What We Learn Along the Way - Thomson

Britt Beil
MUSIC 23241
February 1, 2011

What We Learn Along the Way

               John Thomson asked several veteran teachers what they wish they would have known earlier in their careers and how that information has made them a better teacher. Roy Holder, Anthony Gibson and Anthony Pursell all mention how the relationships you build with students, parents, administrators and even custodians can help you grow as an educator. Charles Menghini has four main concepts he likes to follow, which are not rushing to judgement, select appropriate music, know what you can and can't fix in rehearsal, and put yourself in their shoes first. Joseph Manfredo is a firm believer in establishing a network with experienced and novice music educators. Scott Casagrande believes that individual assessment helps a student grow and makes sure the student is performing well and understands what you are teaching them.

               Although my own parents have never given any of my teachers a hard time, I know many people whose parents take to extremes with teachers. As a teacher, one must be prepared for the kind parents who will offer to help and even do good things without being asked, but also one must prepare themselves for the parents who believe they know what is best. It is imperative that teachers know how to approach the situation to avoid further contact. As a young teacher it is hard to tell the difference of what you want to perform and what your ensemble is capable of performing, so it is very important to choose appropriate music for the skill level of your ensemble.

               I feel that relationships formed between the teacher and students, parents, administrators, etc are very important and can help you succeed and grow as a music educator. Appreciating people who don't generally get acknowledged, such as custodians, secretaries, coaches, etc, is also a good way of getting things done in your classroom effectively. Don't rush to judgement is also very important because you don't want to put any students in a bad situation if you don't need to. You need the support of fellow educators, students, parents, colleagues, administrators, community and family to excel as a music educator.

Thomson, John. (2010). What we learn along the way. The Instrumentalist, 64 (9), 26-30 & 54-55.

Getting the Most Out of Going to Convention - Barton

Britt Beil
MUSIC 23241
February 1, 2011

Getting the Most Out of Going to Convention

               Just like the title suggests, in this article Barton explains how you can get the most out of your visit to convention. He suggests that you make your schedule of events you plan to attend in advance so if a conflict comes up, you still have several other concerts and clinics you can attend. He also says that there is no concert that has no value. There are three basic things you can learn from attending the concerts,  literature ideas, awareness of student capabilities at all ages, and genuine music inspiration. He also gives a few suggestions on how to attend the event as a staff so you all gain a lot of knowledge and he gives the reader ideas on how long to spend at the conference if you are there on school time or money. His last suggestion to the reader is just to have fun as you learn. 

               I am a big fan of making lists whenever I do anything whether it is packing for vacation, making plans for big events, or even just a daily schedule, so I am very supportive of making a schedule of events you may want to attend while at convention. Knowing where you want to be and for how long helps you feel less stressed and more relaxed so you can fully enjoy yourself. Also, I feel that listening to several different ensembles just helps you grow as a musician as well as a teacher, so I fully condone seeing as many performances that your schedule allows.

               I agree that if you go to convention as a staff, it is much easier to split up the concerts, exhibits and workshops so you all get the most knowledge out of the important event. You can all get together after the event and compare notes on what you heard and saw. If you have to miss school to go to convention I agree that you should only spend as much time at the conference that you would while you were teaching at your school. Spending too much time at convention can be stressful if you aren't prepared, but spending too little time is just a waste of your school's time and possibly money. Convention is an important event that every music educator should attend several times before, during and after their careers.

Barton, Gary. (2009). Getting the most out of going to convention. NBA Journal, 50 (2), 15-16.

Looking for the Wow Factor in the OMEA Conference Exhibit Hall - Adamson

Britt Beil
MUSIC 23241
February 1, 2011

Looking for the Wow Factor in the OMEA Conference Exhibit Hall

               In this article, Adamson lists off some of the same ideas for shopping at the exhibit hall of OMEA, but he adds some more details to the situation. He suggests making a list of present and future needs, review the TRIAD/website for exhibitors before the conference, and to visit the exhibit hall often. He also suggests consulting the Conference Program Book for the schedule of showcases, make sure you get the exhibitor's business cards for potential follow-ups or contact after conference, and return to exhibitors several times to continue asking questions. All of these suggestions should help with getting the most out of your experience.

               When attending the OMEA Conference it is imperative that you come away with more knowledge and tools than you arrived with. The exhibitors are there to help you become a more talented teacher and help your students learn, so you should want to learn all you can for all the money you can afford to spend. Having a list of things you need to accomplish can help you from becoming overwhelmed from all the exhibits at your disposal. 

               This article is very similar to the last one and I feel I can learn a lot for the future when I attend these conferences. I really think that the connections made between all the participants can help in the future. I like that the conference helps access the college/university level of education and advancing, either for yourself or referring your high school students to an appropriate school. So not only can you help yourself become a better educator but you can help your students figure out what they might want to do with their lives.

Adamson, David N. (2008). Looking for the wow factor in the OMEA conference exhibit hall. TRIAD, 75 (3), 28-29.

The Business Side of OMEA - Adamson

Britt Beil
MUSIC 23241
February 1, 2011

The Business Side of OMEA

               Adamson starts the article off by describing the relationship between the exhibitors and the teachers who attend the conference. The Ohio Music Educators Association ranks second to Texas as far as size of the conference. Exhibitors go to the conference to make money by offering and explaining their products and services and they also depend on members' input. The role of a member is to walk through the exhibit hall and interact with the exhibitors. He then gives several suggestions for shopping while at OMEA such as reviewing the TRIAD/website lists of exhibitors, visiting the conference frequently, plan for future and current needs, and shop for service as well as products.

               I feel that this article does give many hints to help while attending the exhibit. It can be overwhelming to go into the conference without having any idea as to what you need or want to gain from the exhibitors and clinics. I have participated in OMEA once and felt completely dumbfounded when I started to explore the exhibit because I was so unprepared for what was to come. 

               OMEA is very important for future, current, and past music educators to attend because we never stop learning. The exhibitors are there to share new ideas and get teachers to improve their teaching habits. Each year, over 1,200 potential and past companies are invited to share their products and services and it would be wrong for teachers to not take advantage of the wonderful experience. You can walk away from the exhibit feeling more positive and prepared to go teach students what you have learned.

Adamson, David N. (2005). The business side of OMEA. TRIAD, 74 (2), 63-65.

The Qualities That Make Some Directors Outstanding - Leonard

Britt Beil
MUSIC 23241
January 25, 2011

The Qualities That Make Some Directors Outstanding

               By now I have read many articles about different qualities that can make an average teacher into an amazing teacher and many of the articles have said the same things. In Mark Leonard's article, he points out a few different qualities that are very crucial to teaching. He mentions that you should set limits for your ensemble, get to know your students, deal with parents appropriately, delegate authority among parents or students, create a concrete and realistic plan, and be prepared for anything. He spends the majority of the articles with the previous stated qualities and concludes with a few more obvious traits such as patience with your students, admitting your mistakes, and ask for advice from your superiors who have been through all of this before. 

               At the beginning of the article, Leonard reflects on his first year as a music teacher and the obstacles he faced and overcame. I feel that he and I have a lot in common personality-wise. I, like him, can set all sorts of standards for myself but I am uncomfortable setting standards for others. Also I thoroughly enjoy conversing and socializing with people, but I am not comfortable telling people what to do. I also know that in the groups I have been a part of, getting to know your students is a very vital thing. When you know your students you are more aware of what they are capable of and you know how to push them to do their very best.

               I feel that delegating authority is a very important trait to possess when teaching music. By giving students important leadership roles, they are likely to feel a sense of pride and importance and can hopefully motivate their peers to be more productive and confident. I also feel that having a plan is of utmost importance so you never run out of time or overwhelm your ensemble with too much rehearsal. I am a firm believer in making lists of what needs to be done just because it will also keep you organized and that too is very important in schools. This article pointed out a few different characteristics that I have not spent much time thinking about.

Leonard, Mark. (2004). The qualities that make some directors outstanding. The Instrumentalist, 59 (1), 12-15.

Some Characteristics of Excellent Teachers - Kantorski

Britt Beil
MUSIC 23241
January 25, 2011

Some Characteristics of Excellent Teachers

               Vincent Kantorski starts the article by saying that all the lists of what it takes to make a teacher excellent won't necessarily make you an excellent teacher, you need to be able to apply the traits in your own way. Teaching is far too complicated to just follow a checklist of qualities. According to Kantorski, you should have a thorough knowledge of the material, be enthusiastic about teaching, maintain good eye contact, listen carefully to students, challenge your students to excel, use a sense of humor appropriately, be very well organized and ask questions that require a higher level of thinking. These qualities all work together to make a good teacher.

               In music it is very crucial that the conductor keeps eye contact with the students so they can feel connected to the music and be on time for all the cues. It is also important for any teacher to maintain eye contact so the students feel comfortable and know that their teacher is truly listening to them. Another important quality that I have seen is when a teacher challenges their students to excel. In high school, my choir teacher would give us homework assignments whenever we couldn't get a certain parts right in a song, the next day if we were still getting it wrong she would make us sing in little quartets until we all got it correct. Singing in quartets was nearly terrifying in high school, so it always motivated us so we would go home and rehearse the music and feel a greater sense of accomplishment.

               Many teachers come into the class and get straight to business and almost never even crack a smile, and most students would say that class is boring. This is why a sense of humor is helpful in the classroom, to keep students involved and entertained and want to come to class. Another very important trait is to ask questions to make students think on a higher level to help them fully understand the subject matter. All of the qualities listed in this article seem to be crucial in becoming an excellent teacher and I can't wait to learn how to apply every aspect in my own professional job. 

Kantorski, Vincent J. Some characteristics of excellent teachers. TRIAD, 73 (1), 40-43

Professional Qualities of Successful Music Teachers - Ervin

Britt Beil
MUSIC 23241
January 25, 2011

Professional Qualities of Successful Music Teachers

               In Max Ervin's article, he describes what qualities a music teacher must possess to be successful. Many of the qualities are quite obvious such as a love of young people, a love of teaching, sincerity, contagious enthusiasm, optimistic and organized. A few other qualities are a little less obvious but still very important such as a continued interest in learning, a sense of humor, faith in human potential, concern with personal appearance and mannerisms, and a sensitivity of emotions and intellect. He gives little details and examples of how these qualities are important and can put you ahead of the curve when applying for a job. 

               Although I have only had three different directors who have made an impact on my life, I feel that they all possessed most, if not all, of the qualities Ervin points out as being important. I know that whenever I go into my choir, if the teacher is in a good mood, I tend to join them because they are so optimistic and their enthusiasm is very contagious. Never have I had a teacher come into class dressed down or looking like a bum, and I feel that makes quite an impact because you know that they mean business and they aren't lazy. I have had issues outside of school, my teachers have always been supportive and have helped me out. 

               A teacher can have a major impact on their students and it is very important for them to realize this and do whatever they can to make their students happy. I definitely agree that having a strong concern in your personal appearance and mannerisms is especially important because your appearance is one of the first things anyone will notice about you and it can set the bar on the experience you have together. Also you must have a sense of humor or your experience will be a dull one.  The main trait I know I need to work on is sincerity, but mainly just the patience part of that. Nothing is worse than an impatient teacher trying to push you too work harder and stress you out.

Ervin, Max T. (1981). Personal qualities of successful music teachers. TRIAD, 57 (6), 12-13.

Preparing for Today and Tomorrow - Eisner

Britt Beil
MUSIC 23241
January 25, 2011

Preparing for Today and Tomorrow

               In this particular article, Eisner says that in order to prepare for the future, you must teach your students how to deal efficiently with the present. A teacher must challenge students with problems and ideas that are interesting as well as intellectually demanding. He spends the majority of the article talking about what schools should teach along with everything already being taught. He believes that judgement should be taught so students can deal with problems that may have more than one solution. Also students should be presented with ideas worth exploring to support critical thinking. Another important skill to be taught is meaningful literacy, the ability to encode or decode meaning in any of the symbolic forms used in the culture. Collaboration is also an important skill to be taught in schools to help students learn to work with others collectively, cooperatively, and in harmony. Working in the community can help with appropriate socialization as well as moral virtues. He also thinks that test scores shouldn't be nearly as important as they are made out to be today. The primary goal is to help students do well in their lives outside of school.

               Throughout my schooling, elementary through high school, I always felt that the teachers were only teaching us the bare minimum. I always left school wishing they would go more in depth with details they would just skim over. Also, there wasn't enough group activities to help with socialization for a good cause because we never had enough time in the individual classes and a lot of the teachers didn't think the students could handle that much freedom during class time. Often we were presented with issues that there was really only one good solution to, and when we thought of another solution, we were told we were incorrect. I could never truly thrive in my surroundings until I came to Kent State University.

               I feel that since students have to spend 8 hours in a day, 5 days a week and 9 months a year in school, they should be able to have a little fun and learn some things that are going to help them with the future. I agree that schools should take some time to teach all six qualities/skills that Eisner mentions in the article. Students should feel comfortable and leave at the end of the day feeling that they have learned something that will be valuable for the rest of their lives. I really enjoyed the quote at the end of the article saying "preparation for tomorrow is best served by meaningful education today".

Eisner, Elliot W. (2004). Preparing for today and tomorrow. Educational Leadership, 61, (4) 6-10.

Early Public School Music in the State of Ohio - Sanders

Britt Beil
MUSIC 23241
January 19, 2011

Early Public School Music in the State of Ohio

               It took many years for schools to accept music education into their curriculum plus a lot of convincing from people who understood the impact of music. Music educators faced many hardships and complications while trying to establish music in schools. This article starts out by explaining some of the issues music educators dealt with while fighting to provide music to schools. Most music education programs started out just with vocal skills and only about three schools provided instrumental music education. Some schools only taught music to certain age groups so not all students in a school district would get music classes. The article then shows examples of schools from all over the state and how music education started in that particular city. This is mainly done to show that it wasn't just the big city schools being offered music education.

               I really enjoyed that article showed how a lot of schools got their start in music. It was interesting to read how long it took a school to finally recognize music into their curriculum. Most of the schools would have music involved one way or another and, in my opinion, the schools were far to slow in accepting music. I can't even imagine how frustrating it must have been for music educators back then to have to go around and justify why music should be in schools and then get turned down for years. I have a lot more respect for music teachers because of this article.

Sanders, Paul D. (1996). Early public school music in the state of Ohio. TRIAD. 37-39

Important Influence on the Intro to Music Ed in Ohio - Sanders

Britt Beil
MUSIC 23241
January 19, 2011

Important Influences on the Introduction of Music Education in Ohio

               The first Ohio school to get music added to their curriculum was Zanesville schools in 1842. The Eclectic Academy of Music was founded in 1834 with the goal of promoting music education in the West. Judge Jacob Burnet was chosen to be President, Nathanial Wright was secretary and Timothy B. Mason was assigned the music professor. Lowell Mason played organ and was the choir director at the Second Presbyterian Church and he established the Boston Academy of Music in 1833. The Western Literary Institute and College of Professional Teachers was a group of people interested in the cause of education. Mason and Beecher defended music education on physical, mental and moral grounds. The Common School Advocate was an educational journal published from 1837-1841 and it contributed greatly to music education in Ohio by making entries available to teachers, school boards and others interested.

               I agree that music is very important for students to learn and participate in. Music is a way to express yourself when you aren't sure how else to do it, it helps you relax and have a break from the constant hustle and bustle of life, and it is something we experience every day whether we mean to or not. The creation of educational journals definitely help teachers learn new teaching techniques or just inform them on new advances.

               In the article, Mason and Beecher were describing how music education is school can be a definitely benefit for physical and mental health, plus morality. They used a professional, Dr. Benjamin Rush, to explain how singing is good for you physically because he believed singing could help prevent tuberculosis. Mentally, music helps with paying close attention, abstraction and analysis. Morally, it helps with the ability to refine, teach order and discipline, instill affection and confidence from the student to their teacher, and it helps appeal to the feelings of students through appropriate song lyrics. A few of these items may be a bit of a stretch, but for the most part I believe all of this to be true and it was nice to see someone sharing my deep passion for music.

Sanders, Paul D. (2001). Important influences on the introduction of music education in Ohio. TRIAD. 28-30.

Great Minds on Music in Education - Campbell

Britt Beil
MUSIC 23241
January 19, 2011

Chapter 2: Great Minds on Music in Education

               In today's economy, many schools are experiencing some major cut-backs in several departments including laying off teachers, dropping certain programs, etc. As a music educator, we need to find ways to convince administrators, teachers, and taxpayers that music in the schools is still very important. We need to have solid evidence to back up any arguments we may have. Music teachers enhance the musical experiences of their students and people in general. Music is very influential and a way of artistic expression in schools today. Many great minds and philosophers, such as Confucius, Aristotle, Martin Luther, and Nelson Mandela,  have described music as being very important in society. Music is vital in society and in the progress of young people's education.

               When I was younger I would always try to think of songs to remember little daily activities that I needed to accomplish. I have always enjoyed being in the choirs and felt a sense of pride and accomplishment when a concert was over or when I would audition for a solo. There were other ways that I used music to learn too. In my French class in high school, we would use simple little songs to help with learning the possessions, verbs, adverbs, etc. It was highly effective and to this day I still remember a lot from that simple  teaching technique.

               Children are introduced to music at very young ages whether it is a tape you enjoyed listening to or even when your parents would sing lullabies to help you fall asleep. Children have even been able to learn simple tasks through music. Music is a way of expressing yourself and it influences the people participating and the audience. I can't even imagine how dull elementary through high school would have been without music and I don't really ever want to know what that would feel like. 

A Musician's Life - Campbell

Britt Beil
MUSIC 23241
January 19, 2011

Chapter 1: A Musician's Life

               The chapter begins by describing all the jobs a musician can have including, but not limited to, performing, composing, improvising, arranging and even sound and recording engineering. Campbell talks about how a music teacher may have to do any of these jobs at any given time and sometimes several of these will pop up in the profession. She refers to people calling music teaching a "back-up career" and how this notion is very uninformed and untrue. Teaching requires traits and techniques that not everyone possesses or can learn. A key trait of a musician is to learn music and pass it on. The next section divides up into five mini-sections describing five different people who are at different stages of decision making to figure out if they truly want to be teachers while still students at a university. To be a great music teacher you must have training and experience, but it is almost safe to say that your real experience starts on the first day of the job. The reality of teaching techniques, leading rehearsals, and communicating music effectively is important for a teacher to learn. There is a nature versus nurture argument about music teaching because some people believe you are born with the natural talent, other believe it is all learned, and then the rest believe you have to possess both natural talent and education. 

               When describing the five different types of students who want to go on to music teaching as their profession, I could definitely identify with the "Shy Girl" description. I would love to teach, but I can't help but feel nervous as soon as I am in front of a group of any size or age. I am uncomfortable knowing people are judging me and I am afraid of not being effective enough to get my point across when leading a rehearsal. I know, of course, I will have to get over this fear and become the leader I know I can be, I just need to be more confident in myself and my audience. 

               Throughout the chapter I found many things I agree with. I definitely agree that your real experience won't start until you are in front of your group of students and they are all listening to you and waiting for you to lead them. You must keep good eye contact, have focused energy and honest enthusiasm, minimal teacher talk, and clear cues, gestures and directions. Warmth and humanness are also very important to make the group feel comfortable and want to learn from you. I have seen many situations in which the teacher has to take on many other jobs to keep the group together and happy. This chapter definitely inspires me even more to want to be a music teacher.

Campbell, Patricia Shehan. (2008). Musician & Teacher. 1-15.

Ohio's First Band Contest - Bianco

Britt Beil
MUSIC 23241
January 19, 2011

Ohio's First Band Contest

               In this particular article, Bianco describes what happened at the first Ohio Band Concert. OMEA organized the event on June 6th, 1924, at the Hays Hotel in Fostoria, Ohio. The Fostoria High School Boys Band participated in the schools Band Contest of America in Chicago the year before and was declared the winner. The entire city of Fostoria was excited to host the contest. Eight other bands participated in the contest from various schools in Ohio. Only 15 out of 600 band members were female. The solo event had five different categories, cornet, trombone-baritone, other brasses, reeds, other woodwinds. The bands could only have two soloists for each category. The judges assigned by the Committee on Instrumental Affairs were Taylor Branson, Jay W. Fay, and H.S. Warren. The judges were separated and placed behind a screen so they couldn't see the band playing. Bands were scored on a point scale for intonation, precision, interpretation, and tone quality with a maximum of 25 each for the categories. The Fostoria High School Boys Band won, Cleveland West Technical High School Band followed in second place, and Akron West High School got third place. 

               Although I don't have any personal experience with the band adjudicated events that went on in my high school, because I was in choir, I did help host a contest at our high school my junior year. It was a very exciting experience for me to see behind the scenes of a District V Contest. Obviously a lot has changed since 1924, so there were a lot of differences in the amount of schools present and the make up of the students in the groups. There were also more categories for the bands to choirs as far as musical choices and types of bands and choirs they wanted to take to contest. 

               While reading the description of how they ran the contests I was very intrigued by the scoring, judges, and casualness. In the article Bianco mentions that the schools also competed for honors such as Best Marching Band, Best Appearing Band, Best Appearing Drum Major, and Best Looking Bass Drummer, which was determined by three Fostoria High School females. This put the schools all in a good mood and it would be rather exciting to be part of the parade. The scoring system was interesting as well just because I am used to a one-to-five system presented now, but I do think giving you more numbers to choose from makes it more precise and the judges can be more detailed. The judges not being able to see the choirs also made it really interesting. Personally, as a performer, I always felt more nervous when I could see the judge, but at the same time I thought it improved our performance because we could see the person judging us. Overall, the article was very fascinating and fun to read.

Bianco, Robert S. (1974). Ohio's first band concert. TRIAD. 16-17, 28.