Collegiate Division Nathan Tucker, President, CMENC Now that the spring semester is in full
swing and you have made your "final" calendar engage- ment for the fifth, and truly final, time, relax a bit and soak it up. Whether you find yourself at a university in north Alabama, a junior college near the gulf, or any collegiate venue across the state, you are in a position to absorb all the knowledge, experience, and behaviors that your insti- tution offers. The past year was an incredibly insightful experience for most aspiring music educators across our state as we have witnessed music inspire, motivate, illumi- nate, refine, and, most of all, teach in ways that nothing else can. Aworthy saying is that music might be the great- est history book ever written, having been present and effective in the lives of humans since the beginning of time.
Looking back at my first years as a music education major
at The University of Alabama, I offer some advice to my beginning colleagues throughout the state: Now that you have had at least a semester to adjust to the responsibility of college, begin to set yourself up to receive all the knowledge of music and music pedagogy that is offered to you. Do not miss a thing. Take a pad to your rehearsals to write notes on effective rehearsal techniques. YES, music history IS useful. NO, the practice rooms are NOT only there for when you feel like wearing your straight jacket or conferencing with pledges on "secret frater- nal issues"… And, last but not least, as hard as it may be for some of us to understand who are experiencing trial by fire, your pro- fessors DO want to see you succeed. You represent them and the cause of music! One very useful tool that is readily at our fingertips through students' affiliation with higher education institutions is the avail- ability of professional journals. Almost every higher education institution offers its students access to many online databases such as Jstor or even physical journal col- lections found in the library. One example of an article I recently reviewed was from Update: Applications of Research in Music Education, published by MENC. The arti- cle by Robert A. Duke was entitled "The Other Mozart Effect: an Open Letter to Music Educators." One of the main points
46
of the article was that yes, music can improve people's cognitive skills, but not in the ways that society tells us. Robert Duke performs studies which support the idea that actual participation in music is what makes people per- form cognitively better through the exercise of analytical, creative, and compound thinking. The point of the article was to say that in order to learn all you can from music, you should participate in it. Merely listening to music has not proved to substantially change anyone's cognitive abil- ities. This study opened my eyes to the falsehood of assumptions I had held since childhood. Remember also to take advantage of what music organiza- tions and conferences in America offer you. Plan now to attend conventions such as The Midwest Clinic or the MENC national conference. Begin spotting summer music and band camp jobs this spring. Every experience you can grasp before you get out into the teaching world will help you tremendously. The Collegiate Division of the Alabama Music Educators Association will offer many opportunities to hear great experts in music education dur- ing several gatherings throughout the year.I look forward to seeing you at your chapter meetings or at statewide events that are coming up this spring. Keep motivated and remember your love of music as you learn how to teach it.
play
http://music.memphis.edu
A Tennessee Board of Regents university. An Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action institution.
ala breve February 2007
among musicians that embrace everything from Mozart to Motown. Flourish in an environment where everyone is respected as a student and an artist. Study with a brilliant faculty known everywhere from Carnegie Hall to the Grammys®. Perform where you connect with your passion every time the stage curtains part.
Come to the Rudi E. Scheidt School of Music at the University of Memphis.
Where the music is.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52