Using Journals In Your Ensemble Rehearsal
Improving Performance and Making Broader Connections
by Dan Halpern
Verona Schools, Verona, NJ
dhalpern@veronaschools.org
of music throughout their lives. Making meaning can involve performance, however for most adults it means listening and inter- preting. In performance-based school music programs, the majority of time is focused on developing performing skills, but very little time is spent developing reception skills (i.e. listening, critiquing, analyzing, etc.). Music journals are a powerful tool that can allow ensemble directors to incorporate a variety of elements into their rehearsals to address mu- sic reception, while improving aspects of per- formance. They are flexible enough to adapt to almost any situation, and are also useful as a means of assessing student progress.
A
What Are Music Journals? A music journal is a notebook that stu-
dents bring to each music rehearsal to record a daily entry. The daily entry can be a rhyth- mic dictation, a short written response to a music-related question, or anything related to the music being learned. Journal entries can take as little as two minutes, or the entire rehearsal period. Originally, my colleague, Dan Berz and I devised journals as a means to organize “Do Now” activities completed by our 7th
and 8th grade students when they
entered the classroom. These mostly con- sisted of simple rhythms for which students would write in the counts. Other times there would be a leading question for students to answer that accompanied a listening ex- ample. As the journals became incorporated into rehearsal, it became clear how useful they were for accomplishing larger goals. They can be used as a tool for students to reflect on their performance, and to develop listening skills. Journals are collected periodi- cally for the teacher to read and respond, pro-
TEMPO Journals For Self-Reflection Journals can be a powerful tool for stu-
dents to assess their own performance, and to communicate with teachers. In addition to rhythm “do-now’s,” my colleague and I would post reflection questions for students to answer as class began. Questions were de- signed to focus students on a particular as- pect of the group’s performance or their own playing. This also gave students the oppor- tunity to share their views on the music we
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s music teachers we all hope our students will have the ability to find meaning in various types
viding additional opportunities to assess and communicate with students.
Journals For Teaching Rhythm Rhythmic journal entries are typically
the shortest type. They take the least amount of class time, and are the quickest for the teacher to assess. When we first began using journals in 7th
grade band class, my colleague
and I began the school year with simple 2- to 4-measure patterns consisting of quarter and eighth note rhythms. Students would copy the rhythms and write in the counting below using the “1 e + a” system. Afterward, they would chant and clap the rhythms, and then play them on their instruments. We also incorporated rhythms taken from the music we performed. Within a few weeks students adopted the routine and were able to success- fully transcribe and perform the rhythms in a few minutes. Over the course of the school year students’ rhythmic abilities improved dramatically. Before long they were easily succeeding at performing syncopated 8th 16th
and rhythms. To challenge students we gave
them 2-part rhythms to perform as duets, and even had students compose their own rhythms. By the end of the year there was a marked increase in students’ rhythmic accu- racy and sight-reading ability.
performed, which provided useful feedback for choosing repertoire and running effective rehearsals.
Sample reflection questions: • What is your favorite (or least favorite) piece of music that we are playing? Why do you like (or dislike) that piece?
• List three spots in our music that you play very well, and three spots that need improvement. How can we improve those sections?
• What section of our music have we improved the most? How did we make that improvement happen?
• List your musical strengths (i.e. tone, rhythmic ability, articulation, dynamics, range, etc.). What would you most like to improve about how you play your instrument?
• If you were running tomorrow’s rehearsal, what is the first section of music you would work on? Why?
These types of questions have a dramat- ic effect in focusing students on both short- and long-term goals. Soliciting their feedback and using it in class will increase their sense of ownership of the ensemble, and empower them to guide their own learning. Consider the difference between the traditional means of running rehearsal, in which the conductor dictates what and how everything is done (“I said to play forte at measure 33!”), and one in which students’ views are incorporated (“Mary suggested starting at measure 33 to work on dynamics”).
Journals For Teaching Broader Musical Concepts
Music journals are particularly useful for helping students grasp musical concepts beyond those learned through performance.
JANUARY 2014
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