Each Monday evening at 8PM EST, music teachers get together and share ideas about important topics within music education. It’s a great chance to interact directly with educators from all over the world and to get new tips and tricks to help you succeed in the classroom. The entire #musedchat discussion is organized and moderated by Joe Guarr.
It's been a while but Antoine Buttigieg here from Woodbridge Ontario Canada HS instrumental music teacher MB and drumline director of the @FrBressaniBands#musedchat
A1: can I just say I love this topic?!? Daily long tones I try to teach almost every skill on one note - never done. It’s the wind equivalent of 8 on a hand #musedchat
A1: A combination of long tones, lip slurs, scale work, chorales, and rhythm work. I don't use a book right now, but I would like to shift to that for next year. #musedchat
A1: colleague & I use a mix that includes Foundations of Superior Performance, Balmages Warmup Fundamentals, free chorales we found online, rhythm studies. We vary on those throughout the week. Perc is separated out into another room for 5 Minute Warmup Drills w/scales #musedchat
A2: probably 1 or 2. I’m very bad with getting stuck in a routine or just going through the excercises. Need to teach more explicit fundamental skills #musedchat
A2--I think it depends on the exercise. At some points, asking kids to listen forces them to analyze and critique their sound, but other exercises are at level 1. #musedchat
A2: Part 1 is level 1. It's fairly basic. The sightreading portion extends to levels 2-4 depending on what I am introducing and grouping the rhythms with #MusEdChat
A2: typical DoK tends to be 1 or 2. But my students with their sight singing knowledge have begun to compose their own examples for themselves and class. #musedchat
A1: I have used the Foundation book but also love the Artistry in Fundamentals books. Use a lot of warm ups to get into the repertoire we’re working on (sometimes a combination of scale stuff, rhythms, articulations, etc.) #musedchat
I wouldn't be embarrassed by that necessarily. I think there is space in having a low level task to prepare the students for more engaging work. #musedchat
And honestly, there are lots of DOK lvl 1 skills that are hugely important. IDing key sigs, rhythm patterns, recalling fingerings/slide positions, etc. #musedchat
I would also suggest that that initially the warm up would be more challenging. Perhaps 3. But, think about how necessary that autopilot skill is necessary for runs etc in rep later. #musedchat
In reply to
@MikeAlbarracin, @jarvelamused, @jguarr
And honestly, there are lots of DOK lvl 1 skills that are hugely important. IDing key sigs, rhythm patterns, recalling fingerings/slide positions, etc. #musedchat
A3: here is a new piece play the scale based on the key and prove your answer. What are the 5 main rhythmic components of this piece / write them - play them #MusEdChat
A3: composer’s intent can fall into DOK #3 as you relate it to the affective response/meaning. Any sort of composition based project can be DOK #4. I have students make chorales using just scale degrees and it’s great for them to “compose.” #musedchat
Q3: Any fundamentals focused on a more abstract concept, like balance or phrasing. Questions like what did you hear? What can we do differently to fix? #musedchat
A3:1 negotiate your breathing spots with your neighbor so no one breathes after a long note or on a bar line between measures 9 and 22. Practice it teach it to the class. #MusEdChat
A3: Student composed warmups. I would be interested in moving into levels 3 & 4 with fundamentals because even with all the "stuff" we have, students still complain that warmups are boring. #musedchat
Q3: Any fundamentals focused on a more abstract concept, like balance or phrasing. Questions like what did you hear? What can we do differently to fix? #musedchat
A3: I ask questions about the composer's intent or character of a phrase. If you had something important to say with sound, how would you say it? How can you communicate w/o words? #MusEdChat
Q3: Any fundamentals focused on a more abstract concept, like balance or phrasing. Questions like what did you hear? What can we do differently to fix? #musedchat
Went to a conference session in January about working more musicality into fundamentals. Long tones were done with a metronome so students learned to feel pulse on whole notes and longer. #musedchat
A3 For DOK 3/4, I like to record my Ss playing, whether it be warm-ups or a performance piece. Even multiple recordings of same bit. We listen to it & they provide the feedback/critique & ideas for moving forward, w/a little guidance. #musedchat
Went to a conference session in January about working more musicality into fundamentals. Long tones were done with a metronome so students learned to feel pulse on whole notes and longer. #musedchat
I can empathize. Mentally connecting scales takes longer to learn than physically playing them. However, we still teach technique for the purpose of having access to the literature. #musedchat
This could be a way for Ss to begin thinking about the “how” it works. Also, I know of a band director that during tuning, he has one student play a rhythm on the tuning pitch. Ensemble has the listen to make adjustments. Perhaps apply rhythmic devices in the rep. #musedchat
A4: we talk a ton about how air is effected by dynamics. Discuss why you tend to change tuning when crescendo / decrescendo and how you need to manage your breath accordingly #musedchat
I have no doubts as to its value, but solfege gives me college nightmares. Suggestions on how to introduce it that won't cause me to break into a cold sweat? #musedchat
A4: Make changes to how the notes are performed. If it's a chorale, play it in a march style, jazz style, etc. Find new ways to express how the same notes can be played #MusEdChat
A4:1 many times we talk in philosophical terms but what do you physically have to do to accomplish a great accent, fast tongue, fast fingers, beautiful line etc.?#musedchat
A4 Just brainstorming on this one, but for tuner work, maybe have students consider how much they could swing the pitch in regards to embouchure &/or breath support & then let them test their ideas, then discuss the reality of working intonation across the ensemble? #musedchat
I make a game out of it! Also one method is available via @SmartMusic which is fun! Students have stressballs they throw into buckets. The buckets have certain benefits. Mixes up the monotony. #musedchat
In reply to
@AmyLynnRever, @LindsayBrazell, @SmartMusic
I would just do short 4 measure passages, stepwise, to introduce it. Sing scales on solfege, major, thirds, etc. Once they see it as a tool to figure out HOW to find their pitches it will be less of a nightmare. #musedchat
I've made them a-matter-of-fact part of warmups. I've told kids that basically all professional singer do them, which helps. Just like what I call the "snake" warm up where you raise your arms up while inhaling & lowering arms w/ exhaling ssss. #musedchat
