Intro to Music Ed: Chapter 6, 7, 8 and Week 5 response by Philip Om

Week 5 Response

pom10 — 2025-02-17 19:42:52 UTC

1. The answer to this question really depends on the person you ask. Some people may say it was a miss as a lot of people did not recognize the majority of his songs, while others may argue that he was able to promote his newer songs while also sending a political message. While I do agree that a lot of people did not recognize his music, I think his main goals were to bring more exposure to his newest album and send the political message, whether people responded well or not. He succeeded in getting his message out and many people watched the show in the end, so I believe it was a hit in the his eyes.

2. One of the key traits of this nation is its love for American Football and entertainment. The Super Bowl is the biggest football-related event as it crowns a winner and marks the end of the NFL season. In general, halftime shows in football games are meant to serve as entertainment while the players take a break halfway through the game. Naturally, football's biggest event of the year will likely have the most popular half-time show in the entire country. Performing at halftime in the Super Bowl is a huge honor and can help give exposure to the artist performing as well as the sponsoring organization behind it. Normally, popular artists that have already been proven to be staples are selected, but having them perform on the biggest stage in the US can help bring new fans and awareness to more people.

3. I do not watch the Super Bowl very often, but one of the more popular shows that I am aware of is Bruno Mars in 2014. Admittedly, I mainly listen to jazz standards and other sub genres of jazz, so many of the songs played at these shows I don't know. Bruno Mars is one of the few artists that I recognize, so I think my personal favorite is that show. I don't consider myself a reliable person to give accurate analysis on the halftime shows, but that is my opinion.

4. Similarly to the previous question, it is hard for me to choose the "worst" halftime show. If I had to say one, I would probably have to say the most recent one with Kendrick Lamar since I did not know the majority of the songs besides the last one, which is his most popular. Although my analysis may not be the best, I am mainly ranking these based off of how well I recognize them.

CH6: What are the four main characteristics of a profession?

pom10 — 2025-02-21 15:49:08 UTC

The four main characteristics of a profession include extensive education/preparation (degree), the responsibility for making decisions, the commitment to the job shared by the membership, and having an organization that helps advance it. All four of these factors are essential in making a profession into what it is.

CH6: What are the differences between a professional association and union?

pom10 — 2025-02-21 15:49:21 UTC

The main difference between a professional association and union lies in their goals and functions as groups. Professional associations help promote the interests of a profession by being somewhere that people of that profession can network through and rely on. Unions help to represent workers to have better conditions, whether it be working conditions or better wages.

CH6: In what ways does NAfME attempt to advance music education?

pom10 — 2025-02-21 15:49:34 UTC

Three ways NAfME attempts to advance music education are through the in-service education of its members, efforts to inform others (ex. school administrators and board members), and by serving as the "conscious" of the profession. The truth is, the association thrives so much because music educators are willing to support it in return and creating this successful collaboration.

CH6: How can thinking of yourself as a professional music educator influence your outlook toward the music and music education courses you take? Your participation in your student chapter?

pom10 — 2025-02-21 15:49:57 UTC

Thinking of yourself as a professional music educator can benefit your journey as music educator in multiple ways. Being a member of a profession lies mainly in the attitude you have rather than a title. By having this mindset, you can view the classes you take when securing education as crucial components to being an effective and influential music educator rather than viewing them as classes to fulfill credits. Viewing this career as something meaningful rather than a simple job can help your path to becoming an educator more enjoyable and significant.

CH6: In what ways can music educators and professional musicians work together?

pom10 — 2025-02-21 15:50:23 UTC

One way music educators and professional musicians can work together is by having music educators promote musical activities in the community while having professional musicians come into the school to showcase their abilities and inspire students. Having joint events in schools with professional musicians can help music as a whole thrive more.

CH6: In what ways can private music teachers benefit the school music program?

pom10 — 2025-02-21 15:50:35 UTC

I mentioned this in one of my previous chapters, but my school had a program where advanced students could purchase plans with professional private teachers to get cheaper costs for lessons while supporting the school. These works well for all three parties since the school is benefitting through the program, the private teacher is getting more students (plus getting paid), and the student is getting advanced lessons from a professional.

CH6: In what ways do music teachers influence the overall goals of the school music program?

pom10 — 2025-02-21 15:50:47 UTC

When a passenger tells a taxi driver the destination they want to go to, it is up to the driver to figure out the fastest and most efficient pathing to get there. Similarly, it is the music teachers' job to figure out what to do with the broad and general guidelines they are giving by the institution. There is no clear cut way or method to teach students and it is mainly up to the teacher to figure out a good way to do their job.

CH7: Prior to the late 1950s, what reasons were given for including music in schools?

pom10 — 2025-03-02 19:29:02 UTC

In the early universities of the thirteenth century, music was considered one of the seven liberal arts, which included grammar, logic, rhetoric, arithmetic, astronomy, and geometry. This makes sense why it was included in the curriculum as well as schools as a whole.

CH7: What major changes occurred in high school education between 1900 and 1940?

pom10 — 2025-03-02 19:29:24 UTC

At the beginning of the Twentieth century, many things were different. Life expectancy was much shorter as not having enough food or a place to live was common. Education was drastically different with many people not attending past eighth grade, not having any extracurriculars, and regarding music education almost only being vocal music. In 1940, the percentage of students attending high school increased from 10% to over 70%, this flourishing and enriching the education curriculum.

CH7: What were the main points of the Tanglewood declaration?

pom10 — 2025-03-02 19:29:36 UTC

Some main points of the Tanglewood Declaration included all forms of music being taught to everyone, music should be considered an equal subject when considering advancing technology, and only qualified music teachers should be equipped to teaching high school students.

CH7: Under what conditions do federal regulations require that students with disabilities be placed in regular classes?

pom10 — 2025-03-02 19:30:03 UTC

The regulations of the law require that "to the maximum extent appropriate, children with disabilities are educated with children who are not disabled? and that "special classes, separate schooling, or other removal of children with disabilities from the regular educational environment occurs only when the nature or severity of the disability is such that education in regular classes with the use of supplementary aids and services cannot be achieved satisfactorily".

CH7: In the 1980s, what actions did state and the federal government take with regard to perceived weaknesses in education?

pom10 — 2025-03-02 19:30:28 UTC

Instead of large scale, federally funded programs, the government used highly publicized reports that required only a small expenditure of funds compared to new education programs. A well-known part of that was the National Commission on Excellence in Education, which made up of business people and educators that issued a report claiming weaknesses in American education. The report suggested more demanding and rigorous graduation requirements.

CH7: What has been the impact of the "No Child Left Behind" Act?

pom10 — 2025-03-02 19:30:49 UTC

The "No Child Left Behind" Act has negatively impacted music education as it puts an emphasis on math and reading. As a result, music educators are asked to gather evidence containing the results of their teachings.

CH7: What major federal programs was passed in 1965 that greatly affected education and the arts?

pom10 — 2025-03-03 15:25:16 UTC

Two major pieces of legislation that were enacted in 1865 include the Elementary and Secondary Education Act as well as the National Foundation on the Arts and Humanities. The Elementary and Secondary Education Act provided around $1.3 billion in 1965 worth of funding. The National Foundation for the Arts and Humanities was created to help encourage creative talent.

CH8: What five things could students in a band learn in conjunction with "The Stars and Stripes Forever" by Sousa, in addition to playing the right notes at the right time?

pom10 — 2025-03-24 21:03:59 UTC

Five things that students in band could learn in conjunction with "The Stars and Stripes Forever" can include the syntax of musical sounds, the song as a work of music, understandings about musical processes and organization, the skills needed in performing and listening to music, and the attitudes about a particular piece and music in general. These lessons would be learned in addition to playing the right notes at the right time.

CH8: Think of examples of three different types of musical skills

pom10 — 2025-03-24 21:04:12 UTC

Three different types of musical examples can include musical syntax, musical works, and intellectual understandings. An example of musical syntax would be jazz musicians in the early days when they could not read and sheet music had not been written. They would be able to use their ears to recognize musical patterns or organized sounds in order to play accordingly.

CH8: Why is a sense of musical syntax so important in learning music?

pom10 — 2025-03-24 21:04:29 UTC

When speaking English, we are using a string of words to formulate sentences that can be understood by others. If we just used random words in a random assortment, it would not sound like a sentence but simply words. Similarly, music can be defined as "organized sound". A string of randoms sounds cannot be considered music as it would not be organized or make sense. Musical syntax is a skill developed by speaking and/or listening to the language of music. In order to understand music and its sounds, having a basic level of musical syntax or ability to understand organized sound is necessary.

CH8: What is a concept?

pom10 — 2025-03-24 21:04:34 UTC

A concept can be defined as "an abstract or generic idea generalized from particular instances." Concepts can be specific or more vague like music vs tempo. Some concepts don't need verbal symbols and can an exist without one. The word itself can exist in almost every setting as a concept is an idea that can relate to any one topic.

CH8: Why should students develop concepts about music?

pom10 — 2025-03-24 21:04:44 UTC

Students should develop concepts about music because concepts can help students think and understand better. Concept formations are concepts that can help people think. They can help students on specific concepts that they may be struggling with such as melody. Students struggling with melody and understanding can be aided by a teacher showing students a melody like "Simple Gifts". The melody in this piece is quite simple and helps students, no matter the level, understand what a melody can be.

CH8: How does musician-like thinking about the song "Simple Gifts" differ from everyday, ordinary thinking about it?

pom10 — 2025-03-24 21:05:06 UTC

Every field of study has a different way of thinking about things. With physicists, they are interested in the physical properties of sound while social scientists are interested in its effects on human behavior. Musician-like thinking focuses on how sounds can be manipulated and the tonal effects and composition that can be created with it. To many people, "Simple Gifts" is a nice melody and nothing else. To musicians, the melody is used to help understand how to create similar melodies that are simple yet sound melodic. Musicians use these pieces as a reference to understand how to write melodies or just how theory works.

CH8: Why is it very desirable for students in music classes to acquire favorable attitudes toward the subject?

pom10 — 2025-03-24 21:05:47 UTC

It is desirable for students in music classes to acquire favorable attitudes toward the subject because it can affect their learning abilities and capabilities in music as a whole. The sole purpose of learning music is not to just drill sheet music and learn how to do it for a good grade. Students are able to understand and succeed in music more if they enjoy it or create some connection with it. Music that is enjoyed by students can be more effective than working on concepts and categories.

CH8: What factors affect the attitudes people adopt toward music?

pom10 — 2025-03-24 21:06:01 UTC

A factor that can affect people's attitudes toward music can include familiarity with pieces. The book mentions how someone who likes Broadway musicals can more easily acquire a favorable attitude towards concert band pieces than someone who exclusively listens to rap or heavy metal. I found this particularly interesting because this is a very real situation that many music educators may find themselves in. This is a situation that has to be tackled and I think can help teachers plan accordingly ahead of time in order to accommodate a lot of people's preferences.

CH8: What does the word "relevant" mean in discussions of curriculum?

pom10 — 2025-03-24 21:06:18 UTC

"Relevant" in discussions of curriculum means when the interests of the students and the requirements of valid subject matter conflict. This is a situation that can occur pretty often as many people do not view music as a "valid" course that is worthy of students' time. As music educators, our course is often viewed down upon and unnecessary and it is our job to be able to show and prove the value of music through our teachings.