updates, venting, passions...
Wow this summer has gone by soo fast!
I've been taking summer classes. I just finished the first semester of classes June 30th and I just started my new class July 5.
Life is good in East Lansing...
Right now I am procrastinating because I just dont want to do my math homework. yuck!
4th of July was nice, but there's nothing like having a significant other to spice it up a bit. So in other words...Im still looking! Although recently, William might be coming to Michigan in September..for real this time! He is so sweet to me. I just dont think things will work out because of the distance but he is still a really good friend of mine. I couldnt believe that earlier this summer he sent me a package. He sent me a box of chocolates, a LONG handwritten letter and a rock from Mount Whitney (he climed it!). What a sweetheart. I cant believe that its been a year since I was a counselor at Interlochen! I have so many wonderful memories there...and believe me..if you know me REALLY well, you should know that I ALWAYS talk about Interlochen. Once I start I just cant stop. Even now i am trying to stop myself..its not working..not exactly!
I guess the reason why I love that camp so much is because I met some of the most amazing people that I have ever known. It was there where I made music and TRULY found my "calling" to be a music teacher. I just cant get enough of it! My ultimate among ultimate goals is to be able to teach there in the summer...THAT WOULD BE AMAZING!!!
I love the mixers, melody freeze, harmony junction, KRESGE!, The bowl, my yellow socks! (I still have them and I secretly wear them on special occasions). The trip to the beach!!, Star gazing, badge switching, counselors, Maui wowi(s), Pinecrest!, Lochhaven (the boys had the best view on the water and we were always jealous), Swimmers itch, my nalgene bottle, sunsets, being serenaded by the boys, talent shows, capers, morning scramble (Liz and teaching her heal clicks), our chipmunk Mr. Sneaky?, concerts, oh and did I mention STEVEN DAVIS!, Jerry Blackstone and the notorious name tags for choir kids, Laughing a bit too much, pizza night, the bus ride to the beach, final concert...unforgettable!, first time I knew I wanted to learn how to sing and be apart of a choir. final goodbyes, the tears, the train letters, my interlochen sweatshirt, ....I cried all the way home
Best 2 weeks of my life!
That was when I was a camper..
I knew I had to come back for more and thats why I became a counselor
last summer: training week, secondary jobs, cabin #25, MY GIRLS!!, meeting the parents, setting the cabin up, capers, name tags, working the front desk, working at Pinecrest, the overflowing bathroom, nights out, days off, coffee, Jewel concert, doing stuff for the girls, chinese night, pizza night, mixers, The counselor dance, Carmina Burana, Les Preludes, Opening ceremony, 6:15 a.m. everyday of the week!, Kiaking, my lovely letters, Meeting Will, Platte Point, Counselor outting, Counselor appreciation day, taking care of my girls, listening to disney songs in the morning, occasional naps in headquarters, writting my name everywhere, camp pictures, Roving and my power rover!!, divisional roving, sunsets, the firedrill/tornado drills, toilet paper crises, overflowing toilets, concerned parents, trips to the hospital (for campers), meeting so many new people, being kissed in the rain, books/train letters, secret sisters, watching the kids perform
the best part...watching my girls smile and have a great time! Love it
I should go back
anyways...that was fun going down memory lane
now for today's update:
I finally met Edwin Gordon! He is absolutely one of the most legendary people I have ever met. He is one of my many hero's! I have his signature and a recording of him singing! He is a fascinating, adorable, old man! One of the most important people in music education history! I cant wait to teach young children! I have so many ideas since I've taken the music learning theory certification for general music. Although, I am a bit concerned about my ear training skills...thanks to my previous music teachers ehem! I love them dearly, but all i was taught to do was to READ music. Until college, I never learned to use my ears and to become an independent musician. Some teachers do not understand the importance of helping children to become independent musicians. Music should be taught like a language. When a baby is first born, how do they learn to speak? By listening, right? So the same thing should be taught with music. babies need to listen to music to develop a readiness to sing, or some type of musical vocabulary. Once a child learns to speak, he/she will start to develop a vocabulary. The same holds true for music. A child should develop a large musical vocabulary by listening and singing in different modes, meters, and tonalities. Once a child has developed a large vocabulary then they develop a readiness to read, then write. Once again...the same principles for music. Unfortunately, most teachers DO NOT understand that you shouldnt teach kids to read music unless they have a stable musical vocabulary and have a READINESS to read, otherwise the children are reading notation and they are not gaining meaning from the music. Therefore they are just relying on the music and not being independent musicians.
I am so frustrated with some of our elementary music programs. The only thing that the kids do is learn to sing and read notation. If they knew what to listen for in the music they would be more likely to understand the music that they are making, and they could make music on their own. We do not teach a child to read before they know how to speak. So why do most teachers do the same thing in music? It makes absolutely NO sense! This especially holds true for instrumentalists. We are great "button pushers", but can we ACTUALLY sing whats written on the page, and fully understand the tonal, rhythmic, and harmonic structure of the songs we are playing...most of the time NO. This is why most kids drop out of band, orchestra, and choir. They are not given the tools to make music outside the classroom. They think classroom music is pointless because it is all "classical" and is written by dead white guys that they have never even heard of. Well, guess what, news flash! Music doesnt have to be about dead white guys, it can be about what YOU like to play. If your music teachers were smart, they would've given you the proper tools to help you write your own music, or the tools to understand your favorite music. They would've help you to heighten your awareness of the things that are happening in the music and what things are important to listen for.
Music is such an intregal part of our culture, which is a reason why children should understand music. Most people listen to music at least a couple hours everyday or more. We listen to music on TV, movies, ipods, computers, radio, or if you are like me you wake up to hearing music from your alarm clock! Why shouldnt we teach students to understand music?
i am so tired of watching kids being yelled at by their music directors for rushing or slowing down or not playing the right notes. Yes, its true, a piece of the problem is the students but the majority of the problem is the teacher not teaching properly. Yelling is not necessarily teaching, either is spoon feeding. Fixing The problem is simple...If you can sing in tune, you can play in tune, if you can understand where your body is in space and how to feel free flowing movement you wont rush your slow down! Why do teachers even bother yelling...its harmful to the students and the teacher! Why? Why? Why?
IF the kids had the proper tools...they could hear what they were doing wrong and they would be able to fix it on their own. Dont get me wrong...we all need a little guidance, but spoon feeding is not necessary. Stop relying on the music on the page and start listening to the music in your heart!
Each person has the potential to learn music. For the longest time I always thought that i could never learn how to sing! Ever! never in a million years did I ever imagine that One day I would be singing in Michigan State's State Singers, (a choir for music majors). I think that the majority of people believe that they cant sing is because they havnt had the right training in their elementary music programs. They think that they are "tone deaf". Guess what?...there is NO SUCH THING!!! Trust me there isnt! If you dont believe me..go and ask all the MSU school of music professors. So if you are one of those people who thinks that they are unable to sing, or if you dont think you can sing very well....there IS hope for you!
I am so sorry if it seems like I am angry or that I am forcing these ideas upon you. Thats not my intent. I was purely writing things that were floating in my head. Things that have been "merinating" for the past couple weeks. Things that I think are very important. I am not saying that all music teachers are bad or that all my music teachers were bad teachers. I just think that teachers should re-evaluate their teaching so that they can undestand how students are learning music and what kind of meaning they are taking from the music. I could be wrong about all the things that I have written, but I feel that I just wanted to say it. I am usually not a judgemental person and I dont like to argue. But have you ever had a burning passion to change something in this world that you think is terribly important? I do..
I may not be changing things right now, but I absolutely intend to when I start teaching. I love kids and I want to give them a gift that they can use...independent musicianship. Maybe they will never use it...but at least I was willing to try to help them use it. I know I DEFINATELy am not perfect..but I am going to follow my heart on this one. I really feel that I am going in the right direction in my life. Maybe its because I am an opptomist (although because of my entry, you may think otherwise) I am not quite sure...whatever it is, I think all things happen for a reason.
There we go...the 2 things I love almost more than anything: Interlochen, and music/music teaching!...(besides my family, friends, and faith)
I could talk about those things for hours and hours and hours...but thats ok! I think you get the point!
Love you all!! Hope all is well!
I've been taking summer classes. I just finished the first semester of classes June 30th and I just started my new class July 5.
Life is good in East Lansing...
Right now I am procrastinating because I just dont want to do my math homework. yuck!
4th of July was nice, but there's nothing like having a significant other to spice it up a bit. So in other words...Im still looking! Although recently, William might be coming to Michigan in September..for real this time! He is so sweet to me. I just dont think things will work out because of the distance but he is still a really good friend of mine. I couldnt believe that earlier this summer he sent me a package. He sent me a box of chocolates, a LONG handwritten letter and a rock from Mount Whitney (he climed it!). What a sweetheart. I cant believe that its been a year since I was a counselor at Interlochen! I have so many wonderful memories there...and believe me..if you know me REALLY well, you should know that I ALWAYS talk about Interlochen. Once I start I just cant stop. Even now i am trying to stop myself..its not working..not exactly!
I guess the reason why I love that camp so much is because I met some of the most amazing people that I have ever known. It was there where I made music and TRULY found my "calling" to be a music teacher. I just cant get enough of it! My ultimate among ultimate goals is to be able to teach there in the summer...THAT WOULD BE AMAZING!!!
I love the mixers, melody freeze, harmony junction, KRESGE!, The bowl, my yellow socks! (I still have them and I secretly wear them on special occasions). The trip to the beach!!, Star gazing, badge switching, counselors, Maui wowi(s), Pinecrest!, Lochhaven (the boys had the best view on the water and we were always jealous), Swimmers itch, my nalgene bottle, sunsets, being serenaded by the boys, talent shows, capers, morning scramble (Liz and teaching her heal clicks), our chipmunk Mr. Sneaky?, concerts, oh and did I mention STEVEN DAVIS!, Jerry Blackstone and the notorious name tags for choir kids, Laughing a bit too much, pizza night, the bus ride to the beach, final concert...unforgettable!, first time I knew I wanted to learn how to sing and be apart of a choir. final goodbyes, the tears, the train letters, my interlochen sweatshirt, ....I cried all the way home
Best 2 weeks of my life!
That was when I was a camper..
I knew I had to come back for more and thats why I became a counselor
last summer: training week, secondary jobs, cabin #25, MY GIRLS!!, meeting the parents, setting the cabin up, capers, name tags, working the front desk, working at Pinecrest, the overflowing bathroom, nights out, days off, coffee, Jewel concert, doing stuff for the girls, chinese night, pizza night, mixers, The counselor dance, Carmina Burana, Les Preludes, Opening ceremony, 6:15 a.m. everyday of the week!, Kiaking, my lovely letters, Meeting Will, Platte Point, Counselor outting, Counselor appreciation day, taking care of my girls, listening to disney songs in the morning, occasional naps in headquarters, writting my name everywhere, camp pictures, Roving and my power rover!!, divisional roving, sunsets, the firedrill/tornado drills, toilet paper crises, overflowing toilets, concerned parents, trips to the hospital (for campers), meeting so many new people, being kissed in the rain, books/train letters, secret sisters, watching the kids perform
the best part...watching my girls smile and have a great time! Love it
I should go back
anyways...that was fun going down memory lane
now for today's update:
I finally met Edwin Gordon! He is absolutely one of the most legendary people I have ever met. He is one of my many hero's! I have his signature and a recording of him singing! He is a fascinating, adorable, old man! One of the most important people in music education history! I cant wait to teach young children! I have so many ideas since I've taken the music learning theory certification for general music. Although, I am a bit concerned about my ear training skills...thanks to my previous music teachers ehem! I love them dearly, but all i was taught to do was to READ music. Until college, I never learned to use my ears and to become an independent musician. Some teachers do not understand the importance of helping children to become independent musicians. Music should be taught like a language. When a baby is first born, how do they learn to speak? By listening, right? So the same thing should be taught with music. babies need to listen to music to develop a readiness to sing, or some type of musical vocabulary. Once a child learns to speak, he/she will start to develop a vocabulary. The same holds true for music. A child should develop a large musical vocabulary by listening and singing in different modes, meters, and tonalities. Once a child has developed a large vocabulary then they develop a readiness to read, then write. Once again...the same principles for music. Unfortunately, most teachers DO NOT understand that you shouldnt teach kids to read music unless they have a stable musical vocabulary and have a READINESS to read, otherwise the children are reading notation and they are not gaining meaning from the music. Therefore they are just relying on the music and not being independent musicians.
I am so frustrated with some of our elementary music programs. The only thing that the kids do is learn to sing and read notation. If they knew what to listen for in the music they would be more likely to understand the music that they are making, and they could make music on their own. We do not teach a child to read before they know how to speak. So why do most teachers do the same thing in music? It makes absolutely NO sense! This especially holds true for instrumentalists. We are great "button pushers", but can we ACTUALLY sing whats written on the page, and fully understand the tonal, rhythmic, and harmonic structure of the songs we are playing...most of the time NO. This is why most kids drop out of band, orchestra, and choir. They are not given the tools to make music outside the classroom. They think classroom music is pointless because it is all "classical" and is written by dead white guys that they have never even heard of. Well, guess what, news flash! Music doesnt have to be about dead white guys, it can be about what YOU like to play. If your music teachers were smart, they would've given you the proper tools to help you write your own music, or the tools to understand your favorite music. They would've help you to heighten your awareness of the things that are happening in the music and what things are important to listen for.
Music is such an intregal part of our culture, which is a reason why children should understand music. Most people listen to music at least a couple hours everyday or more. We listen to music on TV, movies, ipods, computers, radio, or if you are like me you wake up to hearing music from your alarm clock! Why shouldnt we teach students to understand music?
i am so tired of watching kids being yelled at by their music directors for rushing or slowing down or not playing the right notes. Yes, its true, a piece of the problem is the students but the majority of the problem is the teacher not teaching properly. Yelling is not necessarily teaching, either is spoon feeding. Fixing The problem is simple...If you can sing in tune, you can play in tune, if you can understand where your body is in space and how to feel free flowing movement you wont rush your slow down! Why do teachers even bother yelling...its harmful to the students and the teacher! Why? Why? Why?
IF the kids had the proper tools...they could hear what they were doing wrong and they would be able to fix it on their own. Dont get me wrong...we all need a little guidance, but spoon feeding is not necessary. Stop relying on the music on the page and start listening to the music in your heart!
Each person has the potential to learn music. For the longest time I always thought that i could never learn how to sing! Ever! never in a million years did I ever imagine that One day I would be singing in Michigan State's State Singers, (a choir for music majors). I think that the majority of people believe that they cant sing is because they havnt had the right training in their elementary music programs. They think that they are "tone deaf". Guess what?...there is NO SUCH THING!!! Trust me there isnt! If you dont believe me..go and ask all the MSU school of music professors. So if you are one of those people who thinks that they are unable to sing, or if you dont think you can sing very well....there IS hope for you!
I am so sorry if it seems like I am angry or that I am forcing these ideas upon you. Thats not my intent. I was purely writing things that were floating in my head. Things that have been "merinating" for the past couple weeks. Things that I think are very important. I am not saying that all music teachers are bad or that all my music teachers were bad teachers. I just think that teachers should re-evaluate their teaching so that they can undestand how students are learning music and what kind of meaning they are taking from the music. I could be wrong about all the things that I have written, but I feel that I just wanted to say it. I am usually not a judgemental person and I dont like to argue. But have you ever had a burning passion to change something in this world that you think is terribly important? I do..
I may not be changing things right now, but I absolutely intend to when I start teaching. I love kids and I want to give them a gift that they can use...independent musicianship. Maybe they will never use it...but at least I was willing to try to help them use it. I know I DEFINATELy am not perfect..but I am going to follow my heart on this one. I really feel that I am going in the right direction in my life. Maybe its because I am an opptomist (although because of my entry, you may think otherwise) I am not quite sure...whatever it is, I think all things happen for a reason.
There we go...the 2 things I love almost more than anything: Interlochen, and music/music teaching!...(besides my family, friends, and faith)
I could talk about those things for hours and hours and hours...but thats ok! I think you get the point!
Love you all!! Hope all is well!