Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Monday, April 19, 2010
Friday, April 16, 2010
Reflective Essay
In contemplating what I have learned through the A.R.T.S. process and class I have come up with several worhtwhile mentions. Let me start with the reading. I think as an educator it is vitally important that we keep learning. A great way that I learn is through reading. Reading gives me a sense that I am learning through my eyes and not someone elses. The reading we have done in this class has been very worthwhile. In Pink, it was amazing to learn more about how the brain works, why it applies to what we do, and how it will help us in the future. As a music teacher, we constantly hear how our programs are in peril of becoming extinct. We are threatened with that even now with budgetary crisis' and shrinking revenues. It is nice to know that at least we will have some kind of future, but we will probably have to fight our way there, as usual. Pink has some very good ideas about what our future in the workplace holds. To know that more people will be looking for people who can create unique solutions to problems is again a comfort. Music teachers have always known that we are a key element to any educational endeavor. We hold a lot of knowledge with how the brian works and why music is important in the learning process. We know the reasons why kids who learn more, faster, and better just happen to be in our music classes. Music helps, it connects, it shapes. To know and see it in writing in Pink's book that our genre of education, our little corner of the world is about to be rediscovered is comforting. We have known all along as music teachers that we held a critical key component of learning and shaping minds, now the whole world might discover us again is heartening. I found Gardner's book helpful as well. He explained the concept of synthesis very well. His book was a little harder to read, but once you became familiar with the sytax it started to take on the effect of being a really brainy adventure. Synthesis is again something that music teachers use all of the time. We teach our kids where the music came from, why it was written, who the composer is, and how they came to write the piece. We also indulge our students with synthesis everytime we play something. After all, it is math and science that we use every time we play an instrument or sing. We are using science techniques to tune (sharp/flat), to physically play our instrunent; math to determine note counts and rhythmic passages. We use all of this at a split second. It is nice to see that Gardner has put this technique in writing and put it in writing for the layperson to see and read. It is also important as an educatior that we not forget how important it is that synthesis should be a part of everyday school life. These kids need to know how and why things are interconnected. They need to understand that what they are learning is important and does have an affect on their situation and world around them.
Next, the portfolio. I admit this has given me some trouble. I have had difficulty in determining how to get my portfolio items uploaded onto the blog. Some things have been very difficult and I have felt very frustrated at times with the blogging uploading aspect of the class. I do, however see the importantce of keeping portfolios and evidence of learning. At times it has been difficult deciding what I wanted to include because I did not want to betray anyone's trust by putting something on a blog for the whole world to see. I think the blogging idea in itself has been really nice. It has been great to sit down at my compter and be able to complete a blog, much faster than I could have ever written it by the way.
I have started to think more about how to deliver these ideas into the classroom and what I can include at what grade level. It has been interesting to think about synthesis, Pink's ideas, and the components of the action research project when contemplating lesson plans. Using the ARTS concepts and including them in the classroom has been a worthwhile endeavor. It has given me a chance to really think about how to include another aspect into my classroom that I might not have thought about otherwise. The concepts of syntheis, community, and integrating whole brain thinking has helped me make more out fo my classess. The ARTS class in itself has proven to focus my teaching in the classroom and make it more enjoyable for my classes. I have seen surprises along the way. When doing the action research project, I saw my kids get excited about something I never would have imagined or tried otherwise. As a travelling band teacher, it is hard for me to give up time to focus on a worksheet, I prefer to tie it in with what we have been learning in the book. In doing my action research project though, I included a simple worksheet. The kids went crazy. They absolutely loved it. Although I'm not sure if it was because it was just something different, or that they really liked the worksheet I'll never know. The point here is that I have learned and I will start including more of those types of activities. That this class has shown me that there are things I can still do to up my game and make my students enjoy and learn more, this class has definitely proven to be an asset.
Next, the portfolio. I admit this has given me some trouble. I have had difficulty in determining how to get my portfolio items uploaded onto the blog. Some things have been very difficult and I have felt very frustrated at times with the blogging uploading aspect of the class. I do, however see the importantce of keeping portfolios and evidence of learning. At times it has been difficult deciding what I wanted to include because I did not want to betray anyone's trust by putting something on a blog for the whole world to see. I think the blogging idea in itself has been really nice. It has been great to sit down at my compter and be able to complete a blog, much faster than I could have ever written it by the way.
I have started to think more about how to deliver these ideas into the classroom and what I can include at what grade level. It has been interesting to think about synthesis, Pink's ideas, and the components of the action research project when contemplating lesson plans. Using the ARTS concepts and including them in the classroom has been a worthwhile endeavor. It has given me a chance to really think about how to include another aspect into my classroom that I might not have thought about otherwise. The concepts of syntheis, community, and integrating whole brain thinking has helped me make more out fo my classess. The ARTS class in itself has proven to focus my teaching in the classroom and make it more enjoyable for my classes. I have seen surprises along the way. When doing the action research project, I saw my kids get excited about something I never would have imagined or tried otherwise. As a travelling band teacher, it is hard for me to give up time to focus on a worksheet, I prefer to tie it in with what we have been learning in the book. In doing my action research project though, I included a simple worksheet. The kids went crazy. They absolutely loved it. Although I'm not sure if it was because it was just something different, or that they really liked the worksheet I'll never know. The point here is that I have learned and I will start including more of those types of activities. That this class has shown me that there are things I can still do to up my game and make my students enjoy and learn more, this class has definitely proven to be an asset.
Gardner Thoughts
After reading Gardner's thoughts on synthesis, I am a little cloudy. Gardner is very lofty with some of his word usage and I found myself having to read some passages more than once. However, I think that what he is trying to say is that people have to be taught how to synthesize. In almost any situation, people have to put many different facts together and then make a decision. Many could argue that this is synthesis. He talks about interdisciplinary ideas. He states that this idea actually starts when we are very young and that as time goes on we are taught to ignore some of those impulses. Young children try to force things together, to make correlations where there might not be any to make. When we enter school, we are taught facts and not necessarily how these facts intertwine with one another. Hitsory is separate from math is separate from English, etc. Every subject is its own discipline with its own set of facts to decipher and learn. I tend to agree with him. I was asking my students the other day who Shakespeare was. None of them knew who I was talking about. They didn't know who he was, what he did, or where he lived. It seems to me that might have come up somewhere along the line. How could Shakespeare not have come up in all the years that a 5th grader would have been in school? How can you even teach poetry, sonnets, early literature, etc without mentioning him? To go on, I asked what country he would have been from. They told me Mississippi, London, and Europe. Note that none of these are countries. I wonder if this would have happened in a more interdisciplinary classroom environment. I think students would learn more if they were given the opportunity to make more links from one subject to another. As a music teacher, we try to link things together all of the time. We link history, geography, science, etc to what we do because it is an integral part of what we do. How can we teach notes without teaching how those pitches are created? It seems to me that once again, musicians take the lead.
Gardner: Chp. 3 Notes
5 Minds for the Future: Howard Gardner
Chapter 3: The Synthesizing Mind
Kinds of Synthesis:
Narratives: synthesizer puts material together into a coherent narrative
Taxonomies: materials are ordered in terms of characteristic
Complex concepts: A newly stipulated concept can tie together or blend a range of
Phenomena
Rules and aphorisms: folk wisdom is captured by short phrases, designed to be
memorable
Powerful metaphors, images, and themes: bringing concepts to life by invoking
Metaphors
Embodiments without words: powerful syntheses can be embodied in works of art
Theories: concepts can be amalgamated into a theory
Metatheory: overall framework for knowledge, a theory of theories
Components of Synthesis:
A goal- a statement or conception of what the synthesizer is trying to achieve
A starting point-an idea, image, or, indeed any previous work on which to build.
Selection of strategy, method, and approach.
Drafts and feedback.
Interdisciplinary: applied to studies that draw deliberately on at least two scholarly disciplines and seek integration
The author discusses the fact that in order to be truly interdisciplinary the person has to see the two sides of the two separate disciplines. He discusses that fact that even though a presenter may present two different disciplines, the student may not see both sides. He goes on to state that even large companies and true interdiscipline people may not see the end result as the same. You can present the same material to a group of people and everyone will get something different from the information.
Interdisciplinary work is typically motivated by one of three considerations:
A powerful new concept has been developed, and it is inviting and timely to test the reach of that concept.
An important phenomenon has emerged, and a full understanding of that phenomenon calls for, or even demands, its contextualization.
A pressing problem emerges, and current individual disciplines prove inadequate to solve that problem.
It is difficult for people to correctly synthesize in work type environments. When people have been expected to work in a certain way, it becomes hard for them to think outside of the box. As they focus on certain aspects of their job, other areas of their expertise may wane because of disuse. It works the same for people who typically work alone are asked suddenly to work with people, the situation may be difficult.
The synthesizing mind comes into play at an early age. However, with schools focused on cramming facts and information into the heads of young people, the synthesized mind usually does not get any attention. Educators are focused on certain ways to solve problems or explain things, when students would benefit greatly from differences of solution solving.
Multiperspectivalism: recognizes that different analytic perspectives can contribute to the elucidation of an issue or problem
Chapter 3: The Synthesizing Mind
Kinds of Synthesis:
Narratives: synthesizer puts material together into a coherent narrative
Taxonomies: materials are ordered in terms of characteristic
Complex concepts: A newly stipulated concept can tie together or blend a range of
Phenomena
Rules and aphorisms: folk wisdom is captured by short phrases, designed to be
memorable
Powerful metaphors, images, and themes: bringing concepts to life by invoking
Metaphors
Embodiments without words: powerful syntheses can be embodied in works of art
Theories: concepts can be amalgamated into a theory
Metatheory: overall framework for knowledge, a theory of theories
Components of Synthesis:
A goal- a statement or conception of what the synthesizer is trying to achieve
A starting point-an idea, image, or, indeed any previous work on which to build.
Selection of strategy, method, and approach.
Drafts and feedback.
Interdisciplinary: applied to studies that draw deliberately on at least two scholarly disciplines and seek integration
The author discusses the fact that in order to be truly interdisciplinary the person has to see the two sides of the two separate disciplines. He discusses that fact that even though a presenter may present two different disciplines, the student may not see both sides. He goes on to state that even large companies and true interdiscipline people may not see the end result as the same. You can present the same material to a group of people and everyone will get something different from the information.
Interdisciplinary work is typically motivated by one of three considerations:
A powerful new concept has been developed, and it is inviting and timely to test the reach of that concept.
An important phenomenon has emerged, and a full understanding of that phenomenon calls for, or even demands, its contextualization.
A pressing problem emerges, and current individual disciplines prove inadequate to solve that problem.
It is difficult for people to correctly synthesize in work type environments. When people have been expected to work in a certain way, it becomes hard for them to think outside of the box. As they focus on certain aspects of their job, other areas of their expertise may wane because of disuse. It works the same for people who typically work alone are asked suddenly to work with people, the situation may be difficult.
The synthesizing mind comes into play at an early age. However, with schools focused on cramming facts and information into the heads of young people, the synthesized mind usually does not get any attention. Educators are focused on certain ways to solve problems or explain things, when students would benefit greatly from differences of solution solving.
Multiperspectivalism: recognizes that different analytic perspectives can contribute to the elucidation of an issue or problem
Thursday, April 15, 2010
March 16th:: Another Forgotten Post
Some of my buildings are really inhospitable to someone with a laptop and wireless connection. It is difficult at times to find a working computer with internet connection. So, sometimes I work on my post offline and I guess on these occasions forgot to go back and actually post them.
March 16th POST
I have been working on my action research project. I have gotten everything designed, printed, and ready to go. I have decided to work with my 3rd grade recorder class because that is the one class that never gets taken away from me. I have finally decided to concentrate on notes and rhythms. These are two fundamentals that the kids seem to have a hard time remembering from week to week. I can go over it a million times in class, and the kids will come back and will have forgotten everything from the previous week. I feel like I am trudging through water and mud. It gets really frustrating to keep re-teaching everything week after week. I do see progress, but the repetition just gets crazy sometimes. I am constantly plagued with the fact that the kids are forgetting their instruments a lot lately. I know that a lot of the kids keep their instruments in their teacher’s rooms so that they won’t forget them at home. However, the fact is that they are not practicing. This has a lot to do with the fact that they are having trouble retaining information as well. They are not putting into practice what I have taught them in class. This gets frustrating on so many levels. I lead a double edged sword. I teach elementary band, which means that the kids technically do not have to have my class in order to move on to middle school. Fine arts teachers know that technically and aesthetically speaking all kids are better off with participation in the arts. Fine arts teachers also know that participation in the arts teach kids about patterns, methods, kinesthetics, etc. and that to be a part of a musical group only enhances the child’s ability to learn. However, some schools are better with imparting the feeling that music is an important class and not just something that you take for fun. I have to be very careful with the way that I approach the kids so that they do have fun, but not at the expense of the knowledge and behavior that I expect in my class. In reading Pink, I am struck with how multi dimensional his six senses seem to be. I can see how the six senses can apply to my kids in the band classes, as well as professional musicians. In getting the kids in my class to understand why it is important for them to take their instruments home, it comes back to this feeling of intrinsic motivation that we try as teachers to instill in the kids of our class. Kids do need approval and help finding that intrinsic motivation, especially kids who stand to gain the most from it. I look forward to seeing if any of my techniques help the kids to retain more information of notes and rhythms. I am continuing to work on getting the kids to take their instruments back and forth from school. Although, with CRCT around the corner I stand little chance.
March 16th POST
I have been working on my action research project. I have gotten everything designed, printed, and ready to go. I have decided to work with my 3rd grade recorder class because that is the one class that never gets taken away from me. I have finally decided to concentrate on notes and rhythms. These are two fundamentals that the kids seem to have a hard time remembering from week to week. I can go over it a million times in class, and the kids will come back and will have forgotten everything from the previous week. I feel like I am trudging through water and mud. It gets really frustrating to keep re-teaching everything week after week. I do see progress, but the repetition just gets crazy sometimes. I am constantly plagued with the fact that the kids are forgetting their instruments a lot lately. I know that a lot of the kids keep their instruments in their teacher’s rooms so that they won’t forget them at home. However, the fact is that they are not practicing. This has a lot to do with the fact that they are having trouble retaining information as well. They are not putting into practice what I have taught them in class. This gets frustrating on so many levels. I lead a double edged sword. I teach elementary band, which means that the kids technically do not have to have my class in order to move on to middle school. Fine arts teachers know that technically and aesthetically speaking all kids are better off with participation in the arts. Fine arts teachers also know that participation in the arts teach kids about patterns, methods, kinesthetics, etc. and that to be a part of a musical group only enhances the child’s ability to learn. However, some schools are better with imparting the feeling that music is an important class and not just something that you take for fun. I have to be very careful with the way that I approach the kids so that they do have fun, but not at the expense of the knowledge and behavior that I expect in my class. In reading Pink, I am struck with how multi dimensional his six senses seem to be. I can see how the six senses can apply to my kids in the band classes, as well as professional musicians. In getting the kids in my class to understand why it is important for them to take their instruments home, it comes back to this feeling of intrinsic motivation that we try as teachers to instill in the kids of our class. Kids do need approval and help finding that intrinsic motivation, especially kids who stand to gain the most from it. I look forward to seeing if any of my techniques help the kids to retain more information of notes and rhythms. I am continuing to work on getting the kids to take their instruments back and forth from school. Although, with CRCT around the corner I stand little chance.
March 13, 2010::Forgotten Post from March class
March 13, 2010
Well, I guess the weather finally cooperated and we were allowed to come to class! I am glad we had the opportunity to come today because I had a lot of things clarified with what we should be doing. In my first session of the day I went to the Teacher as Artist block. We spent time discussing what we would do for the next class in regards to Pink. The majority of time we spent discussing a new form of composition that the whole class will be cooperating on. I have done this technique somewhat in classes of the past. However, in elementary school things like this take time and that is something I find I have very little of. We spent time in this class going over this technique of creating a composition s a whole class, transforming and defining it, and eventually performing it. We posted a piece of paper on the board and told the class things we were thinking about. Items such a rush hour traffic, springtime, and waterfalls were mentioned. We then spent time discussing and labeling sounds that might correlate to what these items were that we had listed. We identified car horns, conversations, and buzzing bees that would help to identify the items we had already labeled in the previous step. Upon completion of this step, we were asked to identify a complete sentence that would encompass everything we wanted to incorporate into our composition. This was definitely an interesting process. I like the fact that we are doing this as a whole group and not having to do it individually. The group also discussed how we would perform this piece and where. As I mentioned before, I have done something like this in previous years. When I taught middle school, this was something I used periodically with guitars. Kids seem to really like this and get a kick out of composing something that they are so involved in. The final step that we were asked to come up with was to create a sentence that encompassed everything we and discussed for our piece of music. The sentence the group came up with was: Love and unity will cancel out fear, as you receive earth’s seasonal symphonies just listen and you will hear. I look forward to seeing what the rest of the group members come up with to actually take what we discussed and put it to actually performing a piece.
Well, I guess the weather finally cooperated and we were allowed to come to class! I am glad we had the opportunity to come today because I had a lot of things clarified with what we should be doing. In my first session of the day I went to the Teacher as Artist block. We spent time discussing what we would do for the next class in regards to Pink. The majority of time we spent discussing a new form of composition that the whole class will be cooperating on. I have done this technique somewhat in classes of the past. However, in elementary school things like this take time and that is something I find I have very little of. We spent time in this class going over this technique of creating a composition s a whole class, transforming and defining it, and eventually performing it. We posted a piece of paper on the board and told the class things we were thinking about. Items such a rush hour traffic, springtime, and waterfalls were mentioned. We then spent time discussing and labeling sounds that might correlate to what these items were that we had listed. We identified car horns, conversations, and buzzing bees that would help to identify the items we had already labeled in the previous step. Upon completion of this step, we were asked to identify a complete sentence that would encompass everything we wanted to incorporate into our composition. This was definitely an interesting process. I like the fact that we are doing this as a whole group and not having to do it individually. The group also discussed how we would perform this piece and where. As I mentioned before, I have done something like this in previous years. When I taught middle school, this was something I used periodically with guitars. Kids seem to really like this and get a kick out of composing something that they are so involved in. The final step that we were asked to come up with was to create a sentence that encompassed everything we and discussed for our piece of music. The sentence the group came up with was: Love and unity will cancel out fear, as you receive earth’s seasonal symphonies just listen and you will hear. I look forward to seeing what the rest of the group members come up with to actually take what we discussed and put it to actually performing a piece.
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Resume
Mandy Corso
EDUCTAION:
Columbus State University; Columbus, Ga.
Degree Earned: Bachelors of Music Education
Major: Music Education
Columbus State University; Columbus, Ga.
Degree Earned: Master of Music
Major: Music
University of West Georgia; Carollton, Ga.
Degree Earned: Specialist
Major: Educational Leadership & Administration
TEACHING
EXPERIENCE:
CJ Hicks Elementary; Conyers, Ga.; 1998-1999
Elementary General Music
*Directed chorus in PTA performances
*Participated in PTA Reflections Contest
*Developed curriculum for Orff instruments
Morrow Middle School; Morros, Ga.; 1999-2001
Middle School General Music
*Developed individualized lesson plans for guitar and keyboard
*Taught three tiered program for 6,7, and 8th grade students
*Introduced music careers aspect to curriculum
East Lake Elementary; Atlanta, Ga.; 2001-Present
Elementary Band
*Taught band at five elementary schools per week
*Directed numerous performances for PTA, Graduation, and various programs
*Hosted field trips to Atlanta Symphony and Spivey Hall
AFFILIATIONS:
Georgia Music Educators Association
Music Educators National Conference
Mu Phi Epsilon
EDUCTAION:
Columbus State University; Columbus, Ga.
Degree Earned: Bachelors of Music Education
Major: Music Education
Columbus State University; Columbus, Ga.
Degree Earned: Master of Music
Major: Music
University of West Georgia; Carollton, Ga.
Degree Earned: Specialist
Major: Educational Leadership & Administration
TEACHING
EXPERIENCE:
CJ Hicks Elementary; Conyers, Ga.; 1998-1999
Elementary General Music
*Directed chorus in PTA performances
*Participated in PTA Reflections Contest
*Developed curriculum for Orff instruments
Morrow Middle School; Morros, Ga.; 1999-2001
Middle School General Music
*Developed individualized lesson plans for guitar and keyboard
*Taught three tiered program for 6,7, and 8th grade students
*Introduced music careers aspect to curriculum
East Lake Elementary; Atlanta, Ga.; 2001-Present
Elementary Band
*Taught band at five elementary schools per week
*Directed numerous performances for PTA, Graduation, and various programs
*Hosted field trips to Atlanta Symphony and Spivey Hall
AFFILIATIONS:
Georgia Music Educators Association
Music Educators National Conference
Mu Phi Epsilon
Example of Parent Letter
The following is an example of a parent letter sent home this year. During the holiday season, there are many schools who want their bands to perform. The only drawback to this is that usually the schools fight for the same days. When all is said and done, the presentations are usually met with great enthusiasm. It is my job as the band teacher to try to get the band parents to these presentations. I start sending letters home at the beginning of December to let the parents know so that they can plan accordingly. I also stress to the kids in my band how important it is to have parents and relatives at the concerts. It is my belief that kids, no matter how old, still want their familes to see them perform. At the elementary age, we can instill a sense of pride that will hopefully get the parents there to see their kids. What I don't want parents to do is to come to performances during their kids' elementary years and then fade out once middle school hits. It is extremely important for kids these days to see the adults in their life involved and interested in what they are doing. When I send letters home, I am happy to say that the parents usually do come and watch the performances. There are inevitably the kids who don't make it to the conerts....most of the time the excuse is that they didn't have a ride. I am never sure whether I can believe that or not. The point is though, always let the parents know when you want them there!!!!
December 6, 2009
To: XXXXXX Recorder Parents
From: Mrs. Corso, Band Director
RE: Holiday Performance
Dear Parents,
It is that time of year again and the third grade recorder class has been working hard to prepare music for the holiday program. The music itself has been challenging, but they have made great strides toward being able to perform it successfully.
The holiday program will take place on December 20, 2009 (Wednesday) at 6:30p.m.: it is imperative that all recorder students attend this program!!! The students are welcome to stay with me after school on this Wednesday (12-20-09). We will order pizza for dinner and watch a movie. This also gives the class a chance to set up music stands and run through our music for the upcoming performance. This has proven in years past to be fun for the students and gives the parents the opportunity to not worry about transportation.
It is imperative that all recorder students be present for this performance, whether they stay with me after school or go home and come back. They have been working exceptionally hard to provide the audience with musical entertainment. If your recorder student is also involved with the chorus, they can stay with me after school that day and I will make sure they are where they are supposed to be for the beginning of the performance. If your recorder student is involved with other after school activities, they can always attend those and then join the group for the rest of the time until performance.
Recorder students can wear holiday colors or if they are involved with another performance--what that teacher has told them to wear for the holiday program. I look forward to having everyone hear all of the hard work that has been done by these students. See you there!!
Thanks for your support,
Mrs. Corso, Band Director
December 6, 2009
To: XXXXXX Recorder Parents
From: Mrs. Corso, Band Director
RE: Holiday Performance
Dear Parents,
It is that time of year again and the third grade recorder class has been working hard to prepare music for the holiday program. The music itself has been challenging, but they have made great strides toward being able to perform it successfully.
The holiday program will take place on December 20, 2009 (Wednesday) at 6:30p.m.: it is imperative that all recorder students attend this program!!! The students are welcome to stay with me after school on this Wednesday (12-20-09). We will order pizza for dinner and watch a movie. This also gives the class a chance to set up music stands and run through our music for the upcoming performance. This has proven in years past to be fun for the students and gives the parents the opportunity to not worry about transportation.
It is imperative that all recorder students be present for this performance, whether they stay with me after school or go home and come back. They have been working exceptionally hard to provide the audience with musical entertainment. If your recorder student is also involved with the chorus, they can stay with me after school that day and I will make sure they are where they are supposed to be for the beginning of the performance. If your recorder student is involved with other after school activities, they can always attend those and then join the group for the rest of the time until performance.
Recorder students can wear holiday colors or if they are involved with another performance--what that teacher has told them to wear for the holiday program. I look forward to having everyone hear all of the hard work that has been done by these students. See you there!!
Thanks for your support,
Mrs. Corso, Band Director
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