Teaching American Folk Music...And All That Jazz

Should Music Educators be experts in jazz or American folk music?

Perhaps. Though I'm not sure if all music educators should be experts in jazz or American folk music, they should certainly be familiar enough with it to know what kinds of songs they should be teaching, how they should be teaching them, and why they’re important. There is so much that every music educator must know in order to be successful, is jazz and folk music a priority? Well...

What if music teachers were change agents--and folk music and jazz music was a way to empower youth?

It's an interesting way of looking at it, isn't it? American folk music and Jazz are our own genres; it was born here, and it has a place in our hearts and our culture. If this is really true than it is not only our right to teach these area of music, but our responsibility. For if we don't teach it, who will? What will happen if we don't teach it? Like knowing the pledge of allegiance, there are certain forms of music and certain songs that I believe every child should be exposed to. It's just about making it a priority and finding a place for it in our curriculum. The opportunities are there, even if we have to be creative in finding them.

I observed a great lesson a few month ago that incorporated jazz in a 6th grade chorus class of all places. Jungle Bell Swing was one of their concert pieces which is sung in the less common meter of 5/4 time. The chorus teacher, Amy, used this as a teachable moment to explain to the kids the difference between 5/4 and what they are use to (4/4, 3/4, 2/4). She first guided them through questions, and then wrote examples of the meter it out on the board, showing how the each measure is broken down. Next, she taught them how to conduct in 5/4, which I thought was very cool. Middle school kids are never (that I have experienced) taught anything about conducting because it’s a skill that they don’t have to have. The kids know this so they think it’s cool too, which makes them feel empowered as a leader. Plus, through conducting the kids learn how to physically move to a 5/4 meter and can physically understand how it is broken up. Finally she gave the kids an example of how 5/4 is used in real music by playing for them a video of Dave Brubeck, a famous jazz pianist, playing one of his hits “Take five” and had the kids conduct along. She spoke to the kids about this work and Jazz music, which they seemed to take a genuine interest in. After seeing that every kid understood, she brought them back to their music and began to rehearse with obvious improvements. 

Here is a wonderful example of how one of these seemingly unrelated forms of music can be incorporated into an everyday lesson. Even in a 6th grade chorus class, while preparing for a holiday concert, we can find creative ways to introduce other aspects of music. 

What American songs should every child know?

Somewhere Over the Rainbow

The Star-Spangled Banner

I Got Rhythm
Take Five 
The Star Spangled Banner

America The Beautiful

Yankee Doodle

Mary Had A Little Lamb

Twinkle Twinkle

Camptown Races

Gold bless America

Hot cross buns

O Susanna

My First "First Lesson" - A Reflection

Today in my secondary methods class we were asked to get up in front of the class and give the first 5 minutes of an instrumental lesson. I was assigned to the Trombone (the instrument I know the least about and would probably have the hardest time teaching). Our professor acted as fifth grader who had never touched an instrument before. I was really nervous to do this in front of my peers and my professor because I felt sure that everything was going to come out wrong and I'd get off track or something disastrous would happen. I actually enjoyed the experience a lot more than I thought I would. It was fun to watch my peers get up and see how everyone approached something that should be so similar, so differently. I liked watching everyone's trials and errors, their laughter a minor mistakes or the power behind then when they did something unique, interesting, resourceful, or skillful that made the lesson come to life in a way that you knew it would be great in real life. For me that was the best part of this experience, not necessarily getting up and doing it myself but getting so many ideas and good tips from my colleagues and professor.

When my time came I was nervous but also a little excited to see in what direction it would naturally go. Overall, I think it went fairly well considering the fact that I don't know how to play the trombone and I have never taught a "first lesson" before in my life. I think the biggest cause of my nerves was just that; I had no idea how to teach something that I myself couldn't do, and I was overwhelmed with trying to make decisions that would control every little aspect of the first five minutes. Even within such a short amount of time, there were so many decisions to make and each one felt huge because the way that you establish yourself, the relationship, and the process as a whole. But once it got going, I found that the time went by quickly and it became easier as I went. If I could go back and redo it, there are certainly things I would change (I would have him open the case differently and on the floor, I would explain and demonstrate the buzzing better, the list goes on...

It's funny, just today at my internship I taught 4 periods of different band and orchestra lessons and not one of them played my instrument (the flute) and yet I wasn't nervous at all. It was just another day at work, and me trying to find problems, resolves them, and give them good guidance. I think the difference is that, I wasn't doing it for anyone else or for a grade. I wasn't over thinking it or trying to analyze every action, I was just being me.

I think everyone did a good job and I learned so much. They incorporated things into that first five minutes that I will definitely use in my own teaching such as:

• Having the student open the instrument case either on the floor or at a table where it cannot fall
• Doing an "ice breaker" with a student to get to know them. For example: If they are 11 then they have to tall you eleven things about themselves, etc.
• Playing a piece of music for a student so that they can hear (and see if it's a video) what they're instrument sounds like and it can motivate them to learn. 
• Putting a sticker on the side of the case that faces up so that they know which side it opens on.
• Explaining the expectations of them and for the class (rules, procedures, etc) right in the beginning
• Letting them explore their instrument safely (because that is likely what they will be most eager to do) 
• Telling them what they need to bring to every lesson

This was a great experience for me. It's amazing how much you can learn from five minutes of teaching.

Creating Musicalily Flexibile Musicans Through Ensemble

How do we determine if someone is a good musician? 

Usually, within the ensemble setting, if someone reads and performs music well with good tone, technique, expression, and phrasing in a way that is accurate and pleasing to the ear, we tend to think of them as being a good musician. While these are all certainly marks of a good musician, I think we can all agree that there is much more to it than that. 

Are they able to write music, do they have a strong ear, can they transpose, do they have a strong understanding of different musical styles? This list goes on and on.

As a society we tend to think of music as being a creative and free art form, only in most public school ensembles, it isn't treated that way at all. 

In his piece, Creating Musical Flexibility Though the Ensemble, Brandt Schneider writes,

"Bands and orchestras are often repertoire machines – churning out a fixed collection of pieces year after year. Directors are judged by the pieces they select and how their ensembles perform at concerts and competitive festivals. Through all of this, rehearsals become desperate scrambles to the finish line – a process that, while it can be rewarding, leaves little room for creativity from the members of the ensemble. This system creates an overemphasis on reading and performing music, a fraction of our national standards.”

He's right, isn't he? Is this not exactly what the vast majority of today's music programs are like? I don't think it's something anyone does conscientiously; it's just the nature of the program. Music teachers are under a constant pressure to teach music, as quickly and accurately as possible in order to make the "deadlines" of the concerts where parents, colleagues, community member, and administrators will be judging our abilities as educators based on our students' abilities. As a result, not only are we leaving out half of the national music standards, but we're not turning out fully creative and flexible musicians. Perhaps we just don't feel that we have the rehearsal time, the energy, and the ability as educators; or maybe, we just don't know how to begin. 

Schneider persuasively writes about the different ways that we as music educators can help our students grow musically through four specific means of focus:

1. Musical Discipline
2. Technique
3. Theory
4. Composition 

What does he mean by "Musical Discipline"?

I interpret musical discipline as making students musically responsible for what they are performing. In nearly every ensemble there will be kids who are only there because their best friend is there, or their parents are telling them to be, or because they'd rather play an instrument than sit sewing. They may show up on time, play the right notes, and go through the motions, but are they really growing as a musician? What if we made a conscientious effort to "shake things up" by presenting them "out of the box" opportunities to create music like giving a flute part to a percussionist and asking them to learn it on mallets? Or asking them to learn a simple piece by ear in a specific key rather than by reading off a page? These are just a few examples of how to hold students accountable for their own musical growth.

Technique

I feel as though often times music teachers measure a student’s technique in very basic terms: Can they play their music accurately or not? Can they play a two-octave D Major scale with the right fingers/positions or not? Etc. But why not really challenge them to learn their instruments inside and out? What if we took that same tune that we asked them to learn by ear in Bb major and ask them to learn it in every key?

Theory

I think that we (myself included) tend to think that musical theory can only be taught with 12 kids sitting at desks with staff paper and textbooks. But theory (understanding it and being able to use it in real life situations) is not practiced that way. Schneider writes, " It was important to me that my students had some understanding as to what was happening both melodically and harmonically in the music we chose to rehearse and perform. Finding ways to move them beyond a mere “button pushing” experience and towards a broader conception of “musician” proved to be my biggest challenge." The point he wants to make is that any ensemble can and should be a theory class because theory is about practical use, not just the stuff you find in textbooks.

Composition

Composition is one of the key areas of "creating" music. Teaching a musician how to read but not notate and compose music would be like teaching an English class to read books but never write anything. What if we made time, it doesn't even have to be a lot of time, to allow student to try their hand at composition? It could be done the class(es) after a concert, it could be for half a class every other week, but it should have a place in every ensemble.


Schneider advocates for giving students real world experience in music and having them get involved in musical activities that will help them grow in more musically inclined ways. The only way to do this is by holding students to very high and real-life standards and treating them like professional musicians as much as possible. In the long run it will benefit them (and you) more, and they will probably enjoy the experience more as a result of being in an environment where they are constantly being challenged and every class holds something unique.

Schneider's piece is filled with interesting ideas that worth taking the time to explore and consist of differently concepts I will be incorporating into my own teaching one day. It is so important to have students exposed to real life musical problems and situations because that is truly the best way to get them to grow into flexible and creative musicians. These strategies will make them feel empowered, inspired, engaged, motivated, and allow them to have fun simply because it is fun to be good!

Who I Am

Hello! My name is Rachel Smithson; I am currently a graduate music education student at the University of Bridgeport, and an Intern at Roger Ludlowe Middle School in Fairfield, CT. I graduated from Central CT State University (CCSU) with a B.A in Music and a strong desire to continue moving forward in my education by becoming a music teacher. 

I once had a college professor who told me that there are two types of music teachers in the world: those who are musicians who happen to teach, and those who are educators who happen to teach music. Since hearing those words, I have undergone a lot of personal reflection in an effort to figure out which kind I am, and if that’s kind I want to be. It’s an interesting question, but is this really true? And if so, is one better than the other? Thinking back to all the music teachers I’ve had and come into contact with over the years, there are some who I believe would clearly fall into each category. Many however, would not. 

I guess the real question would be, which aspect of music education do you personally value the most?

I've had an interest in music for as far back as I can remember. As a child I was very shy and didn't make friends easily. Music became a way that I could express myself when I couldn't find the words. It was my way of being able to connect to those around me, but mostly, it made me feel like I was a part of something greater than myself. To this day I relish in any experience where I get to make music with others. 

As an educator, I believe that music plays a crucial role in a society’s fundamental well being, and contains many facets of psychological and intellectual benefit that no one should go without. I also believe that music teachers are among the lucky few who are blessed with the unique opportunity to truly make a positive impact on a child’s life, and that only those dedicated to that effort should be allowed to enter the education environment. I think the best teacher is the one that finds the silver lining in the ever-constant wave of educational reforms, and that keeps the students at the forefront of any decisions made. The field of music education is always changing and evolving; therefore, I believe anyone entering that career field carries a huge responsibility.

I believe that every child should be able to experience music and it's ability to bring people together. I think that music teachers need to help their students feel empowered. Children want to know that they're not just another filled chair in the room, that they matter, and that the choices they make have the power to make a difference. It's important for us treat our students in such a way that they feel important. There's a quote by Maya Angelou that says it better than I will: 

“I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

To me, teaching is a job filled with challenges, excitement, frustration, and joy that cannot be taken lightly. Every child is capable of meaningful learning and personal growth when they are given the proper amount of motivation, dedication, and care from their teachers. In my eyes, an outstanding teacher is one that uses their acquired knowledge, not only to teach, but also to inspire their students both inside and outside of the classroom. Through a sincere effort to make personal connections with students, an outstanding teacher gives them a sense of safety, security, trust, humor, and understanding so that the students feel empowered in their school rather than imprisoned. 

I believe in education, and it's power to take us places and I believe in the power of music and it's ability to take us to another place within ourselves. I believe that with the right attitude, work ethic, and dedication anything is possible. But mostly, I've come to believe that you don't get found without allowing yourself to be a little lost. You don't learn and grow from playing it safe, and you don't get to lead the orchestra without turning away from the crowd. It's like the saying goes, "A ship in port is safe, but that's not what ships are built for."

That's why this year I am working as hard as I can and trying to take advantage of every opportunity, as both a student and an intern, to learn as much as possible so that I can grow into the best teacher that I can be. I am working on getting out of my comfort zone and putting faith in myself and my abilities. I let you know how it's going!

Me (Rachel Smithson) playing flute at the 2013 Prism concert at Central CT State University (CCSU).

 Photo Credit to the CCSU Music Department.