tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6233983995495203290.post3410848667692546258..comments2024-01-04T07:11:14.467-05:00Comments on Atelierista: stories from a studio: Music, Art and Democratic EducationAnna Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10020564718454754566noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6233983995495203290.post-82054276794136302202010-08-09T18:37:12.399-04:002010-08-09T18:37:12.399-04:00What a great exploration, I'm looking forward ...What a great exploration, I'm looking forward to following your posts. I too have been in a number of bands from my HS band to my adult foray into jazz, hip hop, and ska.<br />That being said, there's more to music than the audible.<br />My son is at The Berklee College of Music right now. What I tell him is that he has a great responsibility to humanity.<br />When disaster strikes, what do people do? They gather and they sing.<br />When there is a graduation, what do people do?<br />They play songs that mark the time.<br />Funerals, birthdays, celebrations, meditations.<br />For the lifetime of all humankind, music has been the force that transports and transitions one into the "other."<br />Wonderful.Marla McLean, Atelieristahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12788200495569027489noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6233983995495203290.post-89615534620269322502010-08-04T11:30:09.456-04:002010-08-04T11:30:09.456-04:00Isn't the art of music like any other form of ...Isn't the art of music like any other form of artistic expression.... pleasing in the eye/ear of the beholder? I've always viewed art, in any form, as a medium to examine and experience my life more fully... and to try and understand the life experiences of others. How can we say that one cultural representation of music is any more valid than another? Music evokes great emotions and sensations which can relate back to specific experiences and times... providing for reflection. I try and expose my children to a wide range of musical styles, and ethnicities, to help them hear the range of human expression. I welcome and support a program that explores different genres, and cultural perspectives.Maryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05038508739472777056noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6233983995495203290.post-39918610606606628082010-08-03T12:26:04.291-04:002010-08-03T12:26:04.291-04:00This is, like Mary said, a wonderful provocation. ...This is, like Mary said, a wonderful provocation. I sometimes think about my personal values that I communicate throught my choices in the classroom - it is inevitable. We are always listening to music, and I try to keep it diverse, but when a child came in with a High School Musical CD and asked to put it on, I said no. After I said it, I questioned it for hours. Why did I say no? Just because I don't like it, does that mean we shouldn't listen to it?<br /><br />I imagine that your students are going to listen to a wide variety of sounds and make a variety of sounds in your studio this year. Enjoy, and I look forward to reading all about it!alliehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06213589791060503501noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6233983995495203290.post-8565347332133821102010-07-31T22:45:45.110-04:002010-07-31T22:45:45.110-04:00Hi Anna,
Interesting thoughts all and your writeup...Hi Anna,<br />Interesting thoughts all and your writeup has provoked more questions--always a good thing. In developing a music program it seems to me schools should ask what are the tools that students need to understand musical idioms? This leads us to basics like harmony, rhythm and sound...and then no matter the TYPE of music what are ways to explore those tools and learn to listen and make sound? <br /><br />Much of the quandary seems to come from the labels we give music. I see folk musical expressions as incredibly rich, provocative, accessible, sometimes simple but often complex and as varied as the cultures creating it....or am I talking about world music? When it comes to "fine" music I once had a composer teacher who said he hated the word classical music. Felt it a complete misnomer and instead wished we'd talk about concert music vs. non live. Why call classical music high art music and separate it into an untouchable place beyond our everyday? Wouldn't it be great if we could leave aside labels and focus on what students might be able to do, and what tools they might have in their pockets to have a literacy that helps them tune into a whole range of sounds. Thanks for the provocation!Mary Bnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6233983995495203290.post-46971591577477867252010-07-31T11:06:36.565-04:002010-07-31T11:06:36.565-04:00Oh no, The Wall!Oh no, The Wall!Anna Ghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10020564718454754566noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6233983995495203290.post-24121281017408599932010-07-31T10:50:52.236-04:002010-07-31T10:50:52.236-04:00I feel very fortunate that my own daughter (now in...I feel very fortunate that my own daughter (now in 8th grade) seems to have received a very well-rounded musical education, although it didn't all happen in her school. Unlike what you mention, her middle school musical experience has focused almost exclusively on contemporary music (i.e., 60's-today). This year, the "big project" for the year involved studying Pink Floyd's "The Wall." She's been lucky, however, in that her grandmother was an opera singer and has been exposing her to classical music since she was a tot. They still attend the opera and symphony together at least once a month. Without that family "expert," however, she would never have had that opportunity.<br /><br />As person for whom music is like magic -- I love it, but really struggle when it comes to making it myself -- I rely on those folk songs because I can actually manage to croak them out and keep a rhythm. <br /><br />Good food for thought, Anna. Thanks.Teacher Tomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14606781724784785338noreply@blogger.com