Category Archives: Teaching

Learn. Create. Talk. #etmooc post #2

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Create.

So I’m being pushed.

I’ve been MIA on Twitter and G+ last year and a half due to many reasons. I don’t need to go into what those are, but I had made my decision after much thought. As I mentioned in my #etmooc intro video, my daily learning life changed since I started joining Twitter and building my PLN. This network included a wide range of educators, administrators, education groups, edu product builders (and some edu product promotors) etc. I started gathering resources and links. In secret, I became a ninja curator on Diigo and Delicious. Here was a music teacher, wanting to save a lot of things for other teachers to share and build relationships.

Connecting with people takes a lot of time. Reading & commenting blogs, tweeting, retweeting, cross-posting on G+, Pinterest, Learni.st or Facebook take some time (to set up, especially if you are anal about intricate ways to connect all your devices to services). Face-face meetings are the best in cool conferences, but they come with an expensive price and need a lot of planning to do all cool things. After a full-blown, all-power-to-me kind of start to social media learning plunge, I had to take a step back. I took a long break….ok, I wasn’t totally disconnected. I just wasn’t actively tweeting ;-) .

After all, I had changed because of online learning. I connected with the world and gained real, precious friends. Through many kinds of learning and connections, I’ve had the time to think/imagine/assess/dream about who I am as a learner and teacher. It was mostly good stuff. I just needed time to repurpose and reflect.

In the last two months, though, I’ve been imagining/dreaming again about connecting and learning. This time, not about curating (how to get stuff), but about creating. How am I enabling my students to create music? What essential skills am I teaching them so that they feel secure to wander and make their musical journey? What relationships am I building with them?

While I’m contemplating these things in between teaching, driving, being a mom & wife, I was trying to get to #etmooc archives (I signed on very late!) and had some Java upgrade problems. I tweeted and this is what I got:

In the previous tweet, I told Ben I liked his video on #etmooc homepage “#ETMOOC Is Overwhelming. So, Let’s Make Some Meaning.” Instead of just saying, “Thanks,” he casually invited me to join the conversation – #ILikeConversation. I was nudged to respond, but it was late so I went to bed instead. Next morning, I find a G+ invite from Ben to join Reflective Practice Vlogging community. Naturally intrigued, I accepted the invite and started learning. Surprisingly there were only 40 people in this community. Lurking as the 41st member, I read some convo threads and started watching some vlogs. It was very cool that Ben et al made videos to think together with others. It’s like being f2f, but you’re not. The cool part is that you can respond to someone’s question/idea via vlog. I haven’t had the time to think about making a vlog and it might take me a while, Ben. The concept is brilliant and scary for me. Conversations need to be real and natural, just like how we talked at Educon two years ago, Ben. Just maybe this is what open online community needs!

Another push comes from a book I’m reading by Scott Watson, a music teacher who wrote Using Technology to Unlock Musical Creativity. I’ve known Scott to be a great role model as a teacher who enables his students to create music and share with their community. His book reflects his gentle spirit which guides teachers to “allow students to share themselves” (p.6). Thank you, Scott! Can’t wait to read more!

The last push comes from my students. I’ve shared with my middle school students how I’ve started photo-a-day challenge three years ago. I asked them a simple question this January to join me in seeing the good stuff and capturing it as a picture format. A handful of students got excited and started posting their pictures with descriptions on GDoc. So to be a hip teacher, I opened a Tumblr account and started posting pictures. I had no idea what pain it is to customize codes on it! I’m learning codes left and right, learning to add Disqus codes and all. Yesterday, I shared a post with my students giving them photo tips and ended the post with encouraging them to comment on each other’s pictures and having a dialog. Funny, reflecting and conversation found their way here, too!

So after 4 Java updates, I’m finally onto opening some #etmooc archives. I’ll be doing what I can and reflect. Thanks for the poke, push, encouragement, learning!

~Yoon

PS: Submitted my lipdub vid. Did you?

Charles Hazlewood: Trusting the Ensemble

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I can’t get this TEDTalk by Charles Hazlewood out of my head. It’s been months since @shaugland shared this link on Twitter.  Even if you are not a conductor, you should watch this. If you are a parent, a teacher, or a musician, you need to watch this and get into the conversation:

This brilliant presentation contains much food for thought.

TRUST is an important word. I would guess that many of us like being on the receiving end (ie. people trusting us). Boy, isn’t it hard to trust others? :-)

This quote by an unknown author deeply resonates with Maestro Hazlewood:

Trust is the best medium for success. It creates an environment in which people feel free to be authentic, passionate, committed, and willing to share all they have to offer. ~author unknown

 

I reflected a lot, thinking about the simile (conducting is like a small bird in your hand) and the lessons learned through the South African Music project, the singing demonstration by the TED Choir (the F-E-D motive), the extraordinary story behind the Paraorchestra, and of Haydn‘s wordless, but apparent revolt in Farewell Symphony finale. The Maestro challenged me as a musician and teacher to assess myself as an artistic leader.

What am I doing to create a safe and passionate space for my students? What needs to change?

Musicians and music teachers, think of your ensembles. What is your story? What is your experience building trust with your group? How do you inspire the young musicians to feel free to be themselves, but give all to their ensemble?

And do you agree with this statement?

Where there is trust, there is music, and by extension, life. Where there is no trust, music simply withers away….

 

Why or why not?

~ Yoon (will post a post regarding my experience with my choirs)

Student Project: Year in Review

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I have been wanting to write about this project for some time now. Now that I have the summer to reflect last year and plan for the fall, I wanted to share a fun project and highlight my students. 

One of the perks of being a “connected” teacher on Twitter is that I have an easy access to numerous resources. I connected with Katherine Schulten (@Kschulten), the editor of The New York Times Learning Network, on Twitter and had a chance to meet her in person at ISTE ’11. She is a former English teacher who is passionate about education. I enjoy learning from her and edu related people on Twitter. Some of these teachers have collaborated with me and others have been a source of learning inspiration (read about two examples from my previous posts: Connecting with students in Australia & Music in Me Project).

Right after the Winter break, I read a tweet from @Kschulten about a rap contest for students. The NYT Learning Network partnered with Flocabulary, an online learning site that teaches just about any subject through songs and raps. This project intrigued me because it combined music, tech and research. What important world events would my students remember and care enough to mention?

On the day I read through the contest rules, I realized that the contest closed the following day. I was disappointed that my students would not have an opportunity to submit their work. But I decided to go ahead and tailor the project for my students anyway :-)

Project: Year in Review

  • PREP – The students and I watched Flocabulary’s The Year in Rap:  2010 and discussed its content and style. The students compared and contrasted the this rap to popular raps they listened to (Kayne West, b.o.b., Nikki Minaj etc.). Discussion topics  included through-composed vs. strophic forms, the rap length, accompaniment, solo vs. BGVs, and what role words and music have in a rap. I segued way into the project by asking, “What do you remember about 2011?”
  • PROJECT

Research: We went over this Google Doc which contains all of the information about the project. I let the kids know that they can decide to work in a group or individually. Most worked in a group, but a few chose to work alone. I worked on this doc with the frame work of NYT Learning Network contest rules, but adjusted to what I thought might work best to my students. I asked several Twitter social studies teachers on #sschat what sites are good for current events and listed a couple links they can go on. My reason: instead of citing just one source for all major news, I wanted to guide the students to seek out multiple primary sources. I allowed 4 class times (about 4 hours) for this project to be completed. Many of the students chose to come during study hall to get their work just right!

Music & Audio Recording: The NYT Learning Network contest provided music tracks from the fabulous folks at  Flocabulary, but since I teach music, I added this important music component to the project. My students have been using GarageBand (Apple app) for some time so I didn’t have to prepare them much for using loops. Unlike previous recording projects, I did not have the students use a separate recording mic. All audio recording and mixing were done from GarageBand.

So take a listen!

MY TAKE AWAY

  1.  FASCINATING TO SEE THE YEAR’S HISTORY THROUGH 12 AND 13-YEAR-OLDS. There were a wide range of topics and highlights. I loved that I discovered that my students are developing global citizens who, for the most part, care about world events. Class and 1:1 research conversations proved to be invaluable. Because students were documenting their work on Google Docs, I was able to follow their work and comment real-time.
  2. EXCITING TO SEE THE STUDENTS BEING EXCITED TO CREATE THEIR OWN MUSIC TRACKS. It was very interesting to watch students work. Partner groups needed to collaborate in class while listening to music (a headphone splitter is our friend). And because they had their Google Docs open, some chose to chat back and forth this way. Student group discussions on music style, lyrics, rhyming scheme, and instrumental choices were happening at a rapid pace. More than anything, they were listening. #win
  3. IMPORTANT STEP: SEEING THE STUDENTS IN HIS/HER LEARNING PROCESS. Some students were great researchers. Some were fabulous at writing the lyrics and some were just excellent at creating the music. The same students, while being so successful at these areas, struggled to use class time, or struggled with another part of learning. Partners were good  (since they chose their own) in this case. They motivated each other. It was important for me to recognize each student’s strengths and struggling areas and work through challenges. I have to say that guiding each group/student was a time consuming task, but to their credit, they worked hard! So…
  4. CELEBRATE & GIVE FEEDBACKS. It’s exhilarating when students call you like the world’s ending because they want you to listen to the short segment they have been working on (remember, I have {dramatic} Middle School students?). Run to them. Be excited for their successes, however short or minor. Also give them honest opinions and guide them to think about things they may have missed. The NYT Learning Network provided a rubric on their site, but I decided to give my own feedback as well as class feedbacks on each project. 

At the end of the school year, this project was mentioned many by my students as one of the memorable learning moments! If you decide to try, let me know how it went.

We live in a well-connected and resourceful time. Take some time to connect with teachers around the globe. You’ll be surprised how many generous teachers/organizations there are. Take time to learn and share! 

Last one…

This project has been shared via Skype with Samuel Wright (Wrightstufmusic) and for his Music Technology Presentation in March. He  is a music teacher and tech guru from Australia with whom I’ve had the pleasure of knowing. Samuel recently blogged about his presentation and mentions my students here. W00t!

Happy Summer!

~Yoon

 

App Love: Spotify Radio

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I love searching for songs and recordings on Spotify, everyday. Although I only signed up for its basic (free) membership, I’m able to enjoy millions of streaming tracks and organize my favorite tracks into playlists. When the Spotify mobile app came out, I downloaded it to my phone without hesitation.

But I deleted the app just as fast because the app only worked with paid membership :-) .

Spotify sent out emails to users on Wednesday, June 20th with the heading: 

What it is: IT’S REALLY SIMPLE

Spotify Radio is a Pandora-like feature  that allows the listener to choose a genre (or style of a specific singer/band). You can build your radio station by giving Spotify’s music pick a ‘thumbs up/down’. This is screenshot of a Blues selection – Muddy Waters(!) – before I liked it:

Each ‘liked’ song is saved as a playlist file (i.e.‘Liked from Radio’) and easily accesible. If you don’t like the song Spotify has picked for you, it lets you skip up to 6 songs per hour. Pretty reasonable, I say.

This app was terrific to use when I was stuck in traffic yesterday. I listened to many more artists and recordings than I had in my mobile music collection. I enjoyed recordings of familiar artists like Sir Neville Marriner, John Mayer, and Stevie Ray Vaughan. And listening to Friendly Fires, Calla, Dropkick Murphys, and Rumer for the first time was just fun.

A few caveats: 

1. All kinds of ads can be heard a few times during your listening period. If you’re connected to your car audio through Bluetooth, or using the speaker on your device,  just know that your kids can hear these, too. Some ads are just for adults.

2. Since it’s not a regular FM/AM radio, there are explicit songs.

3. Spotify Mobile Radio feature is just for iOS right now. Android users, just wait a little longer.

Family Idea: Listen to music together 

Make music listening a part of your family’s summer. If you have younger kids, choose  a genre you want to listen with your kids and listen to new songs with them. If you have a preteen or a teenager, it might be fun to take turns picking new genre of music to listen together. As I mentioned earlier, there are many explicit songs in the database so pick more family friendly genres. For example, ‘Soul’ would have less explicit songs than ‘Hip-hop’ (although the topics that the songs from either of these genres might be equally adult-ish!). You, the adult, can decide what would make sense for your family.

As a test, I gave my phone to my 13-year old daughter. She naturally turned to ‘Alternative’. It was funny that the first song we listened to on this app was Ed Sheeran’s Lego House. This song happens to be one of her favorites so she was happy. She was also quick, though, to point out that Ed Sheeran should be classified under ‘Singer-Songwriter’, not ‘Alternative’. We listened to other genres, including the ‘Blues’ which she thought was cool. I loved spending our car ride talking about music.

I recommend it! Try Spotify Radio & experience more music! ~Yoon

If you like: Read my NPR Music App review.

Questions, Conversations, and the Rachmaninoff’s 2nd

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21/366/2012 Snow Day

Happy 2012! I have been away from blogging since September. I’m finding a moment on this snowy morning to reflect (and remember how to use WP interface!). The past four months have been packed with performances, student projects, stories, challenges, and relationship-building conversations. Today’s post will focus on the conversations I have been having with my students. And for the record: it’s good to be back!

ONE of the best part of being a music teacher at a small private school is that I get to teach many grade levels. In the past, it got really crazy when I had two classes back to back – one being the oldest and the other, the youngest group of students. Thanks to the thoughtful schedulers, however, I have a schedule that works out beautifully this year. I also get to head a lunch table 3 times a cycle with the K-2 students (yes, we eat sit-down, hot lunches with the students!) and go out to 2 recesses after lunch.

There’s a group of Kindergarten students I want to share about. Whenever they see me,  they run to me with open arms and look up with the brightest eyes and smiles to ask me, “Mrs. Lim, are you on recess duty?” For some reason, they let me in since the beginning of the school year: they let me play a role in their daily recess make-believe stories. Their excitement,  their voices, their curiosity, their unfiltered thought process, and their love inspire me to live each day with a passion to discover and learn. They also remind me what important role I have as a teacher to all my students…

Interestingly, the following TWO conversations with my middle school students this week reiterated my last point.

Conversation 1: My students have been creating music on GarageBand for a project so during an afternoon study hall, a group of students came to work on their projects. One particular student had been working on his project pretty extensively so I told him I would love to listen to his music when he’s ready to share it for a feedback. I sat in the empty seat and wanted him him to finish editing; he started asking questions about editing music. Our conversation started as a Q and A for GarageBand, but ended up talking about his passion for music. After he told me he would like to do something in music, I was frank with my 13-year-old student (he has an amazing listening skills and can play just about any instrument). I told him I can see him creating, mixing, editing music in the future.

Then there was a short, but awkward silence. His widened eyes stared at me with a disbelief. He asked me, “Do you really think  I can…?” My answer: “Yes – I believe it!”

What I realized: my believing-in-what-my-student-can-become is just as important as what I’m teaching him now. We will definitely have more conversations, but for now, I’m going to think of ways I can support and get my students like him to think of possibilities.

Conversation 2: I was starting a class and while surveying the room while making my announcements, I noticed that one of my students was missing. A friend of the student quickly remembered that he was in a meeting and wanted me to know that he might be late. So we started the class. When students dispersed to worked on their projects, that student came to talk to me. He apologized for being late and wanted to run an idea by me. I was curious so I listened carefully.

Essentially, he pitched an idea to the student government to change a school dance into a night of student-run concert night. Tickets will be sold like a a real concert and the student line-up have to be really good. But there was more. The concert would be a benefit concert – it is to raise money for the music department so that we can have more instruments/equipment.

He asked, “What do you think? Do you think it’d be helpful? Would you approve this idea?”

:-) I had not seen this coming. Here was a student who was thinking about how to help me and my colleagues to create music better with our students. I was thinking, Whoa, what kind of kid is this? Did we make an impact on his music learning so much that he wants to give back? I am totally humbled and excited: we have future music education supporters!

There are THREE ways I can summarize what I’ve been learning:

  • Students matter more. Building strong relationships in and out of classrooms helps me to understand students better and will make me a better music teacher.
  • {For any teacher or parent} what we do everyday for the student (children) and for our profession (family), make an impact in our schools and communities (relationship). Be strong & be excellent!
  • The past 4 months (the active learning and reflecting months) have been like Rachmaninoff’s 2nd Symphony (third movement). The ebb and flow of life bring us sweet, harrowing, and unforgettable melodies like this one. So here’s my life in music. Hope you enjoy it as much as I do, especially at 3:54.  ~ Yoon

(Hear the entire third movement! Here’s the part 1 to the excerpt you just heard

http://youtu.be/v60qgwtOQCI)

September ’11 Music Education Blog Carnival

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Happy New School Year! 

It is with great pleasure to {finally} publish the September edition of Music Education Blog Carnival here. I want to thank many teachers who submitted great posts. Their thoughts, recommendations, and philosophies, I believe, stretch our own thinking. For those of you who are  beginning a new school year, I want to bid you a great year of deep learning. May the learning in these months ahead transform us so that we can be better musicians and teachers. [Personally, I want to work on listening to my students with understanding and emphathy (Kosta and Kallick). I hope to blog about it some time this year...]

Enjoy reading this edition of Music Ed Blog Carnival! I encourage you to comment on the posts you read. And if you would like to host Music Ed Blog Carnival, contact Dr. Joe Pisano at @pisanojm or visit his site, http://mustech.net/.

{Forgive me if I made mistakes on your posts! There were just too many submissions!

Cheers! ~ ysl :-D

Music Education

Music Advocacy

Music Listening & Performance Review

Music Software/Hardware

Music Technology

Music Tips/ Learning Reflection

Blog Carnival

Hosting Music Education Blog Carnival: September Edition

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To Music Teachers, Performers, Students, Parents, Music Specialists:

I am excited to host the Music Education Blog Carnival for September, 2011! The Blog Carnival was created and is maintained by Dr. Joseph Pisano of MusTech.net in order to promote the great works being done by Music Education Bloggers across the Internet. During the school year, many music educators have the privilege of hosting monthly issue. So if you are a music teacher, student, musician, performer, or an ardent music lover and you love blogging, please share a post regarding a music-related post for the September issue. Even if you don’t get to submit an article, check back in September to read variety of articles on the Blog Carnival! You probably don’t need this, but just in case you are wondering about some music-related topics, allow me to ask some questions to get you thinking and writing {but not limited to}…

Teachers, what have you been learning this summer? What are some new things you want to create with your students?

Students, what are some obstacles you want to work on this school year?

Performers & Conductors, what separates a great performance from a good performance? 

Composers, what are some ways teachers can implement music composition into their classroom? 

Parents, what concerns do you have in your child’s music education?

Music Tech Gurus, what apps or gears are on your Music Ed “MUST” list?

I hope many of you will consider sharing your thoughts and experiences! Think. Write. And go here to submit. I can’t wait to read yours. If you have any questions, please tweet me or leave me a comment below. :-)

Please submit your article (short & sweet or long & thought-provoking) by August 29, 2011. Thank you!

~Yoon

Talk it Up!

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And Design a Deeper Learning Environment

The following post has been featured in the July edition of VIA, an ezine dedicated for arts integration. I’m honored to have been contacted by VIA’s editor, Susan Riley, who has asked me to write a post focusing on creativity and the arts technique for the classroom teachers. Check out her website which has wonderful arts-integrating resources! If you’re curious about this ezine, download and read the entire July edition for free here (VIA is normally distributed quarterly through subscription). As always, I would appreciate your feedback and conversation!  Happy July!   ~Yoon

While saying good-bye to a happy 5th grade music class, I engaged in a quick conversation with their teacher about what the kids have been learning in my class (song writing: verse, chorus, lyrics, melody, and accompaniment).

And then I asked her, “So what are they learning with you?”
That one question led both of us make time to connect again in the teacher’s lounge and talk about what the students are learning in the classroom. Through one conversation, we discovered how we can connect and build on our students’ learning together. By asking each other questions, we got each other to think about students’ learning at a more in-depth level. The question I had to answer was, “Is there anything I can do to strengthen their learning?”

photo by Kim Davies, Flickr CC

Here is a project that resulted out of that conversation: The Preamble Project (click on the link to listen). The students were learning the Preamble and the US Constitution in social studies. After talking to the teacher, I had to answer the following questions:
  • What would be the best way for the students learn and memorize the words to the Preamble?
  • Would watching a segment in School House Rock be helpful?
  • What musical and thinking skills will the students demonstrate?

I concluded that helping the students write their own original Preamble song was the answer. Rather than just memorizing the words to the Preamble, my students sang the words to a tune they composed. Will they remember the words that precedes the US Constitution? Of course. Were they engaged in their learning? Absolutely!

If you are looking for ways to incorporate music into your lessons, here are some ways you can try:

Don’t be Afraid.
Being fearful snuffs out learning opportunities for you and your students.
As you prepare your lessons, think of a couple ways you can think artistically.
Remember that we are in the classroom to guide the young people in good learning. This means you do not have be the performer. Just create the creative spaces for them.
Start brainstorming arts-infused projects and make lists of possibilities.

Start a Conversation.
Collaborate with an arts teacher at your school. Share what you are currently teaching and ask simple questions to see if there are possibilities to collaborate on a particular unit.

  • Keep communications clear (time lines and goals) and start with simple ideas.
  • Keep a photo/video journal of the project.
  • Remember 2 Things: 1) not all of your conversations will end up as a project and 2) understand that  through the conversations your preconceived  ideas may change.  Keep an open mind!

Look & Listen for Inspiration.
Many teachers in my Professional Learning Network (PLN) share a great wealth of resources and lesson ideas. I read blogs posted by these teachers and see how I can apply their project ideas into my classes. You can do this, too. Look for inspiration in other creative teachers. Also look for inspiration in your students. Many young students are tech saavy and know really good sites for music. Ask them to share their good finds with you. They will be happy to share when they know you are opened to be taught by them. Here is an example of how I listened to my students.

Try.
Did you ever try using applications like GarageBand or Audacity to create your own remixes or mashups? Or have you ever tried playing music related games like Tap Tap? What is keeping you from learning? What would you like to try first?

~ Making an iTunes playlist titled, __________ (fill in the blank, i.e. quiet work time). What music would you include and why?

~ How about a podcast featuring a student and using music in the background?

Whatever the project, give yourself some time to use a specific tool and get comfortable.
Here are some links you can start exploring.

Have Fun :^)
Relax. Take one step at a time and enjoy the process. Your joy of learning will be infectious– even when things just don’t work out. Remember I asked you to journal about your learning process? Now share your journey with other teachers!

Collaborative Reflections… Part 2

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So yesterday’s part 1 was about the conversation. Now what?

Here are some of our ideas.

The Fun Part ~ Elizabeth Peterson


Going beyond the conversation is the fun part.  That’s when you get to put your ideas into play.  For me, that means bringing arts-rich experiences to my students while tying them into the curriculum.  How about some drama and storytelling during reading instruction?  (Get kids to look back in the story, pick out details, visualize, conceptualize and bring the story to life.)  How about movement in science?  (Get students to move through the water cycle or work together to become the parts of a plant.)

Sure, there are hurdles along the way, but I’ve learned I need to trust myself.  And BECAUSE of the conversations I have had: the ones that help me to define my position on arts integration and reinforce the idea that what I do is important, I go into the “do it” part of the journey with a little more confidence!  It’s also a great feeling knowing that I will have my PLN to reflect with at any time as well.

@eliza_peterson

Yes, You Can! ~ Kyle Pace

Technology integration with the arts. It’s a little bit more difficult to do in these areas but it can be done! We’ve complied some resources on our Google site on the Teacher Resources page. Those are just a few examples but here’s what we have to remember: don’t use technology just for the sake of the technology. It shouldn’t make your job harder. It should enhance what you’re already doing and the real benefit is when it positively impacts student learning. Is there a time commitment upfront? Absolutely. You have to become comfortable with the technology and have a strong support system from your administration and colleagues. If you have an instructional technology specialist to work with, please utilize them! If you don’t, please feel free to tweet to/email myself, Michelle, Elizabeth, Yoon, or Andrew and we’d be happy to help in any way we can.

@kylepace

Brainstorm Your Ideas! ~ Yoon Soo Lim

Take a look at collection of tools here. This tool remix is a great place to look as you brainstorm ideas to integrate into your lessons. There are web 2.0 resources for drawing, painting, storytelling, music making, dance, and multimedia. Start simple and add different dimensions to your projects as you collaborate. I personally use Symbaloo, an online organization tool, to have all my tools in one place. Especially for our EduCon session attenders (and our readers), Symbaloo is giving away Certified Voucher so that you can get trained to create your own Symbaloo.

@DoremiGirl

Action Plan

Now Do It! ~ Elizabeth Peterson

Actions speak louder than words.  I could talk forever about the importance of arts education and integration, but putting it into play – that is the key.  Since my EduCon experience, I have had a jolt of motivation to continue what I do and to explore how I can share my experiences with other teachers in new ways.

My first line of action will be with my own students.  MCAS, our Massachusetts testing, is on the horizon and with all these snow days, the pressure is on to prep for the test.  But after having these conversations with others who are equally adamant about the values of the arts, I am confident that I will not let that dissuade me from doing the arts-rich lessons the students yearn for.

For example, I want to have another “Studio Day” where students spend nearly the entire school day working on one focused arts integrated project.  The one I am planning on doing before February vacation involves Vivaldi’s Winter, poetry, visual art and descriptive writing.  I believe that having the students work for an extended period of time using the creative process is invaluable.  And the ending to the experience is self and peer reflection.  It teaches the students so much about themselves as learners.

The other plan of action needs to be outside of my classroom.  I feel the need more and more to make change outside my “four walls” by doing things such as inviting my administrator and other teachers into my room, working with other classroom and arts teachers to collaborate and to showcase the work we accomplish by sending out a press release or incorporating what we do into the spring “Celebration of Learning.”

The idea is to get gutsy and do it.  (That just became my motivation phrase to myself!)  People are really starting to understand the value of arts education, but to make change, we need to put those ideas into practice and actually show how arts education and integration affects student learning.

@eliza_peterson

On a Mission ~ Yoon Soo Lim

After EduCon, I’m all the more convinced that we (arts teachers) not only have to be our own advocates, but also be active participants in the general educational community. Arts people are known to do our “own” thing. I think it’s been a long segregation. We need to join and partner together with passionate teachers who believe in making connected learning a reality for students. The only way this will happen is if we are present. I hope to talk to my colleagues on musicpln.org and twitter to join the general ed conversations to build relationships. I bet we’d have a very different experience if we had more arts educators at EduCon next year!

One of my professional goals this year was to work closely with classroom teachers to integrate the arts into the curriculum. I will take what we preached and do exactly that: engage in lively dialogs, brainstorm, and make meaningful projects with teachers at my school and beyond!

Lastly, I am going to work on a proposal and meet with our administration to restructure my department to answer the question: “What role does music have at our school?” I will look at our existing schedule, our school expectation of our students in the role of music, and determine which learning environment would best align with our school mission.  And then I can move on to our art department and do the same.

Here’s to a great shift in paradigm!

@DoremiGirl

Going Beyond ~ Andrew Garcia


The following were contributions from the Arts Integration conversation at EduCon:

  • “It requires a human to make Art!”
  • “We teach all subjects within the arts.”
  • “In the school day, we are not getting any more time. The only way to do better job [keeping the arts alive school] is to integrate them.”
  • “When you’re in a drum circle, all are responsible for each other. Need to respect everyone in the drum circle.”

Moving beyond the conversation means making the above explicit in each of our schools-in our local places. I have five recommendations for moving forward:

1-Be The Change: Collect/Keep and Share Student Work(s) and Performances

There is no denying that good work in the name of the arts and student learning is happening all the time in schools..both in and out of arts classes.  However, if nobody sees or experiences the work, it’s tough to convince others that it is happening.  As Stephen Sondheim’s Georges Seurat sings in Sunday in the Park With George: “A vision’s just a vision if it’s only in your head.  If noone gets to see it, it’s as good as dead.  It has to come to life”.

Indeed.  It has to come to life.  Your vision.  Your artist-teacher vision. And the vision and creations of your students. They must come to life and be seen and experienced by other teachers, administrators, parents, school committee members, reporters from the local paper, senior citizens and pre-school classrooms. When others experience these visions and creations, they will be moved on a human level.  Nothings “speaks” louder than an emotional response.

2-Examine the school’s Mission Statement

On a practical level, getting the staff on board to examine the school’s mission statement can be a backdoor approach to achieving agreement about valuing the arts in schools. As conversations unfold as the ‘old’ mission statement is examined, insert your thoughts, ideas, opinions about the arts/arts integration into the conversation and see where it leads.

3-Study the Curriculum of Other Subjects/Make Connections  with other Teachers

Aligning with other teachers is a powerful way to achieve recognition for the arts in schools.  If your school has undergone a curriculum mapping process, the curriculum of every teacher should be posted for all to see.  Usually, the specific units and resources that they use are included. As you examine the curricula of other teachers, you can make connections with them to see if they are interested in collaborating on any of their units. Arts teachers will see many ways to bring the arts into a unit.  That is a skill we can share through collaboration with other teachers–one unit and one teacher at a time. And. if you have the inclination, make your collaboration Global.

4-Know Your Principal

I can’t stress enough that it is completely detrimental to have a ‘long-distance relationship’ with your school Principal.  My approach is to actually make several appointments per year to to have a conversation framed around what’s happening in my classroom and more broadly to read the Principal’s perceptions around the arts’ place in school.  In the very best cases, Principals are explicit about their support in word and deed.  But if you don’t know, it’s important to probe their understanding.  Misconceptions abound–even in the minds of administrators.  Many may not know how the arts can help students to grow/learn in concrete ways. Some administrators may also have had ‘bad’ arts experiences in school themeselves.  Help to educate misperceoptions and misconceptions. The Principal holds much Power to make or break the creative spirit in schools.

5-Do Arts Integration Inversion:

If you are an arts teacher, try subject integration in arts classes. Depending on circumstances endemic to your school culture. It might have more impact than the other way around.  In my situation, 100% of all students in grades 6-8 take music for 10 weeks, every day, every year.  That amounts to 80-100 hours of music class at the middle school level, all said and told.

Doing Arts in schools can go viral if we keep the ‘conversation’ going within our local situations and continue to document, collect and share the good work that we and our students do everyday in the name of the arts. In the name of Humanity.

@berkshirecat

How will you  move forward? Talk to us!

contributing writers :: blogs :: twitter

Michelle Baldwin: http://avenue4learning.com | @michellek107
Andrew Garcia: http://educationalparadigms.blogspot.com/| @berkshirecat
Yoon Soo Lim: http://singimagination.wordpress.com | @DoremiGirl
Kyle Pace: http://www.kylepace.com | @KylePace
Elizabeth Peterson: http://www.theinspiredclassroom.com/ |  @eliza_peterson

Visiting Artist Week

Visiting Artist Week: Learning from Other Teachers

by

by J Bennett

Our school devotes

One week

out of year

to Art and Music. I don’t mean by offering classes, but by inviting other professionals to work with our students in addition to regular arts classes. The idea is to immerse the community in arts and the week finishes with a collaborative assembly where one might see performances and sharing of what had happened during the week. I believe it is one of the most special part of my school. And I’ll admit, this was one of the things that drew me in to teach here.

We invited two very different musicians.

Joe Tayoun, Middle Eastern Percussionist

Joe is an approachable and friendly guy. With big smiles, he talks with you – about everything. Put a  Doumbek in his hands and he can transform a huge group of middle school students into a percussion ensemble – an ensemble who work together because it’s fun. Joe had a tight schedule on a 2 hour-delay day. He brought his cousin, Michele, who taught our students Middle Eastern Dance (Belly Dancing) to a song (they learned the words and melody to this song as well). Each group had a chance to  drum and dance; at the end of each 45-min, we had both groups put their work together. It was so much fun.


Things I learned:

Joe is an effective communicator. He was clear in his direction, goals, and conveyed respect for the kids. I was happy to see my students responding respectfully and engaging themselves in some serious fun learning. Joe covered culture (he is Lebanese-American) and the origins of the rhythms, background of different drums that were being used, and connected to the kids with what they know with the material he was introducing. I particularly loved that he read his audiences well and adjusted naturally to their listening and playing abilities.  My 8th grade students enjoyed learning this 7/8 rhythm, Kalamatinio:


Because of snow and delay to our school day, we invited him back in February to rehearse with our students and put a performance together. I can’t wait!


Curtis Blues, a Delta Blues Musician

Curtis, a passionate and energetic musician, introduced lower elementary students to the sounds of Pre-War Delta Blues. He was fantastic at talking to our younger students. He made the instruments come a live to children through storytelling and songs. Students giggled, danced and looked at each instrument with awe. They were amazed at his harmonica playing. And his drum playing. And his guitar playing. All of these instruments were played simultaneously! When he didn’t play the harmonica, he sang!


Things I learned:

The rich history of the Blues was sung and explained to the young children in a language they understood. I liked how he used posters of the Delta Blues Greats – Robert Johnson, Bukah White, Memphis Minnie, and Muddy Waters as a part of the history. He never got too talkative, but balanced flow of music and talking. Students were definitely engaged and learned in a fun way. My 8th graders also had a chance to sit in a session and Curtis was great to bring them into a conversation by referencing the use of language of Blues lyrics. I loved the differentiated learning and the students appreciated being in the conversation!

* * *

Sharing from my experience~

If you would like to start something like this in your school, consider the following:

  • Begin a conversation with other arts teachers. Even if your school offers dance, music, art, and theater, consider partnering up with 1 other arts field to start.
  • Partner with the administration of your school and get an approval for a week-long (or a few days) of arts celebration. Find time in the year where things aren’t too crazy. We chose a week in January for this reason*.
  • Begin to budget for this event. Consider extra fees for travel, lodging, and food. And do look for grants locally and statewide for educational events like this. Money, always, will be an issue.
  • Begin researching for artists! Talk to arts teachers around your area or ask your PLN for visiting artists. Also check local art and music alliances for programs for schools. Many artists who have in-school residencies have a promotional CD/DVD. Ask for one. Also ask specific questions and the conversation going.
  • Keep a log of people you contacted and keep their contact info. You never know how people’s schedule will turn out.
  • Plan early and get agreed details  in writing.
  • Be flexible with the artist as much as possible for changes, but know when to go back to the “contract” or change the details of the contract.
  • Be a learner: get involved during the week, engage in conversation with the artists, get your hands-on experience with the students and reflect with them.
  • If possible, build an assembly time at the end of your arts week to bring the community together. Live performances, presenting pictures or movies of learning that took place that week is a nice way to close out the week together.
  • Evaluate the week as a team! What things were good? What can you improve for next year?

I am still learning and working on many of these suggestions :-) . I need to address the (*) on the second bullet on scheduling the event went smoothly for 6 years – there were no changes once we had musicians were lined up. This year, however, we were thrown off because of inclement weather. My teaching partner and I worked early mornings and late nights those 2 days to reschedule everything. Thankfully, things worked out, but there was a chance we could have just given up on the week. Perseverance won that week!

In the end, it’s about creating a learning space for students. You are creative – share this week with your students and your community! I’d also love to learn from what you do during visiting artist week!

~ Yoon