Annotated Bibliography
Rose, L. S., & Countryman, J. (2013). Repositioning ‘the elements’: How students talk about music. Action, Criticism, and Theory for Music Education 12(3): 45–64. http://act.maydaygroup.org/articles/Rose Countryman12_3.pdf.
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What peaked my interest in L. S. Rose & J. Countryman's article is how significant student, teacher relations can be. In their conclusions, they mentioned how "Our students taught us about the ways they make meaning from music and how they use opportunities for communal identity work engendered through shared musicking." (Rose & Countryman, 2013, p.59). This peaked my interest because I was intrigued with how students can also teach educators. What also peaked my interest is, how music is most valued in people's everyday lives. For example, the authors mentioned how students "wanted to ponder such phenomena as; why recalling old lullabies and childhood songs feels comforting...", and many more. This intrigues me because I am also interested in how music affects people which, I want to apply when I teach music.
What surprised me about this article is, the definition behind the term, "academicking" (Rose & Countryman, 2013, p.47). The definition of "academicking" surprised me because it is a new way for educators to distribute knowledge onto their students. Another thing that surprised me is, identifying "elements as a dominant culture framework." (Rose & Countryman, 2013, p. 48). I was surprised by this because I was not aware that a musical framework can provide people elements of diversity, and cultural representation.
What frustrated me about the article is, testing students on concepts that they have learned. This frustrated me because evaluation has been on many students' minds since they started high school. Many students may have complained for why they are being tested on a concept that they will eventually forget after their evaluation. I agree to that statement because I did have my fair share of studying many concepts for an evaluation and forgetting about it since it was not applicable to my life. If there was a way to make students understand and remember concepts that they were studying, without evaluating them, it would beneficial to student's lives.
I would like to tell the authors that I appreciate their many ideas in this article. I agreed with a lot of they ideas they put out in this article. Especially about, the relationships people gain through music. I would suggest the authors to rethink about testing students of what they have learned. I believe that students should have a chance to understand the concepts through practical situations and not through tests. Other than testing students, the authors created a well-written article.
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Dawe, L. (2016). Fumbling towards vulnerability: Moving out of the familiar for music education's sake. The Canadian Music Educator 57(2): 22-24.
While reading Lesley Dawes’s article, I found many ideas that were interesting as well as, something to agree about. For example, I agreed with the philosophy of having students apply their music interests into new concepts. I agree that educators should use modern pop music and relate them to musical concepts such as, determining the hypermeter. What also intrigued me is, having music educators become more vulnerable whenever they teach. I agree with educators needing to become more vulnerable since they need to find a way to connect with their students. For example, high school students would claim that their favourite teacher acted more like a “friend” than just a teacher. Students have a favourite teacher because they both can teach and yet, have a strong connection with their students.
What surprised me about this article is how educators need to take risks to educate students how to become more creative. This statement initially surprised me because I did not take in how educators really took risks to make their lessons more effective. After reading this article, I realized that my teachers took many risks to help students gain an interest in music which, made them take certain music courses over their four years of high school.
The only thing that frustrated me is some other educators being overwhelmed with taking risks. I believe educators might have gotten overwhelmed because they are so used with how they were trained to teach. I believe that educators should have the basics on how tteach students however, they should take in new ways to teach students to help them learn new concepts effectively.
I would tell the author that I agree with what they’re saying. I can strongly connect with this article since it made me realize why my teachers taught in a certain way and why it intrigued me. After reading this article, I would want to take risks and become more creative when I end up teaching in the future.
Wasiak, E (2017). Unmasking the Hidden Curriculum in Canadian Music Education. Retrieved from Canadian Music Educator.
This article written by, Ed Wasiak was an interesting article to read. There were many points that I agreed with. One thing that I agreed is the author’s point about popular music not being considered as ‘real music’. The author disagreed with this point because all types of music should be considered as real music. In my opinion, claiming that classical music is the only ‘real music’ is being close minded. People should accept the fact that all music (whether you like a certain genre or, not), uses similar qualities that us, university students learn in theory class. I feel like genres such as, pop and musical theatre should be considered as ‘real music’.
This article surprised me when I found out what the hidden curriculum means. In this article, the term hidden curriculum is described as, “lessons about class, gender, race, sexuality, identity, diversity, roles, morals, labels and stereotypes, rights and freedoms, fairness, and power and authority students learn through the socialization process that inevitably occurs in schools.” (Apple, 2004; De Lissovoy, 2012; Giroux, 1992, 2009; Goodlad, 1984; Hasinoff & Mandzuk, 2015; Jackson, 1968; Palmer, 1998; Postman & Weingartner, 1969; Wink, 1997). This definition surprised me since, I thought the hidden curriculum was only music related and not something related to other subjects’ people learn in school. The definition of hidden curriculum can be used in classes such as, a media class, an English class even, a math class.
What frustrates me about this article is, Mantie and Tucker’s statement about the lack of cultural inclusivity in school music ensembles. That statement initially surprised me since I never experienced a lack of diversity in my high school ensembles. My high school teachers were diverse when they chose pieces, and when they interacted with their students. Due to their inclusivity, I have never felt left out in high school especially, in their music program. This statement would later frustrate me because I couldn’t believe the lack of diversity in school music ensembles. I believe that all schools should have a diversity in all subjects they offer especially, in music. To have diversity in their music ensembles, educators should find pieces that are diverse in culture, gender, sexual identity, etc. Educators should also, be ok with talking to their students about diversity and make them feel included in their learning. Another thing that frustrated me was the “Lack of female representation among classical composers, professional musicians, and conductors and stereotypical portrayals of women in opera, jazz, popular music, and Broadway musicals conspired to subvert the role of women in music” (p. 21). I was frustrated by this statement because, I do see a lack of women musicians being represented in the music world. To me, it seems like, many female composers are not being given the representation that they need. I also, see the stereotypes in females and music. I see pictures online indicating that only females play the flute and, females would only appear as jazz singers etc. There are many women pursuing many things in different branches of music. It would be fair if, women would be represented in the world of music as much as the men do.
I would tell Wasiak that I enjoyed his article. I would tell him that I agree with his statement about the hidden curriculum and how we should address it. If I ever had the chance to talk to Wasiak, I would ask him if the hidden curriculum would be applicable to other subjects such as, science, English etc. After reading this article, I have discovered insights that I will need to be aware of when I start teaching
Hourigan, R. M. (2009). The invisible student: Understanding social identity construction within performing ensembles. Music Educators Journal, 34-38.
Hourigan’s study about the invisible student is a study is that I have found most interesting. I agree with an educator modelling an appropriate social behaviour for their classroom. I believe that the general vibe of the classroom would be from the educator. For example, if an educator displays vulnerability, the students will respond with a sense of vulnerability as well. With the educator setting the social behaviour, students will be able to react and respond to the educator’s behaviour. Therefore, possibly minimizing the invisible student. Another thing that I agree is, the educator approaching the invisible student. I believe if the educator can make an effective conversation with their student, the student will be able to gain confidence and talk to their classmates as well.
Something that surprised me about this article is, having a buddy system in a field trip setting. I do agree that the invisible student tend to go with the adults during their free time. However, I also think that initializing a buddy system would enforce either an awkward or, uncomfortable moment for both the invisible and the visible student. I also found surprising by the author’s statement about the invisible student needing a lot of assistance when approaching other people. As a person who was an invisible student, I believe those students don’t always need people to assist them in everyday conversation. Yes, they may be afraid and don’t have enough courage to talk. However, these students also need time to gain the courage and approach people. This type of skill will not be able to come to them right away. The invisible student do need assistance but, they will also need to rely on themselves to approach people.
While reading this article, I haven’t found anything that was frustrating. I have found many things that were surprising to me. However, I ended up agreeing with a lot of the points the author has made.
I would like to tell the author, that he made a lot of interesting points about the invisible child. I would want the author to explore more into other cases of the invisible child. Since he only used one type of invisible child as an example, I would want him to see other types of invisible children. Overall, Hourigan made a well written article about the invisible child. After reading this, I will be able to look more into the invisible student when I start teaching music in a elementary/middle/high school setting.
Burwell, K., Carey, G., & Bennett, D. (2017). Isolation in studio music teaching: The secret garden. Arts and Humanities in Higher Education, 1474022217736581.
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Burwell, Carey, and Bennett’s article about isolation in studio music teaching was an interesting article to read. The one thing I agreed on is the different skills people learn in a private studio lesson than a classroom. In the article, the authors mentioned the characteristics of a private studio lesson through metaphors. For example, they used the metaphor, “apprenticeship” to explain the relationship between teacher and student. Another aspect of the article that I agree with is, the limitations within a studio lesson. The authors explained that most of the limitations are psychological and social. The thought of giving and receiving different teaching techniques seemed intimidating to studio teachers. I agree to this statement because changing the way you learn and teach would be difficult for me to grasp. I feel like studio teachers would have a challenging time to adjust to their teaching routine if, there was a new concept they would have to add to their routine.
Something that surprised me is, students having “many opportunities for participating in wider range of educational, musical activity…” (17). This surprised me because some students’ might act shy when they have a chance to be a lead in group activities. I do agree that students will feel comfortable when learning in group activities. However, they will hold themselves back when they have a chance to be a leader. For example, a high school student might hold themselves back if they get a chance to sing a solo in their choir.
The one thing I agree is again, students having more opportunities in group activities. I for one, do feel more comfortable in taking part in lectures and ensembles. However, I do feel anxiety when I take part in masterclass. I feel like students will get anxiety when they take part in certain group activities. In masterclasses, I get anxiety because I feel like people are judging me when I perform my pieces. Students might feel the same because some students do not like having the spotlight on them. Some of the students would prefer to stay in the background and see the lesson that is being taught.
I would tell Burwell, Carey, and Bennett that they have a well written article about isolation in a studio lesson. They have pointed out many things that I have not noticed until I read the article. I would like to hear more from them about the pros and cons of a studio lesson.
Tobias, E. S. (2013). Toward Convergence Adapting Music Education to Contemporary Society and Participatory Culture. Music Educators Journal, 99(4), 29-36.
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This article about adapting music education to contemporary society had many points that I can agree with. For instance, I agree that technology had a significant impact on music collaborations. Technology is a significant use for people to send each other vocal, guitar, piano tracks to each other to create, remixes and covers. I also agree with educators using this teaching tactic to appeal to the students’ music taste. In high school, I took a class about music production. This taught me how to collaborate with other students as well as, create remixes and covers of my favourite pop songs. I also have friends who are involved in music production and they told me their experiences of collaborating with people from around the globe. The concept of convergence is a great concept to tackle especially when, technology can offer many opportunities to students today. When I read this article, I realized that there were no points that surprised me since I found this article relatable.
Something that I disagreed with is, the possibility of the lack of technology (i.e. Macbooks) in some schools. As much as I agree with this article, I can’t help but think about the schools that might not have this type of accessibility. A way to solve this issue is to have a collaborative session in their class but with lyric writing and instrument composition (with instruments accessible to them). This way, students will have a sense of collaboration without breaking the bank. Another thing that I disagree with this having this concept in a traditional band or choral classroom. I do agree that collaboration can work in a traditional music classroom however, music production might not work. If a collaboration and music production can be a separate course, this can give better breathing room for both the production and performance classroom.
I would like to tell the author that he made well thought out points in this article. I would like to see more about this concept from him. I would like to see him talk about more on the production side of music and why it is very important to teach in higher grade levels. This article was very interesting to read and, I would like to bring this concept in my future teaching career.
Williams, D. A. (2014). Another Perspective The iPad Is a REAL Musical Instrument. Music Educators Journal, 101(1), 93-98.
This article written by, D. A. Williams gave interesting points about having technology in a classroom setting. What interested me about the article is, the author giving perspective on how music classes can become more modern. This interested me because the 21st century is a time where technology is advancing and we as educators must, adapt to innovative ideas to help develop students’ minds. I also think that the author had a respectable job adding more perspectives on students who may or may not have the ability to play a certain instrument due to certain disabilities such as, mental, and physical disabilities.
The author surprise me by, wanting to use iPads as a primary instrument for an ensemble piece. This surprised me because usually in a school ensemble, students would use a traditional instrument such as, percussion, and voices. Having an primarily iPad ensemble would be interesting for students and educators as an iPad can give an electronic feel to their pieces. Using iPads could give the students a chance to compose or, perform a modern EDM (electronic dance music) piece. It would be odd at the start of the ensemble however, I think it would be interesting to hear something different.
There are some points in the article where I ended up disagreeing to. For example, I disagreed to having technology in a music classroom everyday. Having technology everyday could hinder the students’ ability to play an instrument. Practicing a certain instrument such as, a flute and a trumpet would need kinetic practice which, will not be given if, technology takes over a classroom. I would rather have students use technology for assignments such as, composing/arranging a piece. I would also have students use technology when are researching something for one of their music assignments.
I would ask the author how having an iPad would help students’ kinetic skills. I would also ask the author, how schools could supply funding for these iPads. Another question I would ask is, how can iPads gain an interest in students who would want to play traditional music instruments. I believe Williams gave an interesting idea for music educators however, I feel like it would take a while for people to adapt to this type of development