Module Two Reflection

Module Two Reflection

Improvisation -- a word that makes my skin crawl slightly!  As a student, I didn't have much exposure and experience to improvisation.  I played in jazz band in middle school and high school, but if I didn't have to improvise, I typically didn't.  Being pushed outside of my comfort zone was a very nerve-wracking experience for me.  That, and how often did you find a euphonium player in jazz band; it was more out of necessity that I was there than anything else.  

Because of my limitations, hesitations and shortcomings with jazz, I have been apprehensive about integrating it into my teacher experiences.  I would say that I fall into Bernhard’s (2013) views regarding teaching improvisation.  Bernhard explains that having limited or non-existent personal experiences with improvising leaves educators feeling uncomfortable teaching improvisation (2013).  Due to my lack of experience, I know that I am not as confident as I should be when it comes to improvisation and teaching it in my classroom. 

Bauer (2014) states "improvisation is musical creativity expressed in real time" (pg. 58).  Although I admit that I do not integrate and teach improvisation as much as I should, I do agree with that statement.  When my students have an opportunity to create and compose their own melodies, they are very excited to show their work and their knowledge of musical skills.  As Sawyer (2012) states, “children are naturally creative” (p.25).  My students are no exception to this statement.  Improvisation allows an opportunity for children (and adults) to explore their creative side.   They are able to use music as a creative outlet and as a form for self-expression.  Improvisation is accessible for everyone.  With the seven stages of improvisation developed by Kratus, it is possible for students to practice and find success in each level outlined.  These seven stages can help develop more confident improvisers in our students.  From the beginning stages of exploration through the final stages of personal improvisation, the seven levels provide sequential methods for integrating and using improvisation activities with students.  I think that these seven stages, paired with the technological advancements that have been made, allow for a much more positive and meaningful improvisation experience for students.  Students can engage in free improvisation, perform melodic patters in multiple keys and tonalities, improvise original melodies and improvise accompaniments.  Personally, I wish that this had been available when I was in middle and high school.  I think that this would have greatly benefited me and that I would have a different outlook on improvisation and may even be more confident about improvising and using it in the classroom.

I found this week's activities and assignments to be very beneficial.  Although I already had experience with Noteflight, I have not used it recently so it was a great way to refresh my inputting skills using that program.  In the general music classroom, I think that notation programs like Noteflight, MuseScore, and FLAT are all very valuable resources and are great for integrating notation and technology into the classroom.   The students find these programs easy to use and accessible.  I love how easy it is to use these programs in the classroom, especially with my middle school students.  My middle school students really enjoy using FLAT and like that they can work with other students and easily share their work.  Because we are a Google Apps school and the students to do many things using Google Docs, they love the sharing capability of FLAT! 

Through my PLN this week (@northwoodband), I was able to show student work samples with FLAT.  Many people liked or retweeted the post.  Through these posts, I also engaged in brief conversations with the founders of FLAT.  While I was initially unsure of using Twitter, I am really starting to enjoy using it to network and collaborate with other people via my posts and what I am following.  I am learning many new things and gaining several new ideas.  As the only music teacher in my school, I am very thankful that this is a resource to use for networking, collaboration and professional development. 

I am really enjoying all of the new information I am learning though this class and am looking forward to putting it into practice into my classroom.  Even though the school year is starting to wind down, I am beginning to think about all of the possibilities for next year!

References

Bauer, W. I. (2014). Music learning: Digital pedagogy for creating, performing and responding to music.  New York, NY: Oxford University Press.

Bernhard, C., II. (2013, January 11). Improvising in Concert Bands and Orchestras. School Band and Orchestra Magazine.

Sawyer, R. K. (2012). Explaining creativity: The science of human innovation. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.