Using Skype In Rehearsals Shawna longo
Hopatcong Middle School
shawnalongo@gmail.com
er’s true intent was in a piece? If you answered “yes” to either of these questions, using
H
Skype to connect with a composer, performer or other expert can have numerous benefits. Whether you teach band, choir, orchestra, guitar, or general music, you and your students can Skype with a composer, arranger, conductor, sound engineer, performer, music techie, another ensemble, or any number of professionals who connect with your content!
Benefits of a Skype Session
Deeper learning: Any connections that students can make with experts outside of the school will deepen their learning and directly impact their practicing and experience. Stronger musicianship: Your students’ desire to take
ownership and strengthen their musicianship will blossom because they have connected with a professional. We all know that a composer or expert might not tell them anything different from what you tell them everyday, but hearing it from someone else can sometimes make all the difference. Connections within and beyond the community: Be- yond bringing your classroom into the 21st
can also shake up a traditional rehearsal routine. Our stu- dents are products of the 21st
ave you ever thought about adding a little more “tech” to your classroom or rehearsals? Have you ever wondered what a compos-
Initiative & Self-Direction, Social and Cross-Cultural Skills, Productivity & Accountability, and Leadership & Responsibility
• Information, Media, and Technology Skills -
Information Literacy, Media Literacy, & ICT Literacy This endeavor will also hit the “community partner- ships” gear of Future Ready Framework.
century, Skyping century. They don’t remember
a time when their phones couldn’t do (almost) everything for them. Skyping with a composer or expert will provide a fun, interactive way for students to directly build upon their practice.
21st Century Learning/Future Ready: Your adminis- tration will appreciate the extra effort as you are addressing the P21 Framework for 21st
Century Learning through:
• Learning & Innovation Skills - Critical Thinking & Problem-Solving, Communication, Collaboration, and Creativity & Innovation
• Life and Career Skills - Flexibility & Adaptability, TEMPO 42 MAY 2018
Student Reflections/SGO Data: The connections that will be made between you (the teacher), your students, and the composer (or other expert) can only be experienced through direct communication. You can use a tool like Google Forms to have the students formulate questions for the composer ahead of time. This type of pre-Skype activ- ity can also be used to assess musical vocabulary and con- cepts, as well as provide a platform for numerous formative or summative assessments. This data can, and should, also be used as a part of your documentation log and/or your teacher evaluation (SGOs). You will have the opportunity to discuss compositional techniques used by the composer during the Skype session and develop a new perspective on the piece from the composer. Advocacy: Skyping with a composer/arranger, another school ensemble, or other expert, can be the biggest advo- cacy effort for your music program. When your students go home and rave about your class at the dinner table, you just solidified another supporter of you as a professional and music education in general. Don’t forget to send out a press release and invite your administration; include your Princi- pal, Supervisor, and Superintendent. Give the community a chance to read all about it and your administration the chance to experience it. For bigger impact, consider Skyping in the composer during a concert or event. Have the com- poser introduce your piece, ask him/her questions, and then give feedback at the end of your performance of the piece.
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