I am around two groups of educators. Those who are extremely technical and those who chose not to. The divide is getting greater and greater. As I approach the fifth anniversary of my website www.carolbroos.com I find it amazing that others have not jumped at the idea to do web 2.0 with their students and continue to use the same tools as they did as a child: paper tests and planners.  Some teachers have chosen to ignore that technology even exists in education. But, they use email, DVR’s, and cell phones. So, when they attack me on having the “techie” gene, I am going to comment back that maybe writing a letter would be better than email, and I have some VHS tapes at home they can use to tape their shows.

In any other part of education if a teacher would say “I don’t read,” or “I’m not interested,” people would wonder why they are a teacher. For to be a teacher is to have that thirst of knowledge. To be an effective teacher you need to be aware of how your students live life. The comment, “They are going to have to learn…” is no longer the battle cry, The battle cry is how are we preparing and educating students on how to teach themselves. For many of the jobs they are going to have may have not been invented yet. They need to learn how to problem-solve issues, learn to ask other for help and  create projects that teach others what they have learned. Many teachers are still teaching facts and figures that can easily be googled, then testing on memorization of facts.

The most engaged students I have in my music classroom are the ones that have learned how to teach themselves. My students are more concerned about getting their “work” completed and creating amazing musical projects. Isn’t that what we want? To only learn from me is quite limiting, but to learn from others across the globe is empowering. There are no walls of knowledge in my classroom. For technology is much like a musical instrument, the more you practice the better you get. My students understand how to practice technology and how to learn from others across the globe.

Some of these educator’s excuses are “I want my students to interact and not be in front of a screen.” or “I want my students to play outside and enjoy nature.” It just shows me how little they know about technology. It is NOT just sitting in front of a screen and there are amazing outdoor activities that students can participate in that use technology. Ever heard of GPS, ah right, most of these teachers use it in their car. They simply do not want to learn themselves.

So, as I begin my thirty-third year of teaching I am no longer going to accept the comment “I’m not techie,” from teachers, administration, or parents. It is no longer an excuse. My incoming fourth graders were all born in the 21st century. That is the reason.

Tags: 21stcenturyskills., Carol Broos, CarolBroos, Technology

I recently received an email about report card revision happening in my district. Currently the fine arts report card is in Filemaker. The team wanted ALL the grades from the student in one file. So, since they know “pages,” (word processing) they wanted a pages document for each child housed on our domain-only google document. (If you are a super-user you can understand the issues)

They were starting with the technology they would use and didn’t focus on WHAT they wanted to do. In addition, I received an email from a friend that her elementary music teacher wanted to create a wiki for students to record, share, and comment on “like” music, like a Facebook environment. The students have to have separate emails accounts set up, then record in Audacity, change file to an .mp3 upload to the wiki, then insert the sound file. All done during the second grade music period! These are teachers who don’t know other tools are out there.

It got me to thinking, That we see “bad tech” when the tools drive the project, instead of the project driving the tools. If you notice, newbies talk tools, then what they want to do. Many times several different tools are being used for the same project. Using the tools for “what you want to do,” is the ultimate question. The newbie in tech wants to teach the tools, so you see  they answer “we are doing an iMovie project.”  In reality, it is a book review, which pages would be a better fit or a poem that Keynote/Powerpoint would be more effective. Looking at the purpose and how do you want the final product to look is the answer to the correct tools.

Update:

• Fine arts report card will be done in Filemaker.
• Elementary music teacher is using Wallwisher and VoiceThread.

Tags: CarolBroos Technology

I composed ZERO songs in high school and only composed ONE song in college. The emphasis was on playing or singing the compositions/songs with a director or conductor. The only creativity was the practice order of the director, no creativity on my part, it really wasn’t discussed. If you wanted to be creative, learn jazz. It wasn’t until I was involved with the “Vermont MIDI Project” that I realized I could and should compose.

I have always felt that composing was way too difficult and involved. Why, because my first exposure was music theory. I learned “how” music works before I experimented with  making melodies. All those intervals and the I, IV, V chord structure. Music theory was the starting and ending point, not the simplicity of melodies and chords. There was no freedom, just music theory; if you follow the rules, then you are composing like a musician. The only problem, my compositions were very programmed, uncreative, and unemotional. Not very inspiring, no wonder I felt I could never compose, it wasn’t my voice, my creation or passion.

That has completely changed…

I can remember my first day sitting in the room with all those composers in Vermont. I was excited my students were going to be a part of these wonderful composing tool, l didn’t realize that I was going to have to compose as well! I sat there for 45 minutes, I managed to get THREE notes on the staff. I was so stressed out and completely overwhelmed. In all my years of music education at the age of 46, no one had let me just compose, with no direction, but just compose, with no rules, no form, just make it sound good TO ME.  The freedom was so powerful. Over the course of the week, I composed faster and faster and with passion.

So, here I am years later, composing is the central most part of what I teach to my students. It is creative and I feel the way ALL music education should be taught. I just let my students compose and let them listen to sounds and notes. As they progress they slowly add chords and learn about theory, so music theory is NOT THE MAIN INGREDIENT. Creating songs with purpose and making music is the main thread. Making is sound good TO ME.

I know this is the way that music should be created. Just ask any of my students from the non-musicians to the students with years of piano. They all are on the same journey,   just on different locations on the journey. The delight of seeing the students share and listen never gets old within the music classroom.

There are always those students that rise to the top, I want to talk about three such students. They have moved me to tears and are the reason I continue to pursue teaching composition within my classroom.

First, a little over a year ago while I was on sabbatical, Sandi MacLeod, the director of the Vermont MIDI Project contacted me. She needed some Sibelius (composition software) files from students. I tell my fourth graders they have to be able to PLAY the song they compose. Well, she needed the files presto, so I told the students, “Just compose anything you can, I need it in one week.” One week passed. Jack was concerned he couldn’t play the song. I replied “Dr. MacLeod just need some files, you don’t have to play it!”  He had managed to have nine different instruments in his “An Adventure.” It was twenty-six pages long. As I began to listen, I was overcome and sat down on the rug and cried. Yes, cried, for I realized I had a “Mozart” in the making. To make a long story short, “An Adventure,” was submitted to MENC/NSBE which won runner-up in the elementary division. He soon will be studying composition privately because composing has become his passion. Here is his mp3 file, if you cannot access the Sibelius online version.

The second student had been a part of the Vermont MIDI Project in fifth grade and was going to another school the next year. He and his parents wanted to continue his music composing so we set up a skype conference on Sunday nights. Well, out of that came his website. http://www.cmusicmaker.com/ Clay and I would have discussions about music and how it works.  It is so amazing to see his development of his compositions. He has inspired me to compose more and be a better listener, musician, and a better teacher. As I talked about music theory and music form, he was quite interested how music works. He slowly began to study music theory, using musictheory.net,  but still experimenting with sounds. When he got his keyboard hooked up to his computer, he experimented more with jazz and various chord progressions. At the start of sixth grade, he had quit piano lessons and was taking drum lessons. Soon he began to see purpose in piano and started piano again, along with drum and guitar lessons. He currently is taking composition classes as well.

Finally, I had a fourth grader, Henri, he slowly became fascinated with GarageBand and composing. One day he knocked on my door and a flash-drive in his hand. To see the excitement of sharing his file and the pride of accomplishment of his composition was my joy of the day. He expressed his love of music and how much he enjoys creating and being in the MIDI lab, and has carried that on at home by composing every day. Here is major cool, his GarageBand composition.

These three students have attacked composing quite different ways. Jack sees music as various melodies, Clay see music as chords and rhythm, and Henri sees music as a release. That is also the beauty of allowing students to find their voice and create.

I personally want to thank the parents for allow them to pursue their creativity. Who knows where it may take them. Let the students compose, it has purpose and creates a voice.

Important links:

• Vermont MIDI Project:  http://www.vtmidi.org
• Jack’s An Adventure, mp3 file of An Adventure
• Clay’s website: http://www.cmusicmaker.com/
• Henri’s major cool

Tags: CarolBroos, Composing, GarageBand, MENC, NSBA, Sandi McLeod, Sibelius, Vermont MIDI Project

Since I teach General Music I teach the gifted/talented right along side the general population student.

Here’s what I classify the talented/gifted student:

a student that has taken piano lessons and performed in recitals, they can play and doodle on the piano or other instrument. They love music and practice on a daily basis, either by parental intervention or by themselves.

Here’s how I classify the general population student:

this student might have taken private lesson on an instrument, but may not remember how to read music. They have no knowledge or commitment of how to practice or may never have taken an instrument outside the music class. They may or may not like music, or even listen to music outside class.

There is a constant challenge within my classroom in trying to keep the gifted/talented student engaged and the general population student in “having fun.” Here’s how I have perfected the experience.

First, acknowledge the gifted/talented student. They have worked hard on practicing their instrument and many have a passion to create. They are a different type of student and let them know that they are NOT going to do the same project or have the same rules concerning the project. Yes, I “track” the students in two separate projects/groups. To the gifted/talented student I say “keep working.” I do not stand over them and watch them work. I only interact with them when they ask me to. Once I get the gifted/talented student working, they usually over achieve their boundaries and allowed to move faster and farther. If they slow down, I immediate explain that they are different and should be doing more, much more than expected, or they will have to do the general education project.They quickly get to working.

With the general population student, I treat them completely different from the gifted/talented student. They need individual goals and assessments along the way. I monitor them more closely. I am always asking them if they need help or can I listen to their “creations.” Since I have been doing this, no students have asked why they cannot do what the gifted/talented student is doing. It is because it is more work and demands more time or they couldn’t begin to do the project. Plus, all of the students in my classes know they can “change up” the project and design a project themselves.

Students often ask me “how long or how many slides do I have to have?,” I quickly answer, “,,,as long as you need to finish for it to be excellent..” Excellence is the main thread, not how many minutes, slides, or measures long. Excellence in all work they produce. If you do not finish and you need more time, the magic wand comes out and “poof” you have more time for excellence.

Tags: Carol Broos, General Population, gifted, talented

The academic world wants the arts to be just like them. Some of us, as music teachers, have embraced this philosophy by having classes during the school day, tests, and even finals. As many of you know, I believe in performance, creativity, and composing. This doesn’t really fall into any academic world. Let it be said “I WILL NOT become an ‘academic art.’”

I love assemblies, performances, and showcasing student work. It validates the student and creates an environment of creativity. If we do away with these special times and only teach classes, we risk being just like an academic teacher. Thus, we are not servicing the arts as they were meant to be, an expression of feelings to OTHERS.  The arts ARE different from academics. In the real world, they are judged, not graded. By becoming “excellent” in your artsy world, it needs an audience, not a classroom of 24. That is why I have embraced the online world. My students can have a voice outside the classroom, more people online can view my students talent than within the classroom, which has been a blessing. It has created an underground community of creativity and excellence that is judged, not graded.

Here are some examples:

• The Uniquia Show Uniquia, is a seventh grade girl obsessed with making videos. She gives me a video almost daily. These are amazing and tell quite a story about her and her friends.

• Number 47, I had two eighth graders work on a wonderful Flash presentation, one with the visual, the other with the audio. Judge for yourself.

• Single Ladies Dance, Within my sixth grade music class, we reenacted a scene from “Glee,” it was a terrific bonding experience.

• Cmusicmaker, Every Sunday night I skype with a former student, who is attending a different school. He is composer and we have setup a website to showcase his compositions. We talk music theory and how music creates a mood for each of his works.

• Chordsville,  for three years a student composed, wrote, and directed a movie. All of the videos are posts, as well as process he did and how he conceived the story.

• Pixx, Another student loves Photoshop, even though I am a music teacher, he works on his own time and gives me wonderful pictures of creativity.

Often I am asked, “So what was your rubric for the project?” My retort is “If I had made a rubric on this, it would have placed a ceiling on their creativity.” Of course you have to let the student know what you want, but DON’T set the limit, students will only work to that level. Have NO limit and demand creativity and excellence, that will be judged.

The Fine Arts is a very small community and is the David within the school. The Goliath’s have all the power and many administrators, as well as fellow educators, have not performed or understand how important the arts are within the 21st century skills. We have to continue stress WE are different and will not become an “academic art,” by just teaching classes and having no additional assemblies or programs, But if that is not supported, then there is always the internet! What a great world we live in!

Tags: broos, CarolBroos, fine arts, projects, Student Websites

I just finished another podcast with Brenda concerning “Classroom Rules,” on our blogcast “Musicially and Technically Speaking.” The start of the year with all it’s organizational rules and information can be overwhelming for any student and extremely boring. I start the year with a BANG! Limited information, only on a “need to know” basis.

Since I teach grades fourth through eighth, I have the same students year to year. The rules don’t change as they progress up the grade levels. Actually, they become looser depending upon the individual student and/or class. I DO NOT have classroom rules that pertain to the entire music program. I agree with Brenda on that point – the only rule you need is RESPECT.

The first day of fourth graders it is important that they leave the music room with a “WOW!” As they enter the room, they immediately sit on the rug in the middle of the room, I go over the class list by reading their names and asking questions about THEM. They quickly find a chair and again they say their names, as I write down their names. This is a seating chart I post on the wall. If they forget where they sit, THEY can refer to the seating chart WITHOUT asking me where they sit. They sing the school song, stand up and sing in groups, and then sing solos. I give points for everything. Only when a student asks, why – I tell them it is for awards for the end of the year and show they the statue they receive if they do all they have to do, Finally, they sit in front of the Promethean Board and I show them my website where the “Links” are so they can play music games at home. The first day is very fast paced and with much movement. The students line up and out the door they go. They are happy that they actually got to “do” something and have a something to “do” on the computer at home.

So, where were the rules?  They were interwoven as they came in, I don’t allow talking out and swiftly nip it as it occurs. When students are singing the school song and dance around, I immediately praise the student and give them extra points. Students begin to see that innovation and creativity are valued and given rewards. As they raise their hands I immediately call on them. Their questions and concerns are acted upon.

The fifth through eighth graders first day is quite different. They sit outside the music classroom, as they come from various different parts of the school setting. I tell them the organizational rule of no backpacks, books, water, or anything other than a jump drive to the music classroom. The students that come with supplies, put their materials in a row outside the classroom. They enter and sit on the rug. I welcome them back and have them stand my the eight places in the room I post the ten rules. We read the rules together and then they find a station. They do NOT log in, I want to make sure that there are only two students on a station. If they would like three in a group, I want to make sure that there is enough room to put them on two computer stations for that to happen.

I reintroduce my website and the new additions, curriculum, and other important information. They have the rest of the time to just play the piano keyboards, use any software they like or be on www.carolbroos.com We start the projects on the second day. Here again, I want them to “do” something along with following the rules. The older the student the more “hyper” they are on the first day. The moment I getting them back to the lab and they start to create, all the hyperness is gone and they are quietly at work.

So I am sure that you are asking what are those ten rules -

1. No water bottles, food, hats (even on hat days) or drinks allowed.
2. The only thing you may have in your hand is “music equipment.” (No backpacks, pencils, pens, allowed.)
3. You must be invited to the “desk area.”
4. You are assigned a computer station and seat location.
5. When moving your chair to your computer spot, lift chair in front of you.
6. Arrange computer station, tell Mrs. Broos immediately if problems.
7. Do not put headsets on unless told.
8. Headsets: Left is right, right is wrong.
9. Do not start until told.
10. No “tearing apart” of headset cord.

Tags: Brenda Muench, brendamuench, Carol Broos, CarolBroos, classroom rules, MATS

A parent in my district recently sent me an article “When Computers Leave the Classroom, so does boredom” by Jeffery Young. Professors use podcasts BEFORE the lecture and require students to come prepared to discuss. He felt the collaboration and discussion within his lecture hall had suffered when he used technology – i.e. PowerPoints! But, sadly many think if they just stand up there and show a PowerPoint they are teaching! This is exactly the point.

He uses podcasts instead for his lectures.  He requires the student to listen to the podcast BEFORE class, so the student comes prepared to DISCUSS and ASK questions concerning the topic. Technology should ENHANCE the presentation, not BE the presentation. That is exactly what the article suggests, having more time during the “class” time for discussion.

This is how we will change education. We need to speed up the education process, not slow it down. Having the lecture as a podcast, then discussion on the topic is the first wave of the change!

Tags: CarolBroos, Jeff Young, lecture, podcasts, Powerpoints