Saving the Music Classroom

Saving Music Classroom

Music is one of the original classroom subjects. Before math or science were ever thought to be included, music was at the beating heart of education and the force that drove its place in the firmament of education was its acceptance of the latest technology. From pythagorean scales to Mozart’s use of the piano to Bob Dylan’s embrace of the electric guitar, music and technology have always had a close relationship.

However, despite this illustrious pedigree technology in the American music classroom, particularly at the secondary level, has not changed much changed in the past 50 years. In fact, Peppler points out to us that current music classrooms:

(Peppler 2010)

The quest is now on to rescue music largely from itself to prevent its extinction through the adoption of the technology it once so easily embraced. The traditional music program centers around applied music consisting of a Band, Choir, and Strings programs. Students are either excused from their classes or given time during the school day to attend a rehearsals on an elective basis. These rehearsal and performance cycles rarely have any connection to the wider curriculum and their content oftentimes has more to do with an upcoming holiday than any real learning opportunity. As we get higher into the grades participation in music class drops well below 20% of the student body as more and more time is needed for ‘serious’ classes like Math and Science. This teaching model is unsustainable and perpetuates the decline of music in our public schools. After coming to terms with these realities the question becomes how can music adapt to become more relevant to today’s learning environment. In the following we will explore how a circular shift in the way music is approached which will allow for the adoption of better educational models, cross curricular lessons, and the sustained use of technology in the classroom. Such a shift will not only halt the decline of the music in American secondary schools but will transform it into a 21st century instructional powerhouse.

Tradition

“And 1 and 2 and….good! Now do that 50 times more!”

Today’s music classroom at the secondary level focuses on applied music which refers to the playing of instruments in band or strings as well as singing in choir. Secondary level music teachers in the USA have long gravitated towards applied music because it is a visual demonstration of learning that parents enjoy seeing and students love participating in. However, this focus on spectacle relegates music to an amusement or entertainment to be abandoned once more serious subjects come to the educational foreground no matter how much statistical and research based proof we offer parents and administrators on the importance of applied music.

The problem secondary music faces is one of perception which can be altered through the the adoption of more academic based music classes. Academic music refers to music history, theory, ear training, sight singing, composition, listening, and reflection. By focusing more on these aspects of music we can be more inclusive towards students and more easily show parents and administrators that music can adhere to latest best practice techniques while more easily reaching across curricular boundaries to include many other educational topics. The vehicle for this shift in focus will be technologies such as Google Drive, online student journals and other digital tools that will demonstrate students’ academic progress in the same way that concerts expose a student’s applied learning achievements. Such a shift in focus will not only strengthen the music program overall but allow it to thrive through the greater inclusion of technology, more traditional learning documentation, and visible cross curricular ties to core courses which could easily help justify its inclusion in the curriculum should a school board or administrator get the inclination to cut music from the curriculum. On the contrary, if music can interweave itself throughout the school curriculum through cross curricular units driven by technology and based in academic music it becomes not only a cultural force within the school through its ensembles but also a curricular force as well.

It is at this point that some music teachers may rightly point out that their time with students is extremely limited and with the ascendance of block scheduling the time between lessons has become greater. The argument could then be made that their isn’t sufficient time to teach both academic and applied music sufficiently. It must be admitted that no solution is a panacea and that each teacher in each district will find themselves facing some unique challenges in this regard. However, today’s online technology has made the flipped classroom a viable possibility and cross curricular units between teachers forced to share instructional time due to scheduling can turn what many see as the death of the music classroom into its rebirth.

Now that the case for academic music is clear lets examine some of the ways that academic music supports the rejuvenation driven by technology.

Better Documentation

More please!

Documentation of music curriculum is a topic that most applied only music teachers find vexing. After all, large ensemble environments do not lend themselves well to the rigidity inherent in lesson and unit plans. Also, aspects such as objectives, student learning outcomes, and assessment are nearly impossible to implement meaningfully into an applied only environment. The reality is that rehearsals are no place to run traditional lesson plans. Consequently many administrators are perplexed by music and come to see it either as some mystical subject beyond their comprehension or a dangerous outlier in need of restraint. As stated earlier, academic music can fulfill many of the perception issues that applied music faces. As demonstrated HERE, HERE, and HERE, academic music can and should adopt the latest teaching methodology. On this very website a new methodology called the Asset model was born out of many of the trials and frustrations discussed in this article. In addition to the obvious documentary tools common to today’s classroom (such as Google Apps) music teachers would be wise to also maintain a departmental websites at all times.

This website would be split into two distinct parts the first of which would be geared towards students, teachers, and administrators and concerns the documentation and execution of the curriculum. Such a site would primarily contain the unit/asset series plans and the asset/lesson plans. However, it could also help deliver content by providing resources such as assets (movies, links, sound clips, supporting documentation, worksheets) and help students keep track of upcoming work or concert events through an interactive calendar. Many teachers would opt to use Google Drive to fulfill such a function but the benefit of an independent site (which could run off of google drive) is that the curriculum documentation is not only present but organized in a user friendly way that is accessible to the target audiences. Such a stunning visual representation of music learning could easily help amplify powerful visual learning evidence.

The second section of any departmental website should be an interactive blog wherein each class has an individual blog page containing current classroom information and summaries of what is taking place. In addition to forming a valuable learning record, students could interact with the teacher outside of the classroom on assignments or other topics. This interaction could be further be enhanced through tools like Buddypress that turn average WordPress blogs into fully functional social media sites.

It must be noted that applied music could also benefit from such a digital tool. Imagine snippets of rehearsals being posted online that pull back the curtain of mystery on the music department and show parents and administrators the value of a strong applied program. Such a site might also host full videos of concerts or other musical events that further enhance the impact of applied music programs.

More Inclusion

You missed the Bb!
PS.This is actual music notation..no joke.

Note reading is a core principle of academic music and the bane of most students. Music theory in general is something students fear and a major hurdle towards making music programs more accessible. As a result people like Webster (2002) have helpfully pointed out that several categories of technological growth designed to aid music instruction. Among them was software designed to simply music notation Music writing software like those found on Hooktheory.com seek to lower the bar by providing a ‘bar type’ interface that incorporates vertical position and color to indicate pitch while horizontal positioning and bar length indicate timing. In this way many of today’s online compositional tools are allowing people with no note reading skills to experiment with music. Oddly enough, the way current alternate notational tools work is eerily similar to the neume notation which might explain its efficiency. However, the question has been raised as to whether or not music notation is worth teaching in light of this and other advances in the communication of rhythm, pitch, and harmony.

Although some may instinctively bristle at any challenge to 400 years of tradition today’s music teachers must embrace these new notational tools. Music teachers must realize that inclusion is a much better policy than exclusion. While it feels good to be a part of a specialized group the bar for entry into music is now so high due to notational requirements that dwindling student numbers many cause many board members and administrators are wondering why music is a part of the curriculum at all. Also, for those students not wishing to participate in the western art music tradition we must accept that their decision makes notation less consequential. Guitar players are particularly notorious for not knowing how to read music yet some rock stars openly admit to not knowing how to read music. However, an acceptance of the latest method that can promote inclusion does not mean we need to abandon notation which would be ludicrous considering the entirety of western art music is based upon it. There is, in fact, no reason that the newer digital forms of notation cannot act as a step between total understanding of traditional notation and total ignorance of it. Consider that famous works of literature have undergone a similar transition from being available only in print media to being available online in audio and video form. While some people may choose to only watch the movie or listen to the audio book that does not mean the original print version has vanished. We all know that anyone who claims that watching Romeo and Juliet or Macbeth on Youtube is a poor substitute for the raw power experience during a live performance. So too must music teachers embrace the technological advances that promote accessibility while we still advocating for tradition.

In addition to Hooktheory similar instruments capable of MIDI interface can bring technology into the applied music realm as well. MIDI allows students to play their instruments and have a computer automatically write down the notes they play or analyze their playing in real time. Such a tool could become an invaluable resource and help students learn while they attempt to grasp traditional notation. Such MIDI enabled instruments also open up the compositional process to a wider variety of students making expression through music a more inclusive process.

Relevance

The wheels on the buss go round and round!

Perhaps the most important aspect of supporting a good tech supported academic music program is the inclusion of cross curricular units. Cross curricular units provide clear proof that music is capable genuine instruction on any other academic topic students encounter. By making music an indispensable part of other teacher’s curricular goals music can ensure its own survival within the school environment. Furthermore, cross curricular units lessen the instructional load on individual teachers by spreading it out which saves time and spares students from duplicate assessments lightening their burden as well. Furthermore, the more cross curricular units a school has the more horizontally and vertically integrated the curriculum naturally becomes which further brings a school in line with best practice. All of these benefits are well outlined in Ben Johnson’s article on Edutopia which talks about these concepts in terms of deeper learning. According to Johnson deeper learning is:

(Johnson 2013)

Technology can easily facilitate these cross curricular goals as demonstrated HERE and HERE for both language arts and Science in the music classroom. However, this process towards cross curricular work could easily begin in the music department but it could very well help the entire school to adopt more cross curricular units. The key to setting up such an environment school wide is to get teachers working together to develop the necessary units and help them cooperate during instruction which will require technological fluency. Undoubtedly basic suite applications like Google Apps or Microsoft One Drive will be the centerpiece of any such collaboration but it would also be wise to maintain a blog that documents the process of moving away from the current system and towards the new. Any curricular change proposed on such a magnitude is bound to cause fear in teachers who are used to conducting business in a certain way. An interactive blog would help support decisions made by a council of stakeholders and inform the wider community about exactly what changes are taking place and why. With such a system in place the chance of success should be maximized through the use of technology.

Round Up

“OUCH! The future of music is a little too bright!”

Music in today’s school environment needs to adapt but the goal should not be just mere survival. Music is an outstanding subject with applicability across the school curriculum and their is no reason that the music department cannot spark change that impacts the entire school environment. By adopting a balanced approach between an authentic applied and academic music program driven by the latest technology music teachers will be given access to the tool necessary to drive necessary changes that will ensure not only its survival but its re-ascendance as one of the most important subjects in a student’s life.