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realized a number of things. In order to feel the music, we would first need to know the music. The cognitive part of learning music, getting past the notes and rhythms, would be an important goal.
Second, the band music would need to be well written. Time would need to be spent looking for music that was musical and that the students would enjoy and learn from. Also, my lesson plans would need to include all aspects of the music, expression, melody, rhythm, etc. I would also need to know my scores. I practiced my conducting in front of a mirror, not only to better understand the music and improve my conducting patterns, but also my non-verbal communication skills. Working on these things, I was starting to move in the right direction. My rehearsals became organized and I was beginning to hear some improvement.
Was I becoming an affective teacher? I was using the national music standards as a guideline for my teaching. Assessment is an important part of that process, but it is very difficult to determine how affective a student’s performance is. I started asking my students how they felt about the music they played. Their answers helped me
determine how they were interpreting the music. There were, of course, no wrong answers to their responses. I felt encour- aged if my teaching was bringing my students to a deeper understanding of what they were playing. I started using ideas from the Wisconsin Comprehensive Mu- sicianship Through Performance (CMP) Project, involving an understanding of style, culture, history, etc. I started relating imagery to demonstrate how I wanted the music played. Saying, “Band, that sounds like an elephant walking through a mud hole,” got better results than, “Can we play more staccato?”
It is only natural that after teaching middle school for 32 years, I would now be working with older adults. They share so much in common, including a desire and love for making music. The adults in my New Horizon band are passionate about making music. Unlike middle school students, they are mostly past the hurdle of notes and rhythms. What they strive for when making music is that indescrib- able feeling of emotion – and they have a lifetime of emotional experiences from which to draw. I run my rehearsals very similar to my middle school band, (I still use many of the techniques I did with my
middle school band,) but with a greater emphasis on the affective. And, there have been times when we have felt one with the music. It doesn’t happen very often and is different for each player. These musicians bring a lifetime of making music to each rehearsal and those moments can bring out a variety of emotions.
Leonard Bernstein at a Young People’s Concert said, “There’s no limit to the dif- ferent kinds of feelings music can make you have... every once in awhile we have feelings so deep and so special that we have no words for them and that’s where music is so marvelous; because music names them for us, only in notes instead of words.”
I challenge each of you, regardless of what age you teach, to strive for this one- ness with the music. Maintain a positive approach to the music. This is a lifelong challenge that will greatly enhance your life and the lives of your students.
Glenn Nielsen is a WMEA past president and retired music educator who lives in McFarland. Email:
glennnielsen49@gmail.com
- Call for Research Papers - Wisconsin State Music Conference
Now is your chance to submit research reports for this year’s Research Poster Session at the Wisconsin State Music Conference! All submissions will be reviewed and considered for presentation. Please follow detailed guidelines at
wmeamusic.org/research-poster.
• Research reports must be about music education or other related music disciplines • Undergraduate and collaborative research projects are welcome • Papers should be current or recent
Submit a 300–500 word extended abstract via email attachment by Sept. 8 to
paul.budde@uwrf.edu. Be sure to include all contact info (name, title, affiliation, address, email, phone number) in the body of the message.
Wisconsin School Musician 43
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