WOW (not the game)
Dr. Streckfuss got an award for excellence in music teaching. This man is the intstrumental teacher at UD. He is amazing and this is his speech for once he got the award.
PLEASE READ. IT is life changing if you don't see music from a musician's point of veiw. A teachers point of view. It touches my heart.
"Thank you very much for honoring me with the Jessie Ball duPont Music Educator Award. For the past 40 years I have been fortunate to have a very rewarding job-I’ve had a hand in the training of about 250 music teachers and I have made music with thousands of students, friends and colleagues-with my high school band and orchestra, as director of the University of Delaware Marching Band at over 100 UD football games, as conductor of the University Wind Ensemble in over 140 concerts, as conductor of the Wind Symphony of Southern NJ in 250 concerts, and as trombonist in the OperaDelaware Orchestra and the Delaware Symphony Orchestra for over 15 years.
Some people consider the arts as an entertainment or diversion that provides a pleasant break from the rigors of real academic work like science and math. But I would suggest that music is a demanding and challenging discipline that should be in every school curriculum. The musicians on stage are able to look at the music on their stands and hear it in their heads-they can audiate-as you would read and understand a paragraph of text. While playing in this orchestra, the musicians are reading the music with understanding-hearing it before they play. When they play they are simultaneously evaluating their own performance and making adjustments to pitch, tone, and style while at the same time listening to and blending with the musicians around them and watching the conductor and responding to his gestures by adjusting their performance even more. And all 90 of them have to play exactly together in the same tempo-they can’t be 1/10 of a second ahead or 1/10 of a second behind the beat. And these are just the left brain activities. The right hemisphere of the brain is comprehending and responding to the emotional impact of the entire musical composition.
Research has shown that students who study music have higher math and verbal scores on the SAT test and that the longer they study music the greater the improvement. But we didn’t come here tonight for higher test scores. We perform and listen to music for the sheer joy and power of music. Music expresses ideas and feelings which cannot be put into words. It embodies our culture and civilization. It defines our humanity and touches our souls. Can you imagine attending a wedding or a funeral or a birthday party without music? Music is an essential part of human life, and music must be an essential part of education. I urge you to take an active role in the education of your children or grandchildren and insist that their schools have a music program that has high standards, taught by a certified music teacher who has adequate equipment and scheduled time during the school day. Every child has musical aptitude that must be nurtured and every child needs to know the power and joy of music. Thank you."
PLEASE READ. IT is life changing if you don't see music from a musician's point of veiw. A teachers point of view. It touches my heart.
"Thank you very much for honoring me with the Jessie Ball duPont Music Educator Award. For the past 40 years I have been fortunate to have a very rewarding job-I’ve had a hand in the training of about 250 music teachers and I have made music with thousands of students, friends and colleagues-with my high school band and orchestra, as director of the University of Delaware Marching Band at over 100 UD football games, as conductor of the University Wind Ensemble in over 140 concerts, as conductor of the Wind Symphony of Southern NJ in 250 concerts, and as trombonist in the OperaDelaware Orchestra and the Delaware Symphony Orchestra for over 15 years.
Some people consider the arts as an entertainment or diversion that provides a pleasant break from the rigors of real academic work like science and math. But I would suggest that music is a demanding and challenging discipline that should be in every school curriculum. The musicians on stage are able to look at the music on their stands and hear it in their heads-they can audiate-as you would read and understand a paragraph of text. While playing in this orchestra, the musicians are reading the music with understanding-hearing it before they play. When they play they are simultaneously evaluating their own performance and making adjustments to pitch, tone, and style while at the same time listening to and blending with the musicians around them and watching the conductor and responding to his gestures by adjusting their performance even more. And all 90 of them have to play exactly together in the same tempo-they can’t be 1/10 of a second ahead or 1/10 of a second behind the beat. And these are just the left brain activities. The right hemisphere of the brain is comprehending and responding to the emotional impact of the entire musical composition.
Research has shown that students who study music have higher math and verbal scores on the SAT test and that the longer they study music the greater the improvement. But we didn’t come here tonight for higher test scores. We perform and listen to music for the sheer joy and power of music. Music expresses ideas and feelings which cannot be put into words. It embodies our culture and civilization. It defines our humanity and touches our souls. Can you imagine attending a wedding or a funeral or a birthday party without music? Music is an essential part of human life, and music must be an essential part of education. I urge you to take an active role in the education of your children or grandchildren and insist that their schools have a music program that has high standards, taught by a certified music teacher who has adequate equipment and scheduled time during the school day. Every child has musical aptitude that must be nurtured and every child needs to know the power and joy of music. Thank you."