Blowing snow, plummeting temperatures—here’s hoping winter has finally left Michigan for good so we can make way for spring flowers and warmer weather! Whether it be an unexpected snow day (it has been known to happen) or a quiet evening, I hope you find time to curl up with the winter/spring issue of the MME, a cup of hot cocoa and indulge your professional curiosity. Inside this issue you’ll find a wide range of articles that we hope will inform, inspire and invigorate your teaching. There is some- thing of interest for everyone regardless of your area or grade level. In the words of Pete the Cat, “It’s All Good”!
In her article, “Embodied Music Teaching and Learning”, Judy Palac emphasizes the importance of connecting our musical bodies to our musical minds through the practice of Body Mapping. A deeper understanding of our physical body in terms of form and function can help us reconnect with our kines- thetic sense leading to healthier and more holistic music making. Palac provides suggestions for ways music educators can include body mapping in the studio, classroom, or rehearsal room to improve per- formance and foster healthy performance habits.
June 2014 saw the release of the new Core Arts Stan- dards, a re-imagining of the 1994 National Standards for Arts Education. You can review these new stan- dards at
http://musiced.nafme.org/musicstandards/. One important change reflects a more prominent role given to composing and creating. If you struggle with ways to incorporate composing activities in your program be sure to read “Composing In Performance Ensembles: Baby Steps Towards Musical Indepen- dence” by Spiros Xydas. The article is filled with refreshing ideas you can use to incorporate authentic and meaningful compositional activities in any en- semble class. Xydas argues that composition deepens students’ musical understanding while strengthening their performance skills – and he speaks from experi- ence, having implemented his ideas with his middle school band.
Along with new standards, music educators must also keep up with a seemingly unending stream of top down policies. The most recent reform efforts focus on connecting teacher evaluation with student learning. You’ll find that two of our articles respond tangentially to this mandate. Ashley Moss explores the “hidden curricula” embedded in No Child Left Behind (NCLB) and its impact on access to mu- sic education at both local and national levels. Her findings are sobering and as the title of her article, “Narrow the Curriculum, Widen the Gap: The Impact of No Child Left Behind on Access to Music Educa- tion” suggests, it is our underprivileged students who
are being “left behind”. Read this article to find out what you can do to help reverse this trend. Respond- ing to NCLB from a different tact, Cynthia Taggart reminds us that measuring student learning needn’t be the monkey on our backs in her article “Reclaim- ing The Value Of Assessment.” Taggart invites teachers to harness the power of assessment as a tool for improving instruction in ways that can also demonstrate student growth to administrators and legislators. In her article she highlights current efforts by Michigan and national organizations to create and make accessible sample assessments music teachers can use to assess student learning. She also provides concrete examples of ways teachers can include naturalistic assessments during their classes while documenting and recording individual progress.
If you are looking for a way to reenergize your con- cert programs, read Wendy Matthews’ article “Us- ing Multimedia in your Large Ensemble Concerts.” Matthews recounts her experiences with multimedia and presents numerous strategies for how this art form can be used to enhance the aesthetic experience for both student performers and audience members. Her suggestions range from simple to complex and are based on her work with different ensembles and populations. Collaborations with school children, community college students and professors, as well as community-based ensembles illustrate this unique approach to arts integration.
Articles in several of our journal’s columns will be of interest to many. For the jazz educator, jazz pianist and author Jeremy Siskind writes about helping be- ginning jazz pianists learn how to comp. The infor- mation, which is based off his book, Band Pianist: Basic Skills for the Jazz Band Pianist offers basic tips for developing comping skills such as building muscle memory for common progressions, using simple rhythms for comping, and voicing basics. Bridging both the choral and instrumental worlds, Charles Norris uses four phases of tone production: respiration, phonation, resonance and articulation as a starting point to empower instrumentalists work- ing with choirs in, “What every instrumental teacher already knows about singing!” Elementary music teachers, especially, will enjoy the recommendations for children’s books that can be used in the general music classroom. Book titles and their descriptions can be found under the Book and Media Reviews column edited by Marie McCarthy.
So, go grab that hot cocoa, a comfy afghan, and snuggle down with this issue of Michigan Music Educator. You’ll be glad you did!
Abby Butler, Editor 2
From the Editor
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