Week 4 Publishing Leadership Project

My project tested the effectiveness of a music software called Smartmusic to engage students in proper practice methods and increase motivation.

This is a summary of my Action Research Project.
In order to reverse recent declines in the music student population, educators must learn how to teach students instrumental skills quickly, efficiently, and in an engaging manner.  The review of literature found a strong connection between effective practice methods and motivation.  The ARP tested the effectiveness of SmartMusic (a music practice software) by measuring the quality of its practice methods and the degree of motivation it provides for students. Thirteen band students from Paulding Middle School in Arroyo Grande, California, participated in 2 cycles. The results of the data collected after both cycles confirmed that SmartMusic is an invaluable tool for instrumental music educators because it improves students’ practice methods and increases their motivation.

I have chosen to publish either at the Journal of Research in Music Education or Update: Applications of Research in Music Education.

My paper can be found at the following link:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1iaFbQjGkRXKppuP1f1Mk98JTX80XdarV-uyzP7cR5QY/edit?hl=en_US#

The presentation is here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1iaFbQjGkRXKppuP1f1Mk98JTX80XdarV-uyzP7cR5QY/edit?hl=en_US#

My 2 Think outloud blog posts are here:
TOL Blog Post 1:
http://emdttkbach.blogspot.com/2011/05/week-1-blog-post-4-leadershippublicatio.html
TOL Blog Post 2:
http://emdttkbach.blogspot.com/2011/05/week-2-blog-post-4-publishingleadership.html

My Journal exploration Think Out loud is here:
http://emdttkbach.blogspot.com/2011/05/week-3-blog-post-4-publishingleadership.html

Week 4 Blog Post 4: Freebie

http://mrg.bz/Fj9sNF By: robertwetzlmayr

This is my week 4 Blog post Freebie ...

I decided to write a song that would help me remember what to post.
I goes a little something like this ...  Sing along if you want to!


Free free freeeee this is my free post
I don't have to talk about anything specific
As long as I talk about things in education
Free free freeeee this is my free post
This is week 4 and there's nothing really more
And it's a weekend when we have 3 days
Free free freeeee this is my free post
oh how it's great that this is about nothing
I bet you are thinking now how's this education?
Remember we sing and we learn it much better!
Free free freeeee this is my free post
Free free freeeee this is my free post!

Sing it again!

Thanks for a great month!  Hope I don't lose any points for this post!

Week 4 Blog Post 3: Response to Meghan Bassett

tkbach said...

Meghan, This is a thoughtful and sincere post regarding how you could apply the practices in the book to your own teaching and life Bravo. I don't think it's wrong of you though to restrict a project's requirement in the attempt to teach concepts and skills. You should actually turn it around on them because the reality of it is life is full of restrictions. They need to learn how to be creative within the parameters of a project. So if they have something in mind how can they think outside of their own box to come up with their idea. This is going to always happen both in their schooling and as they venture out into the professional world. To me you are not limiting their creativity, only allowing them to really invest into their creative spirit. As far as the last paragraph. This is probably the reason why we always just drove through the south and never really stopped there! It's sad and a bit scary to think that people can still be so closed minded. The sadder thing is you really can't blame the students because this is what is taught at home. Tolerance and acceptance is a long slow road. Not just in the U.S. but everywhere in the world. Your perspective about what the book brings is absolutely right.

May 28, 2011 5:32 PM

Meghan said ...

Wk4 Reading: Art of Possibility Chapters 9-12

Lighting a Spark This chapter reminded me to let my kids go with flow a little more. I’m an art teacher, as most of you know by now, which means a few things. Number one, I have to give some set of instructions to make sure students are learning what they need to learn from my curriculum. However, sometimes I make them do a few specific things, but leave the rest up to their creativity. For example, we do two clay projects a semester in my class. The first, I require the students make a rattle. This is so they learn a few basic techniques like slipping and scoring to attach clay, how to create a hollow shell without letting the clay explode, and how to form objects out of clay. I have a few students that ask me to make certain objects that aren’t hollow, and I usually shoot them down. This is to try to keep everyone on the same page and make sure they are learning the same things. In reality, I should probably hear them out, see what they want to make, verify they know how to do what they are being taught, and let them run with their ideas. Let the spark of passion come and flow! Being the Board I like the idea of this chapter more than I comprehend its complexity. It is much harder to say you’re the board and to take responsibility for everything that happens in your life than to actually do it. At the end of the day, it is easier to point fingers than to accept that you are responsible for everything that happens in your life. A good thing to try, but I’ll admit, going to be tough to implement and remember. Creating Frameworks for Possibility I like the quote, “She vowed not to say anything that she could not stand as the last thing she ever said.” I love the notion here, but in the heat of the moment how hard is it to live by? Setting a framework for possibility seems more of a change in mental state than something you think about. I liked the story of the teacher who shaved her head. Instead of trying to get the kids to stop making fun of the little girl with cancer, she made the baldness something she owned instead of lived with. Telling the WE Story The idea of telling stories and looking at everything from all angles and looking out for the best interest of all people involved is tough. I teach in the South, and my students still fly the rebel flags and talk about the South vs the North in the Civil War. It seems ridiculous to me that so many people want to put a gap between us, but also making everyone else feel like an outsider. Being from the North, I get comments about being a Yankee and trying to make everyone think like me. I think it would be beneficially to try to see things from all perspectives here. What can we do to get over this gap? Why do we all feel the need to keep this barrier between us?

Posted by Meghan Bassett at 11:40 AM

Week 4 Blog Post 2: Response to Lionel Jacques

tkbach said...

I was also inspired by Zander's stories of "doing things in person". As we become more digital and in a way more distant to each other (humanity) it becomes so important to reach out and make connections with others. As we distance ourselves to each other we become indifferent, less responsible to each other and selfish. This does not lend itself to the cooperative spirit that has allowed humanity to thrive. There have many times in this program that I really did not want to be on camera nor be heard but this is a reminder that as we enter into a period in which distance education is going to become the norm, it will be ever so important to maintain those connections and have face to face interactions. So with that said I should comb my hair, brush my teeth and welcome the video camera!

May 28, 2011 7:59 AM

 

 

 

Lionel said...

Wk4 Reading – Art of Possibility [9-12]

What a great read this week!  The Zander’s manage to remind us about positive things in such a delightful manner.  This week we cover passion, apologies, blame and a host of other heavier type aspects of discussion but shared with stories and a refreshing view.

The start of this weeks reading grabbed me – mainly because the story about Some things are just better done in person was one of my childhood memories as well!  Great to see some thing echoed throughout the world.  It really covers engaging others with the possibilities.  They key trait to this though is not cajoling them into joining in, but by opening up the doors to share the way.  One of the stories Ben shares is great in the way it unfolded – the trip to London to get a company on board with his companies desire for sponsorship turning into Ben enrolling into their plan for education! 

This truly comes up a lot in education, especially as we move up into possibly more administrative/political arenas – you cannot always insist on the way things may be carried out – but by really being committed to what we do we can get others on board supportively more readily!  Ben’s school tale in London is the best example of this – awesome things happen if we share our passion and share possibilities with others.

We move on later to discuss being the board – seeing ourselves as the framework for all that happens in our lives.  This was a great twist – as almost universally I think folks view themselves as pieces on the board – moving around in response to stimuli and such.  What a refreshing change to take the active role and understand that our life itself is the stage upon which all things happen instead of just reacting to the moves of others.

They also cover the whole aspect of blame – of apologizing – but in a refreshing manner that is also a different approach than we may do out of habit.  It is not to say that others have no fault in things that go wrong – but that a kernel of all faults lay within us as well.  What could we have done differently to avoided getting into the conflicting situation?    Making the act of apologizing not being a sign of our remorse over an action, but instead taking it as responsibility in our part.  These are all great things to remember when we interact with others throughout our lives and open up doors of possibility!

I am grateful for the chance I’ve had this month to read The Art of Possibility – it is not the normal sort of book I delve into as I am an avid non-fiction fan in the form of history books.  This pushed me outside of that and was a wonderfully refreshing reminder of things we can keep in mind in OUR lives and enjoy more satisfaction. 

Week 4: Blog Post 1: Reading Ch. 9 -12 Art of Possibility

http://mrg.bz/Wb4kqx By: kevin_p

I really like the ending of the book, especially how it ties all the practices together in the sense that the theme that runs through these chapters I believe are about establishing and being part of a community.  One of the major themes we have learned discussed and practiced in this program is the idea that we are better together than as one.  It only makes sense that we read about this type of theme in a book such as this.  Chapter 9 is a continuation of the thoughts and lessons of 7 and 8.  Chapter 9 however speaks about extending those ideas to the point that everybody has the potential to be creative.  To see growth in our own potential we need to think that every interaction with others is an opportunity to help others find their possibilities.  I found the story about the at-risk school in London very heartwarming and a perfect example of this concept.  Just providing the opportunity to create music for those students opened a new experience and potential musicians.  This idea is not new and it brings to mind Rick Warren’s book, The Purpose Drive Life.  By making connections with each other, helping others to find their own potential, we expand our own potential.  Another analogy I see in this idea is the Internet phenomena.  We’ve seen rapid growth in many areas of society in recent years because the Internet has allowed individuals to share ideas and concepts easily and more rapidly than ever before.  Connections with other individuals have opened up exponentially because of the Internet which can explain the reasons for the rapid growth.

Week 3 Blog Post 4: Publishing/Leadership Journal Exploration

Here is a possible Journal I could submit a publishing request and the requirements.

Journal of Music, Technology and Education

ISSN: 17527066

Description: The Journal of Music, Technology and Education (JMTE) explores the issues concerning the use of technology in music education. It examines pedagogy at all levels and across genres such as composition, musicology, performance and music production. It is the only journal specifically dedicated to the educational aspects of music technology and the technological aspects of music. Peer-reviewed, with an international editorial board, JMTE aims to draw its contributions from a broad community of educators, researchers and practitioners who are working closely with new technologies in the fields of music education and music technology education.  The Journal is Publish by Intellect which publishes over fifty journals in the fields of art, cinema, media, music, theatre and cultural studies.

Can Submit online

Style Requirements:  Publishing company provides a style guide for the numerous Journals that they publish.  The Style guide is located here: http://www.intellectbooks.co.uk/journals/page/index,name=journalstyleguide/

Reference Requirements: Havard Style References Strongly Recommended

Length: No Length is specified.

Thoughts: I like how this journal specifically deals with pedagogical uses of technology in education.  I feel that this area is lacking in my field.  I think I would be really interested publishing to this Journal.  I find one downside to this Journal however and that is the fact that since they are a U.K. publishing company their style requirements are a little bit different and I may need to reformat the paper to fit their expectations.  One of them is U.K. spelling like Realisation as opposed to Realization.  Also I may need to reformat the sources to match their Harvard Style Reference requirements.  Although Harvard Style is similar to APA regarding author, date and title, the publishing information seems to be different.

Journal of Research in Music Education

ISSN: 0022-4294

Description: The Journal of Research in Music Education (JRME) is a peer-reviewed journal that publishes research reports that enhance knowledge regarding the teaching and learning of music. An essential objective of the JRME is to communicate research results to active researchers as well as to a broad spectrum of other individuals with interest in music education. Authors should be especially clear in reporting their purpose, procedures, and conclusions, and they should suggest implications for and applications to the profession.

Publisher: The Journal is published by Sage Publishing.

Can Submit online

Style Requirements:  APA, Chicago or A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations.

Reference Requirements: APA, Chicago, A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations.

Length: Should not exceed 20 pages.

Deadline: Deadlines are December 1 for the April issue; March 1 for July; June 1 for October; and September 1 for January. All copy must be sent to the chairperson of the Editorial Committee.

Thoughts: This Journal seems to fall more in line with the style and purpose of my paper.

Update: Applications of Research in Music Education

ISSN: 0022-4294

Description: Update: Applications of Research in Music Education, a peer-reviewed online journal published that brings research in music teaching and learning close to everyday practice to help teachers apply research in their music classrooms and rehearsal halls. The journal presents reviews of the literature and findings of individual studies without research terminology or jargon. Manuscripts must be comprehensible to music teachers untrained in research methodology and statistics. Thus, writing should be as free of research jargon and statistical terminology as possible. A quantitative manuscript that eliminates specialized jargon associated with statistics must be accompanied by a not-to-be-published addendum that provides complete statistical information. Reviewers must have access to all relevant data and analyses in order to assess appropriateness, accuracy, and interpretation.

Publisher: The Journal is s a publication of MENC: The National Association for Music Education.

Can Submit online

Style Requirements:  APA

Reference Requirements: APA

Length: Should not exceed 20 pages.

Frequency and Deadline: Bi Annually, May and November. Could not find deadline

Thoughts: This Journal seems to fall more in line with the style and purpose of my paper.  I may have a greater chance to be accepted in this Journal than others and so it may be one of my top choices.  I like it’s more relaxed approach.

 

Week 3 Blog post 3: Response to Sue Parlor

Sue,

I find it completely funny that after I had just finished responding to Anne Alsup about how I relate teaching music and performing as an ensemble to that of sports teams, I immediately clicked on your post to see your metaphor of what you do coaching softball to that of an orchestra!  Of course as I see it, this makes perfect sense and in no way serendipitous. Life has many correlations and connections.  The more connections we make the deeper an understanding of life we will develop.  But what is important is for our students to see these connections as well and to teach them to make these connections.

I also really appreciated your foray into nature and it’s connection with the book.  I too saw this in the chapters we read.  In fact it reminds me so much of the great transcendentalist writers, Emerson and Thoreau, who often wrote about elevating ones self by being fully immersed with nature.  Taking the time to soak in its beauty and acknowledging nature for what it is.  Doing this will Give way to Passion.

I love your thirst for knowledge and passion to continually improve yourself.  Through this program I think I have developed the passion to learn and may flirt with more education in the years to come.  Right now I think my pocketbook may not share this same passion!

Sue Parlor said ...

MAC Week 3: "Art of Possibility" Reading

8:09 AM | Posted by Sue Parler

“…his true power comes from making other people more powerful.”


As a softball coach, I often use the orchestra conductor metaphor to create an image that I can explain to others. I realize that my team is a collection of highly talented athletes (metaphorically, musicians); and my job is to make them play in perfect harmony – each feeling comfortable enough with her own contribution to be able to praise the skills of another. In so doing, I can see tangible evidence of engagement; through which we can achieve tangible evidence of progress in terms of better play. Wins and losses are never a barometer of our greatness – simply ask the question, “Are we a better team after the game, than we were when we started?” If so – we win, regardless of the score.


Because of their comfort in contributions to the team, I often have players step up and lead. Rarely is it the same player twice in a row. They lead by example and by words. Rarely is it the best player – it is simply one who perceives a need and steps in to fill it. They do not usurp my position as coach – they empower it.


That being said, the fifth principle, “Lead from any Chair” presents a conundrum. The book is written from the perspective of the leader. What if I’m in some other chair? Other than presenting him with the gift of this book, how do I get my leader to shed his/her calculating self? How do I draw him from his competitive measurement world and allow others to lead? Hmmm… ‘tis a puzzlement.


I gave him the book.


With regard to the seventh principle, “Be present to the way things are”, since I started at Full Sail last June, I have made this a practical goal. I have much to do and much in my head. But I owe it to those in front of me at that precise moment to be present to and with them. The glass half full metaphor crystalized this even more for me; as the full portion of the glass is the only thing tangible – real. Do not waste energy on the imagined – too much energy is already required in the real world, so be present to it.

Last Sunday, a friend of mine and I went to a farm – 32 acres of beautiful flowers, trees, gardens, and animals. It was a dismal day – gray and damp, with an occasional downpour. When we made the decision to go, we both said the worst that could happen is that we’d get wet, so what.


I adore nature. If I had to narrow it down to a single passion, I would say that the outdoors tops the list. I invest every Sunday morning in reconnecting with nature. I have often said that if I had my life to live over again, I’d be a Landscape Architect.


I walked around those gardens, jumping puddles, for two hours. Then we stopped at a little rustic deli for a good country lunch and headed home. It was a glorious Sunday.


Then I revisited my “If I had my life to live over” thought. Why live it over? I am who I am today by virtue of every experience I’ve had up to this point. I’m still here living. And I can pinpoint my passion. So I made a choice. Once I have finished the program at Full Sail, I’ll be returning to school once more – for Landscape Design. I’ve put in inquiries to several local schools and several online schools. I’m excited to see what develops.


Then I sat down on Sunday afternoon and read chapters 5 and 6 of the “Art of Possibility”. Imagine my surprise Monday night when I reached Chapter 8 – Give Way to Passion.


Serendipitous, wouldn’t you say?

Week 3 Blog post 2: Response to Anne Alsup

Anne,

Thanks for sharing your insightful comments regarding the connection of the book to your Action Research and teaching.  I really appreciate the musical analogy you made regarding the role of teacher to that of the conductor.  As someone who really is guiding the individual to their potential. I often in my class relate what we do and what I do to sports teams. My job as a teacher is really like the job of a coach. To help coordinate and facilitate everyone's potential talent and then organize them to work together as a team.  Only then can we all become true winners.  The "Dream Teams" of late have not been winning because the don't know how to work as a team.  There are lots of lessons to learn from this, but the main point is that how do we develop our students to have more intrinsic values and redesign the notion of what a teacher is.  You are well on your way to this.  Congratulations.

@ Kristi

Thanks for sharing your story about the Prom King and Queen.  It seems as though kids are becoming more vain and self-centered (Not in their learning) these days.  Your story is very inspiring and gives me hope.


Anne Said ...

Week 3 BP#1 Reading the Art of Possibility

Image Credit:  The Conductor by Paul Helm

The teacher, like the conductor of an orchestra is not the true power in the classroom. The teacher derives their power from the success of the student. Some teachers may see their role as enlightening their students with their vast knowledge, but I disagree.  Perhaps more can be learned from the conductor.

One of the most difficult issues that I faced during my action research project as I moved my classes from the traditional teacher-centered classroom to a student-centered model was the role of the instructor. Almost universally, students perceive the role of the teacher as supplying knowledge and answering questions, a notion that has been perpetuated by an arena of high-stakes testing. While this methodology has merit for the conveyance of basic facts and principles, it falls short of moving the student to transference of the principles at higher levels of intellectual and cognitive application.

It is not the conductor's role to play the violin, only to direct the violinist. Like the conductor, it is not the teacher's role to answer the question, but to ask the question and point the student in the direction of knowledge. My research indicated that the teacher should literally say nothing that would interfere with the students' thought process. Students should be encouraged to develop the ideas, based on their previous knowledge and define the concepts for themselves.  This approach transcends the power of the conductor and empowers learning to take place from any chair. Through this collaborative orchestra of thought, knowledge is generated beyond the scope of any individual effort.

Is it necessary that every student masters the laws of physics, understand Shakespearean literature or solve a quadratic equation? I think we know better. Our world would be a better place if each child could discover and develop their passion. Establishing graduation requirements and competency testing does little to promote passion for learning. It is time to apply Rule #6 to the educational arena.  Yes, we should have some basic requirements and children should be exposed to wide variety of educational opportunities, but the sooner we help children develop areas of interest, the better chance we have lessening the control of the calculating self and free the child to find the central self. Imagine a universe of possibility where each person is able to express their inner desires in a positive direction by contributing to their world.  A world in which each person participates in the part that they were born to play and plays it with unbridled passion. 

Week 3 Blog Post 1: Reading Art of Possibility, Chapter 5 - 8

By dave@dmwcreative.com at www.morguefile.com

As I continue reading the Art of Possibility, I'm finding that I’m really enjoying this book and have gotten more out of this book then all of the other books in the program combined.  What a difference it is compared to the likes of Creswell (Remember that one?)  As a musician and teacher I can really understand and relate to the stories Benjamin Zander tells in the book.  As a fellow music teacher and conductor, it’s been awesome to gather insights and lessons from one of the greats.  I especially appreciate his candor about making mistakes on the podium and being truly honest with his musicians.  We all make mistakes and as he stated in the 7^th chapter about the Way things Are, we must not be afraid to make mistakes and to strive to play to the lines of our limitations.  It is there where our true artfulness and passion will come through.  I think the adage, “Put the pedal to the medal is an appropriate analogy”.

Through the themes in chapters 5 – 8; Lead from any chair, Rule number 6, The Way Things Are and Giving Way to Passion, I can't help but see how closely related the lessons and concepts the Zanders illustrate are to spirituality.  As I think about it, their discussions on opening yourself up to Creativity, Possibility and Passion, really do connect with the same principles you would hear when speaking about spirituality.  Spirituality entails going beyond your self and thinking in a different manner.   It involves letting go barriers of control that inhibit spiritual realization and means putting trust outside of yourself.  In chapter 7, Zander describes how composers will often try to write music at the extreme level of ones instrumental ability.  When this happens the strain and anguish of playing that particular passage comes through in the music.  It is this strain where true art and expression occur and the connection between this and spirituality exists.  In order to become truly passionate and truly spiritual we have to be able to wholly commit and admonish ourselves to the task at hand.

Week 2 Blog post 4: Publishing/Leadership Project Think Out loud 2

Last week I explored the possibility of presenting vs. writing a paper.  When given the choice I said that I would rather write a paper then present, although it would be good practice to present. This week I had a chance to peruse through the Publishing/Leadership project page to see what it really entailed.  I can say for sure now that I'm 90% interested in writing that article and submitting to a journal.  As I sat down to think about it the following reasons entered into my head.

1) Since I discovered that it really is just synthesizing the information I already have together I really have the bulk of the writing done and it's just a matter of stitching it together.  I initially was thinking that we would have to write a whole new paper which right now given my schedule and life events seems pretty daunting.  So with this information I feel relieved and more inclined to do the paper than the presentation.

2) I also think an advantage of publishing an article in a journal is that to me, the journal article would be longer lasting and have a larger impact over time in regards to adding to the body of literature.  I could be dead wrong on this as a presentation is definitely more rich in presenting your information.  It would seem to me though that being accepted into the journal means that your work will be more easily accessible and to a wider audience.

Of course the disadvantage of writing a paper is whether or not your paper is going to be accepted into one of the journals.  This I believe may be a slim chance, but who knows!

Week 2 Blog post 3: Response to Joanna Puello

Joanna,

Your comment, “but both Rose & Ben have an amazing perspective on life in general and the influence we can have as teachers.” I think is right on.  You have perfectly summed up Benjamin Zander in your post.  You usually don’t consider conductors of Symphony Orchestras to be personable and out going but rather stuffy, reclusive and that mystic figure in the front.  Yet Benjamin Zander seems to break the mold quite easily and I would revel to be a student of his.  I find it quite interesting as well how a performing group, whether it be from a lowly elementary group all the way to a Symphony Orchestra takes on the personality and spirit of it’s leader.  This truly IS leadership.  What impressed me the most however, despite knowing a bit about Benjamin Zander, is how insightful and deeply thoughtful Benjamin’s wife is.  I actually found many of her passages in the book to be personally inspiring and at times more profound then his!

Joanna said:

MAC, Week 2, BP1: Reading

13 05 2011 The Art of Possibility (2000) by Zander & Zander is the most inspirational book I have read in a long time. Hats off to the Zanders! Of course, I’m especially thrilled with Ben Zander just because I’ve enjoyed his videos so much, but both Rose & Ben have an amazing perspective on life in general and the influence we can have as teachers.
These are some of the highlights that I enjoyed the most…

On “Stepping Into a Universe of Possibility”…

“What assumption am I making, That I’m not aware I’m making, That gives me what I see?” (p. 15)

On “Giving an A”…

“A’s are not an expectation to live up to but a possibility to live into.” (p. 26)
I was really blown away by the letters his students wrote, the ones they wrote about the grade A they had accomplished before they had even started. What an amazing way to influence students and people to have the highest goals motivated by the most inspiring reasons! This sample was my favorite, written by an Asian student.
“I was Number 68 out of 70 student. I come to Boston and Mr. Zander syas I am an A. Very confusing. I walk about, three weeks, very confused. I am Number 68, but Mr. Zander says I am an A student…I am Number 68, but Mr. Zander says I am an A. One day I discover much happier A than Number 68. So I decide I am an A.” (p. 31-32)
“The practice of giving the A allows the teacher to line up with her students in their efforts to produce the outcome, rather than lining up with the standards against these students. “ (p. 33)

 On “Being a Contribution”…

It’s amazing how things change when we get our focus off ourselves and onto someone else in need even when we may not know how we can help them or if we’re even capable.
I’m looking forward to continued reading throughout the rest of this month!

Week 2 Blog Post 2: Response to Karl Peterson

 Karl,

Great analysis of the book to the EMDT Program. I couldn't agree with you more when you stated that by taking a different perspective on various projects and assignments that have stumped you, you've been able to find a work around. I can't tell you how many times that I've said, "well THAT didn't work!" As someone who thinks of himself as a fairly creative individual, I've had many visions of projects that have taken on new dimensions since the initial thought or vision. As I work through the details and discover my "inabilities", the project begins to take a different shape and even though it may be totally different from what I originally intended, I think many times it turns out much better than I originally intended. I enjoy this process and through it I get a better sense and admiration of what I've accomplished. It is this process that I believe the Zanders are speaking to in their book.

 

Karl Said,

MAC Week 2 - Post 1 Reading

The Art of Possibility (or should it be the Art of Perspective?)

I have noticed on a reoccurring basis, throughout these last 10 ½ months that I have been in the EMDT program, a reoccurring theme. That theme has been the importance of looking at things from a different perspective. After reading the first four chapters of “The Art of Possibility: Transforming Professional and Personal Life” by R. Zander & B. Zander (2000), that is the major theme that I walked away from the reading with. In fact I am a hard time looking at this book in any other light than that. That isn’t a bad thing, this I am certain of. As I have gone through course after course, and run into countless challenges, I have always had something occur that has forced me to take a step back and reevaluate the situation from a different perspective. Every single time this has happened, I have managed to find a way to work through or around the issue as a result. The four chapters of this book have only served to open my eyes to new ways or ideas on how to do this more frequently in my everyday life. I really like the ideas of “give an A” and “game of ‘contribution’”. I think these are fantastic ideas. My hope is that if I am able to implement some of these ideas into my life, I can reduce much of the stress that exists in my life and to try to view more things in life, thusly opening up more possibilities as a result.

Thanks for reading,

Karl Peterson

Week 2 - Blog Post 1 Reading: The Art of Possibility

Benjamin Zander’s TED talk on classical music is one of my favorite TED videos.  I can’t remember when I first saw this, but I have seen it on numerous occasions and have enjoyed it each time.  As I started reading the book, Art of Possibility, I thought I would get a jump on the reading before reading the introductory assignment page in FSO.  My plan of action was to discover what the purpose of the book was and how it was connected to the class as quickly and efficiently as possible.  I had blinders on trying to figure what concrete lesson the book was trying to teach.  In my haste I missed who the author was and why we were reading this book.  So in that frame of mind I had difficulty understanding the purpose and connection of the book to the class.  It wasn’t until I took the time to read the assignment completely in FSO and then finally discovered that Zander was the same person who co-authored the book, it made total sense.  Chapter One Learned: It’s all invented.

As I continued reading through the book I found Chapter 3 to be especially applicable to my everyday life and teaching.  The stories that the Zanders tell do a great job at illustrating the point of Giving an A, as well as to give concrete examples of how to apply these practices in real life. Personally, as someone who tends to be a little bit of a perfectionist, this chapter provided the perfect anecdote to free me from the chains of creative block that has often stalled me from making further progress on a variety of projects.  So what I take away from this chapter is that by giving yourself an A you are in a sense taking away the fear of failure.  Eliminating this fear allows you to explore the boundaries of creativity and expand the realm of possibility.  Often times you just need this extra push of confidence to overcome small mountains. 

In band you can’t really ignore things when they don’t go well.   The kids know when they completely bomb because often times they know how a certain piece should be played.  So sugarcoating a bad performance is not effective at improving performance.  What is important, however is to get the kids to realize what mistakes were made and how to fix them.  It is through this concept that the ideas of Chapter 3 take flight.  Allowing students the safety net of not being afraid to fail will allow them to try harder pieces, explore the range of their musical abilities and teach them persistence despite adversity. (In a performance, despite how bad things might be going the idea of continuing through but being able to adapt and adjust on the fly is crucial)   Giving the students the freedom to do this is important.

Week 1 Blog Post 4: Leadership/Publication - To Present or Not to Present

Cover Page of PresentationZen by Garr Reynolds

It's funny that as a teacher I'm in front of an audience everyday and speaking publicly.  Yet when it comes to choosing between writing a paper or making a presentation my first thought was to write a paper.  I hate speaking or presenting and when given a choice I would rather not.  Why is this?  Perhaps fear of judgment from my colleagues?  Fear of stumbling over my words?  Fear of going blank in the middle of my presentation?  Being a little bit of a perfectionist, I also think that I get a little timid doing a presentation on a project that didn’t necessarily go perfectly.  

I tell my students all the time that performing in front of an audience is a skill that needs to be practiced and the more you do it, the better that you become.  So I suppose I should become a student of my own teaching and take this perfect opportunity to practice something that scares me and something that I need to work on more as well.

Week 1 Blog Post 3: Response to Marty Denson

Hi Marty,

I completely hear you about individuals involved in the "art" of sampling probably do not possess adequate musical skills and thus revert to thievery.

Consider this however, during many classical music eras, especially the Baroque period, the practice of "borrowing" material from other composers was widely accepted and actually considered to be a sign of respect and admiration for the composer from which you "stole" from. Granted I understand that at this level it is quite different when you compare it to today's run of the mill "music producer" creating "mixes" in their parents basement. I think though there is something to be said about music creation today being more accessible to a greater amount of individuals because of technology. With it you bring some not so good art but every once in a while you do get inspiring masterpieces.

Marty Said:

Being involved in the music industry for nearly 34 years and the printing industry for 21 years, copyright issues have always been an important part of everyday conversation for me. The documentary “Good Copy/Bad Copy” is yet another look at the evolving issues and changes regarding copyright laws. The documentary enlightened me as to just how far the concepts of audio sampling has reached. While these individuals have demonstrated creativity with their “Techno Brega” style of manipulating the original works of others, I honestly believe that it is really just form of creative theft. It appears as though the individuals in the documentary clearly recognize that what they are doing is illegal, however, the ways to police this kind of copyright infringement is extremely difficult. Furthermore, I have noticed that the majority of those who practice the art of sampling do not possess any real musical skills and are left with no other alternative but to use other people’s works without permission rather than be original.     

Week 1 Blog Post 2: Response to Michael George

Micahel, I'm sure the current copy right extensions were a result of lobbying efforts from corporate interests and a few individuals that want to control their own interests. I can maybe understand this from their perspective but I agree with you that this has created a stifling system that inhibits creativity and places severe limitations on educators. I wish there would be just a little more common sense approach to this. I think a blend of the creative commons solution and copyright law may help to alleviate the dilemma.

May 5, 2011 4:33 PM  

 

Michael Said:

Wk1 Reading: Copyright Issues Part 1: Intro to Copyright

The current state of copyright law in the USA makes me very angry. As pointed out in the videos and reading, copyright law is specifically mentioned in the Constitution. However, Copyright was meant to provide the owner a ‘limited monopoly’ so that they could benefit financially from their creation. However, Copyright law now extends to 100 years for corporations or the authors life + 70 years. This makes absolutely no sense. The reason our forefathers created a system where copyright expired was to encourage authors to make the next cultural contribution. This is the key. As a copyright holder, in exchange for benefiting our culture you receive a limited monopoly on your work as payback. However, in our current system, you can pass your copyrights onto your grandchildren and they can generate license fees. Are we creating a class of ‘idle rich’ that produce nothing? Limiting copyright length would also benefit the remix culture because copyright would actually expire on older works and they would be freely usable. At the rate we are going, Copyright can soon be renamed to forever-right since congress continues to extend its length.

Week 1 Blog Post 1 Reading: Copyright

Music Print Copyright: What’s fair use?

Although we have talked a little about copyright previously in this program, I really appreciate the in depth lessons, videos, articles and discussions on copyright.  I think it has helped to clear a lot of questions and uncertainties.  It seems like we should have had this in month 1 or month 2. 

Music stand photo by _e.t retrieved May 4, 2011

from http://www.flickr.com/photos/45688285@N00/119402174/

I think I still have one lingering question regarding music print copyright.  The question has to deal with photocopying printed music for students to use in lieu of the original parts.  Is it legal to make photocopies of printed music for student use?  This would entail making multiple copies of the same part. This discussion is often had within the community of band directors, as we all seem to believe that we are violating the law and will be hauled off to jail should they ever catch us or decide to seek legal compensation.  There also seems to be a wide variety of opinions and anecdotes about what constitutes Fair Use, so I’m interested to get more opinions and to know really what is legal and what is not.

There are several reasons for why band directors would make photocopies:

1.     Student responsibility and treatment of sheet music falls way short of what is needed to adequately preserve the original music.  Printed music by itself can last for many years and be enjoyed by many generations of students, however in the hands of students you may be lucky if it lasts 2 years.  (Yes even with speech after speech about responsibility and proper handling) 

2.     As a band teacher I also want to encourage my students to write in their music to place reminders about tempo changes, key signatures, dynamics etc.  The act of writing helps them in the learning process.  However if students receive already written in music then that sort of defeats the purpose, and there is always the possibility of errors from previous students or changes made by the director.

3.     The cost to purchase music for a band or orchestra ranges from $50 - $100 per piece.  Within this piece there generally is not enough parts to provide sheet music for every member of a particular section.  For example you may have 8 clarinet parts in a score but have 20 clarinets in your band.  This is clearly not enough even for students to share.  They also need music to take home to practice as well.  At the middle school we generally perform for each group between 12 – 20 pieces in a given year, depending on the group and may have up to 6 different groups.  So you might imagine the cost to purchase and maintain music could reach into the 10s of thousands.  Of course there is no budget to purchase music in most districts (at least in California) so music needs to be purchased through fundraising.  This creates a powerful motivation to want to make copies in order to preserve the original music and protect the investment.

Sheet music store sign photo by lucas.  Retrieved May 4, 2011 

from http://www.flickr.com/photos/lucas_gonze/3920271508/

These reason of course are not valid legal reasons for making photocopies but just helps to enlighten you on the dilemma.  I would like to know definitively if making photocopies of purchased music for student use falls under Fair Use.  I tend to believe that it meets the parameters set by Fair Use, however there are quite a few colleagues who believe that the law is black and white and that massively reproducing copyrighted music is not legal and that those who are doing it are breaking the law.