9&10 Observations

Dear Future Me,
Hello! Here are some more observations!

9)Secondary
I observed Mr. Certalics class twice actually. It was a great experience. I'm not an orchestra person and it was great to see what goes on.

10)Jazz Band
Holy Cow, if I ever have a Jazz Band I will contact everyone I know of in the area to come demonstrate and give me pointers. Mr Burdahl conducts it so well. It was so cool that they had a warm up where they all played an improvised solo. I got to count them off! "A-one, A-two, A-one-two-three-four!"

Hey you!

Hey you!
It is time to complete the observations you observed and compile them into these next blogs. So far you've written blogs about 3)CJI podium, 4)CJI names, 5)Supp. Materials, 6)CJI secondary, 7)BHS primary, 8)TE warmups. Here goes 1)Concert and 2)Pep Band:

1)Concert
The concert was marvelous. I have never seen such a Middle/High School Concert. The flow was fairly swift and they were all dressed the same (White shirts, black pants. For HS blue shirts, black pants.)

The blend of the ensemble caught me off guard as I heard that they had exceptional blend. I thought of how they might have achieved this. I have come to the conclusion that warm ups are part of the magic. Why not have them play just a couple of sections at a time so everyone else can hear them together. Also the ensemble could sustain a chord while you adjust them (wave the flutes to be louder, trumpets to be softer....) this would give them a visual of the balance being pursued.

2)Pep Band
There is not too much I can say about the Pep Band. I thought it was a lot like my pep band back home. They were fairly organized it seemed and played fun songs :)

Your friend,
Shannalee

Blog 7: Advocacy Letter

Dear Future Me,

Today might be one of those days when you think to yourself, "Self, why is no body on board with me with the knowledge of why a music program is so important?" or "Hey, why are the parents so hesitant to see why they should encourage their children to join band, orchestra, or choir?" Well, you needn't worry any longer my dear friend. All you need to do is call upon the wisdom of your past self who is writing this during finals week to pull up a comprehensive and witty letter to these said individuals. So. Without further ado...

Dear School Community (i.e. Parents, Teachers, and Administrators);

It has come to my attention that there is some confusion as to what the goals and benefits of being in a musical ensemble are. That is why I have written this letter. Within it you will find my goals as the teacher in all my ensembles. Though they are different, the outcome and benefits are the same.

Music has been, and always will be an important subject to teach students. This is because of its important role in our society and what music means to us on an individual basis.

The ancient Greeks knew this and made sure that music was taught along with the other subjects.  Teaching music appreciation in our public schools creates a more balanced and well-rounded student. Playing in an ensemble and learning to implement personal practice time teaches students the value of teamwork and making their individual voice a part of the group.

After seeing the effects of a well-rounded education that includes music, and understanding how participation in music classes helps to develop student’s brains intellectually, it has become apparent to me that music education is vital to every students’ learning.

As the conductor, I need to schedule and plan where we will perform and when. I make it a priority to schedule as much playing time around the community as I can. This could mean your student will be representing the school in community service and volunteer work while playing for the Christmas stroll or playing in a small ensemble at the nursing home. In my opinion, this is the best way to learn. As Gandhi put it, "The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others."

I believe that students of all ages benefit from Music Education. When students are involved in a musical ensemble, they learn teamwork, individual practice, and accountability. As a music teacher, I will create a classroom environment that is conducive these goals, and will help foster creativity and safety of the students.

As educators, it is our duty to inspire and make this essential subject available to everyone. I would like parents, teachers, students, and administration of the school district that I work in to be proud of the musical students they have in their schools. I hope they will also enjoy and appreciate the music that will be created through many hours of practice together as a team.

Warm regards,

Shannalee Finlayson

Blog 6: Tone

Dear Future Me,

1) Once Upon a Time (the TV Show) is awesome.
2) Junior recitals are fun.
3) Since you missed April Fools day, you'll have to observe it tomorrow (being the 2nd of April, 2012).

Now for the REAL list of 3 for this blog. It's all about tone. Why is it important to a group of musicians? Here are 3 key reasons:

1) Woodwinds and brass. They must blend together. As one. This is an ensemble after all, and freedictionary.com defines ensemble as: "A unit or group of complementary parts that contribute to a single effect." If we as woodwinds don't join as one with the brass, what would we have? Madness, that's correct.
2) If you are having a conversation with your friend and mean for it to be a pleasant one, you would confuse them very much if you were speaking with a harsh tone, would you not? Yelling with furrowed eyebrows, "HEY, YOU'RE RECITAL PEICES WERE EXTREMELY INTERESTING!!!!" would most likely sound very insincere. One the same note, you would not want Silent Night to have the same tone as Back in Black.....and so forth.
3) Pointing out the tone qualities of a group really helps them to listen to each other more and develop their ears. The more we as musicians  can do this, the more virtuosic we become.

Love,
a past you, Shannalee

Observations with Kelly Berdahl

Dear me,

The first thing that I noticed about Mr. Berdahl is that he had a plan for the group and also had goals in mind. He demonstrated this a number of different ways:

1. The warm ups were a learning experience and could be used to help them out with the pieces they were working on.
2.  He told them to pass in one piece because it was "too easy" for them. This made them feel really good about their work as an ensemble I bet. Maybe that would be just a good idea to do anyway! Just pass out a piece every once in a while that is a little too easy for them. It'll boost their confidence! I bet that's what he was thinking...clever!
3. He had huge elaborate shields as hall passes. He wanted the group to all be there for rehearsal so he devised this plan so they would only want to leave if it was an emergency. Haha I think it worked pretty well and was just awesome overall! I tried to make that relate to the topic that I started with.  : ]

Besides these goals, there were some other things that I observed while watching his class twice. (After this post I will write about my experience with leading warm ups.)

1. Once he asked them who could help play at the basketball game that weekend. No one volunteered and they were chatting amongst themselves. That made him...come unglued. He told them that they should be proud of these girls who had made it this far and that they should be able to take just two hours out of their weekend to represent their school in this way. It was quite alarming and this kind of tone from Kelly Berdahl probably helped them to remember what their goals were.  I think having a talk like this every once in a while would benefit the group and help put them on track again (although I don't think I'll be able to get quite that sort of volume...). Like Dr. Stark said, he wasn't upset with them, but more at the decision they were making.  
2. He gave great compliments and made them work for them. I really want to work on making my compliments more meaningful and say them a little less often so they want to work for it. Quality over quantity! 
3. He was very expressive with his conducting which I think makes them want to watch him.

Lot's to think about :) 

Your friend,

Shannalee

Blog 5: Elements of a Successful Program

Dear Future Me,

I hope you are having an excellent day. You have a wonderful smile. Hey, the color of your shirt matches your eyes! What is all this leading into? Well, I don't know. BUT! Here are your Top Ten Elements of a Successful Music Program (TTESMP). Actually, you are supposed to list "ten things that you will fight for in order to protect the sanctity of your ensemble". Ahem.

1. TIME with students
2. Instruments and equipment
3. A good rehearsal room with room for instruments
4. School/community desire for a program
5. Policies and Procedures supported by parents, teachers, and administrators. (I think it's most important for administrators to be on board with Policies and Procedures. So talk to them so they know what they are!)
6. Advanced planning (I will plan ahead so everyone knows what is expected of them as far as performances and other such things.)
7. Parent Booster Organization (fundraising for trips, advocacy, etc.)
8. Support from guardians for practicing
9. Attendance at ALL concerts
10. Quality Repertoire

I put Quality Repertoire at the end because I figure, I can always arrange something and or borrow something from other schools. This list is very important to me though as I feel that I will have a great program if I remember that this list ensures quality education for my students.

Warm regards,

Shannalee

Observations with Sallee Nelson (CJMS)

Dear Shannalee,

You have attended Chief Joseph Middle School's 7th grade band class three times at this point. Key points you've taken from the first class with Ms. Nelson teaching are as follows:

1. You need a hand free microphone. I've been worried about your voice being strained in this setting, future Shannalee, and I think that this is a solution to that. (11:11 make a wish!)
2. Ms. Nelson had a good way of breaking down sections of music so they are easier to understand. She took rhythms step by step so the students didn't get frustrated by them. 
3. She moved the rehearsal along so there were no dull moments, no long pauses. She knew what she wanted to get done.

The second time you attended, you taught the clarinet section a sectional. Jeph Morris learned their names and then you taught them a rhythm. After that you worked through tough spots in their music. Here are some things you learned:

1. Junior high girls are chatty. Give them incentive to stay quiiiiiiieeeet. (Use Jeph's temporary tattoo mustaches to quiet them. "If you're quiet, you get mustache tattoos!" DON'T GIVE THEM TO THEM IF THEY'RE NOT QUIET.)
2. You really do know how to count rhythms, sometimes when you're in front of students you freeze up when you get distracted by their chattiness. Breath and go through your bag of tricks:
• "Clark please come to the board and write out how to count the rhythm below."
• "Gwen, will you and Addie clap the rhythm?" "Max was that correct?"
3. When they talk, remind them of the prize at the end. Remind them to be respectful.

The third hour you were there, you observed Mr. Morris teach while you memorized names. Read on:

1. Repeat their names often in conversation. They appreciate you trying to learn their names.
2. Maybe try moving them around so they're not so chatty...

Love,

Shannalee