If music is for a lifetime, when does that lifetime begin?

Dr. Mark — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 11:11:30 +0000

One of the central features of Lucy Green’s research and writing is that people learn to become technically proficient and develop musical artistry without going to school or by taking lessons. There are millions of “used to be” band members, choir members, orchestra members. Even with the best pedagogy and curricula available, we don’t seem to be able to influence the musical futures of our students.

I struggle with this question because I am in the business of schooling children in how to succeed in the “big three.” No, not our nation’s automakers but the musical big three: band, choir, orchestra. And yet, I realize that for most of the children I work with, they will never choose to sing or play or move to music once they leave my studio. It is this reality that pushes and prods my thinking and my pedagogy. It is my belief that actively doing music is not something to be pushed aside along with yearbooks, kindergarten drawings, academic awards, that the like. Music is something worth doing as a recreational activity, similar to a pick-up game of soccer or flag football or a stroll in the park or a walk on the beach. And yet, we’re not there but we could be. I’m confident.

Because I won’t be in my students’ lives for more than a few short years, developing in each child a sense of “I can do this myself” is becoming a more prominent element of my classroom interactions. Gone are the days of explicitly directing students’ actions. Instead, I have opted for a less “in your face” approach that provides just enough scaffolding to get them started so that they struggle. The beauty of struggle is that it tends to be tied to thinking and persistence, both of which are in short supply in our culture’s modus operandi.

It seems strange that I would want children of all ages to struggle, to agonize, over how to successfully play or sing or create a familiar song but the benefits of their own realization that they indeed “did it themselves” is more powerful than anything I could have done. Maybe, just maybe, these little successes will influence the choices children will make about how to use their leisure time when they are 15 or 25 or 35.

If music is for a lifetime, should it begin today?

The post If music is for a lifetime, when does that lifetime begin? appeared first on Dr. Mark's Studio.

When Excellence is Average

Dr. Mark — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 11:05:54 +0000

Last week I was walking my dog around our neighborhood and happened to pass our local high school’s marquee. The sign is fairly standard one with flashing, multicolored words and images, announcing the next ballgame or students’ accomplishments or the teacher of the week.

What caught my eye was the announcement that one of the music ensembles received an “Excellent” contest rating and that this meant that it had risen to the distinction of earning “Sweepstakes.” Being awarded Sweepstakes is a big deal in Texas. As I stopped to read through the several images that contained the announcement I thought to myself “Well done. Good job. You see, hard work and perseverance do pay off.” This feeling of pride for the students and their directors was muted a bit as I read the last statement of the announcement “…37 years in a row!”

Question: After 37 years, might we assume that the band will receive Sweepstakes next year and the year after and the year after …? So, logically speaking, if we can predict with almost certainty that this band will achieve the highest rating in the state and nothing higher because there isn’t anything higher, then can we make a case for advertising that the band had an average year next year? After all, isn’t average what you do most of the time? AND, if average is all this band will ever hope to be in the future, can’t we think of something more productive to do with their time?

Just some thoughts.

The post When Excellence is Average appeared first on Dr. Mark's Studio.