Listening and Creating with Sandy Stauffer
Before the seminar began, I can truthfully say that I had the assumption that I would be sitting down and taking notes for most of the session. But contrary to what I assumed, everyone in the room was invited to partake in the activities and not a single person was left out. There were many of hands on activities that help us learn through doing. I think that, because I have grown up in classrooms where the freedom to create was so limited, my instinct in class is to just sit down and listen to what I am told to do. I find it funny that I can still have this kind of mindset, despite all the classes I take that are trying to teach us an alternate method of teaching that really cultivates creativity. It just goes to show that this change we want to see in the world of education, requires my generation and those after us, to put a lot of thought and conscious effort. This is not a task that can be completed passively as we go through undergrad.
When Sandy Stauffer wanted to explain a concept to us, she would always start with an activity or a song that gets everyone in the room involved. Before everyone can really get into the activity, she introduces important actions or segments of a piece. She utilized a lot of repetition and she did model for us creative thinking. It is after she introduces the fundamentals, that we could continue with the rest of the creative process. Every single step of the way Stauffer gave us opportunities to decide what it is that we wanted to do. There was a heavier emphasis on allowing the participants to really engage, to create and to utilize their own creative bank. The teacher’s main role was to provide the tools for success and let the participants have freedom in what they do. These activities can show that everyone has a musical self and can be creative. An important part of being a teacher, is to observe how the students and formulate future activities that could interest them and engage them. This can be done by asking them questions about their though processes.
I really enjoyed the activity where, Stauffer showed us an alternate way of introducing young children to notation, through drawing lines and dots. We had the opportunity create our own compositions and to perform them, and in just that one activity. It shows a person what it is that they CAN achieve. Even though this seminar was focused on children specifically, these methods of teaching could apply to people of all ages. Stauffer didn’t limit herself to words, but pictures and tactile activities. I really appreciated how this session involved activities and methods of teaching for all learning styles. In a regular classroom setting, I found it hard to participate. But in this seminar, I felt so safe because there was such a safe atmosphere, because everyone was involved at the same time and no one was singled out.
I found this seminar profoundly enriching and it serves as a reminder of what a bright future education can have. Old habits die hard and I certainly felt the effects the kind of a system we are trying to change. It is so much more heartwarming to see students learn through doing and to give them freedom to witness what they can achieve on their own, with their own eyes.
Before the seminar began, I can truthfully say that I had the assumption that I would be sitting down and taking notes for most of the session. But contrary to what I assumed, everyone in the room was invited to partake in the activities and not a single person was left out. There were many of hands on activities that help us learn through doing. I think that, because I have grown up in classrooms where the freedom to create was so limited, my instinct in class is to just sit down and listen to what I am told to do. I find it funny that I can still have this kind of mindset, despite all the classes I take that are trying to teach us an alternate method of teaching that really cultivates creativity. It just goes to show that this change we want to see in the world of education, requires my generation and those after us, to put a lot of thought and conscious effort. This is not a task that can be completed passively as we go through undergrad.
When Sandy Stauffer wanted to explain a concept to us, she would always start with an activity or a song that gets everyone in the room involved. Before everyone can really get into the activity, she introduces important actions or segments of a piece. She utilized a lot of repetition and she did model for us creative thinking. It is after she introduces the fundamentals, that we could continue with the rest of the creative process. Every single step of the way Stauffer gave us opportunities to decide what it is that we wanted to do. There was a heavier emphasis on allowing the participants to really engage, to create and to utilize their own creative bank. The teacher’s main role was to provide the tools for success and let the participants have freedom in what they do. These activities can show that everyone has a musical self and can be creative. An important part of being a teacher, is to observe how the students and formulate future activities that could interest them and engage them. This can be done by asking them questions about their though processes.
I really enjoyed the activity where, Stauffer showed us an alternate way of introducing young children to notation, through drawing lines and dots. We had the opportunity create our own compositions and to perform them, and in just that one activity. It shows a person what it is that they CAN achieve. Even though this seminar was focused on children specifically, these methods of teaching could apply to people of all ages. Stauffer didn’t limit herself to words, but pictures and tactile activities. I really appreciated how this session involved activities and methods of teaching for all learning styles. In a regular classroom setting, I found it hard to participate. But in this seminar, I felt so safe because there was such a safe atmosphere, because everyone was involved at the same time and no one was singled out.
I found this seminar profoundly enriching and it serves as a reminder of what a bright future education can have. Old habits die hard and I certainly felt the effects the kind of a system we are trying to change. It is so much more heartwarming to see students learn through doing and to give them freedom to witness what they can achieve on their own, with their own eyes.
Making Music with Dr. Bradley
During Dr. Bradley’s guest lecture, I can honestly say I had no idea what was going to happen, but I was pleasantly surprised by what we did end up doing. We began the lesson by singing whatever it pleased us while listening to the music box she was playing (the name of the instrument, I do not know). It was an opportunity to let us improvise with our voice and it was the introduced to us with the knowledge that whatever we may sing, there are no wrong notes. I thought this was such a lovely idea and activity and wished that people were more invested in the activity. But I do realize that as a vocalist, whose main instrument is my voice, it would be more comfortable for me to improvise with it compared to an instrumentalist. The opportunities to invest in making something of your own is rarely given, I very much enjoy the idea of being able to be just make music, because I had such a lack of it in my childhood. But this lack of opportunity is also what contributes to people’s discomfort with improvisation. It certainly did for me, as much as I like to improvise, it is often on my own and not in front of many people.
In my heart I have always loved the idea of improvisation and movement in music. Even now I love the idea of being able to make music with other people, but I find it gets increasingly more difficult in a music school setting, because no one else is very comfortable with making sounds from our own minds. Being in university for music, you realize that that there is a low tolerance for people who are not precise and accurate with their notes. We students are always demanded for a high quality of “perfection”. It was so nice to not be “perfect” with Dr. Bradley, she wasn’t afraid to set an example of being comfortable in her body and doing silly actions. I felt a little freer after making monster sounds and waving my arms. Even more so after the rhythm activity that the class did all together in a circle. Like most people in my class, the rhythm just came to me, there wasn’t much thinking involved and the whole process felt so smooth and relaxed. I also really appreciated the activity, where 4 people form a group and after they take a collective breath, sing whatever note each person in that group feels like singing. It helped me to appreciate that dissonance can be good because even though initially the sounds clashed, after a few seconds most of those sounds became blended into one voice that sounded kind of good.
What I appreciated the most though was when Dr. Bradley made a connection between music and real life. Sometimes when notes are clashing with one another, the resolution of the notes is usually very close by. She compared it to life and how sometimes we have bad times in our lives, but if we stick through the better things will come by. Overall this lecture was a great experience and I wish it was longer.
During Dr. Bradley’s guest lecture, I can honestly say I had no idea what was going to happen, but I was pleasantly surprised by what we did end up doing. We began the lesson by singing whatever it pleased us while listening to the music box she was playing (the name of the instrument, I do not know). It was an opportunity to let us improvise with our voice and it was the introduced to us with the knowledge that whatever we may sing, there are no wrong notes. I thought this was such a lovely idea and activity and wished that people were more invested in the activity. But I do realize that as a vocalist, whose main instrument is my voice, it would be more comfortable for me to improvise with it compared to an instrumentalist. The opportunities to invest in making something of your own is rarely given, I very much enjoy the idea of being able to be just make music, because I had such a lack of it in my childhood. But this lack of opportunity is also what contributes to people’s discomfort with improvisation. It certainly did for me, as much as I like to improvise, it is often on my own and not in front of many people.
In my heart I have always loved the idea of improvisation and movement in music. Even now I love the idea of being able to make music with other people, but I find it gets increasingly more difficult in a music school setting, because no one else is very comfortable with making sounds from our own minds. Being in university for music, you realize that that there is a low tolerance for people who are not precise and accurate with their notes. We students are always demanded for a high quality of “perfection”. It was so nice to not be “perfect” with Dr. Bradley, she wasn’t afraid to set an example of being comfortable in her body and doing silly actions. I felt a little freer after making monster sounds and waving my arms. Even more so after the rhythm activity that the class did all together in a circle. Like most people in my class, the rhythm just came to me, there wasn’t much thinking involved and the whole process felt so smooth and relaxed. I also really appreciated the activity, where 4 people form a group and after they take a collective breath, sing whatever note each person in that group feels like singing. It helped me to appreciate that dissonance can be good because even though initially the sounds clashed, after a few seconds most of those sounds became blended into one voice that sounded kind of good.
What I appreciated the most though was when Dr. Bradley made a connection between music and real life. Sometimes when notes are clashing with one another, the resolution of the notes is usually very close by. She compared it to life and how sometimes we have bad times in our lives, but if we stick through the better things will come by. Overall this lecture was a great experience and I wish it was longer.