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.

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."

Reading music.  I've been reading music (like seriously reading music) for my primary instrument for a mere six years.  I recall my first night as a member of university's chorus.  I joined three rehearsals before the Christmas concert.  After fumbling through choral warmups my choir director and soon to be mentor, Don, handed me Vivaldi's Gloria in D major.  To somebody who's sang classical music before, that book looked like Dante's Inferno in Latin; and I, who maybe red music at a 6th grade (genre student) level, was about to attempt to sing it.  Talk about a crash course!  Through the spring semester I picked up reading rate quickly and six short month later I arranged The Cave by Mumford and Sons for the men's a Capella group.

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.

1. Musical Discipline- The ability to play/sing dynamically and think quickly as a musician.
2. Technique- Having a vast knowledge of one's primary instrument.
3. Theory- Understanding what is happening "both melodically and harmonically" and why it is happening.
4. 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.

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!