ORCHESTRA VICE PRESIDENT- Sarah McCoy
Bringing Music to Life . . . Is the Doctor In?
E
ven though making music is very much an active task, sometimes we can become bogged down and forget to make the music come alive. Some of the easiest ways to break out of this rut are to
get students involved in creating the music on both a small scale and a large scale. In your day-to-day lessons, plan activities that allow students to be creative such as improvising, writing a story to go along with the music, or inviting them to make musical decisions about the phrasing and dynamics of a piece.
One of the easiest and most enjoyable ways to get students involved in this process is by playing games. Te game “Epidemic” is one of my all-time favorites and is a game I have played with orchestra classes ranging from 5th grade to seniors in high school. To play the game, select a piece of music you are working on with your class – limit the section to only a few phrases. Next, ask a student to volunteer to be the “doctor.” Te “doctor” goes into the hallway while the class decides which “epidemic” is going to strike the ensemble – this can be anything from poor playing position to consistently playing one note incorrectly.
guessing the problem. Aſter this the doctor is invited back into the classroom with the teacher and students dramatically pleading, “Doctor, doctor, help us! We have no idea what is wrong with our orchestra!?” And then the fun begins! My experience has been that what follows is a beautiful mix of renewed focus on the music with a healthy dose of laughter.
Almost always when we return to performing the music “normally” both the students and I have a deeper understanding of the music and a sense of joy and accomplishment in performing the music to the best of our ability. We brought the music to life because each student was actively engaged in contributing first to the “epidemic” and finally to creating the best sound possible as an ensemble. I hope you will be able to use this game to help engage your students, get the creativity flowing, encourage some hearty laughter, and bring the music to life.
My favorite is when a student suggests that we play the opposite of all the printed dynamics! Ten the ensemble decides which student or section is going to be infected first. If the doctor cannot diagnose the epidemic then the ensemble predetermines which section or person will next be infected so that the epidemic gradually becomes more and more apparent and the doctor has a second or third try at
A native of Laramie, Wyoming, Sarah McCoy began studying the violin at the age of six under the instruction of Sherry Siniſt in the String Academy of Wyoming. Sarah graduated from the University of Wyoming with both a Master’s and Bachelor’s degree in Music Education. While at UW, she studied violin with Sherry Siniſt and viola with James Przygocki. Sarah was previously director of orchestras at Laramie High School, the University of Wyoming Lab School, and Linford Elementary School. She is currently an elementary orchestra stings specialist for LCSD1, Cheyenne. Sarah was honored by WMEA as the recipient of the 2018 Wyoming Music Education Association’s Young Music Educator of the Year.
winter 2019 |
www.wyomea.org
25
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 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77
