CMEA NEWS CONNECTICUT MUSIC EDUCATORS ASSOCIATION All-State 2014 volume LXV, number 4 • www.cmea.org QuaverTodayAd_CT_CMEA_MayJun14.pdf 1 4/15/14 2:25 PM The Future of Music Education TODAY! Intro Pricing Expires Aug. 15th ™ Advanced Technology. “Quaver is light years ahead of any other curriculum publishing company. Updates are made in real time at no charge! Can’t do that with textbooks!” Alex Kayser, Johnson Elementary, Racine, WI Launch your lessons as a seamless classroom presentation with over 2,500 interactive screens. C M Y CM Teacher-Friendly. “I love it! My lesson planning has never been easier!” Kayla Melton, Simonton Christian Academy, Simonton, TX MY CY CMY K Over 200 detailed Lesson Plans make it easier than ever to prepare for class, and submit to supervisors. Seriously Fun! “It is fantastic! The students consistently remain engaged throughout the lesson, and discipline issues are nearly non-existent!” Julie Mathias, Sullivan’s Island Elementary, Mt. 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Let us know! 1-866-917-3633 • [email protected] • Facebook.com/QuaverMusic • QuaverMusicBlog.com ©2014 QuaverMusic.com, LLC CMEA NEWS Volume LXV, Number 4 CONNECTICUT MUSIC EDUCATORS ASSOCIATION www.cmea.org INSIDE THIS ISSUE President’s Report by Stephanie Zak................................... 3 Assessing Creativity: A Subjective Dilemma by Kim Yannon.................................... 12 CNAfME State Council by Sarah Petersen.................................. 5 Berklee World Strings by Joan Winters.................................. 14 Student Affairs Commission by Ned Smith........................................ 7 Listen and Learn: The Key to Effective Secondary General Music Instruction by George Ober and Joe Pergola.............. 16 2014-15 Student Event Dates.............................. 7 Southern Region Report by Theresa Voss..................................... 8 If We Build It They Will Come: Using Music Technology to Reach “The Other 80%” by David Brian Williams and Rick Dammers... 18 Elementary Honors Choir by Nicole Lucas..................................... 9 2014-15 Committee Meeting Calendar................. 20 Brian Balmages Workshop.................................. 9 Cover Photo by Howard Rockwin Stay current with us on Facebook! Go to Connecticut Music Educators Association CMEA Professional Development Grants Apply for financial assistance to bring valuable professional development opportunities to your district! Share ideas, concert events, report “Good News” in your school/district/college campus! CMEA awards four grants annually of up to $500 to members who host workshops in their district during the school year. Details and applications are available on the web site www.cmea.org under Professional Development. Application deadlines are: October 8, 2014 Fall/Winter Workshops January 8, 2015 Spring Workshops When You’re Serious About Music, Media, Education & the Performing Arts Bachelor Degree Programs • Jazz/Commercial Music Mus.B. • Music Education Mus.B. Masters & Doctoral Degree Programs • Master of Music M.M. • Doctor of Musical Arts D.M.A. Scholarships Available Open House Saturday, October 19 at 1 pm 631.656.2110 305 N. Service Road Dix Hills, New York 11746 www.ftc.edu 2 CMEA News, Summer 2014 President’s Report by Stephanie Zak, CMEA President, Music Instructor, Meriden Public Schools • • • W elcome To June!!!! As you read this, many students are currently finishing SBAC exams or preparing for their spring performances. Educators – if you are like me, the countdown to summer vacation has already commenced. We have been very busy at the CMEA office these days, trying to wrap up business and finalize budgets before the end of the school year. I would personally like to thank the educators who attended the April In-service Conference and the All State students. This year was unique, hosting conference at The Crowne Plaza and All State Festival at the Bushnell Theater. I would like to personally thank those directly involved with the organizational side of the weekend: • Kim Yannon: CMEA Conference Chair • Barbara Skrebutenas: CMEA Executive Director • Ray Sinclair and Andrew Potts: CMEA All State Chairs • All State Chaperones and Chairpersons, All State Ensemble Chairpersons All State Conductors The Crowne Plaza Staff The Bushnell Staff In my previous article I had failed to mention that we have a new addition to the Executive Board, Mr. David Pelletier. David will be serving as Advocacy Chair, replacing Barbara Skrebutenas. He will be involved in organizing advocacy events (such as Arts Slam), arranging meetings with legislators at the state and federal levels, and providing up to date information to the membership regarding the status of music education. For those who do not know David, he is currently the Maloney High School Vocal Educator and Drama Director in Meriden, Connecticut. Please join me in welcoming him aboard! Some disheartening news – Ned Smith, our Student Affairs Chairperson will be stepping down as of June 30, 2014 to begin his Master’s Degree. His hard work and dedication to our organization will be missed, but he has assured me that he will not “disappear into the sunset”. His plan is to stay on as our CT Fest guru! Two topics that we will be discussing at our June Leadership meeting is the website and Collegiate Chapter By-Laws. I will also be hosting a luncheon for all of the chair positions at the region and All State Level. Ned Smith will be unveiling the new and improved CMEA Student Affairs Commission Guidebook. The guidebook will clearly define roles and policies on the Student Affairs side. Other positions that are vacant: CMEA Editor and CMEA Membership Chair (a shared position). If you are interested in either of these positions, please contact me as soon as possible. A Constant Contact message will be sent to all members with additional information in the weeks to follow. This year Western and Eastern Region will be voting on their new Region Director. Instead of paper ballots, the Executive Board approved the method of online voting – a Constant contact message will be sent to the Eastern and Western region members where they will have to click on their specified link in order to vote. Let me stress that this is a pilot procedure this year - It is our hope to use this method in future CMEA voting opportunities. In addition to the successful CMEA Elementary Honors Chorus, I am thrilled to announce an addition to our family-the CMEA Elementary Honors Orchestra. In March 2014, the Community School for the Arts (UCONN), under the direction of Kevin and Holly Bishop, gathered 50+ elementary string students for a rehearsal and afternoon concert at Trinity Episcopal Church in Hartford, CT. The overall talent of the group blew me away!!!! My daughter was one of the participants and still talks about the unique orchestra experience to this day. After listening to the rehearsal, I knew my next step was to ask both directors if they would join our CMEA family. They both agreed and are in the process of planning for next year’s concert at the 2015 Connecticut In-service Conference April 30th-May2nd. As of right now, the CMEA News is mailed to every member 4 times a year. Starting in September 2014, you will receive two magazines (September and Conference book) and the other two will be available online at cmea.org. The NAfME Eastern Division Conference is currently accepting proposals for sessions and performing ensembles. For more information please visit www.bocj. org. Applications are due June 6, 2014. If anyone has any pictures they can share from region festivals OR All State, please forward them to me. I hope everyone has a relaxing and restful summer! CMEA News, Summer 2014 3 SUMMERTERM 2014 SESSION 1 JUNE 30 – JULY 4 INSTRUMENTAL Baroque and Before— Teaching Early Music for Strings Emlyn Ngai Teaching Beginning Strings & Band Matt Aubin Enhance your Teaching through Keyboard Harmony Pete Woodard Exploring Jazz Improvisation Kris Allen ALL DISCIPLINES AND LEVELS An Introduction to Orff Penny Mahoney NEW! TECHNOLOGY Teaching Composition to Middle and High School Students Ken Steen VOCAL Inspiring Good Vocal Technique Cherie Caluda SESSION 3 JULY 14 – JULY 18 INSTRUMENTAL Concert Percussion Ben Toth Folk Instrument Performance Jeff Rhone Piano Tuning I & II Ken Lawhorn ALL DISCIPLINES AND LEVELS Blending Pedagogy: Incorporating General Music Methods in Children’s Choir Vanessa Bond NEW! TECHNOLOGY Pro Tools I Gabe Herman SESSION 5 JULY 28 – AUGUST 1 CONDUCTING Instrumental Conducting Clinic: Glen Adsit and Edward Cumming INSTRUMENTAL World Percussion and Drum Set Survey for Music Educators Ben Toth Woodwind Refresher Dan Higgins ALL DISCIPLINES AND LEVELS Body Mapping for Music Education Kay Hooper Folk Dance Around the World Lillie Feierabend Guitar for the Classroom Teacher Chris Ladd NEW! SESSION 4 JULY 21 – JULY 25 CONDUCTING /COMPOSITION SESSION 4 & 5 JULY 21 – AUGUST 1 Learn to Teach Composition and Refine Your Conducting Through Graphic Notation Soundscapes THE HARTT CHORAL CONDUCTING INSTITUTE Ed Bolkovac and Stuart Younse Glen Adsit and Michael Colgrass THE HARTT KODÁLY CERTIFICATION PROGRAM INSTRUMENTAL John Feierabend, Jeff Rhone, Band Instrument Maintenance for Wind Educators SESSION 2 JULY 7 – JULY 11 Ed Bolkovac, Gabor Viragh Glen Grigel INSTRUMENTAL THE FEIERABEND ASSOCIATION Percussion Know-How for Music Educators Hartt Guitar Festival: FOR MUSIC EDUCATION (FAME) Ben Toth Christopher Ladd, Richard Provost, First Steps in Music® ALL DISCIPLINES AND LEVELS Jason Vieux John Feierabend Gordon’s Music Learning Theory Brass Refreshe Conversational Solfege™ Beginning: Clark Saunders and Ken Trapp Matthew Aubin John Feierabend Music and Movement: Partners in Education Rhythmic Workout for Music Educators Conversational Solfege™ Advanced: Lillie Feierabend and Patti Mascetti Rogério Boccato John Feierabend Special Learners in the Music Classroom School String Fleet Maintenance Heather Wagner for the String Educator TECHNOLOGY The Hartt School Summerterm is recognized Glen Grigel Finale and SmartBoard: as one of the finest summer programs in the TECHNOLOGY Partners in a 21st C. Music Classroom country. Hartt’s nationally and internationally Introduction to Music Recording Ken Steen and Miriam Schreiber NEW! Justin Kurtz acclaimed faculty provides students with a VOCAL/CHORAL ALL-DISCIPLINES AND LEVELS diverse and innovative curriculum. Jump Start Your Choir Connections, Creativity, and Expressiveness Edward Bolkovac and Stuart Younse through Music Summers-only Master of Music Education/ Janet Barrett NEW! Graduate Professional Development Credits Rich Traditions and New Creations: Earn your MMusEd over the Summer! Hartt’s 37 – 42 credit graduate Music Education Dance, Song, Storytelling and Literature program can be completed in three summers with emphases in Kodály, Pedagogy, in the Music Classroom Choral or Instrumental Conducting. Flexible course requirements to meet your Peter and Mary Alice Amidon professional development needs and goals. Hartt Summerterm Office | The Hartt School | University of Hartford | 200 Bloomfield Avenue | West Hartford, CT 06117 Dee Hansen, Director | 860.768.4128 | [email protected] 4 CMEA News, Summer 2014 www.hartford.edu/hartt/summerterm CNAfME State Council by Sarah Petersen Our next event this spring was the conducting masterclass. In addition to the instrumental portion, this year a choral session was added. While the masterclass was on the smaller side as far as participants are concerned, it was a wonderful experience for all involved. As this event occurs over the next few years, we as a council would love to see the participation growing year after year! T he Collegiate Council has had a wonderful spring! We held two wonderful events and we are preparing for some wonderful changes and updates to the structure of the council. In February, the Collegiate Council hosted a benefit concert for “Horns for Kids,” a Connecticut organization that provides instruments to school districts in need. We had groups representing Central Connecticut State University, Western Connecticut State University and the University of Connecticut. This year, we were thrilled to raise over $250 for Horns for Kids. We are looking forward to continuing this annual concert for years to come. Wesley, Jennifer, Mary and Sarah Conducting at the band session of the masterclass Part of the new changes the council has discussed is in the structure of the organization. Our current Vice President, Wesley Marchena, has stepped into the position of President next fall semester (succeeded by our current Activities Chair, Mary Gorry, in the spring of 2015). Inspired by collegiate councils for music education across the United States, Wesley created by-laws for our council. To introduce these new changes and ideas, including a new name for the Collegiate Council, Wesley would like to share the following: “After four years of being active, the Connecticut Collegiate Music Educators council will be changing much more than just its name. We have found ourselves in a time of a great transition. A transition that will help the council develop firmer roots to achieve even greater heights. The word “growth”, in most occasions, is associated with reaching outwards or expanding like a tree or even a child. The CCME council has taken a different approach on how we are to grow. We have found that growth comes from within. Having written a fresh, ambitious constitution, we are looking forward to strengthening the council itself. With new positions available on the executive council, the inclusion of NAfME collegiate chapter presidents to the board, and the addition of an advisory group, the bonds between us collegiate’s will surely establish a strong foundation with which to build something tremendous upon. It is a great privilege to be the next acting president of the CCME council and I look forward towards guiding this aspiration to fruition.” At the time of writing this article, the council is still searching for students to fill positions on the board, and we are excited to introduce those new board members to you in the fall. Wesley Marchena, Mary Gorry and Jennifer Allin will all return to the board and I will graduate into the position of Immediate Past President, an advisor to the council. We would be remiss to write this closing article for the year without thanking Stephanie Zak and the CMEA News, Summer 2014 5 rest of CMEA. Their support of the next generation of music educators is incredible and we appreciate all that they have done to include collegiate students in the events of CMEA. In addition, we would like to thank the work of Kim Yannon and the past Collegiate Council E-Boards for laying the groundwork for the council. Without their work, the council would not be where it is today. Finally, we always love to hear from you! Please keep us updated over the summer about the new e-boards for collegiate NAfME chapters. Together, we can support each other as future music educators and the Collegiate Council hopes to facilitate that. If you wish to get in contact with any member of the council, please send a note to our e-mail address: [email protected]. Have a wonderful spring and summer! Sarah Petersen 2013-14 State Council Executive Board Sarah Petersen, senior, Western Connecticut State University, President Wesley Marchena, senior, Western Connecticut State University, Vice President Jennifer Allin, senior, Central Connecticut State University, Secretary Mary Gorry, junior, Central Connecticut State University, Activities Chair Bucknell Bachelor of Music in: Performance Composition Music Education Bachelor of Arts expressive performance creative improvisation discovery and invention cultural and historical analysis FULL-TIME FACULTY www.bucknell.edu/music Paul Botelho | Composition, Music Theory Bethany Collier | Ethnomusicology, Gamelan Ensemble Kimberly Councill | Music Education Barry Hannigan | Piano William Kenny | Department Chair, Horn, Symphonic Band Barry Long | Jazz Studies, Jazz Band Christopher Para | Violin and Viola, Orchestra Catherine Fowler Payn | Voice, Bucknell Opera Company William Payn | Choral Studies, Rooke Chapel Choir Annie Randall | Musicology Sezi Seskir | Piano and 22 Artist Affiliate Faculty BucknellUniversityDepartmentOfMusic 1 6CMEA_2-3_AUG_23.indd CMEA News, Summer 2014 @BucknellMusic 8/23/13 3:23 PM Student Affairs Commission by Ned Smith Hello all! One last CMEA News article, at the end of this year, I will be stepping down as SAC Chair. It’s been a very enlightening six years working within CMEA. I spent three years as the State Adjudication Chair and another three as the SAC Chair and in both positions I had the distinct pleasure of meeting a significant population of the CMEA members out there. It has been truly fantastic hearing the views of so many music educators and, even when there was disagreement, the open dialogue with colleagues has always left me with another perspective to consider whether it be directly pertaining to a CMEA issue, or just a thought in regards to my own teaching and learning. If we have accomplished anything over the last few years, I hope we have been able to bring a level of transparency to CMEA. Our goal has been to provide you with more information to better understand how and why certain decisions get made, where money goes, and the rationale behind policies. We want you to know that you are heard, and even if we can’t satisfy everyone’s wishes, it is important to know that your views are brought to the table and discussed. I hope that CMEA can continue to foster a collegial environment that is fueled by mutual respect and a passion for teaching music. We survived the transition to CTFest for online scoring, increased opportunities for elementary students, and moved up timelines and put into place procedures ensuring that you receive the information you need so that you can plan ahead. We could not have done any of that without the colleagues that I have come to respect for their hard work and dedication. Whether we›ve worked together on a committee, pulled together auditions or a festival, or just had a chat at a festival, thank you! I have every intention of being a very involved CMEA member and look forward to continue working with you all in the future. Please check the website for information pertaining to next year. (And as many of you would be the first to point out, we won›t say mission accomplished yet on the website, but we›re getting there!) 2014-15 Student Festival Dates: Mark your Calendar! Eastern Region: MS Audition: November 18, 2014 Johnston MS, Colchester MS Festival: To be announced. Please check www.cmea.org this summer! HS Audition: November 22, 2014 Plainfield HS HS Festival: January 9-10, 2015 UCONN Northern Region: MS Audition: January 10, 2015 King Philip MS, West Hartford MS Festival: March 6/7, Central CT State University, New Britain HS Audition: November 22, 2014 Avon HS HS Festival: January 16-17, 2015 New Britain HS Southern Region: MS Audition: December 6, 2014. Washington MS, Meriden (12/13 snow date) MS Festival: February 27/28, 2015 Lincoln MS, Meriden (3/6-7 snow date) HS Audition: November 15, 2015 Foran HS, Milford HS Festival: January 9-10, 2015 Middletown HS (1/16-17 snow date) Western Region: MS Audition: November 22, 2014 Western CT State University, Danbury MS Festival: March 20/21, 2015 Western CT State University, Danbury HS Audition: November 15, 2014 Danbury HS HS Festival: January 16-17, 2015 Trumbull HS (1/23-24 snow date) All State: Audition: February 7, 2015 North Haven High School (2/14 snow date) Festival: April 30-May 2, 2015 Connecticut Convention Center, Hartford Elementary Honors Choir: Festival: May 1, 2015 Connecticut Convention Center, Hartford Elementary Honors Orchestra: Festival: tentative date April 30, 2015 Connecticut Convention Center, Hartford CMEA News, Summer 2014 7 Southern Region Report Theresa Voss, Region Director J ust as we doubted the winter would ever come to an end in Connecticut, we are now facing temperatures in the forties at the end of April. But even if the weather does not keep up, the calendar marches on, sometimes moving faster than we can keep up! This always seems to be the case during the year-end concert season for a music teacher, as we speed toward graduation. Before we know it, it will all be behind us and we’ll have our feet up on the porch railing, wondering if the humidity will ever break. Before we get to summer, allow me to take a moment to thank our colleagues who have given so much of their time and energy this year to provide invaluable musical experiences for our students in the Southern Region. As we all know, these are our peers who volunteer to assist at the region level, knowing in a couple years, someone else will do it for their own students. We cannot function without our volunteers—please join me in expressing gratitude for their efforts! For High School: Brian Cyr, Adjudication Co-Chair and Festival Co-Chair/Co-Host Dean DellaVecchia, Adjudication Co-Chair Jessica Shearer, Adjudication Site Chair John Gage, Band Chair David Pelletier, Choir Chair, Festival Co-Chair/Co-Host Aaron Barkon, Orchestra Chair Erik Elligers, Jazz Band Chair and Jazz Head Judge Kevin Buno, Voice Head Judge Suky Bryan, Strings Head Judge Stephen St. Georges, Percussion Head Judge Mark Gahm, Winds Head Judge For Middle School: Scott Ferguson, Festival Chair Maureen McGovern, Adjudication Chair Stephanie Zak, Adjudication Site Co-Chair Marta Kwiczor, Adjudication Site Co-Chair Neil Shilansky, Head Judge Chair Matthew Fried, Band Co-Chair Olivia Malin, Band Co-Chair Keith Traver, Co-Mixed/Treble Chorus Chair Laura Traver, Co-Mixed/Treble Chorus Chair Marta Kwiczor, Jazz Band Co-Chair Brian Hutton, Jazz Band Co-Chair Chris Jones, Orchestra Co-Chair Katie Jones, Orchestra Co-Chair Kathy Dravis, World Drumming Chair I would also like to thank our CMEA SAC Chair, Ned Smith, who has worked tirelessly (and always with a smile!) to assist us through every step of the school year. His guidance and camaraderie has made my first year as Southern Region Director a very enjoyable experience. I wish you each a successful and fulfilling end to your school year, and a summer full of all of your favorite things. Need information about your membership? Contact NAfME Member Services at 1-800-336-3768 or [email protected]. www.nafme.org Music Education • Orchestrating Success 8 CMEA News, Summer 2014 Elementary Honors Choir Nicole Lucas, Danielle Horan, Co-Chairs, CMEA Elementary Honors Choir C ongratulations to the 2014 Elementary Honors Choir! Almost 200 students from 49 schools across the state participated in this year’s fantastic event. Teachers and students worked extremely hard to prepare for an amazing day in April at the CMEA Conference. On Friday, April 4, students had the privilege to work with Dr. Joy Hirokawa in preparation for a concert that same afternoon. Not only was this a great experience for the students, it also provided the teachers with the opportunity to watch Dr. Hirokawa in action. Please mark your calendars for next year’s Elementary Honors Choir - Friday, May 1, 2015! If you would like to participate in next year’s choir, please check the CMEA website and this newsletter in the fall for more information and registration forms. Hope to see you there! BRIAN BALMAGES coming to CT-ASTA Fall Workshop by Nola Campbell Thursday, October 23, 2014 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. University of Hartford, Konover Center C omposer, conductor, performer, producer, BRIAN BALMAGES, will be the guest Presenter at the annual CT-ASTA Fall Workshop this year on Thursday, October 23rd at the University of Hartford Konover Center. I’m sure most of you already know and love his many string orchestra compositions, and guess what? He also has a new string method book in the “Measures of Success” series that he will introduce to us at the workshop. And ALL attendees who register more than a week in advance will get a free copy!! So talk with your music supervisors and/or administrators now to get that day off. Lunch at the 1877 Club is again included in the price, so plan on eating a fabulous lunch as well, and catching up with your string friends. The cost is $45.00 for ASTA/CMEA members, $65.00 for non-members. Contact Nola Campbell @ [email protected] for more information. Don’t forget to bring your instruments! The four sessions will include the following: NO MORE LIMITATIONS! Composing and choosing orchestra music for all levels Music for younger ensembles is often held to a different standard than music written for advanced groups. This clinic will provide a tangible list of elements that can, and should be included in any piece regardless of grade level. Gain insight into repertoire selection while also seeing how it impacts the way a composer writes for these various types of ensembles! MEASURES OF SUCCESS FOR STRINGS! Unlock the true potential of your beginning string students! Discover “Measures of Success for Strings,” an exciting and powerful new string classroom method that combines time-tested pedagogy with outstanding sequencing and repertoire. Designed to foster musical growth by focusing on the presentation of new concepts through repertoire, “Measures of Success for Strings” systematically presents and reinforces musical techniques in a practical and positive way. Prepare to experience a new level of “success” with your beginning string students! NEW STRING ORCHESTRA MUSIC READING SESSION: An In-Depth Look Behind the Scenes. This new music reading session will highlight new string orchestra pieces just released in the summer of 2014. During the session, Balmages will provide insight into series guidelines that composers follow and will also tie this into aspects of the opening session, “No More Limitations!” READING SESSION: The Music and Development of Brian Balmages. In this session, directors will be exposed to a wide variety of music by composer Brian Balmages. This will not always involve “bestsellers,” but rather will be designed to show the development of the composer from the standpoint of orchestration, form, texture and other compositional aspects. CMEA News, Summer 2014 9 All-State 2014 10 CMEA News, Summer 2014 CMEA News, Summer 2014 11 Assessing Creativity: A Subjective Dilemma Kim Yannon, DMA F or the last in my three part series, I would just like to put in a word or two about the assessment of creativity. Many of us either shy away from evaluating a student’s creative output altogether, for fear of entering into the subjective realm or we resort to assessing the lower order skills and knowledge upon which the task was built. The latter is helpful and certainly a rubric based on these skills (start on Do, four measures, quarter notes and eighth notes, etc…) can serve as a checklist for students and teachers, especially if the composition is a vehicle for evaluating understanding of musical notation. But let me challenge your thinking for a moment and suggest that not only is the subjective evaluation of creative product valid, it has been shown to be reliable through research. When we think about the assessment of creativity, we must separate the evaluation of the process by which novel ideas are created and the resulting product. The origin of process evaluation began with Guilford’s Structure of Intellect Model (1967), which defined intelligence as the confluence of many mental/intellectual abilities which Guilford organized around three dimensions: Operations, Content, and Product. Defining the Operations dimension are congruent and divergent thinking processes. Congruent thinking engages one in critical analysis in order to reach a solution. Divergent thinking results in the generation of many possible 12 answers. Guilford associated divergent thinking with creativity and assigned four characteristics to such creative thinking: Fluency: the ability to quickly generate many possible solutions to a problem, Flexibility: multiple approaches to or categories of solutions, Originality: the novelty of ideas, and Elaboration: the development of original ideas. This milestone declaration influenced many tests of creative thinking, including tests of musical creative thinking. I administered the Webster Measures of Creative Thinking in Music (1984), based on Guilford’s work, to the subjects, grade 5 students, in my dissertation study. The test measured these divergent thinking abilities: Extensiveness: literally the amount of time spent in continuous idea generation, Flexibility: the ability to employ and manipulate the musical elements of pitch, tempo, and dynamics, Syntax: the extent to which a musical idea makes sense, and Originality: the extent to which the ideas generated are unique. While the evaluation of process in this manner can yield much information about the aptitude for creativity, it is not practical for evaluating multiple creating projects. Evaluating the finished product is more manageable and, if done regularly and combined with descriptive CMEA News, Summer 2014 feedback, can serve as formative and summative assessment of musical creativity. I would like to make the case for product assessment that includes, but does not solely rely on, the evaluation of lower order skills and knowledge. Theresa Amabile developed her Consensual Assessment Technique (1982), CAT, as a subjective measure of creativity. It has been shown to be applicable to many fields, including poetry, visual art, storytelling, and caption writing. CAT has influenced research concerned with adapting this technique to musical creativity. According to Amabile, “a product or response is creative to the extent that appropriate observers (experts in a particular domain or field) agree it is creative.” Studies designed to test the reliability of CAT have found a high level of agreement among experts in a field even when they have not been trained to agree. Maud Hickey (2001) tested the reliability of CAT on fourth and fifth grade children’s compositions and found the highest level of reliability/agreement from general music/ choral teachers. Priest (2006) found similar results when teachers were given audio recordings to assess and found the least amount of agreement when teachers were given only a written score. So, what does this mean to us? I believe it is a defense of the subjective measurement of musical creativity. However, we must agree on the following assumptions: Students of all ages are capable of generating responses that are unique to them and appropriate to the domain and to the given stimuli. Music educators are considered experts in the domain of children’s musical creativity and therefore consensual assessment of such work can be highly reliable. students. In order to judge whether something is unique to a particular student, they must have the opportunity to generate many musical ideas. You will notice right away if students rely on and repetitively cite similar melodic and rhythmic patterns, instrumental choices, etc…or whether they “think outside their boxes” in order to try new ideas. An example of a creativity rubric which address the dimensions of technique, creativity, and appropriateness for the given stimuli might be: Novice Basic Proficient Exemplary Creativity Response is not novel for the creator, is copied from another, or there is no measurable response Response is weakly novel and occasionally builds on previous patterns of responses with many verbatim citations (i.e. “stuck in a rut”) Response is novel for creator, builds on previous patterns of responses with occasional verbatim citations Response is very novel for the creator - builds on patterns of previous responses in novel ways or is comprised of brand new ideas. Appropriateness Response is not appropriate for the given parameters of tonality, rhythm, style, compositional technique, etc… Response often deviates from the given parameters of tonality, rhythm, style, compositional technique etc... Response is mostly appropriate and only rarely deviates from the given parameters of tonality, rhythm, style, compositional technique, etc... Response is consistently appropriate and is created within given parameters of tonality, rhythm, style, compositional technique, etc... Technique Response does not demonstrate accurate digital, instrumental, vocal, and/or compositional technique Response inconsistently demonstrates accurate digital, instrumental, vocal, and/or compositional technique and mistakes do detract from the musicality of the presentation. Response demonstrates mostly accurate digital, instrumental, vocal, and/or compositional technique and mistakes do not detract from the musicality of the presentation Response demonstrates consistently accurate digital, instrumental, vocal, and/or compositional technique I am intrigued by the possibilities for regular engagement in musical creativity in the classroom. I am excited about the continued development of tasks that include not only self, peer, and teacher assessment, but the teaching of the creative process and the evaluation of creative work that goes beyond the assessment of lower level skills and knowledge. Please consider joining me at CCSU July 28 – August 1 for a class in teaching creativity and using creative pursuit to build a music learning community in your classroom. It is important to note that in developing a scoring device for musical creativity, many researchers have included a dimension for the evaluation of technical ability. I have used a technical dimension to evaluate the technical performance of a creative product as well as students’ ability to demonstrate concepts such as repetition and contrast (unity and variety), tension and release, and melody construction. This not only allows for the evaluation of skills and knowledge, but separates the students’ technique from their ability to be creative. Also important to consider is the regularity of creating projects with your I am looking forward to the ideas we can generate together!! Resources Amabile, T.M. (1982). Social psychology of creativity: A consensual assessment technique. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 43, 997-1013. Guilford, J.P. (1967). The nature of human intelligence. New York, NY: McGraw Hill. Hickey, M. (2001). An application of Amabile’s consensual assessment technique for rating the creativity of children’s musical compositions. Journal of Research in Music Education, 49(3), 234-244. Webster, P. (1987) Refinement of a measure of creative thinking in music. In C. Madsen and C. Prickett (Eds.), Applications of Research in Music Behavior (pp. 257-271). Tuscaloosa, Alabama: The University of Alabama Press. CMEA News, Summer 2014 13 Berklee World Strings by Joan Winters W aterford High School hosted the Berklee World Strings on April 26th, with an afternoon workshop given by the 20 piece ensemble and its music director Eugene Friesen. Close to 150 students and adults participated in the workshop that introduced first steps of improvising for classically trained players. It also included learning a couple of international folk tunes by ear. The evening concert was a huge success with many soloists improvising, allowing all the cellists, violists, violinists, bassists, harpists and mandolin players in the audience to hear how it is done so easily! Many thanks to CMEA for supporting this venture with their grant donation. I highly suggest everyone applies for these grants that enable you to bring great musical programs and outstanding musicians to your schools. THERE IS NO SUBSTITUTE FOR KNOWLEDGE, CRAFTSMANSHIP AND SERVICE. 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Rare & Contemporary Violins, Violas, Cellos, Basses & Bows Rental of Quality European Instruments World-Class Restorations & Expert Repairs Bow Rehairing • Accessories Consignments, Trade-ups & Appraisals Our Specialty: Set-up and Fine Tonal Adjustments by Performing Musicians 403 East Putnam Avenue Greenwich/Cos Cob, CT 203 661-9500 25 Davenport Avenue Westport, CT 203 227-9577 e-mail: [email protected] • www.atelierconstantinpopescu.com 14 CMEA News, Summer 2014 Experience the Evolution of Visit www.4wrd.it/SBrassCONMEA CMEA News, Summer 2014 15 Listen and Learn: The Key to Effective Secondary General Music Instruction by George Ober and Joe Pergola We propose that it’s time for all secondary general music teachers to employ the skills and techniques necessary to create a stimulating and effective secondary general music program in all our schools. T eaching secondary general music can be one of the most challenging and one of the most rewarding courses for music teachers. The multitude of requests for guidance regarding curriculum and learning goals on social media teacher sites demonstrates widespread concern about teaching this subject. There is no question that secondary general music instruction instills significant discomfort in teachers who are assigned a full schedule or just a single section. Issues in Secondary General Music Education Why do so many secondary music educators feel insecure when asked to teach general music? Perhaps it’s the amount of preparation necessary to teach a music course to predominately non-performing music students! Maybe it’s the lack of a unified sequential curriculum! Possibly it’s question of which materials will be useful! Maybe it’s the fear of disciplinary issues due to a lack of confidence in the lessons being taught! Whatever the reason, music educators desperately need resources and a research based curriculum designed specifically for today’s secondary general music student Learning Goals for Secondary Education It’s important to ask ourselves the following question. What are the essential skills and knowledge that all students should learn. For some educators the primary goal is to have students perform on instruments such as recorder, guitar, percussion and electronic keyboard? In other programs the most important skillI is for all students to know how to read and write traditional musical notation? From 16 a humanities perspective the primary goal may be to understand music history? However, since the vast majority of students required to take secondary general music are not members of a school performing group, the most important goal must be the development of “listening skills”. The Importance of Aural Skills We live in a world where MTV, VH1 and YouTube have replaced aural acuity with visual imagery, the need to increase our students ability to better appreciate music by developing listening skills is essential. We need to help our students develop the aural skills necessary to perceive the expressive qualities inherent in various musical styles. Instructional Sequence This can be accomplished by having students understand and recognize the basic elements of music such as beat, tempo, dynamics, rhythm, instrumentation and form. The development of independent listening skills for each basic element provides the building blocks for the ability to a) hear, b)describe and c) identify the qualities inherent in music of varying CMEA News, Summer 2014 style. By incorporating these basic skills into an instructional design, can help all our students cultivate the skills needed to demonstrate an aesthetic response to music.Initially, the basic elements of music should be described and discussed in non-technical terms, supported by various learning activities involving description, creation and performance all in conjunction with appropriate listening examples. Gradually, connections to proper terminology and musical symbols should be used to describe, analyze and assess listening examples. Instructional Activities (Beat/Tempo) Students need to internalize beat and tempo. With repeated listening activities, students can learn to maintain a steady pulse in varying tempos by clapping or tapping. (Dynamics) The ability to recognize and identify various dynamic levels including crescendo and decrescendo is a listening skill all students can develop. (Rhythm) With developmental practice students can learn to audiate and perform notated basic rhythm problems. Have students learn to compose four (4) measure rhythm patterns. (Form) Using simple song form, (Intro, Verse, Chorus, Bridge) students can develop the listening skills necessary to graph song form. True knowledge of the basic elements of music is exemplified by aural recognition and oral description. In other words, students must be able to recognize each element in isolation and in relationship to other elements present in the music. Students must be able to describe the function served by each element and how it is connected to the style being performed. Conclusion Each individual teacher must choose the best material suited for the level and age of their students. All styles of music should be employed; classical, jazz, rock etc. Emphasis should be placed on current popular styles because success in introducing students to new musical concepts is considerably easier when the student is dealing with familiar music. Plus, when students see that “their music” is accepted by the teacher, they are more receptive to listening and learning about other styles of music. Secondary general music teachers must stay open-minded and up to date with the ever changing styles of popular music. It is time secondary general music develops a curriculum design and effective pedagogy that builds the listening skills necessary for students to better appreciate the expressive qualities inherent in all styles of music. 69th CMEA In-Service Conference April 29-May 2, 2015 Connecticut Convention Center, Hartford CALL FOR SESSION PROPOSALS Music educations professionals, companies, and organizations are invited to submit session proposals for the 69th CMEA In-Service Conference being held in Hartford at the Connecticut Convention Center April 29-May 2, 2015. Proposals received by the deadline will be reviewed by the Conference Planning Committee. The Committee will be guided in the selection of sessions by the following criteria: Quality of presentations (objectives and organization clearly communicated); innovation (brings new learning to conference attendees); importance and relevance to the profession (connects o statewide and national initiatives in arts education); practical and useful to our membership (easily replicated in a classroom). All sessions are 60 minutes in length and all presenters are expected to be registered for the conference. Presenter may attend the conference for free on the day they present and will be offered a reduced registration rate for the other conference days. Accepted sessions will not be scheduled unless registration is received. Presenters will be notified of acceptance by January 30, 2014. Co-presenters must also be registered for the conference at the reduced rates. Steps to proposal completion: 1. Go to CMEA.org and click link for online session proposal form. 2. Complete form before November 1, 2014. 3. Upon acceptance, pre-register for the conference. A tentative schedule will be available online by the end of February. CMEA News, Summer 2014 17 If We Build It They Will Come: Using Music Technology to Reach “The Other 80%” in Secondary School Programs David Brian Williams, PhD (Illinois State University Emeritus) Rick Dammers, PhD (Rowan University) I n music education we begin children’s elementary music experience by encouraging everyone to join in music making through singing and performing on rhythm instruments, autoharps, recorders, flutophones, and more. Music making and music learning include one and all; everyone gets to participate. Music teachers use participatory music making as a way to introduce concepts of rhythm, pitch, melodic shape and harmonic changes, and form and style. Then what happens? As our students matriculate through levels of schooling, music participation becomes more selective. We move from participatory music making as a model to the traditional performance model where perfection is a key goal: no wrong notes and fewer opportunities for creative music expression. Performance ensembles—band, orchestra, chorus, marching band and jazz band—dominate the secondary music curriculum with a general music class or advanced placement theory perhaps added to the curriculum. For those students attracted to these ensembles the benefits of this training and experience is expansive and well documented. Some students go on to professional music careers; others carry their extra-musical and musical experiences with them into other careers and as an integral part of their personal lives. We are not advocating changing this component of our nation’s music education tradition. Dave Williams’ review of several studies (Williams, 2012) has shown that on average across the country, by the time students advance through middle school to high school, only 20 percent of students are involved in these traditional music classes (also see Elpus and Abril, 2011 and NJAEP, 2014). Many students who participated in music making in the lower grades have since distanced themselves 18 from school music. These are what we call “The Other 80%,” the students who no longer are active in the traditional secondary school music program. It is further insightful, that while nationally only 20 percent on average are involved in traditional secondary performance ensembles, a much greater percentage of students sing or play an instrument outside of school. The longitudinal series of studies, Monitoring the Future (Johnston et al., 2010), showed that over some 30 years, an average 57% of students in 8th, 10th, and 12th grades—not just those in music classes—reported that they play an instrument or sing outside of school at least once or twice a month if not daily. In terms of lifelong music making, the NAMMcommissioned Gallup survey (NAMM, 2003) showed that 54% of households have someone that plays a musical instrument and 48% play two or more (see Williams, 2012, for a full discussion of these data). McAllester’s predictions in the 1967 Tanglewood report were incredibly prescient. He stated some 60 years ago: “We have a splendid beginning in the early grades, when children are sometimes lucky enough to get acquainted with rhythm and melody on all sorts of simple and unconventional instruments. They have the thrill of exploring the delights of free creativity without a long CMEA News, Summer 2014 apprenticeship in technique first.... We might entertain the idea that someone who never does develop skills on conventional instruments could become a gifted performer on unconventional ones.... Someone who never learned to read conventional notation might nonetheless become an outstanding composer in some medium where notation has yet to be invented, or may even be impossible to invent” (p. 97). Field of Dreams. Change is on the horizon with new playing fields designed within our traditional music curriculum. Music teachers, innovative and selfmotivated, are creating new environments for The-Other-80% to explore students’ creative music potential. It is being done in many ways: song writing, guitar and ukulele ensembles, Mariachi bands, drumming circles, and various ethnic ensembles. All these activities help bridge music education in school with music in society and use these activities to nurture a greater knowledge and appreciation of the building blocks of music that encourage lifelong music making. They do so with the challenge, like Ray Kinsella dreaming of the return of Shoeless Joe Jackson to baseball, that “if we build it, they will come.” Technolog y at Bat. An everexpanding group of teachers is using music technology as a strategy to reach these students. They are using laptops and tablets with software like GarageBand, Mixcraft, and Abelton Live, to engage these “non-traditional” students in ways that nurture creative performing and composing talents. Reading traditional notation and performing on traditional instruments are not, as McAllester suggested, a prerequisite—students’ ears become their guide with the music teacher as their music creativity coach. We built the website http:// musiccreativity.org several years ago as a way to collect the stories of music teachers who were building their own music technology field of dreams; an online forum to share success stories working with non-traditional music students. Like those teachers implementing guitar and ukulele ensembles, the students motivated to make music through technology were discovering ways to bridge school music training with the music they enjoyed in society: rock, hip-hop, DJ mixes, mashups, jazz and more. Go the Distance! In Rick Dammers’ research (Dammers, 2012), he found that some 14 percent of high schools in the nation have some form of technologybased music classes. On our website (musiccreativity.org) you will find some 30 profiles of teachers who have been successful using technology to build programs for the non-traditional students. They often start with one class--perhaps even an after-school activity. As the program expands, the profiles show more advanced classes added in music technology, MIDIbased performance ensembles, studio recording and mixing, and even studentmanaged recording labels. As the voice to Kinsella encouraged, “go the distance,” the success of these programs develop their own kinetic energy. Students, some academically or behaviorally challenged, gain self-confidence, increased positive attitudes, and find intrinsic reward from creating and performing music in new and novel ways. Take the Initiative and Build It? You may be asking, as Ray Kinsella did, “What’s in it for me?” Following the belief shared by most music teachers that if music is important, it is important for everyone, creating a technology-based music class can be tremendously rewarding, both through successfully reaching the ‘other 80%’ student and through exploring the creative pedagogical possibilities offered by technology. Beyond these rewards, the expansion of the music program improves the program’s position within the school, since the more students that study music, the more important music will be to the school. A perusal of the profiles on our website will show technology programs that have greatly expanded from the first class offering. These programs have grown large enough with expanded student interest that the school administration begins to view them as integral to overall curriculum and are more proactive in providing new funding and resources to ensure their continual success (e.g., profiles on our website from Greenwich H.S. in Connecticut, Brookfield H.S. in Georgia, and Lebanon H.S. in Ohio). In one high school, some 60 percent of students take at least one music technology class. Further, these teachers report that many students continue after graduation to college study in music performance, business, recording, and technology. You may be surprised to find that your school administrator is more supportive of classes for the non-traditional music student than you think. Rick’s survey of secondary school administrators (Dammers, 2012) found that two-thirds of high school principals surveyed agree that music technology classes would be valuable in their schools and 56% who offer no music technology indicated that it would be feasible to offer such a class in their school. Whether you use ukuleles or GarageBand, take the initiative and create an experience designed for the nontraditional music student. If you build it, not only the other 80% will come, but the sponsors will as well—the parents and administrators! Resources Dammers, R. (2012). Technology-Based Music Classes in High Schools in the United States. Bulletin of the Council for Research in Music Education, 194, 73-90. Elpus, K. and Abril, C. (2011), “High school music students in the United States: A demographic profile”, Journal of Research in Music Education, 59:2, 128-145. Johnston, L.D., Bachman, J. G., O’Malley, P. M., et al (2010), Monitoring the Future: A Continuing Study of American Youth (8th, 10th, 12th Grade Surveys), database from http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/icpsrweb/ ICPSR/ssvd/studies?prefix=M. Accessed 10 September 2011. McAllester, D. (1967) “The substance of things hoped for”, from Documentary Report of the Tanglewood Symposium, Reston, VA: MENC, 96-99. NAMM (National Association of Music Merchants). (2003, April 21). Gallup organization reveals findings of “American attitudes toward making music” survey. Retrieved, November 13, 2013, from http:// www.namm.org/news/press-releases/ gallup-organization-reveals-findingsamerican-atti NJAEP (New Jersey Arts Education Partnership). (2013, January 28). New Jersey School Performance Reports. Retrieved, February 8, 2014 from http://njaep.org. Williams, D. B. (2012). The nontraditional music student in secondary schools of the united states: Engaging non-participant students in creative music activities through technology. Journal of Music, Technology, and Education, 4(2-3), 131-147. CMEA News, Summer 2014 19 CMEA Executive Board 2013-2014 PRESIDENT STEPHANIE ZAK [email protected] IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT DALE D. GRIFFA [email protected] [email protected] Phone 203-801-4847 Fax (w) 203-972-3450 PRESIDENT ELECT michael ances [email protected] EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Barbara Skrebutenas [email protected] Phone 860-632-1847 Fax 860-632-1853 NORTHERN REGION DIRECTOR walter culup [email protected] SOUTHERN REGION DIRECTOR THERESA VOSS [email protected] WESTERN REGION DIRECTOR NICK ALBANO [email protected] Eastern Region Director MATT DELASSUS [email protected] RICHARD DIAMOND [email protected] STUDENT AFFAIRS COMMISSION CHAIR NED SMITH [email protected] STATE ARTS CONSULTANT SCOTT SHULER (w) [email protected] Fax (w) 860-713-7081 860-713-6746 2014-15 EB/SAC Meeting Dates Executive Board/Council (EB/EC) Student Affairs Commission (SAC) 4:15 pm unless noted September 9 EB September 16 SAC October 7 SAC October 14 EB November 4 SAC November 11 EB December 9 SAC COLLEGIATE CNAfME STATE COUNCIL Sarah Petersen [email protected] January 6 SAC Professional Development Chair KIM YANNON [email protected] Phone 203-982-1537 Fax (w) 203-250-7614 March 3 Membership Chair John Kuhner [email protected] May 12 Advertiser Index Atelier...........................14 Bucknell.......................... 6 Five Towns College.............. 2 January 13 EB February 10 SAC EB March 10 SAC April 7 SAC May 5 SAC EB June 2 June 13 SAC Leadership Retreat (time TBD) CMEA is a 501C3 non-profit organization and is a federated state affiliate of the National Association for Music Education (NAfME). Membership is open to all music teachers and those involved in other music education related work. The CMEA NEWS is published four times a year in September, December, March and June. Opinions expressed in this publication are those of the author and do not represent an official position of CMEA. A subscription to the NEWS is included in the annual membership fee. Hartt.............................. 4 2014-15 Publication Copy Deadlines are: Rayburn Music....... Back Cover August 1, November 1, February 1 and May 1 Quaver....... Inside Front Cover Manuscripts should be sent directly to the CMEA NEWS Editor at [email protected] Yamaha..........................15 20 CMEA News, Summer 2014 For advertising information and rates, please visit www.cmea.org . It’s time to start a Tri-M Music Honor Society chapter. Strengthen your school’s Music. Honor. And Society. Starting a Tri-M Music Honor Society chapter will help show the value of your music program to the school. It will also benefit your students by allowing them to: e Build an impressive record for college e Grow as leaders in music e Serve their community Ready to start a chapter? Follow these easy steps: 1. 2. 3. Visit nafme.org/tri-m to download your chapter activation form or call 1-800-336-3768. Send in the activation form with your chapter activation fee ($50-$125 based on the size of your school) Receive a packet from NAfME with a guide to start your chapter – and get going! CMEA PO Box 174 367 Main Street Cromwell, CT 06416-0174 Non Profit Org US Postage PAID Willimantic, CT Permit No.69
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