Use Your Resources and Feel the Music

If I have learned one thing this week it is to use your resources and be thankful for them. I had to rely on a few people in order to get some of the projects done this week. Firstly, I looked to my neighbor who is an expert on computers. I needed a better microphone to start my module four project so I asked to borrow one of the many he owns. He suggested one that he thought would work best for my project and checked that it worked. Then I had the privilege of interviewing one of my mother’s friends who is helping me with my final project on storytelling. She is a master storyteller and I have always wanted to get her thoughts on reading aloud and storytelling. One of the most interesting things she shared with me was that present day story grammar derives from the telling of folktales and legends. So when we teach the beginning, middle, and end or study character development it is because storytellers from centuries ago decided that these were elements that captivated audiences. She had so many insights that I am currently working on for the narration of my storytelling movie. Lastly, I asked for my sister’s expertise in music for this week’s discussion. My sister is a music major currently in her senior year at Oakland University. I had the opportunity to sit down with her and just get her opinion on some of the songs discussed this week. She was able to add an extra layer of insight that I was not able to see at first and I feel that I gained a greater perspective on music. I looked to these individuals for their expertise this week and found myself looking at them as resources. I am usually not one to ask for help because I like doing things for myself but this week I learned that by using the people I have around me as resources then I can learn more and better myself as an individual and as a teacher. In the teaching world I need to learn to lean on my fellow colleagues for help especially because I am a fairly new teacher. I am reminded that many of these teachers have been doing their jobs for years and have tips and techniques that may be helpful for my students. I am also reminded of a lesson that I teach at the beginning of every school year. I have my students create a star filled with images of what they are experts on. For example, some students may be experts on soccer, karate, math, cooking, drawing, ect… I have all students pick something that they feel confident and proud of and the stars are displayed all year long so that students are reminded how hard they have worked to be an expert at that particular subject. I know that it is vital to encourage children and make them feel accomplished, but I forget sometimes that adults are experts too. I am reminded that I should look to colleagues for their thoughts on students and lessons. I think that as a school or perhaps even as a society our schools should move forward with this idea that individual teachers all have something that they may be particularly good at and would benefit the whole of the school. I am aware of some schools in my area that are making strides to set up programs that allow teachers to teach in teams. I think that this idea could really benefit schools and revolutionize the future of our education system.

This week I also had the opportunity to really analyze music through interviews with Robert Kapilow and readings by Gary Burns. As I was discussing the nature and design of some popular songs I realized that all the songs evoked strong emotions. Some were melancholy, some were hopeful, and some just made me want to dance, but none the less they all made me feel something. While Kapilow is describing the famous song “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” , he mentions that a song makes you feel a thought. He then goes on to say that art begins where communication breaks down. Both were profound statements. Kapilow is primarily speaking of music, but I believe the same is true for all art. I began to think back to some of our other modules and remembered that the same intentions were true of the other types of artistry we have encountered. Photographers want their audiences to see something about life in each photo, movie makers want their audiences to see things in a deeper or different way, and interior designers want their customers to feel comfortable. In all the modules the artists intend to inspire and make their audiences feel something about their work. Art is so extremely important in our schools and in life. It makes us feel things and think things that may not be translated into words or communicated in any other way. Art needs to stay and be a part of our curriculum in the future.