The Four Pillars of Music Education
Innovative Leader
During my undergrad, I was fortunate enough to have served in several leadership opportunities in campus organizations, both curricular and extra-curricular. I have been lead alto of the Crane Jazz Ensemble, a position which is expected to organize sectionals and, in the ensemble setting, to be the model for tone, articulation, and dynamics across the saxophone section. In Phi Mu Alpha, I have served as treasurer, a core member of the executive board, music director, for which I organized and led music rehearsals, and province council chairman, for which I run meetings and organize larger events for the chapters in upstate New York.
As a teacher, I wish to expand the scope of music education at my employing institution. I am a strong proponent of jazz bands at the middle school and high school level, which give students the opportunity to play in non-classical styles in a largely classically-oriented music education system. Also at that level should be the strong presence of chamber music. In my time at Crane, no experience taught me more than my saxophone quartet, through which I gained part independence (playing a completely different part from all other members of the ensemble) and peer leadership and communication skills, which were encouraged by our weekly rehearsals absent of a director. Extracurricular groups which allow students to explore and experience diverse sounds and techniques can encourage students who may otherwise have dropped out of music education to remain enrolled. This also includes musical theater programs, which bridge the gap between different areas of performing and visual art, connecting portions of the student body who may otherwise not be connected.
I support extensive outreach not only to present students, but to future and former ones as well. I comes from a high school whose music faculty encourages alumni involvement through periodic alumni-inclusive performances at the school. This gives a musical outlet to alumni who may no longer have one. If programs like this do not exist at any institution I serve, I will venture to play a part in creating them. Along with alumni outreach, outreach to younger students who may be much earlier on in their musical careers would not be neglected either. Involving younger students in experiences with older students gives them people to look up to in their musical journeys and encourages them to continue with their musical studies.
Deep Dive into a Concert Band Score
When working on a piece in a school concert band, it is essential to ensure that your students are aware of the context and expressive intent of the music rather than just notes and rhythms. Attached here is melody sheet for a popular middle- to high-school concert band piece: Clare Grundman's Kentucky 1800. Following in the practices of such concert band greats as Holst and Grainger, Kentucky 1800 uses the melodies of folk tunes as the basis for its music. In this case, these are folk tunes from the American West. As most folk songs do, each of these tunes have lyrics, the understanding of which could enhance students' learning of the piece. This melody sheet, therefore, serves a multifaceted purpose: to familiarize the students with the lyrical content of the songs being performed and to allow all students to play the melody together so that they have an understanding of when they are playing it in the context of the full piece.
Also included is a lesson plan made for my elementary wind practices class which details a theoretical first rehearsal of this piece and Michael Sweeney's "Celtic Air and Dance." These resources combined allows for a successful sightreading session on both of these pieces which, along with achieving note and rhythm accuracy, should also introduce the students to the expressive and interpretive ideas which they should be working in to their performance.
An innovative leader should come up with new ways to encourage their students to engage with the music that they perform. Students do not often have the opportunity to delve into the lyrics of older pieces presented to them in class, and a lesson plan like this one would give them a novel experience in that area.
Kentucky 1800 Melodies - Score and parts (2).pdfSightreading LP.pdfNYS Teaching Standards Element II.5
CR-SEF: High Expectations and Rigorous Instruction