PLN: NPR

      As music educators, we must always remember that behind the students desire to learn how to sing, the culture engulfed in music, and the necessary techniques to be a good musician is a child who fell in love with music because of the connection they formed with music on an emotional level. For this reason, as music teachers we must continue to show different styles and genres of music in the classroom, even if its just for five minutes while we are taking attendance. For this reason, I love NPR, or national public radio. With a multitude of different styles, and a constant free source of music you can expose your students to new styles and still keep your lesson on track. In additional to the free music feed, there is a multitude of articles and videos to use in your classroom. We must always remember the love our students have for music and try to incorporate it into our lessons as much as possible. By using these free resources, we can enhance our lessons and hopefully engage our students further.

Warmup: Doo Bah

A Change of Focus: Guitar in the Classroom(PLN)

            How often do teenagers say, “I really wish I could play guitar!”?  Guitar is one of the most popular instruments in the United States with hundreds of thousands of kids attempting to teach themselves each year. Why then, is guitar not implemented into the high school, or even middle school classroom? Surely it would draw a huge crowd. The answer appears to lie in the fact that many teachers rely on older proven teaching strategies. While Kodaly and Orff undeniably are geniuses in the field of music education, we must begin to look towards the interest group of our students and form a curriculum that encompasses them.

            For this reason, I believe implementing a guitar program would be incredibly beneficial towards music programs in schools. I know that when my school started a beginning piano class there was a fifty-person waiting list in a school of five hundred kids, and guitar is even more popular than that! By incorporating guitar into the program, the music department will be able to draw students who usually would not be involved in ensembles, but still have the desire for musical skills.

            Therefore, my PLN for this week is a website that shows individuals the basics for guitar. GuitarTricks is a website in which many guitar specialists have posted videos teaching the fundamentals to guitar, as well as other important skills. There are 24 videos free of charge, and each video goes in depth explaining the skills slowly and clearly. What’s great about the fact that it is online is that one can watch the videos again and again if he or she needs additional practice or help.

            As a future music educator, I definitely want to take the time to learn guitar, for though it isn’t taught in most colleges, it is a key advantage in getting a job. If I were to have knowledge of guitar, and the desire to create a program in my school, that would certainly give me a leg up on the competition.

Giddy with MIDIs: A Response to Mouricio and Oppenheimer

        With technology becoming more infused in music exponentially, it is critical as a music educator for my knowledge of different music technology to grow at the same rate. I always knew of MIDIs as a wonderful tool in aiding music composition, but Mouricio and Oppenheimer's article really opened my eyes to the new things on the horizon in terms of MIDI technology.
         There are many benefits of MIDIs, including their smaller file size, easy switching of instruments and keys, and above all the multitude of ways they can be used. Different programs can use MIDIs, and therefore they can be used as a method to communicate between programs. 
         MIDIs can be exceptional beneficial to music education because by using the correct music notation software, you can create a score for your ensemble, input notes using a MIDI keyboard, and adjust parts of a given piece. I would highly suggest using MIDIs in music education, and embrace the technology that is before us. 

PLN: Theta Music; Tone Deaf No More?

            Whenever someone finds out that I go to a music school,  the most common reaction is “I wish I could sing!” Many people claim to be tone deaf, or that they have zero musical talent. Personally, I don’t believe in the concept of tone deaf. I think that there are definitely some people with a higher natural talent then others, but anyone can learn to sing at least decently. For this reason I made it my mission this week to find a resource that could help people who have trouble with basic fundamental music skills. I just happened to stumble upon trainer.thetamusic.com/en/content/matching-pitch!

            The website is an online resource that can help people who have trouble doing the basic fundamental pieces of music. And it’s really fun in the process! There are different games that include a pitch matcher, pitch memory, scales, intervals, melody and so much more! All you need is a microphone on the computer, and adobe flash. Also, all of the basic levels are free!

            I have already shown this website to a couple people who claimed they were tone deaf and saw some basic improvement within minutes. This proves that it could be an incredibly valuable resource as a music educator for those who may have an issue with a student who simply is not capable of performing at the same level as others. I believe it is a very valuable PLN as a future music educator and hope that you all check it out!

PLN: Culture and Music Collision

            As future music teachers, we all know the value that music education has on teaching other core curriculum classes. Music is a universal language. Sure, the accent may vary but when it comes down to it, people from every walk of life can make a beat on an object, or feel certain feelings when listening to a piece. Why then, is there not more of a push to integrate music into classes on history, culture, or language? If we as music teachers look outside of our comfort zone and join forces with teachers from other subjects, we can increase a child’s learning capacity ten fold.
            Imagine a lesson on slavery in the south, where the student’s walk into the class where sad, or minor spirituals are being played to set the tone of the lesson. The history teacher leaves the music on, but lowered and continues on by talking about slavery. When she gets to talking about the slaves in the field,  she could perhaps share with the class a lively spiritual in which many slaves would partake in singing while they worked. And when she talked of their escapes, show a song like “Follow the Drinking Gourd” which displays the freedom trail. Think of how much more enriching and engaging that lesson would be.
            In my opinion, subjects are much to separated. Each school subject connects to the others in some way or form. If we were to link these subjects together, maybe students would not walk out of the classroom wondering why they were bothering to learn what they were learning because they would never use it in the future, but rather understand the purpose behind the lessons they were taught.            
            For this reason I believe that teaching the cultural aspect of music is imperative to a child’s curriculum. Yes, it is important to be able to play, listen to, and analyze pieces, but there is so much more to music education. For this reason, I love the website http://www.sbgmusic.com/html/teacher/reference/cultures.html. This website contains links to explanations of the different cultures of music, and gives a brief history. It also has a page devoted to explanations of different instruments from other countries because while symphony instruments are wonderful, it is also fascinating to learn about other instruments native to different areas.
            I would highly recommend that you check out this website, and think about what I’ve said as you look towards your career as a music educator. Remember, we are not only trying to teach the musicians of the future,  but are also responsible for teaching the past, and cultures that got us here.

PLN: Songs For Teaching

            Have you ever wondered where elementary school music teachers get their folk songs for classes? The mystery has finally been solved!  Songsforteaching.com has every folk song you could possibly need at your disposal. With thousands of songs free of charge, it is an incredibly valuable resource for music teachers.

            Each song title contains a link in which one can view the lyrics, listen to the song, and print out  the sheet music. With a simple layout, and easy format it is very easy to navigate. No membership is required, and everything is designed by teachers, for teachers.

            What I really enjoyed about this website was that it contained music about math, science, language, and social studies. It can be used by not only music teachers but by general educators as well. I know that I personally absorb information the best when it is presented to me in a song form, and as a teacher I will try to use that approach in the classroom.