Critique
I have mixed feelings about this article. The
outline for creating meaningful listening exercises is very relevant to
the Music Memory
program I have been working on this year, since its main focus is on the
type of listening activities that program employs. While I did utilize
many of the techniques described here, re-reading this article helped me
to have an overall vision of the process, which will be helpful as I plan
for next year. It is likely that my lessons next year will become small
parts of a larger whole, rather than the disjointed fragments that they
are presently.
I also feel that this article is an excellent
starting point for a new teacher because it gives an easily digestible,
coherent, step-by-step process to follow for creating valuable listening
activities. The only aspect of the listening portion that I might take
issue with is the discussion on what qualifies as “high-quality” music
versus “low-quality” music. I think that sort of reasoning is dangerous
to get into, particularly with school-age children, because they see
things from a rather black and white sort of perspective. Just like it is
problematic to label children, although due to the human condition it is
often inevitable, it is also tricky to label music in that way. Rather
than judging as high or low quality, I tend to focus more on the
subjective attitude that “beauty is in the ear of the beholder” in order
to keep the minds of my students as open to different kinds of music as
possible.
As for the composition exercises, many of them
seem far too complex for elementary age children, still they are not
without merit. I think I’d like to try exploring some of these ideas in
my performance groups next year, even the ones that seem impossible, like
the “vocaphone exercise.” This activity uses nine students, one who
conducts and the others sing one note in a scale. While I can’t imagine
that this would really work, I think trying it once might still have some
value and in practice we might be able to explore a bit and modify the
lesson into something that will result in the students feeling
successful. As it is written, I don’t think my students would be able to
accomplish such a complex activity. However, I think sometimes it’s good
to take risks and try something outrageous just to see what happens.
Often times the end result of that is quite meaningful in a way that
wasn’t anticipated.
Some of the other exercises will be helpful to
me next year as well, because I would like to utilize my school’s
resources more and get out the Orff instruments for some composing
exercises. This article, in conjunction with the
Wiggins article, will allow me to set up a framework for my students,
while still being cognizant of keeping them open creatively. I look
forward to finding a balance between giving them structure and allowing
them to explore.
