Sound On

Alfie Kohn writes:

“There’s something perversely fascinating about educational policies that are clearly at odds with the available data.  Huge schools are still being built even though we know that students tend to fare better in smaller places that lend themselves to the creation of democratic caring communities.  Many children who are failed by the academic status quo are forced to repeat a grade even though research shows that this is just about the worst course of action for them.  Homework continues to be assigned – in ever greater quantities – despite the absence of evidence that it’s necessary or even helpful in most cases.”

Beyond Homework

Alfie Kohn isn’t just writing about homework, he’s writing about how decisions are made in education. The first sentence nails it: policies in education are not being influenced by available data. Decisions are made on whims. Someone tried something, and it seemed to be ok, so they kept doing it. Or it is simply considered “conventional wisdom” that a given practice is the best approach. But actual research is being done in the field of education; it’s just that, for some reason, people aren’t letting the research guide their practice.

Research In Education

Granted, research in education isn’t perfect. It’s not appropriate to raise children up in an isolated chamber only to expose them to a certain thing at a certain age. But you can assess two groups, try something one way with group A, a different way with group B, and see which group has better achievement in the end. It’s the best we can do, and it’s leaps and bounds above “but we’ve always done this way.”

Research In Music Education

Dear Music Education Professionals: please check out the work of Dr. Edwin Gordon, especially the tome Learning Sequences in Music.

The Data Is Out There

It is my hope that parents, teachers, and especially policy-makers in education seek out research, and not just know it, but let it influence their feelings, their thoughts, and their actions.

Inner city schools present very challenging situations. The students are angry and want to kill each other. How do you build a community when the community members want to kill each other?

Teachers have to be military commanders. They have to mean business all the time. They have to ferociously scold, and then turn it off like a light switch, and praise and love. If your heart is in it, you can learn how to do it. It takes about three years.

There are experienced teachers who have total control of their classrooms - absolutely no violence amongst the students, and high test scores. The students straighten up at the sound of a little whistle. They are obedient and compliant. But what happens when they walk out of those classrooms? They turn again to violence. What does this tell me? The students in those classrooms do not really learn compassion, love, and respect. They have no opportunity to learn morality. All they learn is to obey authority, and compliance is ever so temporary. While my heart is in education, I don’t have it in myself to be a military commander, because I believe I would be not only teaching the wrong lessons, but not teaching the right ones - critical lessons, like how to live together.

But the teachers have to mean business all the time at inner city schools. The students are angry and want to kill each other.

You finally made it to college… now what?

1. Get To Class

So much of your success will simply be based on class attendance. Sure, the professor might not be taking roll, but they will be aware if you are around, and being immersed in the classroom is an important part of the collegiate learning experience. Get up and go to class, no matter what (unless you are really ill). Make a pact with yourself that class is your first priority – more important than sleeping in, video games with your dorm-mates, or even completing assignments for another class. Be there, and pay attention to what’s going on. Sit up front near the professor. If you need motivation to take your class time seriously, take a look at how much your tuition/scholarships add up to, matrixed across your actual time hours spent in class. You might take class more seriously if you realize you are effectively dropping a $50 bill on the way through the door each day!

2. Take Notes

During class, take notes by hand, even if you are the only one doing it. You can take notes by hand really quickly, draw pictures and diagrams to help illustrate concepts, not bother anyone with the clickity-clack of a computer keyboard, and avoid the personal attention distraction of a laptop. After class, consider it your homework to type up the notes, organizing them into bulleted/numbered lists. Now you have a searchable hierarchy of what was discussed in class, plus your brain had another opportunity to process and organize the information. You might find that your typed, hierarchal list is in a very different order from that which the material was presented in class – that’s ok. Organize it in a way that makes sense to you.

Before each session of, say, History 101, quickly read through your typed notes from the previous session. This will help re-establish the mental structure of the material. As you build up days and weeks worth of material, try to review as much as possible in that little time slot while everyone gets settled down before class begins. Because you will see your notes so often, you will begin to commit them to memory. Even though you are constantly adding new material, the old material is constantly becoming more familiar, so it all works out.

By the end of the semester, you will be so familiar with your notes from class that you will be nearly sick of them. Any sort of memorization-based test (and yes, there are a lot of them) will be a breeze. Sharing your well organized typed notes will also curry the favor of potential friends, though be aware of your professor’s wishes when distributing your notes to non-classmates.

3. Stay Organized

Come to class with a well organized empty notebook, ready to fill up. Yes, completely organized in advance – a ring binder, the spine neatly labeled with your name, the appropriate school, semester, and class, filled with dividers, paper, and plenty of clear plastic protectors, all ready to go the moment your professor begins handing materials out. The expense will be negligible compared with tuition. You will never spend extra time organizing your notebook or finding materials, because you will be gradually doing it all along. Organize your notebook by WHAT things are – Class Notes, Handouts, Reading Notes, Assignments, Exams – not topically or chronologically (except for within those divider-sections; I recommend topically for class notes and chronologically – when the materials were given to you – for everything else). It took until my senior year to revise this notebook system and I only wish I had finished it sooner – it will serve you well!

4. Get Your Sleep

In order to learn, your body needs to sleep. That means all the extra time you stay up studying is not helping you that much! If you are getting to class, taking, typing, organizing, and reviewing notes, and keeping well marked, organized ring binders in action for all classes, all semester long, you will hopefully never be tempted to exchange sleeping time for studying time. However many hours you need to sleep each day – 7, 8, 9 – make sure you get it on school nights. Adjust your bedtime so that you will get enough hours of sleep and still be able to get up for that morning class. Other than that, don’t sacrifice your sleep time for anything. If you really do find yourself with a backlog of assignments to complete, keep getting enough sleep, and talk to your professor about waiving whatever late penalty may be in place. If you are doing all of the things this article has outlined so far, your professors are going to respect how seriously you take your education and they are going to cut you some slack. If by chance you run out of slack and have more assignments to complete than you could ever possibly finish, carefully consider how important each assignment is, both personally and grade-weight wise, and do as much of the most important work as possible, discarding the rest. Pick your battles. But do not sacrifice on sleep; if you do, you’re only hurting yourself!

5. Get Some Exercise

If you want to learn, you need to keep a fresh supply of oxygen available to your brain. Of course, this means exercise. Exercise is an effective stress reliever. Using the campus facilities is a great way to meet other people who are interested in developing their whole person. If you really want to stick with your schedule, work out each morning before your first class. Getting friends in on your schedule may also help you stick to a workout regiment. Also check out classes and clubs in martial arts, aerobics, etc.

6. Complete Large Projects ASAP

If you have a very large project assigned, e.g. a research paper, get it done ASAP. Sometimes useful library materials are far and few, and by getting the project done early, they will be all yours for the using. You’ll also avoid the stress of waiting until the last minute, competing for those few useful references, and the inevitable “oh yeah, just one more project before the semester ends” unexpected extra workload when you are already at the limit. You’ll be breezing through the end of the semester while your friends panic and slave away at their work. Just be warned that if you choose to turn your project in before the due date, it is likely that the professor may encourage you to revise it. If you don’t want this burden, I suggest waiting until the deadline to turn in your project.

7. Visit Professors During Office Hours

Most professors have times that they must be in their office. They get paid to be there to help you outside of class. Some professors will shun you with a closed door and unfriendly attitude; avoid them, and save your sentiments for the end-of-semester review. But there are professors who will giddily await your arrival at their office, thrilled to discuss and help with class materials, and even shoot the breeze. Some professors use candy and other gimmicks to lure you into their office. If you have any confusion with class work (which you won’t since you are so conscientiously taking, organizing, and reviewing notes, getting enough sleep and exercising regularly), show up at office hours. But don’t also be afraid just to drop by, as some professors can be great people to get to know.

8. Do Your Assignments

It might sound like obvious advice, but get your assignments done. Your classmates may slack off, but you know you are paying good money and want to make the most of your time in class, so you do your assignments and do them well. Your classmates who loathe the thought of completing their assignments (but probably never attempt them) have no idea just how little effort it can take to do an excellent job. If you have reading assignments outside the scope of class discussions, considering taking reading notes and organizing them just as you would class notes, whether your professor asks you to or not. Remember, you are going to college for yourself. Do what you need to do to get the most out of your investment.

9. Go To Parties

Yes, parties are a dime a dozen in college, but definitely attend some (most?) of them. They are a great time to relax, have fun, socialize, play games, joke around, dance, meet people to ask on dates, and otherwise balance out your academic life. Don’t worry about missing a great party this weekend – there will be an even better one next weekend. And don’t think you have to stay for the entire time – you might have just as much fun leaving the party at 3am instead of 5am, but you will be that much better rested and adjusted for class. Even if you don’t like to drink, go to parties anyway, and laugh at everyone else. Besides parties, join some clubs/groups to meet people and further your expertise outside of your major. Lastly, remember to take everything in moderation, including moderation itself.

10. Take Time For Reflection

After each semester is over, go for a walk late at night and think about all that you have accomplished academically, personally, and spiritually. Are you happy with your progress, how you handled difficult situations, etc.? Whatever your most important goal is in life, don’t lose sight of it, and use this time to make sure that everything you do aims you towards your goal. Plan any necessary adjustments to implement in the following semester. In the frenzy of academia, keep an eye on your greatest purpose, keep breathing, and keep smiling!

“Since its founding in 1939 by six composers including Aaron Copland, the American Music Center has been building a national community for new American music.” Here’s how they have been accomplishing their goal:

NewMusicbox

At the 2007 June in Buffalo music festival, I had the pleasure of a conversation with Randy Nordschow, associate editor of NewMusicbox, “a Web-based advocacy magazine and portal dedicated to the music of American composers and improvisers and their champions.” NewMusicbox is regularly updated with high quality content and opportunities for discussion.

NewMusicJukebox

NewMusicJukebox is “a vast, searchable online database of more than 40,000 works by American composers; publications and directories compiling opportunities in new music and other information useful to industry professionals; and benefits and services for nearly 2,500 members in all fifty states and around the world.” But following is the most valuable resource to any musician or music fan!

Counterstream Radio

Counterstream Radio is the web radio station of the American Music Center. If you are interested in broadening your musical horizons and hearing substantial, influential works in American repertoire, visit the website and tune in through the web player or through iTunes. Counterstream Radio has been a constant source of inspiration and thoughtful entertainment, and I hope it will continue indefinitely! When confronted with the possibility of reading about music, learning about music, talking with someone about music, or listening to music, listening is always my primary choice. Bravo to a first class musical resource!

American Music Center

Support the American Music Center and gain the benefits of membership by joining. If you have any questions, telephone (212) 366-5260 x10 or email center@amc.net.

This blog would do a great disservice to educators if I failed to highlight Kathy Sierra’s outstanding resource of a blog, Creating Passionate Users.

What Kathy Does

Kathy is the co-creator of the bestselling Head First books (the brain-friendly series from O’Reilly) which helps people develop skills and expertise in computer programming.

What does this have to do with education? Consider: [the readers of Kathy’s blog are] all passionate about the brain and metacognition, most especially–how the brain works and how to exploit it for better learning and memory. Doesn’t this sound like our goals as education professionals?

Kathy teaches people how to program through books. But in order to do this, she draws from the same pool of knowledge on brain learning that we education professionals use when designing lessons and instruction.

Crash Course In Learning Theory

One of my favorite entries on Kathy’s site is Crash Course In Learning Theory. While all educators studied learning theory in college, it never hurts to have a brush-up reminder on the principals of how the brain works.

In this article, Kathy emphasizes appealing to attention, constructivism, necessity, using visuals, redundancy, variety, conversational language, mistakes, showing more than telling, chunking, relaxation, charm, levels, knowing what to include, context, emotion, fun, stories, pacing, and “walks the walk” by employing the very principals she describes in order to help you understand how people learn.

Lastly, Kathy reminds us that it’s never about you. It’s about how the learner feels about him[or her]self as a result of the learning experience.

Marketing Should Be Education, Education Should Be Marketing

In her article Marketing Should Be Education, Education Should Be Marketing, Kathy points out that The tragedy is this: the amount of money spent in the US each year on marketing research is orders of magnitude more than the amount spent on learning theory research. Big business probably spends more in a week on brain research than the US Department of Education spends in a year. Thus Kathy encourages us education professionals to pay attention to marketing tactics and trends, and incorporate them into our educational practice.

Following an address on the state of affairs is a discussion of what marketers could do for teachers and what teachers could do for marketers.

User Participation

Every story ends in user-posted comments. Kathy is always very active in the ensuing discussion. You can begin to participate now – by reading Kathy’s Blog and posting in the comments. See you there!

An article on Kuro5hin titled If We Taught English the Way We Teach Mathematics… starts out:

Imagine that your only contact with “English” as a subject was through classes in school. Suppose that those classes, from elementary school right through to high school, amounted to nothing more than reading dictionaries, getting drilled in spelling and formal grammatical construction, and memorizing vast vocabulary lists — you never read a novel, nor a poem; never had contact with anything beyond the pedantic complexity of English spelling and formal grammar, and precise definitions for an endless array of words. You would probably hate the subject.

This got me thinking. Using language learning as a model for “how things should be done” is very common in the field of music education.

How people learn language…

1. You listen to a lot of language being spoken.

2. You babble.

3. You start to speak some words and eventually sentences, with meaning.

4. You learn to improvise a conversation.

5. You learn to read by matching symbols with words you already know.

6. You learn to write by transcribing symbols for words you already know.

You go on to be able to improvise writing, etc. Notice how notational symbols aren’t even involved until step 5, as they have no inherent meaning - they are given meaning by the person.

If language was taught like music is taught…

1. You look at some simple words and sentences.

2. You learn to decode the symbols for words and sentences.

3. You learn to pronounce the words and sentences while looking at them (”reading music!”).

Most music programs in the states stop there. Notice how meaning is no where in the picture. Imagine how someone who learned language like this would sound when “reading aloud” - probably dull, lifeless, and mechanical, as they wouldn’t know what the words meant, so they wouldn’t know where to put emphasis or how to phrase to convey meaning. They would probably not be able to improvise a conversation. They might be able to write some words, but they probably wouldn’t know such basics as “sentences start with capital letters and end with periods.”

Music Education

While music is not a language - it does not have a grammar, it DOES have syntax; the order of “words” (chords) and rhythms in the context of meter and tonality is what gives music meaning.

Math Education

Math education in the states is a lot like music education in that children spend all their time learning to manipulate and decode symbolic notation without actually gaining any insight or meaning into the mental process of math (or music). Math students rarely learn to mathematically “visualize,” and music students rarely learn to audiate (the mental process by which people give meaning to music).

The Fix

Both fields need a serious overhaul! This can take place at the teacher education level. I know of some music educators (Dr. Edwin Gordon, Dr. Christopher Azzara to name two) who are committed to reforming music education.

There must be some major math researchers out there who are studying how people learn math and are committed to reforming our education practices. Does anyone know who they are?

Teacher Education programs – that is, when someone goes to college to become a teacher, are relatively successful in the United States. Students attend classes on learning theory and educational psychology, which are strongly geared towards how people develop language and analytical skills. So everything’s cool… right?

Enter Music Education

The problem with Music Education college programs is that they “outsource” their educational psychology learning to the college of education. Unfortunately, the way people learn music is very different from the way people learn language and analytical skills. So most people who go to college in a Music Education program never gain insight into how people learn music. They may learn some techniques in so-called “methods” classes, but a sequence of learning objectives wholly appropriate for musical environments is rarely found.

What I Got

My Bachelor of Music in Music Education degree is actually 75% of a music performance degree + 75% of a non-music degree in education. The only “purely” music education classes I took all fell under the guise of techniques for teaching early childhood/beginning band/jazz ensemble/clarinet/etc. A comprehensive examination of Music Learning Theory was more than sorely absent. Music Learning Theory should have been the core of my studies.

What Needs To Happen

Music Education programs in colleges need to stop outsourcing their learning theory studies to the college of education. They need to bring all of their learning theory instruction “in house,” and make Music Learning Theory the core of every degree in Music Education. So called “methods” classes need to be exchanged for real methods classes, emphasizing above all the order of instruction; not just what to do, but most importantly, when to do it. Lastly, all teacher education programs (not just music) need to focus on bridging the gap between theory and practice.

People have become complacent with the idea that college cannot prepare a student to be successful in “the real world” of music education. Why should we settle for this? Music Education professionals need to work hard to improve the quality of their teacher education programs.

Heal The Wound

Even if Music Learning Theory wasn’t the core of your collegiate studies in music education, you can make it the focus of your studies now. Take professional development classes and courses from (links go to their GIA event calendars) Dr. Edwin Gordon, Dr. Christopher Azzara, and Dr. Richard Grunow, or get your administration to bring one of these educators to your facility for professional development. Share the cost and knowledge with neighboring school districts and music programs. Browse and ask questions on the forums at the Gordon Institute for Music Learning. Check out Jump Right In, a music education method, to see Music Learning Theory applied in practical ways. Read Eric Bluestine’s book The Ways Children Learn Music for a palatable written introduction to Music Learning Theory. After you have become acquainted with the elements of Music Learning Theory, read Dr. Gordon’s book Learning Sequences in Music.

Now get busy!

Have your students ever performed publicly? Perhaps you even included visual arts on display during intermission. It’s very rewarding for students to share their work. Imagine how rewarding it would be to share with an international audience! Now you can, thanks to the magic of the internet…

Nothing Fancy

Travel Channel Journalist Josh Gibson recently noted that his brother Zach’s internet magazine is accepting submissions. Nothing Fancy is an internet magazine showcasing drawing, painting, photography, video, music, writing, and anything else you can think of. The magazine is published online monthly according to a broad theme (“heroic,” in the case of volume 7). Nothing Fancy is the sophisticated maturation of the underground magazine, formerly found in many education settings, all grown up for the adult world. Instead of finding the eyes of only Sally, James, and their friends, Nothing Fancy is distributed for free to an international audience. Why aren’t your students creating something like this?

Getting Started

If you don’t have the expertise to create a custom website like Nothing Fancy, there are other options available. But it’s never too late to learn web design, or to encourage web design as part of your student’s technology education. Some of them may already have excellent web design skills.

The Door Is Open

While I hate to criticize, many educators are simply not taking advantage of the internet as a distribution medium for student work. Most websites of education institutions I come across are using some clumsily designed interface obviously conceived of by a “coder” as opposed to a designer. If any student work is available, it is often buried inside layer upon layer of menus, based on what school in the district and what program the information is from. Sometimes, a music director has posted a sound clip of a piece the band is working on for students to practice along with at home. But where are the recordings of student performances, student compositions, other student creations, even student-designed lessons? Let’s get student museums and student magazines presently prominently on the websites of educational institutions!

MySpace, DeviantArt, YouTube

MySpace, DeviantArt, and YouTube are great sites for networking audio, visual, and video content, respectively. Unfortunately, there can be a bit of parental stigma associated with using these tools. However in reality they are no more dangerous than a telephone or a hammer. No tool is inherently good or bad. Students are going to embrace these tools whether adults are involved or not, so let’s help young people learn to improve the quality of their lives and community by using digital electronic communication responsibly and respectfully. Parental and administrative education is the key to resolving fears and opening eyes and ears. However, if these sites, which make it easy to share and discover audio, visual, and video content are unavailable to you, you can always create your own site or page to host your own content. Your district will probably host it for you. Become friends with your Information Technology educators and managers – they may even have extra money in their budgets for your students’ projects!

State & National Standards

Offering students the opportunity to collaborate on a web magazine, especially one that integrates audio, visual, and video content is a great way to meet music National Standard 8: “Understanding relationships between music, the other arts, and disciplines outside the arts.” Also don’t forget that the internet is a great place to find works of art and art publications – both student and professional creations. Students need to know how to create and find arts resources in accordance with NY State Arts standard 2: “Students will be knowledgeable about and make use of the materials and resources available for participation in the arts in various roles.”

Help All Students

Remember that not all students come from families who go to concerts, visit art museums, or otherwise seek out art. Math educators don’t expect parents to help their students with calculus. History educators don’t expect parents to help their students remember the French and Indian War. Yet it seems many arts educators expect parents to bring their students to concerts, seek out good quality music and other art experiences with their students. Unfortunately, this isn’t always the case. Also, digital communications are changing the way “the people formerly known as the audience” (Horizon Report 2007– Rosen, 2006) experience art. So please help your students and their families share the joy of the arts by becoming involved in creating, critiquing, distributing, and finding art internationally - online!

Digital Electronic Communication Education

For inspiration and ideas connecting education and the internet, keep a close eye on the blog of Vicki A. Davis, a pioneer in digital electronic technology education. Also check out the 2007 Horizon Report detailing the 6 most influential forces for the future of higher learning.