fulfilling my dream of being a lifelong music educator.
I'm a late bloomer to the world of music. I first picked up a guitar on my 14th birthday and before college I was almost entirely self taught. My high school music education didn't take place in a classroom, but rather the local coffee house for open-mic night every Thursday. In college I transformed into a polished, classically-trained tenor and earned a degree in vocal performance and communications. I went from not knowing how to read music to arranging a Capella music and leading Cliffnotes. I took opera workshops, hosted open mic nights, led the tenor section, ran the box office for concerts, traveled to Greece, and even stage managed for Jon Batiste.
The opportunities I had were endless. But somewhere along the way I realized I really wanted to be a music teacher, like so many of my music ed friends and my mentor. However, I didn't feel quite ready to change majors at the time. I had just scratched the surface of this wonderful world and wanted to focus my craft before learning how to teach it.
After a long but fun year and a half working for a real estate company and occasionally playing professionally in NYC, I'm now a grad student at the University of Bridgeport with an internship at Seymour Middle School. I never thought I would like working with middle schoolers, but I love it more than any job or any gig I've ever had. Most of the faculty learned to teach through an internship program like mine so they're very understanding of what I am going through. I'm also helping the chorus teacher explain basic vocal techniques to his students through imagery (hence the title of my blog)! Working in an instrumental setting such as band or orchestra is a big weak spot of mine, but I'm determined to improve all areas of my craft.
Although i'm rather new to the profession, I'm starting to develop some core values and philosophies that will shape who I want to be as a teacher and how I want to teach. First and foremost, EVERY STUDENT DESERVES A CHANCE TO CHASE THEIR DREAM. Since I was such a late bloomer, I always initially tended to feel like I didn't belong; that I was behind my peers and needed to work twice as hard to prove that I belong. Sure I had no shot at Berklee or Juliard, but so many amazing people gave me a chance to shine and I'm beyond thankful for every chance they've given me in the world of music. I want to be the teacher that gives students the chance to chase their dreams and exceed their own expectations, whether or not those dreams include music.
Music ensembles are a lot like sports teams. Both consist of groups of people who come together in hopes of achieving personal and collective goals over a period of time. However, the cool thing about music ensembles is NOBODY SITS ON THE BENCH! Every member is in the starting lineup and has an import role to play in the ensemble. Since there's no benchwarmers, every member needs to bring their absolute best to every rehearsal and every performance for the sake of the group. This includes everything from singing/playing with technique, understanding our parts, and treating the other members of the ensemble as family. #ChoirIsFamily
My final core value for this blog post is I must NEVER STOP LEARNING, not only as a teacher but as a musician. As a teacher it is my responsibility to the profession and my students that I am open and willing to further my professional development. That includes everything from learning new teaching philosophies and strategies to keeping up with pop music trends in an effort to relate to my students. As a musician, I'm still determined to expand my tenor repertoire and can't wait to get back into lessons. I need to get better at piano and reading music. I want to finally take guitar and bass lessons. Simply put, I'm on a never ending quest to master all the facets of my musical craft.
If you're still reading, congratulations! I totally get that I can be long-winded. I can't wait to see where this chapter of my life takes me and I can't wait to share my experiences and class discussions on this blog. To my classmates in Dr. Schneider's Secondary Methods course, we all belong in this profession. We're all at different chapters in our own stories and we should embrace and celebrate where we are now and where we are going!
I'm a late bloomer to the world of music. I first picked up a guitar on my 14th birthday and before college I was almost entirely self taught. My high school music education didn't take place in a classroom, but rather the local coffee house for open-mic night every Thursday. In college I transformed into a polished, classically-trained tenor and earned a degree in vocal performance and communications. I went from not knowing how to read music to arranging a Capella music and leading Cliffnotes. I took opera workshops, hosted open mic nights, led the tenor section, ran the box office for concerts, traveled to Greece, and even stage managed for Jon Batiste.
The opportunities I had were endless. But somewhere along the way I realized I really wanted to be a music teacher, like so many of my music ed friends and my mentor. However, I didn't feel quite ready to change majors at the time. I had just scratched the surface of this wonderful world and wanted to focus my craft before learning how to teach it.
After a long but fun year and a half working for a real estate company and occasionally playing professionally in NYC, I'm now a grad student at the University of Bridgeport with an internship at Seymour Middle School. I never thought I would like working with middle schoolers, but I love it more than any job or any gig I've ever had. Most of the faculty learned to teach through an internship program like mine so they're very understanding of what I am going through. I'm also helping the chorus teacher explain basic vocal techniques to his students through imagery (hence the title of my blog)! Working in an instrumental setting such as band or orchestra is a big weak spot of mine, but I'm determined to improve all areas of my craft.
Although i'm rather new to the profession, I'm starting to develop some core values and philosophies that will shape who I want to be as a teacher and how I want to teach. First and foremost, EVERY STUDENT DESERVES A CHANCE TO CHASE THEIR DREAM. Since I was such a late bloomer, I always initially tended to feel like I didn't belong; that I was behind my peers and needed to work twice as hard to prove that I belong. Sure I had no shot at Berklee or Juliard, but so many amazing people gave me a chance to shine and I'm beyond thankful for every chance they've given me in the world of music. I want to be the teacher that gives students the chance to chase their dreams and exceed their own expectations, whether or not those dreams include music.
Music ensembles are a lot like sports teams. Both consist of groups of people who come together in hopes of achieving personal and collective goals over a period of time. However, the cool thing about music ensembles is NOBODY SITS ON THE BENCH! Every member is in the starting lineup and has an import role to play in the ensemble. Since there's no benchwarmers, every member needs to bring their absolute best to every rehearsal and every performance for the sake of the group. This includes everything from singing/playing with technique, understanding our parts, and treating the other members of the ensemble as family. #ChoirIsFamily
My final core value for this blog post is I must NEVER STOP LEARNING, not only as a teacher but as a musician. As a teacher it is my responsibility to the profession and my students that I am open and willing to further my professional development. That includes everything from learning new teaching philosophies and strategies to keeping up with pop music trends in an effort to relate to my students. As a musician, I'm still determined to expand my tenor repertoire and can't wait to get back into lessons. I need to get better at piano and reading music. I want to finally take guitar and bass lessons. Simply put, I'm on a never ending quest to master all the facets of my musical craft.
If you're still reading, congratulations! I totally get that I can be long-winded. I can't wait to see where this chapter of my life takes me and I can't wait to share my experiences and class discussions on this blog. To my classmates in Dr. Schneider's Secondary Methods course, we all belong in this profession. We're all at different chapters in our own stories and we should embrace and celebrate where we are now and where we are going!
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