STANDARD 1: The teacher of PK-12 music has skills in pedagogy (planning, delivering instruction, and assessment) for vocal, instrumental, and general music.
A successful teacher of K-12 music is skilled in pedagogy (planning, delivering instruction, and assessment) demonstrates this in the vocal, instrumental, and general music classrooms. As a music teacher, I provide my students with extensive pedagogical knowledge and considerable knowledge of my content area. Throughout my time in music education courses, I have gained many valuable skills. I am able to effectively lead students in class or a rehearsal while using minimal piano, which allows me to teach and assess aural skills. I have also spent the last decade in and conducting numerous ensembles of different levels which has helped to develop my understanding of ensemble composition as well as error detection in groups of varying sizes. These ensemble experiences have also helped to develop my ear and my ability to speak to ensembles in ways that they will understand. I have also taught lessons in the elementary classroom that have allowed me to become familiar with a number of elementary music theorists, such as the lesson I wrote using the Orff method and instrumentarium.I have a background in a variety of musical styles, due to my experience in choral ensembles and solo work. This includes secular and sacred choral music, pop arrangements, Broadway, Opera, and a great deal of British choral music. All of my experiences translate into what I have to offer my classroom and I hope to continue to keep up my performance skills by taking part in community choirs and other performing opportunities.
My students will benefit from my pedagogical knowledge in many ways. My experience with choral and solo repertoire means I have considerable knowledge on languages and pronunciations such as French, Spanish, German, Latin, and Italian. This would allow me to introduce students to more music form a variety of cultures. One of the goals I have for my classroom is to help my students to become global citizens and have respect for the many cultures in the world. In addition to my language background, I have done significant research on songs and music of different cultures, most notably the tradition of Chinese Peking Opera. I will use my understanding and research skill to bring the world into my classroom and foster an environment of openness, respect, and a healthy curiosity about the world. While I believe that building a supportive learning environment is crucial to success, I feel even stronger that music is what connects us as human kind. I want my students to see that there are children all across the world that are just like them – expressing themselves through music, being passionate about different kinds of music, and using music as a tool to communicate. I will always be looking for ways to foster respect and global citizenship in my classroom through music. As a teacher of K-12 music, I am skilled in pedagogy (planning, deliver instruction, and assessment) and will demonstrate this in vocal, instrumental, and general music, to the best of my ability.
My students will benefit from my pedagogical knowledge in many ways. My experience with choral and solo repertoire means I have considerable knowledge on languages and pronunciations such as French, Spanish, German, Latin, and Italian. This would allow me to introduce students to more music form a variety of cultures. One of the goals I have for my classroom is to help my students to become global citizens and have respect for the many cultures in the world. In addition to my language background, I have done significant research on songs and music of different cultures, most notably the tradition of Chinese Peking Opera. I will use my understanding and research skill to bring the world into my classroom and foster an environment of openness, respect, and a healthy curiosity about the world. While I believe that building a supportive learning environment is crucial to success, I feel even stronger that music is what connects us as human kind. I want my students to see that there are children all across the world that are just like them – expressing themselves through music, being passionate about different kinds of music, and using music as a tool to communicate. I will always be looking for ways to foster respect and global citizenship in my classroom through music. As a teacher of K-12 music, I am skilled in pedagogy (planning, deliver instruction, and assessment) and will demonstrate this in vocal, instrumental, and general music, to the best of my ability.
ARTIFACT 1: University Choir Lesson
The video below is of a men's sectional from University Choir Spring 2018. I helped lead the choir and taught sectionals and full ensemble rehearsals throughout the semester. My portion of this video begins at 4:00 and lasts until about 25:00. I have selected this warm up video to highlight my ability to plan and deliver instruction to a music class. This video includes solfege and my knowledge of the male voice, which are two things that I consider vital to the success of an ensemble. This video displays my ability to teach a piece to a group of students that includes chant-like features and changes tonalities. (Excerpt from Karl Jenkins "Peacemakers").
ARTIFACT 2: Elementary Lesson Plan
The lesson plan below is one of several examples that fit within this standard. In preparation for this lesson plan, I took time to focus on and address the prior knowledge and skills that the first grade students would have before entering the classroom. Whether it is little or no experience, the strategy of echoing and call and response used within the lesson allows students to experiment with what they are hearing, and having repetition in learning new words and rhythms. This is the first lesson in a unit on the concept Sol and Mi, and students are given a basis that will aid them in the addition of body percussion, movement, and improvisation. In preparation for this lesson, I considered how best students could develop their skills in learning the new music, and building upon those skills in the following lessons.