My Pentatonic Warmup

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Identifying/Incorporating Different Learning Styles

I highly recommend that you read this post.

Ever since one of our first assigned readings Theories of Learning and Their Roles in Teaching -Bransford, I have striven to be more metacognitive, observing myself and my learning style, along with my ability to functionally transfer memorized information.

Since my uptake of this task, my ability to retain memorized information HAS, in fact, drastically improved.  But I'd had some trouble identifying my learning style.  The fact is, I've found through some general reading, although there are 4 main types of learning, (kinesthetic, aural, auditory, and read-write learners) very few people fit into just one category.  I thought I was a kinesthetic learner, but I am in fact closer to an even split between kinesthetic (dominant), auditory, aural, and read-and-write learning.  Although I adapt to new concepts best with movement/participation-based exercises, my long-term retainment is better guaranteed through a combination of reading, writing, listening, and performing.

This discovery posed a serious question for my future in teaching.  How, if all types of learners are present in a class, many of whom cannot be put into just one category of learners, will I be able to guarantee in all of my students proficiency and long-term retainment of advanced musical concepts?  And how, after already developing a teaching style and curriculum, will I be able to re-cater my curriculum ALL OVER AGAIN to a new class composed of new learners?

I am not the only one who has asked this question in the past, apparently.

This article is a teacher's account of their own difficulties integrating and emphasizing all learning-styles into their classroom, and a well-thought-out model, designed by a man called Jerome Bruner, which, along with other such models (which are unfortunately not mentioned) helped her succeed in doing so.
Here's the link! Enjoy.
http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?sid=8bb25530-0601-4324-aea3-a8554d4be0a8%40sessionmgr110&vid=1&hid=110&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZSZzY29wZT1zaXRl#db=aph&AN=20359065

This is obviously just one model, and is to be used only as a supplementary guide to learning how to think in multiple styles. This model is not enough to base an entire teaching philosophy around, but I found the perspective from which it was written extraordinarily useful (POV of a blooming new music teacher).

I also found a cool few resources for identifying your musical learning styles, and how to adapt your study and practice to your learning style.  This page may be for harpists, but I found it engaging and relevant.  http://www.myharpsdelight.com/learning-styles.html

If you have never really considered what you're learning style is, this article should help you define your category.  http://www.teach-nology.com/currenttrends/learning_styles/

Ghost of John canon

Jazz Standards Visual Aid and ONLINE FAKEBOOK

I stumbled upon this site looking around for a jazz standard harmonic analysis database. For anyone planning on teaching a jazz take on improvisation, this resource is for you.
http://jazzstandardsvisualaid.com/html/introduction.html
It simplifies and breaks down jazz standards in a clearly explained and visual manner, showing and explaining how to easily memorize many of the standards by following a system of "jazz building blocks," and how to properly organize [and better transfer] the information. Included are a list of "chord Legos," popular chord progressions which build most bebop standards, and how these legos are put together to make a jazz head. The progressions are all in Harmonic Analysis (roman numerals), as opposed to the usual lead-sheet symbols, so that the progressions can be transferred into any key. I like this website because it provides a neat and tidy visual stimulus to study while listening to a recording. Many jazz standards, not just the ones listed, can be broken down into these progressions, with smaller 2-3 chord-long phrases in between. The next resource I've found is a link to an ONLINE FAKEBOOK. For those of you who don't know, a fakebook is a compilation of popular jazz standards with lead-sheet chord-symbols for easy improvisation. I encourage many of you to check it out, search for your favorite jazz standard - it's likely there.
http://books.google.com/books?vid=ISBN0788174606&amp;id=vlP2sv6GuJIC&amp;pg=PP17&amp;lpg=PP17&amp;dq=jazz&amp;as_brr=1&amp;sig=btWRRcE0yVxKxy00k3etaMrMSmI

PLN Resource: Pandora Radio

Generally, the first thing I do when I want to find out about a new type of music is to listen to it. Pandora Radio, for several years now, has been one of my most reliable listening resources. As most of you already know, this online streaming site enables us to build a "station" based upon a musical artist, which will play popular or new music across the world which meets SIMILAR CRITERIA to the musical artist you submitted, and to the music that you continue to "like" or "dislike" over time. To put it simply, type in a band and the "radio station" will automatically pick and play music for you. But you can also type in individual songs, which I have found extraordinarily useful. For instance, if you want to base a station off of an electronic artist, but find that some of your favorite songs are actually REMIXES, composed by someone then recomposed by another, my best bet, I've found, is to type in the song name rather than either artist's names. (I.E. Bassnectar - Boombox ILL GATES REMIX rather than typing in Bassnextar or Ill Gates). Also, if you find that you like a particular song by an artist that happens to be completely different than any of their other music, but still wish to expand your knowledge of music like that one composition, you can just type in the name of the track and boom. Pandora takes into account the differences between artists, albums, and individual tracks. I have learned a positively extraordinary amount about European, Latin (especially), electronic, pop, alternative, jazz, and funk music. THIS RADIO IS NOT JUST ABOUT THE POPULAR MUSIC. There is, in fact, way more underground music on the Pandora database than popular music. To steer yourself clear of music that is overplayed, old, or less interesting, simply click like for songs that are more what you want to hear. I stay away from the dislike button, as that limits what kind of underground music the computer may have generated that I may not know that I would have liked. It takes me a lot of listening to build a Pandora station that I am content with and can call "complete." The entire time subsequent to this completion, Pandora simply throws new music at the listener, allowing them to sort it out for themselves. I've learned an UNREAL amount about Latin percussion and the chordal contour of latin music through osmosis listening to these stations. Try it out for yourselves!! http://www.pandora.com/

TPACK In A Nutshell

As someone who is a more "big-picture"-based learner, I had trouble sorting through our readings for key ideas. But this TPACK article does a great job of summarizing the 7 knowledge areas involved in TPACK and helped me memorize, internalize, and TRANSFER this information. Thank you Wikipedia! I just found this as a useful tool. Don't quote wiki, quote Shulman. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Technological_Pedagogical_Content_Knowledge

PLN: Antimoon IPA Although the site advertises itself as an english-learning site, the tool I found is much more specific, applying directly to English Diction and IPA. For anyone struggling with diction class, or who wants to learn their American IPA, this is an excellent tool. Especially for future choral conductors or vocal coaches. IPA symbols are the symbols we use to convey exact pronunciation, especially exact vowel sound. On the page, you will find every american IPA symbol, along with a few examples of words containing them, and the option to listen to the proper american pronunciation.

CONTACT LIST!! :)

Hey guys, I was gonna like email everyone, but then I realized I didn't get your email addresses! Lol, but then it just got me thinking about all the ways I could share the contact list with you guys besides email, which I despise greatly. BTW I've friend requested you all on facebook so if you'd like to find someone, check in my friends. Jamie Ellison - 401-742-0687 Becki Walter - 631-273-4433 Robert Pietrzak - 516-712-9742 Jessica Mullin - 862-266-6741 Katrina Fisher - 603-521-0030 Tessa Belkin - 508-971-8797 Adam DePersio - 603-548-7280 Ben Scanlan - 860-818-1618 Gabe Barcewicz - 860-510-3984 Audrey Garcia - 516-209-8640 Kristen Lauria - 860-712-8541 Becky Bernardo - 845-309-6943 Jen Gadaree - 860-389-7403 Scott McKown - 602-361-0526 Constance Zoppi - 860-643-8976 Jess Nix - 860-930-7529 Alex Wallace - 301-357-4572 Mike Papa - 860-641-1768 Justin Seltzer - 860-490-1412 I believe I am missing 1 or 2 numbers. Also, there are obviously errors so please comment any correction to this blog and I will edit the list. For that reason, I ASK THAT YOU DO NOT COPY PASTE THIS CONTACT LIST FOR AT LEAST A COUPLE DAYS AS IT MIGHT BE WRONG

Smalin's Youtube - Music Animation
http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&feature=fvwp&v=6s0Mp7LFI-k

This is a link to one of Smalin's animated videos, which takes any song and graphically represents it in spacial/video format.  This and similar technologies available on the net have helped me not only to learn a song more completely, but to understand the composers' intent as well, since the counterpoint is so clearly graphed out.  With this kind of technology, it becomes easier to analyze a large piece of music, or one that has a wide array of instruments.  A useful tool for ANYONE INTENDING TO COMPOSE in their career

Response to TPACK

Today I will be responding to a reading I was assigned regarding technological, pedagogical, and contend knowledge (TPACK).  

     In a world where my generation is so completely immersed in technology that we are even referred to by Clarke in his article as "digital natives," almost every aspect of life is different than how it used to be.  In the reading Clark refers to digital technology as having "flattened the world," making obstacles such as mountains and oceans much less constraining with a new ability to communicate from very far away.  As a digital native, this is no news to me.   

     As technology is being integrated into our schools, it is, for better or worse, changing the way we are taught and the way we will learn.  Much of the educational technology mentioned in the reading is also very familiar to me.  But there was one example that Clarke used, the Google Lit Trips Project, which totally blew my mind.  I had never thought about taking that kind of technology (google earth) and turn it into a virtual field trip.  The person who originally thought of this idea took a technology and made it, through innovation and uncanny knowledge of teaching, into an educational tool the likes of which the world had never known.  I would not have been able to do that as a music educator; I would never have thought of it.  Which leads me to my next point.  

     I was unsurprised to find in our reading that, overall, music educators used very little specialized music-relevant technology in their curriculums, so much as standard educational technology.  The technology they utilized was mainly for administrative purposes and personal use.  Because of a lack of standardized structure, it makes it very challenging for someone who is not naturally intuitive to try and integrate technology in their teaching.  I too am in this category (the majority) of educators.  It is for us that TPACK was developed and I am positive that I will be implementing TPACK in my teaching curriculum.  

     Since this is a reaction, and not a summary, I will try my best to state TPACK in my own understanding and not how it was defined.  This concept was developed so that those educators with a technological understanding [technological knowledge], a confident knowledge of the content of their field and in their curriculum [content knowledge], and a well-developed familiarity with the ways in which it is taught, learned, and retained [pedagogical knowledge], can productively integrate technology into their class without losing clarity and precision or demotivating anyone or making it more challenging for kids.  Basically, TPACK is the knowledge needed for a seasoned music educator to teach their same class more conveniently with the use of certain technologies without losing any aspect of the educational experience.  

     This was an appropriate and useful reading to prepare us for this semesters' upcoming hardships.  Clark spelled out to us all that we would have to be "adaptively intelligent" in order to built our TPACK, relinquishing "cherished beliefs and [educational] practices that "need to be changed."  This idea is what I have taken the most strongly from our reading.  I am going to do my best, throughout this semester, to remain adaptively intelligent, incorporating all new technologies as best I can into my philosophy and methods of teaching.  

    

TPACK

Today I will be responding to a reading I was assigned regarding technological, pedagogical, and contend knowledge (TPACK).

     In a world where my generation is so completely immersed in technology that we are even referred to by Clarke in his article as "digital natives," almost every aspect of life is different than how it used to be.  In the reading Clark refers to digital technology as having "flattened the world," making obstacles such as mountains and oceans much less constraining with a new ability to communicate from very far away.  As a digital native, this is no news to me.  
     As technology is being integrated into our schools, it is, for better or worse, changing the way we are taught and the way we will learn.  Much of the educational technology mentioned in the reading is also very familiar to me.  But there was one example that Clarke used, the Google Lit Trips Project, which totally blew my mind.  I had never thought about taking that kind of technology (google earth) and turn it into a virtual field trip.  The person who originally thought of this idea took a technology and made it, through innovation and uncanny knowledge of teaching, into an educational tool the likes of which the world had never known.  I would not have been able to do that as a music educator; I would never have thought of it.  Which leads me to my next point.
     I was unsurprised to find in our reading that, overall, music educators used very little specialized music-relevant technology in their curriculums, so much as standard educational technology.  The technology they utilized was mainly for administrative purposes and personal use.  Because of a lack of standardized structure, it makes it very challenging for someone who is not naturally intuitive to try and integrate technology in their teaching.  I too am in this category (the majority) of educators.  It is for us that TPACK was developed and I am positive that I will be implementing TPACK in my teaching curriculum.
     Since this is a reaction, and not a summary, I will try my best to state TPACK in my own understanding and not how it was defined.  This concept was developed so that those educators with a technological understanding [technological knowledge], a confident knowledge of the content of their field and in their curriculum [content knowledge], and a well-developed familiarity with the ways in which it is taught, learned, and retained [pedagogical knowledge], can productively integrate technology into their class without losing clarity and precision or demotivating anyone or making it more challenging for kids.  Basically, TPACK is the knowledge needed for a seasoned music educator to teach their same class more conveniently with the use of certain technologies without losing any aspect of the educational experience.
     This was an appropriate and useful reading to prepare us for this semesters' upcoming hardships.  Clark spelled out to us all that we would have to be "adaptively intelligent" in order to built our TPACK, relinquishing "cherished beliefs and [educational] practices that "need to be changed."  This idea is what I have taken the most strongly from our reading.  I am going to do my best, throughout this semester, to remain adaptively intelligent, incorporating all new technologies as best I can into my philosophy and methods of teaching.
   

My PLN Resource: 8notes Music Theory Tutorial

     After realizing that personal learning networks do not have to be specifically related to my profession, podcasts, wikis, or social bookmarking, I found that I was already utilizing certain useful resources already.  

     This is 8notes, an online Music Theory tutorial that I use to review and to cram for theory tests.  There are 46 lessons, each one accompanied with a step-by-step .gif visual and accompanying aural examples and an explanation of each concept.  

     Something like this  is ESSENTIAL for anyone who isn't doing so hot right now in theory but doesn't have the free time or level of commitment to get a tutor.  It shows and plays examples of everything, and it's just simply the bomb.

http://www.8notes.com/

PLN Reading Response

This reading was extremely enlightening as to how my professors, family, and academic friends in research fields manage to stay educated with current events.  Although this article throws the entire thing into a very high-tech perspective, I was able to learn from the reading how to stay current WITH or WITHOUT a uniform cybernetic PLN.  My father, who teaches Race and Ethnic relations for college students, has been a subscriber (via both mail and email) to numerous sociological journals and magazines for years.  He also frequents several conventions a year, where he associates with fellow colleagues, some of whom whom he cites in his publiciations, and whose publications he hands out to his students.  His bookshelf is filled with books titled quite specifically regarding whiteness, racism, racial priveledge, etc.  I always wondered where he found those books, much less bought them.  I now realize that that shelf is the long-term result of his own, 30 year-old PLN.