Andrew Hi Andrew, Thank you! I’m glad you appreciated my story. When playing different instruments I essentially think the same way when it comes to my musicality and certain techniques such as keeping my body in a fluid way. In contrary when playing different stringed instruments the strings are in different intervals (guitar compared to violin) so I have to think of it differently in that sense. When teaching children my favourite part is the joy. They have so much energy making it easy to let loose and have a blast with the kids. As far as feeling sick of too much music I never feel that way. I am beyond excited to be hear and every day feels like a privilege. Performing is a very difficult feeling to describe. There’s a mix of excitement, nervousness, or the feeling of unknown. What inspired you to go into music? Was it originally drums? Or another instrument? What inspired you to enter a classical degree? What would you say your biggest goal as a musician is? What has been your greatest accomplishment? Thanks for your time, Andrew Robichaud Hey Andrew, I'd have to say that I was originally inspired to play drums around grade 7, however I was living in Bermuda at the time and musical opportunities are sparse there, so I wasn't able to find a drum teacher until I came to Canada in grade 9. I had played violin when I was in grade 3 but I only played for a few years before I gave it up (which I regret now). I have to say the thing that inspired me to go into music and recording was just my passion for learning about something that is not easily grasped by my mind and was so different from anything else I could've done. I'm better at math or science than I am at music because of how logically my mind works, which was why I was more intrigued by rhythm than harmony when I was younger, however it was that challenge that drew me to music, and I couldn't see myself doing something that wasn't music for the rest of my life. I knew that in order to become the best musician I could be I knew I had to immerse myself in music completely, especially since my melodic theory and reading is god awful compared to my rhythmic. I would say that my biggest goal as a musician is to be working actively in the music industry recording and playing session gigs, writing electronic and live music, but teaching has always interested me and I recently discovered that I enjoy it. Probably one of the biggest factors in me deciding to pursue music, and probably my biggest accomplishment, was the band that I had been writing music with for about 2 years in Guelph. We were a progressive rock band that was beginning to gig quite regularly close to the time our bassist left, including multicultural festivals and other city events. I learned about my love for writing . The experience that I had with them was something that I can't really put into words, there's just something about creating something and sharing with people who are there to listen to you. I understand what you mean about performing, there's always that moment of "this is it" right before, and trying to use the adrenaline to your advantage instead of letting it debilitate you is one of the biggest hurdles to overcome in my opinion. No no, thank YOU for YOUR time, Marshall Lister JordanFirst of all I think it's very clear that you put a lot of time and effort into your video. It seems well thought out and the casual humour goes a long way in telling me about yourself. I am very interested in your background as a musician. Did you play percussion in high school? What was your experience like with your instrument before University? What are some of the challenges you've faced since coming here? How did you become interested in Music Education to begin with? Jordan McDonald Hey Jordan, Thank you for your comments on my video, I did try to make something that would represent myself. I guess when I think about it I've been playing percussion for only about 5 years now. I went into grade 9 knowing pretty much nothing about music because I had wanted to play drums for years before that, however I lived in Bermuda so drum kits were far and few between and the closest thing I had was rock band. By the end of high school, my rhythmic theory and performance was at least good enough to get me in thanks to my drum kit teachers outside of school and having band experience from high school, but my harmonic theory was lacking a little bit, which was my whole reason for coming here. That for me is the biggest challenge being here: I understand musical concepts but it's very slow, which makes it quite hard for me for keep up with reading music and improvising on a harmonic instrument, however I can feel that getting better little by little. I actually only recently discovered that I enjoy teaching people about music, because a lot of people don't really know enough about it to understand how interesting it is, and now that I have the ability to explain musical concepts to people, there's something really special in seeing someone who's interested in music light up when they understand something about it. I think it has to do with the fact that music is a big part of a lot of peoples lives, and understanding how something invokes emotion is a very profound thought in my opinion. I really enjoyed your video!! I know quite a few people who have told me that they didn't like music when they were younger, but I've noticed that most of the people who gave it up wish they had still played. It seems like becoming the teacher instead of a student rekindled something in you, do you think that that has something to do with the feeling of obligation and being told what to play rather than choosing how you experience music? I also have a lot of respect for people who play more than one instrument, especially harmonic ones. Do you feel like you think about the piano and the trumpet differently while you're playing them? Would you ever enjoy teaching other things other than music or is it music specifically? Do you feel that personal interaction and being able to watch someone develop over time is another factor in your love for one on one teaching? Marshall Lister Thank you for the thoughtful questions. It wasn't really teaching that got me really invested in music, I'd say that it was the repertoire. I got to the point where I was learning and playing actual pieces of music and really enjoyed that experience. Teaching felt like something completely separate. What I really enjoyed in terms of teaching was helping people improve and for me to share something I cared about with others. This sort of connects to my everyday life in that I love to share movies and shows with friends I think they'll enjoy. While not entirely the same, it's also a way I can share with others. While I can't think of any other big area I could teach now, I'm certainly not opposed to it moving into the future. I do feel that the one on one format works quite well because you're able to watch students develop and tailor your teaching to them specifically (personality, background, etc.). Talking about learning and playing the trumpet and piano, they're very different from each other. With trumpet I focus on sound quality and phrasing, while with piano I focus on voicing the different parts (melody and harmony) and technique (making sure the structure is sound).
Jordan
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There were some interesting correlations between the student and teacher interviews. The first thing I would like to call attention to is the fact that self-identified musicians tend to have a musical family background in some capacity. When Mr. Daniels acknowledged the fact that if his family was not as musical he might’ve thought that he wasn’t good enough, it immediately made me think of the interview I had conducted with Ms. Jessica Dao, who echoed this sentiment quite closely. I can think of many other examples of this; where even though the student was never pressured out of music, the lack of musical involvement within the family is almost a subconscious self-pressure to assume that music is only a hobby. In my own experience, my family’s lack of musicality was certainly a pressure out of music. These students feel as though they must be bred for music if they are to be adequate enough to pursue a career in it. I believe part of this belief has to do with the fact that these students are unaware of the kinds of jobs that there are in the industry. A lot of people who don’t consider themselves musicians believe that performing is the only career path available in the music industry, and I think our music classes tend to perpetuate this assumption since they are so performance and theory based. Another interesting similarity is the implied view on learning music at a young age. Many students who quit music lessons while young either return to it at a later age (such as Jessica and myself) or wish they had kept with it. It is interesting to note that in Jessica’s case, a contributing factor in the abandonment of her piano lessons was her teacher. I believe the distracting environment and long lessons impeded the practice regiment at home due to a lack of structure, making it hard to take the practice seriously (especially at that age). One interesting comparison of perspective between student and teacher is how music courses are structured. Teachers choose pieces based on their perception of the skill level of the students, but also the expectations of the course. While students believe that music classes should be more centered around music they enjoy, unfortunately many of the pieces students want to perform are not in line with the expectations of the curriculum, and do not allow them to acquire the skills that are expected to be learned. This creates an interesting impasse, and is an ongoing debate in the field of music pedagogy recently. Balancing course expectations with student interests is not always possible, however I believe there are ways of marrying the two, just not exclusively.
This class has been one of the most engaging and thought provoking I've been able to be a part of in my first semester, and it has been both a validation to some of the philosophies that I have already had about music education and a door for exploring new philosophies I never knew existed. I thought it was important to start the class by talking about what it is to think critically about something, because for a lot of people, it just means try to justify what you believe. However, thinking critically must be critical, meaning you must question why you believe the things you do, and be able to accept a change in mindset when you prove yourself wrong about something. One of my beliefs is that one of the best things that could ever happen to you is to lose an argument with someone. If you have the ability to look at something objectively from both sides and admit that you were wrong about something, it means you have changed your thinking on something for the better, and you are a better person because of that. True open mindedness comes from the ability to think in this way, and not from being politically correct or inoffensive to anyone.
I have come to the conclusion that teaching music requires the teacher to take on a very different role than that of a math or science teacher. In order for students to be emotionally invested in music, the teacher needs to be emotionally invested in the learning of the students, and be mindful of the way that each person interacts with music. The teacher must guide students to make their own discoveries, while also providing thoughtful conversation to the students in order to nurture the ability to think critically about themselves. This allows the student to be autonomous in their playing and in their learning, and they can develop the tools to teach themselves and others well before traditional music pedagogy allows. The conversations that we have with partners in class are helpful in solidifying our interpretations of what we are being taught, however I feel like it would be more helpful if we could be given all the questions we should think about and then have 15 or so minutes to have a more meaningful conversation about the topic as a whole, rather than talking about one question for 30 seconds and then moving on, etc. I also believe that some of the classroom policy we have been practicing is a little bit unconstructive. I believe that students should be allowed to express their feelings about something. If it isn’t a personal attack on someone, then any emotional expense to other students is a problem that must be resolved by those students. I don’t believe we need to shelter students from feeling emotional distress from things that aren’t directed at them. That is something that they are going to experience for the rest of their lives and they need to learn how to deal with it. For example, giving high fives and expressing joy about something is something that I personally believe should never be diminished just because another student is jealous about it. I am excited and satisfied with the fact that my view on pedagogy has been shifted in this class, and I hope it continues to. I really enjoy working with my teacher and my classmates. |
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