Final Synthesis: My Future Teaching Career

This class has been an enlightening experience for me; before this semester, I felt that teaching was a nebulous activity distantly understood by some, and can only be learned through humiliating failures. While that is partially true, this class gave me confidence for my future teaching career through specific strategies and examples of those strategies.  I can't even tell you how much more at ease I am now!

When I consider critical literacy with music students, the words of John Cage (avant-garde 20th century composer) come to mind:

"The first question I ask myself when something doesn't seem to be beautiful is: why do I think it's not beautiful? And very shortly you discover that there is no reason."

In Cage's compositional career, he challenged how Western society assigned the title "music" to sound by using silence, unusual noises, and non-traditional instruments.    By doing so, he advocated for relativity of musical value; no music is more beautiful or more valuable than another according to it's nature.  People and cultures are what assign these judgments and values to what is simply organized sound.  While some could deem this idea foolish or dangerous because of it's resemblance to moral relativity, musical relativity is not dangerous, but liberating.  Out of this idea, I hope to teach my students this principle:  No music is "good" or "bad" just because. That's not possible, because music is simply organized sound.  There must be a cultural reason behind our personal musical tastes. 

There are a variety of ways to approach this concept in the classroom, and fortunately so - this kind of broad and unfamiliar idea will take a variety of approaches to sink in.  One example could be a writing assignment that requires students to pick a piece of music that they hate, and describe in detailed cultural and musical terms why.  Another example: a class discussion in which we attempt to create a definition for music; hopefully this discussion will result in futility, helping my students realizing that anything can be music!  Singing pieces from various cultures and time periods, and then comparing their values could be an interesting class discussion as well.  This options are endless.  I hope that after my students have taken a course from me, they will think more critically about how they listen to music, no matter what genre.     

Trial by Fire: Sight singing Bach

In many ways, sight singing music is similar to reading a written text out-loud for the first time. You must vocalize what you see in the instant that you see it, and be correct.  Both written texts and notated music come in a variety of complexity levels and styles.  Reading aloud an instruction manual is quite a different experience than e.e. cummings.  Likewise, it takes different skills to sight-read rhythmically complex Latin music than Benjamin Britten’s choral music. 

            As a choir teacher, it’s my responsibility to build my student’s music-reading skills, which includes sight singing.  Sight singing is a job skill for all musicians, and if you have mastered it, can open doorways to great job opportunities.

Look at all those freaking 16th notes!!

I have always been a strong sight-singer, but my experience with Bach put those supposed strengths to the test.  In my 2^nd year at USU, I found myself in an ensemble learning Bach’s St. John Passion: a dynamic oratorio-style work involving orchestra, soloists, and choir. Take a look above to see how hard this piece is (and mind you, this excerpt is not performed at a slow tempo.)  Dr. Craig Jessop led these rehearsals, and his method of teaching this repertoire is to throw you in headfirst.  And I had to learn how to swim!  I remember it was intellectually stressful and exciting to try to keep up.  After this experience, I think I have developed a list of things I can teach my students in their quest to become better sight-singers.

  

Think in Intervals

This means hearing in your mind exactly what a Perfect 4^th, tritone, or minor 6^th sound like when you see them on the page.  Having memory tricks can really help when you are first learning.  For example, “My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean” begins with a major 6^th, or “Here Comes the Bride” starts with a Perfect 4^th.  If you are not thinking in intervals, large leaps in music are terrifying!

Think in Keys

This piece of advice is akin to understanding Solfege or scale degrees.  This means knowing that the first note of the scale is Do, or scale degree 1, and so forth.  Once you know the key of a piece you are sight singing, it’s easy to understand how all the pitches relate to “do”

Split into Components

If the rhythm and pitches together are too much to sight-read all at once, try splitting up the parts. Just speak the rhythm without pitches first.  Or, try singing the pitches without any rhythm first.  Usually the former is more successful.

Look for Patterns:

Often music contains rhythmic or melodic patterns that repeat over and over again.  Why do the work of reading every note when you can read a couple of groups?

Check your part against the other parts

A good way to check for accuracy is by noticing how your part relates to the other parts.  If the music indicates you should be in unison with the tenors, but you are not, something is obviously wrong!  It’s a great reference point.

Be bold

Just try something.  Every new skill requires a period of uncertainty and fear.  Pick a note, and sing it loud and proud!  If you’re right, you’ll help everybody.  If you’re wrong, it will be hilarious.

The Struggling Readers Among Us

I consider myself a good reader of academic texts.  Ever since I was a child, I have noticed that I read faster and more deeply than my peers in class.  As a preface, I do not intend this blog post to come across as boastful, not in the slightest.  In fact, the blog post reveals my judgmental nature of other readers that I am currently dispelling. 

As a child, I specifically remember that reading scriptures aloud in Sunday school classes was an exercise in frustration.  This frustration was not a result of confusion, but frustration with others reading styles.  I assumed that others reading styles were a sign of laziness or apathy.  I now realize that isn’t the case.  A recent experience will explain what I mean:

I was in a small group in a class, taking turns reading an article out loud.  The other members of the group seemed to be having trouble understanding what they were reading, and hearing them read aloud illuminated why.  Their inflection and emphasis was equal for every single word, making a monotone inflection.  I also noticed that they didn’t take pauses for commas and periods, slurring all the phrases together into a paragraph-long string of words.  When they did take breaks, it was only for a break in the line on the page.  I found myself having a difficult time understanding the content when they read in this fashion.  In contrast, another member of our group read differently.  She gave inflection emphasis to key words in the sentence.  She grouped together important ideas by not taking a breath.  She also took a pause when the sentence began a new idea.  When he read, I could understand the content. If there are students that are reading to themselves in the monotone, pauseless fashion I described, no wonder they can’t understand the content; they are reading just to sound out the word.  This experience was illuminating, and gave me a new perspective on struggling readers who will be my students.   

            Through my education classes, I realize that my comfort in reading was not a result of my natural ability, but parents and teachers.  Reading was a part of my home, and my parents read a loud to us often as children.  I didn’t know it at the time, but I must have had teachers that really worked with my learning style to help me understand reading at a deep level.  I’m grateful that I was raised that way at home and at school. 

            Reading is rarely a part of the choir classroom.  However, I know that music teachers can reach out to students more deeply than other teachers can.  I hope my future students can ask me for help on assignments from other classes because of this deep connection.  When I was in high school, my choir teacher acted as a school counselor, tutor, and faux-therapist for my peers and I.

If I understand a bit more on how to support struggling readers, I can help my students, no matter what subject.

Micromovement and the case against "Choralography"

My love for the choral music (and making music in general) all began in Young Naperville Singers.  Centered in the town where I was raised, (a large suburb west of Chicago) YNS was a staple of the musical community for years, and rightfully so. It was perhaps the most musically meaningful experience of my life.  While that may seem an exaggerated statement, it’s absolutely true!

I auditioned in 5^th grade, at the encouragement of my elementary school music teacher, and continued until 9^th grade. I remember one particular experience in YNS was singing “O, lovely peace” from the oratorio Judas Maccabeus by Handel. 

Take a listen here: http://youtu.be/cPwWJbIEr-I?t=57s

This choir was quite demanding, and therefore we learned a lot of music in my time with the choir.  This particular piece sticks in my memory more prominently than any other, and I know why:  

Our director incorporated movement and dance into our learning of the piece.

I never have forgotten this dance, in which she had us pretend was picking up a pile of feathers, and throwing it over our shoulder.  I was entranced by this music because of how the dance made me feel: light, buoyant, and simply happy!  This was the first time that I danced to classical music as a child, but it definitely wasn’t the last.  Dancing and movement is the way I approach music today (when I’m at my musical best.) I credit dancing to Handel as the beginning of my deep love of classical music today.

Some might assume that classical music, especially baroque literature, would be boring to children.  I am living proof that is not always the case.  Because my director incorporated our entire bodies in moving to the music, it wasn’t at all boring, but exciting!  Movement is integral to music, that’s why music is called “moving” when it is truly emotionally powerful.  Baroque music is no exception.

I feel a lot of pressure from the choral education professional world to incorporate popular genres into the choral classroom, and rightfully so.  Popular genres are important to the backgrounds of my students.  However, I will not incorporate rock, pop, and jazz at the expense of classical music because “it’s boring.” If you teach movement with classical music, classical music feels just as good and is as exciting as radio music!  Singing is nothing without movement, no matter the genre. 

Now, when I refer to movement, I do not mean “choralography.” Choralography is a recent movement in the choral world where choreographed arm motions (and sometimes more) are added to a choir performance. 

Look here for some idea of what I’m talking about: http://youtu.be/hw8Ofda0T6I

There is something about choralography that leaves a bad taste in my mouth, and always has.  However, that seems at odds with my belief in movement’s place in music.  If choralography is movement, doesn’t that mean it should theoretically create better singing?  Theoretically, the answer is yes.  In practice, I believe the answer is no.  I believe that movement should be used as a tool, not an end product.  Therefore, movement should be incorporated in the rehearsal process!  But when movement is incorporated into the performance, I have found it usually results in a distracting and awkward experience for all (as I found in the video above.) 

The ultimate goal of movement in choral education is to eventually have movement within the body and mind.  That is something not visible to the outside eye, but can enhance the musical sound greatly!  This idea, which has earned the title micromovement in some circles, really works!  I know this, because I’ve experienced it in my own personal practice. 

I’m excited to incorporate movement and dance into the rehearsal process for my own choir someday!

Introductions

My name is Elizabeth Tait, and I am a choral education and vocal performance double major. 

I actually started my career without the education degree, only studying opera performance as my major.  However, I started to realize that I was very passionate about choral music.  I want to create good choral music however I can in life, whether that be at the middle school, high school, university, or professional level.  Choral music is truly the amateur art form, allowing any level of musician to participate.  I'm excited to enable all children, musically "talented" or not, to create music together.