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 #musedchat time! Tonight we're using this article as a springboard to discuss music literacy (and maybe some pop): https://t.co/zCnYicmCyZ
Be sure to introduce yourself! #musiced
It’s the start of holiday concert season, so going crazy with rehearsals, etc. But I am guessing we are all doing the same around this time of year. #musedchat
The wonderful folks at @Sight_Reading created a code so #musedchat folks can receive 20% off their entire order, through midnight tonight. Just use 'musedchat18'. It's a great resource!
Q1: Do you agree with the author’s assertion that traditional music literacy (reading Western notation) is a prerequisite for success in music education? #musedchat
A1. Yes & No. it depends on what style of music the student wants to pursue. I have a student who is an incredible DJ & digital music composer. Music literacy for him is completely different. However, the more traditional music literacy he learns the better he gets #musedchat
A1: I found his praise of Coltrane followed by his dismissal of strong aural skills to be puzzling. Like...does he not know that improv is a thing? #musedchat
Either. There are plenty of fantastic teachers out there who haven't taken the traditional route to get there, much like some of their students. #musedchat
A1 No BUT I'll take a quote from the loved Drumline movie....
if you don't have the honor and discipline to learn your craft then quite frankly Devon, you don't deserve to be here...... It's about respect for the art #musedchat
A1, I mean it is important, depending on the end goal of the type of music to be performed? *read that in the Anchorman with a question mark on the Teleprompter voice. #musedchat
In Miles Davis' autobiography, he talks about learning how to play by listening to records non-stop and imitating. And Miles was decent, I guess. #musedchat
A1, I mean it is important, depending on the end goal of the type of music to be performed? *read that in the Anchorman with a question mark on the Teleprompter voice. #musedchat
A1: No. Beginner students should be focused on sound production & learning how to use instruments (voice inc) before reading. The Habits of Musicianship method book by Duke & Byo specifically does this - I’ve used it for the 1st time this year w/ lots of success #musedchat
A1 - I don't think it is really required for you to succeed in music education, as others have pointed out there have been many incredible "uneducated" musicians out there. The style/genre of the music is also a factor. I think the first step is appreciation. #musedchat
I'm not poo-pooing learning to read though AT ALL. How much Mozart "Wallpaper for Princes" could be performed without notation? Only a small % of the smallest % could play from "memory." #musedchat
A1: I disagree with the author. Music literacy looks different today than it did even a decade ago. Being competent in music tech is a unique skill set of its own. Knowing how to program drums and use autotune well requires a different understanding of music and sound. #musedchat
Hi #musedchat folks! As @jguarr mentioned, #musicliteracy is close to our hearts at SRF. Because y'all are taking the time to discuss it, we're offering 20% off your entire purchase through midnight PT tonight. Use code "musedchat18" at checkout. Happy Holidays!
Appreciation, though, with out understanding is nothing but an uniformed opinion. You're welcome to it, but understanding yields far greater appreciation. #musedchat
A1: I am in the “yes and no” camp. I do think the more people who are musically literate, the more they will appreciate more technically complicated music. But anyone can appreciate beauty in music regardless of how they are with notes. #musedchat
@errollgarner ...Yep, I think most of us on Twitter this evening would absolutely love to be able to play as well as he did. Just a phenomenal artist. #musedchat
A1: So let’s not dismiss that it can certainly help. That said, there are many successful musicians who do not read traditional notation for many reasons, educational and cultural. #musedchat
A1: I disagree with the author. Music literacy looks different today than it did even a decade ago. Being competent in music tech is a unique skill set of its own. Knowing how to program drums and use autotune well requires a different understanding of music and sound. #musedchat
Q2: Absolutely. It’s clear he comes from a dated perspective & philosophical approach. Again, music literacy is still A goal in our classrooms, but it’s also about meeting the kids where they are and building from there. #musedchat
A2 part 1: he could just be a traditionalist, unwilling to “think outside the box.”... I have what I call “old fogey” moments myself, where I catch myself thinking “everything I hear on the radio right now is crap.” 🤷🏼♀️🤦🏼♀️#musedchat
A2. There is an “elitist” old school mentality of what music education should be. Many of the old guard are resistant to new digital music. They are the same people who praise themselves for playing modern music like The Beatles or Billy Joel. #musedchat
A2 part 2: it is also clear that he is just really passionate about music literacy, the same way others are passionate about Suzuki, kodaly, riff, etc. #musedchat
I've got a kid in my music tech class right now...doesn't read, but has written some mindblowing stuff with MIDI in Soundation. He is undoubtedly creative. #musedchat
I might fall in that group too.... There is good music out there, you just have to search for it, the auto tune aspect he's 💯 right... I truly believe that most concerts are fed through a machine... #musedchat
A2 it seems to come from an ill i formed opinion on music history, what music is, and what it can be. The one study he cites proving musical quality is diminishing only covers 3 aspects of music. No test can prove arts worth #MusEdchat
Check out a DJ out of Montreal called Kid Koala. The things he can do on turntables is some of the craziest hand eye stuff I have ever seen. Equal to any high level instrumentalist #musedchat
Joni Mitchell said, "Thank God I didn't get taught in school." Her voicings on her guitar were not understood by traditional chord musicians. She would never have been as creative. According to her. #musedchat
A1. Many great musicians I know don’t know how to read notation, but most start to understand the importance once they hit the stage where they’re very technically skilled and theory helps make sense of their skill and makes their skills stronger/more versatile/better. #musedchat
A1) Being able to read well is a skill set just as much as any other skill for an accomplished musician. The more tools you have, the more options at your disposal. I note that I have seen many who could read well have limited skills in improvisation. #musedchat
I think one of our goals as elementary educators is to provide a strong foundation in both reading and improvisation. Kodaly, Orff and Gordon all provide pathways to this journey for our Ss. Wouldn't an exemplary English teacher do the same? Read and create... #musedchat
A3. I have been trying to learn as much as possible about modern computer composition. My students all make beats and patterns on garage band or logic. #musedchat
A2: Perhaps he feels that his understanding of music literacy is threatened by these new ideas. Sometimes I wonder: would Bach, Beethoven, and the like have embraced the theremin, Minimoog, and Protools, or condemned them?#musedchat
If you don't understand what you are playing (audiating), you really shouldn't be notating it. You're making up a "code" to decipher rather than a reminder of what should already be in your ear. Notation, as good as it is, is only 10-20% of what's in the music anyway. #musedchat
A3 grew up as a guitarist using tableture (which happens to predate standard notation 🤯) and currently use iconic notation with students before standard to link the visual aspect of notation to what they hear #MusEdchat
My 4 year olds this year, some, understand and can name these sounds in Major. I, IV, V7/V and V7 Not sure I care when they learn to read as long as they keep on this path for a while. #musedchat
I read pretty well when I've got my trombone. Started learning guitar this summer, and for that, tab/chord charts make a lot more sense to me. Different languages for different contexts. #musedchat
Q4: Traditional literacy IS a valuable skill for those in traditional ensembles, and many others as well. How is that skill developed in your particular department? What are your go-to tools? #musedchat
A4: I’ve been using Sight Reading Factory in conjunction with takadimi and it’s worked fairly well. Allllways open to other ideas or methods. #musedchat
A4. I still teach traditional notation in an old school traditional way. Method books, sight reading on their instruments, etc. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. The methods are tried and tested #musedchat
A3 - I've taught my begginer drumkit students using my own short hand notation with great success. This was mainly so I could get students actually "Playing" in an easy unintimidating way. Translating back into regular notation eventually. #musedchat
I tried to find graphic scores with limited guidelines. It was an R Murray Schafer piece about traveling across Canada by train. Each symbol on the score had directions for interpretation #musedchat
A3: I am fluent with many plugins and DAWs (shoutout @Ableton). I own several synthesizers and drum machines, and I compose with these to enrich curriculum, energize concerts, and spark curiosity in the K-5 Ss I teach. #musedchat
A4 i start Ss w icons for rythm, the add movment up and down, then add the staff. They begin to understand rhythm in a deeper way and read contour of melody much quicker #MusEdchat
Before introducing a new rhythm or meter, I'll have my Ss imitate it as part of our warmup routine. They see the notation after awhile, and it seems to help things click more quickly. #musedchat
I think very few people actually enjoy theory when they first learn it, but even fewer people complain about having that knowledge in the end. They see the value. It’s like going to the gym... every minute of being there sucks, but everybody feels good after going. #musedchat
A1 Yes I agree that traditional literacy is important for musical success. Even if someone develops awesome chops without it they will eventually hit upon limitations if they can’t read standard notation. ##musedchat
It's been a privilege following along tonight. We are here to assist you and your needs as a music instructor, so please let us know if you need anything. Remember to use the code by midnight and keep up the great work! #musedchat
A4 - I start kids off with rhythm object association. Eg. "Green Avocado" is "TA titi TA TA" which I then combine with melodic contours using string as a visual representation. They are able to compose simple songs and retain melodies and rhythms well.#musedchat
A4: My K-5 classroom is heavily based on the methods of Orff and Kodály. By 5th grade, my Ss have had the opportunity to explore musical elements/notation and apply these ideas to many instruments and their voices. Orff ensembles are great for concept application. #musedchat
A5 not exactly “new” but kendrick lamar’s to pimp a butterfly is amazing! And he used musicians like thindercat and kamasi washington to add depth. Marc maron has a great interview w kamasi where they talk about working w kendrick #MusEdchat
There is so much great music going on. Anyone saying pop music is dying just isn’t looking. I love Kendrick Lamar right now. His use of jazz beats combined with irregular rhythm patterns in his rapping is so great. Not to mention his deep political commentary #musedchat
A5 I feel like Ed Sheeran writes a variety of different grooves and styles of songs and has thoughtful lyrics. I do think the author is right to point to homogenizing factors but that’s also true across many other platforms, such as film. #musedchat
Oh man, #musedchat trying to trigger me tonight with that "Tragic Decline of Music Literacy (and Quality)" article.
I'll say this: I disagree with most of the article because it's soooo narrow-minded. Room for lots of music and music ed.
A4: late but wanting to say, we sight sing every single day. We use one platform but have heard about @Sight_Reading and am thinking of switching. #musedchat
Q4: Traditional literacy IS a valuable skill for those in traditional ensembles, and many others as well. How is that skill developed in your particular department? What are your go-to tools? #musedchat
A5. There is so much great music going on. Anyone saying pop music is dying just isn’t looking. I love Kendrick Lamar right now. His use of jazz beats combined with irregular rhythm patterns in his rapping is so great. Not to mention his deep political commentary #musedchat
A5: Dream Theater is my absolute favorite of all time: https://t.co/xkTL40iAEa
Been listening to a lot of Childish Gambino and Run The Jewels lately. Did not like hip hop growing up. Go figure. #musedchat
A4: This is kinda cheesy, but I made rhythm dice. Multiple wood cubes from Dollarama, each side with a different rhythmic pattern on it (2-4 note patterns per side, can be easy to difficult). Roll four dice, clap out the rhythm, repeat. Different passage every time. #musedchat
In reply to
@TriToneJones, @MrBMusicTeacher, @jguarr
