Hill- Portfolio model for music educators

MUSIC 23241: MUSIC TEACHING AS A PROFESSION
Mr. Marcus L. Neiman, Assistant Professor
Kent State University School of Music
Fall, 2011

CRN:  200910 – Section number: 001 – Class Days: TR 7:45a – 8:35 am - Classroom: SOM E202
Office: Band Office - 330.672.2965 - Telephone: 330.672.2965 (Kent Campus) - E-mail: mneiman@kent.edu
Office Hours: TR 9:00 – 9:55 am (Additional hours available by appointment)

BlackBoard and Text Readings

Submitted by:  Emily Young
Submitted for: Mr. Marcus L. Neiman, lecturer
Date: October 27, 2011

Hill, Cheryl F.  (2008).  A portfolio model for music educators.
 Music Educators Journal, (September), Pages 61-72.

    In this article, Cheryl hill discusses the importance of portfolios of music educators.  Portfolios can be used in a few different ways.  Educators can keep portfolios for themselves to keep track of their own professional growth, and college students can create a portfolio to show to future employers.  A portfolio can contain several different artifacts and it can be either a hard copy or electronic.  These artifacts can include writing samples, recordings of performance, recital/concert programs, and several other things that will show who one is as a music educator.
    As a future music educator, I will definitely be constructing my own portfolio to show to future employers.  This article has definitely given me a good idea of things that can be included in my portfolio.  I have a much better idea of the purpose and objective of a portfolio.  I had never thought of keeping a portfolio in my career to keep track of my own professional development. 
    I wish I had been preparing this portfolio sooner.  There are a lot of things from my freshman year that I would like to include in my portfolio.  I wish I had more recordings of my voice to keep track of my progress as a musician.  I think that it is important to start thinking of myself as a future educator.  This means that I should treat all school work as if a future employer might be looking at it.

Byo- Designing substantive playing tests

MUSIC 23241: MUSIC TEACHING AS A PROFESSION

Mr. Marcus L. Neiman, Assistant Professor

Kent State University School of Music

Fall, 2011

CRN:  200910 – Section number: 001 – Class Days: TR 7:45a – 8:35 am - Classroom: SOM E202

Office: Band Office - 330.672.2965 - Telephone: 330.672.2965 (Kent Campus) - E-mail: mneiman@kent.edu

Office Hours: TR 9:00 – 9:55 am (Additional hours available by appointment)

BlackBoard and Text Readings

Submitted by:  Emily Young

Submitted for: Mr. Marcus L. Neiman, lecturer

Date: October 27, 2011

Byo, James L.  (2001).  Designing substantive playing tests- a model.

Music Educators Journal, (September), Pages 39-44.

            In this article, Byo offers advice to band directors on having students take playing tests.  These playing tests require a student to play a chorale and the director will grade it based on assessment goals he/she has created for the students.  These tests can help to ensure that each member of the ensemble is understanding and enforcing the performance goals they are learning.   These tests can even be administered during rehearsal time with little to no disruption.  The students would be required to go into a testing room, in which they would play their piece while being recorded on a sound or video recording device.

            Assessment was not a regular occurrence in my high school choir.  Our grade was mostly based on whether or not we showed up to the concert.  There were some other things that our director could lower grades for, but the grading procedure was not clear to the students.  I have taken very few singing tests at the college level.  Testing in this manner can definitely be done for choral students, and may be useful to me in any future ensembles I direct.

            I feel that this kind of testing can have several positive effects on an ensemble.  If I was tested regularly on my chorale pieces, I would definitely spend a lot more time working on them outside of class.   I feel that directors should definitely be very aware of the skills and abilities of each member in the ensemble.  In my opinion, one must be able to sing or play independently before they can sing or play confidently in an ensemble.  Providing the students with feedback on their individual performance can help create a much better ensemble sound.



Bauer- Authentic assesment in instrumental music education

MUSIC 23241: MUSIC TEACHING AS A PROFESSION

Mr. Marcus L. Neiman, Assistant Professor

Kent State University School of Music

Fall, 2011

CRN:  200910 – Section number: 001 – Class Days: TR 7:45a – 8:35 am - Classroom: SOM E202

Office: Band Office - 330.672.2965 - Telephone: 330.672.2965 (Kent Campus) - E-mail: mneiman@kent.edu

Office Hours: TR 9:00 – 9:55 am (Additional hours available by appointment)

BlackBoard and Text Readings

Submitted by: Emily Young

Submitted for: Mr. Marcus L. Neiman, lecturer

Date: October 20, 2011

Bauer, William I.  Authentic Assessment in instrumental music education.

Pages 1-2.

            This article contains a list of resources that would be very useful to a music educator looking for more information about assessment. There were a couple titles that I would be interested in reading. Those articles are Assessment strategies for self-directed learning by A.L. Costa and B. Kallick and Arts PROPEL : Handbook for music by E. Winner, L. Davidson, and L. Scripp. Assessment Strategies for self-directed learning would be interesting to me because I personally believe that ensemble students can learn better when they are given a little more power to apply their musical knowledge. Arts PROPEL: Handbook for music is something that would interest me because I don’t really know much about Arts PROPEL, but I have heard about it a lot, so it seems to be very important in the assessment process.

            One of the online resources in this article is Kathy Shrock’s guide for educators.  This website is a fantastic resource for teachers.  It offers several links for creating rubrics, which can be a very helpful assessment tool.  There are also several other links on this site for teachers of any subject area. When I begin teaching, this would be a great resource to have when it comes to assessing students. There are also several links on this website that can help teachers get ideas on different ways of assessing students.

            Another Website in this article is a website dedicated to the SmartMusic software.  SmartMusic is computer software that allows teachers to send assignments to their students and the students will then practice on their computer with immediate feedback.  This software can help to ensure that students are practicing and practicing correctly.  Technology is such a big part of our society today; I think that teaching with technology is a great way to keep the students engaged in the curriculum.  However, affording this software may be difficult for some teachers and students, and it would be hard to convince students and parents to want to buy it.



Burrack- Assessment

MUSIC 23241: MUSIC TEACHING AS A PROFESSION

Mr. Marcus L. Neiman, Assistant Professor

Kent State University School of Music

Fall, 2011

CRN:  200910 – Section number: 001 – Class Days: TR 7:45a – 8:35 am - Classroom: SOM E202

Office: Band Office - 330.672.2965 - Telephone: 330.672.2965 (Kent Campus) - E-mail: mneiman@kent.edu

Office Hours: TR 9:00 – 9:55 am (Additional hours available by appointment)

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BlackBoard and Text Readings

Submitted by:  Emily Young

Submitted for: Mr. Marcus L. Neiman, lecturer

Date: October 20, 2011

Burrack, Fredrick.  (2002).  Enhanced assesment in instrumental music programs.

Music Educators Journal, (May), Pages 27-32.

            In this article, Fredrick Burrack describes a way that music teachers can make assessments in their ensemble.  In this method of assessment students would keep a portfolio that will perdiodically be checked by the teacher.  Students would be required to listen to recordings of their individual persormance and ensemble performance.  After listening to these recordings they would make a comment on the performance in several different categories and file these comments in their portfolio.  This is a great way to keep the students engaged in every piece that is done in the ensemble.

            The portfolios can provide solid evidence that the students are learning and doing work in their music classes.  This kind of evidence is always needed to prove the importance of music in a child’s education.  Students can gain a much broader understanding of muic by being forced to listen and pay attention to different aspects of the music.  By evaluating themselves students in ensembles would be much more willing to make the steps that are necessary to create a better sound.  The portfolios will also give the director a much better understanding of the knowledge and abilities of their students.   

            I feel that these portfolios are a fantastic idea.  A director could use these portfolios in so many different ways. For example, students could do some research on composers and put that in their portfolio.  Sometimes it is very difficult to get the students to listen and react to the director’s instruction; self assessment is a fantastic way to work around that barrier.  Portfolios are a great way for the student and teacher to get a good sense of organization.  This is absolutely a form of assessment that I will use in any ensembles I direct in the future.

Reimer

MUSIC 23241: MUSIC TEACHING AS A PROFESSION
Mr. Marcus L. Neiman, Assistant Professor
Kent State University School of Music
Fall, 2011

CRN:  200910 – Section number: 001 – Class Days: TR 7:45a – 8:35 am - Classroom: SOM E202
Office: Band Office - 330.672.2965 - Telephone: 330.672.2965 (Kent Campus) - E-mail: mneiman@kent.edu
Office Hours: TR 9:00 – 9:55 am (Additional hours available by appointment)

BlackBoard and Text Readings

Submitted by:  Emily Young
Submitted for: Mr. Marcus L. Neiman, lecturer
Date: October 13, 2011



Reimer, Bennett.  (2004).  Reconceiving the standards and the national music program.
 Music Educators Journal, (November), Pages 33-37.

    There are nine national standards that have been put in place for music education.  Teachers may often have trouble teaching all nine of these standards.  In this article, Reimer provides a very convincing argument as to why these standards are so important.  These standards are created to enhance the learning process in music for all students.  Music programs tend to put a lot of focus on singing and playing instruments, but not every student has an interest in these things.  Actively applying all of these standards in every music class can make a huge difference for the future of music education.
    By the time students reach high school, music is an optional course that they can take.  Many students choose to opt out of musical programs.  There needs to be a way to get all students involved in music.  There has to be substantial evidence available to administrators, that music courses are important.  It is hard to justify teaching a course that only ten percent of students will take.  These standards can provide a huge aide to teachers trying to make their programs survive.
    There is a huge difference between music performers and music teachers.  It takes real passion and dedication to teach music, just having musical skills is not good enough.  The field of music education needs individuals who can evoke inspiration and a willingness to learn in their students. Those who really care about what they are doing are the ones who can understand and implement these standards to the fullest.  Having the right teachers is probably the best way to keep music programs alive throughout the nation.

Campbell- Chapter 13

MUSIC 23241: MUSIC TEACHING AS A PROFESSION
Mr. Marcus L. Neiman, Assistant Professor
Kent State University School of Music
Fall, 2011

CRN:  200910 – Section number: 001 – Class Days: TR 7:45a – 8:35 am - Classroom: SOM E202
Office: Band Office - 330.672.2965 - Telephone: 330.672.2965 (Kent Campus) - E-mail: mneiman@kent.edu
Office Hours: TR 9:00 – 9:55 am (Additional hours available by appointment)

BlackBoard and Text Readings

Submitted by:  Emily Young
Submitted for: Mr. Marcus L. Neiman, lecturer
Date: October 20, 2011

Campbell, Patricia S.  (2008).  Assessment.
Musician & Teacher, Pages 253-265.

    In this chapter Cambell talks about assessment in the music room. Assessment is not always easy for music teachers, especially in ensembles. It is important to have concrete evidence of each students assessment.  Parents and administrators like to know how students receive the grades they get.  This assessment can be done by creating a rubric or a checklist for each student to determine weather they are reaching the goals that were established by the teacher. 
    For ensemble directors, it can be difficult to get a chance to listen to each student individually.  For this reason, teachers can give playing or singing tests. However, the students will surely hate these kinds of tests and we will not like giving them, it is a way to acquire a solid grade for each student.  I sometimes forget about how much teachers have to deal with parents.  The dialogue at the beginning helped me to understand the kinds of interactions I need to prepare myself for in my future career.
    I agree that assessment should be based solely on the goals established for the class.  I think it is very important for the student to know exactly what is expected from him or her.  Some studies have shown that students like organization.  As teachers, we should always keep the needs of the students first.  Campbell offered a lot of good ways to assess students in this chapter.  Since it is rather difficult to assess musicianship of paper, these assessment tools can be very useful to music teacher.

Lehman- Ten Years Later

MUSIC 23241: MUSIC TEACHING AS A PROFESSION

Mr. Marcus L. Neiman, Assistant Professor

Kent State University School of Music

Fall, 2011

CRN:  200910 – Section number: 001 – Class Days: TR 7:45a – 8:35 am - Classroom: SOM E202

Office: Band Office - 330.672.2965 - Telephone: 330.672.2965 (Kent Campus) - E-mail: mneiman@kent.edu

Office Hours: TR 9:00 – 9:55 am (Additional hours available by appointment)

BlackBoard and Text Readings

Submitted by:  Emily Young

Submitted for: Mr. Marcus L. Neiman, lecturer

Date: October 13, 2011

Lehman, Paul R.  (2004).  Assesses ten years of national standards.

Teaching Music, (October), Pages 34-39.

            For this article, Teaching Music interviewed the former president of MENC, Paul R. Lehman.  This interview discusses the National Standards for Arts Education which were published ten years prior.  Lehman has a lot to say about why these standards are important in music education.  Lehman was a part of the committee that developed the standards.  These standards have had quite a bit of an impact on music education in the last ten years.  However, there are still things that can be done to improve music in the American school system. 

            There is no standardized test in music; therefore there is no means of judging whether the standards are being fulfilled.  In order for these standards to work, we need dedicated and passionate teachers in the classrooms.  These standards are there to provide guidelines to provide the best possible education to the students.  The standards are a great resource to show why music is necessary for students in grades k-12.  They were constructed by a team of capable musicians and educators and they can be achieved by all teachers of music in every course.

            Lehman said, “Standards make assessment possible. They also make it necessary.”  This is something I have been thinking about a lot.  There has to be a means of measuring the effectiveness of our teachers, but the current system is not the best way.  State and national testing have caused a lot of corruption in our school system.  Music teachers are lucky to not have to worry about test scores, but this also means that music programs get less importance in the eyes of administrators who depend on test scores to keep the school functioning.  Music teachers should do everything they can to fight for their profession and use all the time and resources they get to instill a vast array of musical knowledge in each and every one of their students.  

Lehman- The Power of the National Standards

MUSIC 23241: MUSIC TEACHING AS A PROFESSION

Mr. Marcus L. Neiman, Assistant Professor

Kent State University School of Music

Fall, 2011

CRN:  200910 – Section number: 001 – Class Days: TR 7:45a – 8:35 am - Classroom: SOM E202

Office: Band Office - 330.672.2965 - Telephone: 330.672.2965 (Kent Campus) - E-mail: mneiman@kent.edu

Office Hours: TR 9:00 – 9:55 am (Additional hours available by appointment)

BlackBoard and Text Readings

Submitted by:  Emily Young

Submitted for: Mr. Marcus L. Neiman, lecturer

Date: October 12, 2011

Lehman, Paul R.  The power of the national standards for music education.

 Pages 3-9.

In this article, a president of the Music Educators National Conference speaks about the impact and importance of having standards in music education.  Upon implementing these national standards a mixed reaction was received from music teachers, but most felt very positively about the standards.  There are nine specific standards that music educators are expected to teach to their students.  These standards cover a vast range of skills and knowledge that musicians experience.  The implementation of these standards can be beneficial to both the students and the teachers if fulfilled as they were intended. 

Teaching all of these standards in every class can be quite difficult for a music teacher.  At the high school level classes are more focused and teachers never seem to have enough time. With proper planning and good time management, teaching these standards can certainly be done.  For some students, learning these standards and doing well in music classes, can cause them to do well in other courses that they will take. There are so many reasons that these standards are important in music education. Knowing more about these standards will make it easier and more enjoyable to find ways to teach them. 

I think that the arts are equally as important as other school subjects and they should be treated that way.  This means that if we have standards for other subjects, we should have them for the arts as well.  Music programs are always one of the first to get when schools make budget cuts.  It is very important for us to see how important music and the arts are to each student’s growth.  By understanding this we can express the importance of music to others, especially administrators and community members.  The standards help give proof that music is more than just singing or playing and music courses can implement a knowledge base in students that they can’t find in other courses.  

Campbell Chapter 3

MUSIC 23241: MUSIC TEACHING AS A PROFESSION

Mr. Marcus L. Neiman, Assistant Professor

Kent State University School of Music

Fall, 2011

CRN:  200910 – Section number: 001 – Class Days: TR 7:45a – 8:35 am - Classroom: SOM E202

Office: Band Office - 330.672.2965 - Telephone: 330.672.2965 (Kent Campus) - E-mail: mneiman@kent.edu

Office Hours: TR 9:00 – 9:55 am (Additional hours available by appointment)

BlackBoard and Text Readings

Submitted by:  Emily Young

Submitted for: Mr. Marcus L. Neiman, lecturer

Date: September 22, 2011

Campbell, Patricia S.  (2008).  Music learning by ear and by eye.

Musician & Teacher, Pages 40-59.

Music is universal and spreads throughout all cultures.  The way music is taught and experienced can differ in each country.  In this chapter of Musician & Teacher, Cambell tells a little bit about how music is taught in other places and time periods.  Music can be learned in several different ways.  We can learn music by eye or by ear, and we can learn by watching or by doing. Sometimes we learn in formal settings and sometimes we can learn very informally.  Regardless of how the music is hear, learned, or played, it is a very big part of everyday life around the world. 

Educators of the world must acknowledge that each student will learn differently.  Music teachers, especially have to come up a lot of different ways to help their students understand.  Being knowledgeable of teaching methods in other cultures can be very useful.  Teachers can take methods from other cultures and apply them to their classes today.  Some schools can be very diverse; teachers can be very helpful in making foreign students feel more comfortable if they know more about the students’ background and past learning experiences.  

I think that it is very interesting to learn about how music is viewed around the world.  I would love to be able to travel to all of these places and observe their musical habits and rituals.  It’s nice to see how we differ from the rest of the world, but also how we are the same.  I,personally, did not start studying music until I was around sixteen years old, other places begin musical study when children are very young.  I feel that the present and future generations of Americans are beginning to lack a taste for art and music and we could learn a lot from the teachings of countries around the world. 

National Standards

MUSIC 23241: MUSIC TEACHING AS A PROFESSION

Mr. Marcus L. Neiman, Assistant Professor

Kent State University School of Music

Fall, 2011

CRN:  200910 – Section number: 001 – Class Days: TR 7:45a – 8:35 am - Classroom: SOM E202

Office: Band Office - 330.672.2965 - Telephone: 330.672.2965 (Kent Campus) - E-mail: mneiman@kent.edu

Office Hours: TR 9:00 – 9:55 am (Additional hours available by appointment)

BlackBoard and Text Readings

Submitted by:  Emily Young

Submitted for: Mr. Marcus L. Neiman, lecturer

Date: October 6, 2011

National standards for arts education.

Consortium of national arts education associations

National standards for music were created shortly after standards for the “core” subjects were created. The standards were created by a committee comprised of educators, businessmen, government officials, and professionals in the arts.  The standards state what each student should know at three different levels in their school career. It took a few years of drafting and revising to finally get the arts standards approved by the National Committee.  The states and local district have the responsibility of ensuring that the national standards are met.

The arts are not always considered of utmost importance to many people.  This is especially true when compared to Math, History, Science, and Language Arts.  National standards had to be created in every subject in order to keep all students at the same relative level when entering colleges or universities.  The standards set guidelines in place for educators to use during their lessons. These guidelines have to be created by people who know something about the subject they are intended for.

I think it is very important for teachers to know the history of the standards and how and why they are created.  Since teachers have to follow standards, it is nice to have some reasoning behind it.  It is good to know that the writing of the standards included several people and a lot of time and effort went into them. Consulting professionals in the field is a fantastic way to ensure that they are thorough and achievable. These standards will hopefully continue to assist educators in helping their students understand the vast world of the arts. 

Doty

MUSIC 23241: MUSIC TEACHING AS A PROFESSION

Mr. Marcus L. Neiman, Assistant Professor

Kent State University School of Music

Fall, 2011

CRN:  200910 – Section number: 001 – Class Days: TR 7:45a – 8:35 am - Classroom: SOM E202

Office: Band Office - 330.672.2965 - Telephone: 330.672.2965 (Kent Campus) - E-mail: mneiman@kent.edu

Office Hours: TR 9:00 – 9:55 am (Additional hours available by appointment)

BlackBoard and Text Readings

Submitted by:  Emily Young

Submitted for: Mr. Marcus L. Neiman, lecturer

Date: October 6, 2011

Doty, Amy.  (2004).  Using the Ohio standards.

Triad, (November), Pages 45-46.

            The Ohio Academic Content Standards for Fine Arts consist of Historical, Cultural and Social Contexts, Creative Expression and Communication, Analyzing and Responding, Valuing the Arts/Aesthetic Reflection, and Connections, Relationships and Applications.  In this Article, Doty takes a closer look at each of these standards and how music teachers can use them.  Teachers can be as creative as they feel is necessary when applying the standards. There are many different ways these things can be taught.  Slowly but surely, these standards will be achieved in music classrooms all over the state.

            Prior to reading this article, I was not entirely sure of what Ohio’s standards were for music education.  In high school, music classes tend to focus simply on learning the music and not much else.  High school ensembles need all the time they can get to prepare for performances and adjudicated events.  It can be very difficult for teachers to find ways to teach with the state standards.  However, these standards must be incorporated for the sake of everyone involved, including administration and parents.

            I think that these are all very good things to teach to the students.  It is always good to connect music with other curricular classes.  Learning the history of a piece of music is a great way to do this.  Music is a great way to communicate emotions creatively.  Students often don’t get to be very creative in their other classes during the day.  Applying these standards in the music room can surely help kids become more well-rounded students and better musicians.

Hayslett

MUSIC 23241: MUSIC TEACHING AS A PROFESSION

Mr. Marcus L. Neiman, Assistant Professor

Kent State University School of Music

Fall, 2011

CRN:  200910 – Section number: 001 – Class Days: TR 7:45a – 8:35 am - Classroom: SOM E202

Office: Band Office - 330.672.2965 - Telephone: 330.672.2965 (Kent Campus) - E-mail: mneiman@kent.edu

Office Hours: TR 9:00 – 9:55 am (Additional hours available by appointment)

BlackBoard and Text Readings

Submitted by:  Emily Young

Submitted for: Mr. Marcus L. Neiman, lecturer

Date: October 6, 2011

Hayslett, Dennis J.  Applying the national standards in school band programs.

Pages 22-26.

            In this article, Hayslett suggests several ways that music teachers can incorporate national standards into the band classroom.  These activities teach things like notation, improvisation, composing, and reading.  There are some activities that incorporate other school subjects such as English and Art.  Doing activities like these can create a more fun environment for the students to learn in.

            With the passage of the “No Child Left Behind” act in 2001, most educational standards are created by the state.  However, schools still have to pass national standards of achievement as well.  I never got the impression that the standards for the arts were as strict as other subjects.  This is probably because there is no standardized test in art or music.  With music teachers being so busy planning performances and adjudicated events, it can be quite hard to fit national standards into their lesson plans

            The standards are put in place for a reason.  Even if we do not like them, we must find a way to teach them in our classrooms.  Doing so will keep the administrators happy, which will make our jobs more enjoyable. I love the idea of using poems from English class to show the value of dynamics.  This is a great way to make a connection between music and the other curricular classes.