In regards to this Series of Lessons, my students learned a great deal about the process of creating. We explored several ways that we could utilize our voices to harmonize songs in a variety of ways. Students also explored the process of creating through integrating familiar skills in new ways to create a final product. The students gained skills in performing vulnerable material in front of their peers. During this process, several students commented on the fact that they were nervous for our final performance (the informal, in-class presentation). When asked to expand upon why they were nervous, they talked about how having to perform material in a new style felt quite vulnerable. Eventually, they all realized that they were performing for their friends and everyone in the room wanted them to succeed, calming some of their nerves. This Series of Lessons also helped students in their assessment abilities. They all were conscientious about making sure their arrangement included all of the required elements.
My personal musicianship highly influenced this Series of Lessons and, as a result, students’ learning. Personally, I struggle with the act of creating my own music and frequently feel inferior. As a result, I rarely do not partake in creative musicianship on my own time. However, I do not want my students to feel the same struggle I have experienced and have made a conscious effort to push them to try new things and feel safe to explore their creativity. I created an example mash-up arrangement that reflected my taste in music, how I hear potential for harmonies, and my personal abilities. Most students used this model to inform the structure of their own arrangement. My musicianship is solidly rooted in an understanding of chordal structures and my vocal and instrumental modeling was of quality, so these elements were also fairly good in my students’ arrangements. However, I demonstrated a very straightforward way of making a pop song mash-up arrangement. While this made the process quite accessible for most students, I suspect that it also may have hindered some potential creativity.
I actively worked to create a supportive, positive environment in my classroom during this series of lessons. I often emphasized that this experience was not about being perfect or the “best,” but rather trying new things and gaining different experiences. Additionally, when I demonstrated or played personal examples, I stressed that I was not perfect and my examples had faults and that it was more important that I tried opposed to creating a picture-perfect product. I believe that this contributed to my students’ willingness to step outside of their comfort zones. Furthermore, this particular set of students come from a tight-knit class that refers to each other as a “family” and supports and encourages each other often. More than likely, this also had an effect on their ability to overcome their self-consciousness and try something new.
If I were to do this Series of Lessons again in the future, there are a few things that I would change. The song selections that I had in the Lesson Packet each student received reflected what I considered to be “universally known” songs. However, this reflected my background and culture and did not reflect all of my students’ culture. Being a white, middle-class person, my experiences are often portrayed in pop culture as being “universal.” Several of my students pointed out that they did not know some, or in the case of a few of my students, a majority of the songs I had given them. I realized that I could have been more cognizant of their backgrounds and interests. While this may be an opportunity in the future to expand my students’ repertoire, a Series of Lessons that is based upon pop songs should be reflective of their interests in popular music, as well. Another thing that I would change in the future about this Series of Lessons, is that I would take a longer amount of time to teach it, and potentially spread it out over several weeks. The biggest complaint I received from students in their reflection Google Form was that they wish they had more time to explore the skills and create their final mashups. I think a longer period of time would allow students to have a greater understanding of subject material and would allow for a more complex final product.
My personal musicianship highly influenced this Series of Lessons and, as a result, students’ learning. Personally, I struggle with the act of creating my own music and frequently feel inferior. As a result, I rarely do not partake in creative musicianship on my own time. However, I do not want my students to feel the same struggle I have experienced and have made a conscious effort to push them to try new things and feel safe to explore their creativity. I created an example mash-up arrangement that reflected my taste in music, how I hear potential for harmonies, and my personal abilities. Most students used this model to inform the structure of their own arrangement. My musicianship is solidly rooted in an understanding of chordal structures and my vocal and instrumental modeling was of quality, so these elements were also fairly good in my students’ arrangements. However, I demonstrated a very straightforward way of making a pop song mash-up arrangement. While this made the process quite accessible for most students, I suspect that it also may have hindered some potential creativity.
I actively worked to create a supportive, positive environment in my classroom during this series of lessons. I often emphasized that this experience was not about being perfect or the “best,” but rather trying new things and gaining different experiences. Additionally, when I demonstrated or played personal examples, I stressed that I was not perfect and my examples had faults and that it was more important that I tried opposed to creating a picture-perfect product. I believe that this contributed to my students’ willingness to step outside of their comfort zones. Furthermore, this particular set of students come from a tight-knit class that refers to each other as a “family” and supports and encourages each other often. More than likely, this also had an effect on their ability to overcome their self-consciousness and try something new.
If I were to do this Series of Lessons again in the future, there are a few things that I would change. The song selections that I had in the Lesson Packet each student received reflected what I considered to be “universally known” songs. However, this reflected my background and culture and did not reflect all of my students’ culture. Being a white, middle-class person, my experiences are often portrayed in pop culture as being “universal.” Several of my students pointed out that they did not know some, or in the case of a few of my students, a majority of the songs I had given them. I realized that I could have been more cognizant of their backgrounds and interests. While this may be an opportunity in the future to expand my students’ repertoire, a Series of Lessons that is based upon pop songs should be reflective of their interests in popular music, as well. Another thing that I would change in the future about this Series of Lessons, is that I would take a longer amount of time to teach it, and potentially spread it out over several weeks. The biggest complaint I received from students in their reflection Google Form was that they wish they had more time to explore the skills and create their final mashups. I think a longer period of time would allow students to have a greater understanding of subject material and would allow for a more complex final product.