Allsup, R. (2016). Remixing the Classroom: Toward an Open Philosophy of Music Education. Bloomington; Indianapolis: Indiana University Press.
1. I envision teaching in a middle school band classroom, so I might redesign this framework by including more student interaction and engagement. Since middle schoolers are extremely active and inquisitive during this point of their life, my redesigned framework would fit their needs in allowing for movement and hands-on learning with music. It is similar to the investigation, except I want the framework to be specific and insure that investigation includes hands-on interaction, not just observation from afar. I would also adjust the framework so that it pushes students towards creating a product that (constructing) and sharing it with the community. This would help them think of others, rather than themselves, and how they can be active participants in the community through music. Another way I would redesign this framework would be to push the teacher to help facilitate empowering students to make their own creative decisions. I believe that students are often told “Don’t do this!” a lot in elementary school. So, to promote creativity, students should be encouraged to make mistakes and ask questions. Again, these ideas are similar to the framework already presented, but I just want to clarify and make it more specific so that it is relevant to middle schoolers. 2. On my first day of my first year in my ideal job, I would engage students with multiple interests and undiscovered resources by providing different engaging activities. We would begin with several different station rotations where students could experiment and tinker with different activities relating to music. Some of these stations might include the following: Makey-Makey or other instruments that require coding, chamber groups, and improvisation and jazz. Afterwards, they would jot down and brainstorm by themselves or with a group more ideas that they would want for musical stations. Simply by doing these different stations, I hope to spur more ideas for things they want to learn and get out of their music classroom. A subject matter that might be useful to help activate students’ self-interests as well as my own vision of growth would be music technology. By asking questions about what students define technology as and how that can help make music, we can start a conversation and think of all different kinds of ways to incorporate technology, from the pencil to coding, into the classroom. I want to expand their ideas of what music is and what music education looks like; I want them to realize that music does not always mean band, choir, and orchestra, but that it can look like a lot of other activities. 3. Allsup’s book has absolutely made me reimagine my role in the music educator profession. I see my role more as an open book to be explored instead of a regime to be followed; my job is to help facilitate, not dictate learning and engagement. My assumptions and former beliefs have been challenged in that I have come to recognize that in a lot of situations in life and in learning, there is no one right or wrong way to do things. It’s hard to grasp that fact because I want there to be a correct answer, an easy answer, but I’ve come to understand that anything dealing with education and people is never easy. I’ve also released my assumptions that the perfect teacher (if there is such a thing) is the one with the most credentials and best looking resume; rather, the best kinds of teachers are usually hidden and not recognized because they simply enjoy investing in their students. From the beginning of the semester, I’ve come to think differently about how I embrace my identity as a teacher and as an Asian American woman. I can bring my culture into my work and recognize that my background and experiences are different than others and do affect how I teach. This isn’t a bad thing, rather it creates a uniqueness in my story and how I teach. I will need more time to process the idea of how to be a teacher that embraces an open form classroom because I am a “cookie-cutter student”. It will take me time and a lot of thought to think about how I can implement openness and creativity that doesn’t always adhere to what is “right” in the teacher’s eyes. 4. “I’m struck by the fear-inducing environment fostered by the presentational approach. The apprentice is under determined and consistent evaluation, performing publicly as a means to demonstrate knowledge and understanding, always under the watchful eye of the Master. Sound counts more than words. Music counts more than people. As Elliott himself says, there is little need for dialogue. And forget about taking a stray path. In such an environment, how do students experience risk? How do they try out something new? What is the reward for divergent thinking?” (2016, p.100) I’m surprised by how relatable this passage by Allsup is, and I’m amazed at how he has well-articulated my thoughts about my time here in college. I have to agree that I do feel the fear from the Master-Apprentice model of learning here at JMU; I’m afraid of playing things wrong and making mistakes because university professors have so much power and so many connections that could end up ruining a lot of your career and reputation if you do something they dislike. Part of this and the stress it induces turns me off from wanting to pursue graduate studies. His statement also creates some confusion for me; I’m here at college to study music and my applied teacher teaches in the way of the Master, yet my education courses are showing me different ways of learning to better help engagement and foster music appreciation. How can I teach my students in this different way if I’ve never experienced it in my private lessons myself? This passage also challenges my own way of thinking and inspires me to take risks and try something different because the reward for divergent thinking in my mind is the excitement that comes from engaging and problem-solving by yourself. The “I did it!” after all the hard work is worth it in my mind, and that’s something no Master can teach me. Comments are closed.
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Davina MiawOn this page, I will present examples of my scholarship in the form of reflective essays and philosophical assignments. Archives
November 2019
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