In our present day culture it would be virtually
impossible to find individuals who do not have daily contact
with music either as a listener or as a performer. At some point
certain individuals choose to do more than just listen to music,
they choose to perform. For many, this choice is made in the
adolescent years, they sing in elementary music class or play
an instrument in band or orchestra or perhaps learn to play the
piano.
One of the surest ways to help students to understand music is to get
them to perform it. The complexity of the performance is not of importance
rather; it is the action of performing that helps a student learn the
inner workings of music. The level of success will vary from student
to student depending on a number of variables such as how much time they
practice, their desire to improve, what condition their instrument is
in, the level of instruction they receive and how often they receive
it. By learning to play a musical instrument students get the added benefit
of doing better in other subject areas.
Research has pointed out the academic benefits to active participation
in music. Former U.S. Secretary of Education Richard W. Riley spoke of
the importance of performance in music on March 19, 1998. He said, “There
are very tangible and measurable benefits to education and academic success
that come from learning about, and participating in the arts and music.
One study showed that preschoolers who took keyboard lessons and joined
in group singing scored higher on tests measuring spatial reasoning and
develop better abstract reasoning than those who did not.” Numerous
studies within the past ten years substantiate the fact that students
who participate in music score higher in tests than students who do not
participate in music.
Over the past two decades music instructors have been challenged on several
occasions about the validity of music in school curriculum. Plato once
said that music “is a more potent instrument than any other for
education.” Now scientists know why. They believe music trains
the brains for higher forms of thinking. Researchers at the University
of California, Irvine, studied the power of music by observing two groups
of preschoolers. One group took piano lessons and sang daily in chorus.
The others did not. After eight months the musical three year olds were
experts at putting puzzles together, scoring 80 percent higher than their
playmates did in spatial intelligence, the ability to visualize the world
accurately. This skill later translates in to complex math and engineering
skills. “Early music training can enhance a child’s ability
to reason,” says Irvine physicist Gordan Shaw. Yet music education
is often the first “frill” to be cut when school budgets
shrink. Schools on average have only one music teacher for every 500
children, according to the National Commission on Music Education.
This has prompted a much-needed look at how music instruction is designed
for the classroom. As a result Instructional Design in music education
courses has experienced a change, music curriculums and plans of study
are more specific about what is being taught and how it is being taught.
For this project a unit will be designed for music performance following
the instructional design steps of Analysis; Design; Development; Implementation
and Evaluation. A group of “students” consisting of Kathy
Mills, Joel Price and Rob Monson will be asked to participate.
ANALYSIS
Needs Analysis
The problem is the students may be at different stages in their understanding
of music performance. It is not known whom, if any of them can read music.
To solve the problem a common understanding will need to be
established so the students will be able to communicate with
each other.
Task Analysis
The job is the students must perform “Mary Had A Little
Lamb” using musical instruments.
Instructional Analysis
The students must learn:
1. tempo
2. rhythm
3. note values
4. note names
5. positions
6. How to assemble the instrument
7. How to produce a sound on the instrument
DESIGN
The objective is to teach the students to play “Mary Had A Little
Lamb” together. We will know if the objective has been met if they
perform the song in a recognizable manner.
The instructional strategy that will achieve the objective
is to teach the students collectively about the tempo; rhythm;
and note values. Individually students will have to be taught
about note names and fingerings/positions.
The most effective method of teaching them to play will be
to first teach about rhythm, note values, note names and positions.
Then teach them to produce a sound on the instrument.
DEVELOPMENT
Draft materials
The materials used will consist of:
1. written music
2. position chart
3. instrument
4. music stand
Media production
The materials used will be printed clearly and of excellent
quality.
Formative evaluation
All of the materials used will meet quality standards that
other students have used with great success. In order to improve
the materials they would have to be printed professionally.
IMPLEMENTATION
After receiving proper instruction on tempo; rhythm; note
values; note names; positions; how to assemble the instrument
and how to produce a sound on the instrument the students will
be ready to play.
EVALUATION
We will know if the problem has been solved if the students
play “Mary Had A Little Lamb” in a recognizable
manner after receiving the instruction on how to play. Because
this step is summative evaluation and is usually done by someone
other than the designer our audience will serve as evaluators.
This basic form of instruction would qualify as Behaviorism
because the learning occurs by reinforcement of stimulus-response
bonds. The initial experience of learning to play an instrument
is reliant on learning by rote. The teacher must demonstrate
the desired action and ask the student to imitate the action.
The Suzuki method of teaching how to play an instrument is totally reliant
on rote teaching. This method encourages the student to rely on the instructor
for each step of the learning process. Initial success is very impressive.
Students show progress at a very noticeable pace and are interested in
continuing. The method has its limitations and at some point the student
must take on the responsibility of designing their own method of learning.
The most successful performers become more attuned to Constructivism.
They learn to interact with others to prepare the final product, the
performance. Advanced musicians are presented with challenges that must
be solved and the awards are often intrinsic. Very few aspiring musicians
will ever realize the tangible awards that come with being the best in
the field.
Musicians become extremely involved in goal setting and assessment. Listening
to other musicians often inspires them but they must create a style of
their own and they must constantly assess their improvement.
Finally, musicians must apply multiple perspectives in the learning process.
They are required to be the student, the teacher and the critic/judge.
As the student the responsibilities include being able to set goals and
developing the self-discipline required to practice. The perspective
of the teacher is to look for different ways to approach a problem. To
analyze what works and what doesn't work. As a judge the musician
must play and listen simultaneously and make critique the performance
and then prescribe a way to fix the imperfections.
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