Musical Independence Research Paper

Throughout the reading this week, the information presented in David Elliott and Bennett Reimer’s texts stressed the importance of music and more specifically, music education. “People everywhere find music rewarding, and everywhere we find people engaged in formal and non-formal efforts to teach and learn music.” (Elliott, 2014, p. 4)

Every student lends something unique to learning and performance. One student may have a particular talent for improvisation, and another may learn and read music exceptionally well. Each and every student’s voice is different, and so is the learning technique by which he or she is best motivated. A trainer must be more than well-versed in the best teaching methods for a variety of individual talents

I can say I’m a multi-instrumentalist. I can play the harmonica, the trombone, the ukulele, the bass, the piano, the electric and acoustic guitar, and I’m probably forgetting one. But really I wouldn’t be where I am today if it wasn’t for her” (Montes). “One of the big things I teach my kids is how through hard work, you can accomplish anything. Whenever a kid shows up to a lesson, I always ask them if they practiced, and sometimes they say no because they don’t have a piano at home. It reminds me of the days when I couldn’t even afford a piano, but I push those thoughts away and work towards helping these kids fulfill their dreams as I’ve fulfilled mine. Music teaches the kids how to work through a tough song, and through time and practice, they always get it at the end” (LaBeau). Ronnie’s School of Music has performed annually for several of the city’s prominent events: the Arroyo Lighting at Christmas, Saint Anthony’s Fall Festival, Winter Texan festivals, and many more. LaBeau teaches students of all ages, from three to ninety seven. The majority of her students, however, come from Saint Anthony Catholic

She finds through her research online that as a music teacher she must allow her students to “feel more like the person they aspire to be” (Crappwell 2). The article then reveals methods to encourage students during lessons and practice sessions rather than discourage. Crappwell compares the design of music lessons to the design of video games. The purpose of this is to show that in attempt to make sure individuals stick with their instrument, the teachers must incorporate the challenge level to match the skill level of the student. If the challenge level is too high for the skill level, the individual will get discouraged and quit.

JoAnne Haroutounian joins the conversation with her book Kindling the Spark: Recognizing and Developing Musical Talent. In her book, she attempts to broaden the reader’s understanding of different musical abilities and capacities by exploring different perspectives of musical talent. Haroutounian presents her recommendations for musical talent identification, in which she also summarizes the criteria that characterize musical talent and provides steps for discovering potential as well as demonstrated talent in a wide variety of school settings. In the last section of the book, she covers the stages of musical development and stresses the need for specialized instruction and guidance for talented musicians.

After evaluating student’s responses, it is important to recognize that teachers and directors have different perspectives and views. Mrs. Grizzle, the director here at VCMS, and three students were asked a series of questions regarding how music can help them and other students. Furthermore, Mrs. Grizzle has said, “ I hope that I impact students to have confidence in themselves, constantly work for improvement, and accept everyone.” This shows us just how much

This essay will be looking at Independent music in relation to the categorisation of distribution and production. It will also discuss the impact with regard to the development of musical performances and production.

Across the United States many elementary school music classrooms are filled with simple and popular tunes such as Hot Cross Buns and The Ode to Joy, played on the recorder, while high school students may be playing collegiate or professional pieces of music such as Armenian Dances and Carmen Suites. I have been very fortunate to have gone on the journey of progressing through different music education programs within Fairfax County Public Schools. If I was never exposed to music while in elementary school I might not have ever found one of my greatest passions or been able to create such fond and unforgettable memories. While music education programs across the country appear large and strong, many schools are beginning to experience budget reductions. As a result, music is often the very first component of a school 's curriculum or programs to be cut or significantly reduced, but I believe this is not the right course of action. It is important to preserve and promote music education in public schools because of the proven cognitive, character,and academic benefits for students.

Title: Performing: Realizing artistic ideas and work through interpretation and presentation Description: Using pieces currently integrated into classroom instruction or musical pieces studied independently, students will select specific sections that exemplify technical/stylistic/artistic challenges to overcome; work toward improving the performance quality of identified challenges; demonstrate and document processes for addressing the challenges; demonstrate and reflect upon achievement.

Living in a world surrounded by noises and sounds, one cannot deny that music lives all around them. Schools, street corners, sporting events, there is one thing you will always find: music. Music education is quickly becoming defunct in schools, as many try to decry its many benefits. A growing emphasis on the concrete subjects of math and science, whose benefits are more immediate, are pushing the creativity and imagination of music classes to the back of the budget. Music education is no longer described as stimulating and exciting, but rather unnecessary and distracting. But the benefits of having an education in music is undeniable. Simply being around music can have a positive impact on life. Music enables the human race to discover emotions that they have never uncovered before. The human mind is refreshed by music; “our imagination and memories are stimulated by the sounds, and summon feelings and memories associated with the musical sound” (Wingell 15). Without music, the world would be silent. Lifeless. No matter what language one speaks or what culture one is from, music is a universal language, connecting the hearts of people around the entire world. In schools throughout the nation, that connection is being severed because of budget cuts and lack of funding, but the benefits of music education are clear. The benefits of having an education in music are not only present in the classroom; a lasting impact is also left on the social and emotional growth of a person, though the gains may not be evinced immediately. Participating in musical education programs in schools can give students the opportunity to form lasting friendships and to gain skills that will last them their entire lives. Music education can be beneficial to students because it enhances students’ performance in the classroom, aids in improving student’s interest and engagement in school, and advances students’ social and emotional growth.

The so called “music” of today is absolutely horrid! It’s all filled with sex, drugs, violence, and politics. It’s rotting our children’s brains and society along with it. There are things in todays’ music that would make my grandmother cry.

Many people believe that the arts, specifically music programs, hold no beneficial value to students other than for an extracurricular activity. Others believe that having these programs within our schools, only takes away from instructional time. However, research has shown that music education, and exposure to music in general, provides great benefits and values to the adolescents that are involved in said programs (“Music Matters”). Participation in music programs promotes the advancement of academic scores and sets students on the path to success later in life. Furthermore, these programs, be it instrumental or vocal, provide an outlet for adolescents to express themselves and have truly lasting implications on their global development. Notwithstanding all of the pleasure and self-confidence gained through participation in music programs, music education may provide important benefits towards students’ academics by improving their concentration levels and cultivating higher order thinking skills that may increase academic achievement.

Beliefs and values of oneself in music are essential to determining future musical decisions. A students’ self-efficacy can be highly predictive in determining levels of performance achievement (Lehmann, Sloboda, &Woody, 2007). Secondary music students who want to be quality musicians build a system of dispositions, skills, and abilities that enable them to self-regulate their learning (Hewitt, 2015). These students generally have greater self-efficacy and are more likely to engage themselves in meaningful musical experiences to produce the best results (Hewitt, 2015). Helping students build positive self-efficacy is an important area of interest for music teachers. Oftentimes, music students spend significant time practicing away from direct instruction or influence of their teachers, meaning that self-regulation plays a crucial role in music learning (Miksza, 2012). This paper will address important factors like gender, examinations, and competition, and how these factors affect a student building self-efficacy in secondary music.

Student-centered learning is largely based on constructivism, a psychological and philosophical learning perspective (Bruning, Schraw, Norby, & Ronning, 2010). Perspectives within constructivism are exogeneous, endogenous, and dialectical (Bruning et al., 2010). Exogeneous constructivism refers to knowledge acquisition through reconstruction with the external world. Knowing is 1) formed through experiences and interactions with others and 2) validated by environment factors. The environment presents affordances or actionable opportunities for individuals to perceive and experience music (Gibson, 1977; Custodero, 2005). Custodero (2005) found active musical engagement and imitation among young children when observing one another. “Perceived affordances in an environment and space invite interactions, thereby providing feedback necessary to facilitate further engagement” (Custodero, 2005, p. 188).

“But there are many aspects of music education that can be improved to better integrate other 21st century skills. The creative skills of improvisation and composition are not yet integral parts of the music curriculum, primarily due to music teachers’ lack of adequate training in these skills (Fowler 1996; Madura Ward-Steinman 2007).