If You Tickle Me I Am Not Responsible For Your Injuries.

How you treat others is more important than you know. 

I never conceived of many things.

 /begin seeming randomness/

A crazy kid could decide to kill children and teachers. In their school. 

A person sitting in the back-center seat belt is at risk for paralysis

 if they get into a serious wreck. 

And it happens. 

It happened to a dear friend's young son. 

That another dear friend would lose their only teen daughter in a car wreck. 

That a family member would lose a child. 

And nearly lose another because of a freak accident.

That Alzheimer's, MS and cancer would compete 

for which is the worst disease in our family. 

/end seeming randomness/

Connections vs. Disconnections

It kind of all boils down to that. 

We form connections in our immediate space, which now includes the internet. 

If someone reads what we write, or listens to what we say, or is within our reach, how will we handle that responsibility? 

What we do to others can create mental distress - even mental illness. 

That's a simple fact. 

“ If you are depressed you are living in the past.

If you are anxious you are living in the future.

If you are at peace you are living in the present. ”

—

Lao Tzu

So my simple point: Treat those in your present with kindness. 

Even if you are tickling them.

You never know what is in their future. 

Nada Surf - Beautiful Beat

Trying to remember when I could fix anything with sound.

"Is Music the New Social Media?"

Quoting the article: "In an age when many children experience music alone on iPods and computers, especially students at the upper elementary level, the research underscores the value of face-to-face musical interactions."




Here is the link to the article:
http://www.sfcv.org/article/is-music-the-new-social-media-empathy-entrainment


More research is needed according to the article. But common sense should lead us to know that what we suspect is true here is indeed true. Humans have known this throughout history. Why we need research to prove these things nowadays is kinda beyond me.

The Beauty of Acoustic Stuff

We are near the end of the school year, so it's Student Choice Day in Music Classes. 

So far 100% of my classes have chosen Exploration in Instrument Centers. They never get to do this. Well...not never, but certainly they receive guided instruction in the majority of classes and don't get to simply explore without me looking closely over their shoulder as much as we would all like. 

As an aside - the students in my school get music classes once every 8 school days, for 45 minutes per class. 180 school days divided by 8 (days in the specials rotation) = 22.5 music classes. 

22.5 classes x 45 minutes per class = 16.875 hours of music instruction per year.

Our students are at school for approximately 6 hours per day. Not all of that is instructional time. 

Take out 30 minutes for lunch, 45 minutes for special area classes, 20 minutes for recess, and 20 minutes for transitional activities, and they have approximately 245 minutes of overall instructional time in the regular classroom per day. That is about 4 hours. 

So - [prepare to have your mind blown] - 

Students come to music class instruction in a full year for the approximate equivalent of what they get in the regular classroom in less than one week of school. (That is only if they don't miss music class for field trips, assemblies, or some other special event. )

You can see why the majority of music class time is spent on direct instruction rather than exploration. 

However - never underestimate the power of play as a learning experience. 

I had an epiphany today: I am super-glad that I was raised in a house with an acoustic piano, several banjos, a dobro guitar, and various band instruments. Besides playing in the dirt, playing kick the can and riding my bike, playing on musty, heavy, mechanical musical instruments was a favorite playtime pursuit as a child. 

Especially the piano. 

A wonderful, heavy, clunky upright acoustic monster. 

Take off the front panel and you can see all the mechanical "innards". Delightful. 

Our goal sentence for music classes this rotation: 

"I will cooperate with others to choose music activities to enjoy together. 

I will show respect and make beautiful sounds."

The first day of the class rotation, I was interested that the kindergarten classes explored the instruments very differently than the first and second grade students. The second day, I noticed less of a difference, and I'm not positive what the distinction was. I will say that I believe each classroom gains its own distinct personality based on the classroom teacher's teaching style, their personality, the students' learning styles and the students' personalities and previous experiences. 

These first clips are kindergarten students from the second day. I placed visuals for them to read in each instrument center and this could be the reason for the difference between today and yesterday. 

Some of the children may have actually been attempting to read, but more than that, I think the visuals prompted them to create new music based on their experiences. The first day I did not do that, and the kindergarten students were much more inclined to simply make their hands go as fast a possible and create noise, rather than 'music'. So having a visual prompted them to think and listen, with a much more musical result. I thought this was very interesting. (Those of you who have read my writings before know that I am a learning nerd at heart. I love watching how people think and learn.)

In this first kindergarten video, two girls are singing a familiar song and alternating between playing the rhythm of the words, or playing the beat. Although I suggested that they could work together, they are creating their music spontaneously without any guidance from me. 

These two boys created a "Music Class Chant" and came all the way across the room to announce to me that they wanted to perform it for me. All I can say is, DAY. MADE.

One of the two decided he would go even further and create another chant. 

He requested to do this one as well, and his friend INSISTED he do it as a solo. :) LOL.

This was actually the first one these boys requested I listen to.  They begin by playing the beat and then morph into playing the rhythm of the words. The fact that they do either one of these things correctly at any time is something I celebrate. It is early and they are young. 

They will master the distinction between the beat and the rhythm next year in first grade.

These mini-performances are all important. I hope they left feeling as good about it as I did. 

I think they probably did. 

And as one of my flute heroes says: 

"The most important thing is the feeling they have when they go out the door." 

~ William Bennett

Now we move to first grade. 

I really admired this student's combination of pitches and his gentle manner. 

How I wish I had caught this student's "spider fingers" before he placed his hands on the keyboard. 

He looked like the proverbial famous piano soloist, limbering up his digits for the big recital. 

Both boys made beautiful sounds, imo. 

Notice how these two first grade girls are arranging. And cooperating. <3

Does it bother me that they don't perform the rhythm patterns exactly correctly each time? 

Nope. 

I'm just pleased as punch that they are excited about reading music. 

Practice will polish this over time. 

Here's an example of first grade collaboration and orchestration. In her excitement, the student had a hard time explaining for the camera what she had already told me (and I asked her to tell me again). 

After I turned off the camera, she said "No, but, well, yes, it IS Engine Engine, 

but we did it differently."

Children who take piano lessons love to show you what they have learned. When I asked this first grade girl to demonstrate what she had learned in piano lessons, she was very proud to do so.

These second grade girls are demonstrating the wonder of peer modeling. 

Remember, this is all happening at this particular instrument center in the span of about 4 minutes. 

Then they must stop and change to a new instrument center. [There are 9 centers in the room.] 

So after a demonstration of the beginning of Beethoven's Fur Elise by ear, 

the second girl does a pretty good job of imitating her friend. Gotta love that.  

By the way, the girl who modeled the tune does not take piano lessons. 

She figured it out herself. 

Here is my last video for now. 

Right before playing this for me, this student said "I love music! I'm gonna be a rock star!" 

Although there is some notation in front of him, he is not trying to read it; he is improvising these melodies. It's interesting that he stays pretty much in the mi-so-la tone set, which is what is on the written pattern. I never said he had to do that, but it shows his desire to create structure in his improvisation. 

I think he finds that as pleasing as I do. 

I need to tell you about one more student, a first grader. 

When he was at this instrument center, he explored the xylophone for awhile and then - *EUREKA* - 

He turned to me and said - "LOOK! DOGGIE, DOGGIE, WHERE'S YOUR BONE!" 

[while gesturing and pointing in rhythm at the notes.] 

He was so enthralled with the fact that he recognized the song he knew in the music that was printed there in front of the instrument. It wasn't just a lightbulb that went on - it was a laser. 

These are the moments music teachers live for. 

There is a lot of background sound on these videos. If you have made it this far, good for you. 

You obviously like the beautiful sounds of acoustic stuff, like we do. 

You might just be cut out for teaching music.  ;o)

Practice Makes ... a Friend

My latest Facebook status update went like this: 


"Practicing music is like getting to know a person. When you have mastered a piece of music, it brings you comfort. Playing or hearing that music feels like getting together with an old friend."


I have used this philosophy in teaching various students. Sometimes they would play/sing a piece like they really didn't like it much. I would try to convince them that the reason they didn't like it was because they didn't know it - and that they needed to make friends with it. 


However my status update hit me this morning as I was practicing the piano part on Franz Schubert's art song, "The Trout". Piano is not my first instrument - well, actually it was my first instrument back in 3rd grade, but I have spent the rest of my life learning the flute. So when I first began working up the piece, it felt awkward and a bit scary to contemplate playing with my chorus, in front of others. I never disliked the piece, although I definitely disliked certain spots that were more of a technical challenge. 


Now that I have just about mastered the piece, I look forward to sitting at the piano and noticing new details about the experience as I play. Now is the fun, because I get to play with dynamics and phrasing and actually express the sound painting that is this lovely little gem of a song. The sounds come back to my ears with increasing grace. I'm able to multi-task and think of other things while playing - sort of like "taking a ride in my body".


This is a phrase I also used as a runner (back in the days when I had two good knees). Once in (relatively good) shape, the runner reaches a level of fitness that allows for greater endurance and grace. 


Musicians are athletes, using small muscle systems instead of whole-body gross motor movements (in most cases). Practicing develops endurance, technical facility, economy of movement, and muscle memory. In short - these elements add up to grace. Grace is controlled power - controlled technical movements. Control is a big part of the picture, but even more important is comfort. The body tells the athlete (musician, dancer, etc.) when the tempo is ready to be increased - when fluency is established - when the feat (the music, the physical movement) is like a friend. You want to revisit repeatedly. You feel relaxed in its presence. Your mind is free to think about and express new ideas as you enjoy the benefits of muscle memory. The activity releases pent-up emotions and creates positive energy. 


So - practice really is liking nurturing a friendship, no matter what you are practicing. But if what you are practicing is music, you know what a great friend it can be. Music excites the intellect, soothes the emotions, and elevates the soul. Music is a friend that helps you discover the best things inside yourself. So stay motivated, if you are a musician. Listen to your body, because it will tell you when you are becoming acquainted with the movements that will allow you to perform the piece with grace. When that happens, you begin to love the music even more. You feel a new grace that you didn't know before. And you have a friend that you can carry with you in your mind for life. 

Here you have the last sunny sunset of 2011. This was taken in the Florida panhandle on December 30th. The next day we had fog roll in at sunrise and it stayed. All day. It was so bizarre. So the last light of 2011 wasn't so brilliant.

Then... right before the Pelican dropped on downtown Pensacola at midnight and the fireworks went off at Pensacola Beach, the fog lifted. 

So, Happy New Year everybody. Here's hoping the lifting of the last fog of 2011 is a sign that 2012 will contain a clarity and a light that exceeds your best days of 2011.