music education - Michael J. Thom

Last from Anderson Highland

Michael — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 02:28:00 +0000

Well, my time at Anderson Highland has finally come to an end. (Well, actually, it officially ended 5/2 and practically ended 5/10, but I’m just now getting around to blogging about it.) What a wonderful time I had there. Mr. Fletcher and Mr. Stickler truly were wonderful to work with, and I had so much fun working with all the students in all the various ensembles. I’m blessed to have been given the opportunity to student teach at Highland.

I wanted to share the corollary to my first post about Highland. In the middle of the semester, Mr. Fletcher had the students write two things I was doing well and something I needed to improve on. This produced many interesting (and all anonymous) notes. Well, I asked him to have the students do similarly again, this time at the end of the semester. This produced many interesting responses again, but in very different ways. I even had many students sign the notes. What follows is, again, selections from these notes (typed verbatim, if any errors exist).

I think you’re doing AWESOME GOOD LUCK! Congrats on your engagement too! (I’m sure that’s a little late.) If you’re dealt with some in this class, you’ll be ready for almost anything.. Ha Ha!

You have progressed tremendously. Work on: Discipline & authority.

You’re Amazing
don’t change Mr. Thom!!!
sectionals are amazing with you!
woot! woot! congrats

it’s all good so far that I can see
Don’t go

Mr. Tom
You’ve done a great job. You don’t constantly mess up like our student teachers last year. Thanks for putting up with all of my stupid sounds and stuff, and good luck after graduation.

Mr. Thom,
Thank you for being a director for our band
You did well.

Mr. Thom is an awesome conductor and student teacher. Compared to all over the other student conductors, I would say I like him the best. He is easy to get along with and he knows A LOT about what he’s doing – more so than our previous student conductors.
Can’t think of anything for him to improve on.

Mr. Thom,
You did a super job putting up with this band. I know that even just as a student, this class can be frustrating to deal with, and as a student teacher, you dealt with it well.
You’ll make a fine teacher, and whatever school you go to, they’ll be lucky to have you!
GOOD LUCK!
and have fun at graduation.

Mr. Thom –
You are amazing, don’t ever change. We’ll miss you sooooooo much. Thank you, You’re the best!

You were confident without seeming cocky. You seemed laid back but in a good way. (You weren’t stressful). You did a Great job conducting.

Mr. Thom,
You did a great job this year with us. Your conducting was actually better than a certain someone else that shall remain nameless!
Thank you

Mr. Thom
I think your great. You did a great job. I like the way you dress. Your style is fly. Good luck in the future. Hopefully one day there will be a cozy couch with Mr. Thom and don’t read me and Jordan’s text message when you have my phone.

I think Tom is a really good band director. Whatever band he teaches will surely benefit them all.

Mr. Thom,
I think you were great! You were fun and most of the time pretty energetic. I really enjoyed being taught by you. Keep your good sense of humor, because I’m sure your future students will dish out all kinds of stuff. Don’t be afraid to stand up for yourself though. If they make you mad, tell them! Have a great summer! :]

Mr. Tom youre an awesome guy. Even though you cant beat austin in a race, you’re a really great director. Good luck with your career.

goo yob!
(That’s what she said) lol

I sure am gonna miss those kids.

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More Amusing Student Work

Michael — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 02:24:00 +0000

Yesterday at Highland High School, Mr. Stickler gave the Blues Band a 5-minute assignment: using the provided paper, answer the following question: What is Jazz? Here are some excerpted responses.

It’s that feeling when you first get in the shower and no matter how hot the water is it still feels cold at first. Jazz is when you find yourself sittin in a dark corner by yourself.
Jazz isn’t just another genre of music. Jazz is a feeling. … Traditionally, jazz is a genre in which rhythms have lots of accents and tenuto markings. … In a typical concert band, music is usually soothing to the ear and has a message but jazz is one big party. Jazz can be loud and rhythmical or it can be soft and smooth.
Jazz is a form of music using swing and slurs to make different kinds of sounds. … Jazz has a nice beat and its [sic] consistent.
I think it’s a popular form of music that people enjoy lissoning [sic] to. It’s a style of music that has a nice feel to it.
Jazz is a music form that first originated from Blues [sic]. It brought something new with is [sic] swing, accents, and its different styles. Since the only thing before it was classical. Its music that can more easily describe the players personel [sic] mood rather than classical.
The Risky type of music that involves putting together a variety of notes that will sound different and unfamiliar but at the same time still sound pleasant to the ear.
From scattin’ to actively playing an instrument, jazz grew rapidly.
Jazz to me is the gathering of musicians for the common purpose of having fun and playing the same kind of music.
Jazz is a form of music that was founded in the early 1900s. Major elements in jazz include rhythm, improvisation, and instrumental choice. Jazz takes on many styles of rhythms, but most share a "lazy" swing feeling with unexact [sic] beats. Improvisation is used in jazz solos. To solo, one must improvise with the chord being played.
a laid back kind of music, with wind, drums, stringed instruments. Its [sic] very fun to play. but also challenging.
Jazz is enjoyed by all ages today and has made many musicians into legends. … Jazz is fun and it seems to make older people feel young again. Jazz is fun to dance to and it’s lively and exciting.
Jazz is a style of music. The playes make up notes as the [sic] go (sometimes). It expresses how the [sic] feel. There are many different styles of Jazz (to [sic] many to name). Jazz is listened to every ages today.
Jazz is a kind of music that is played more for entertainment that other kinds of music.
Jazz is a way people express themselfes [sic] threw [sic] music. When someone is happy they play bright and joyfull [sic]. When someone is sad they play slower and the music is relaxing.
Jazz is music. It is groovy + it is good dance music. It has many different rhytms [sic] like Rock, Latin, + Swing. There is Blues too. I really don’t know alot [sic] i’m still getting adjusted to it.
Jazz is expressional [sic]. It has mood and many different styles such as: swing, rock, Latin and many more. The greatest musicians played jazz. Louis Armstrong ~~and many others~~ is ~~great~~ credited for the style of scat. Many people don’t understand the true meaning of jazz.
Jazz a enumoosmet that is injoned by lots of people throught the years of muncie it is the most inportint thing in life for a methless a kasins. It was brought too US from African people.

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Student Evaluations

Michael — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 23:57:00 +0000

Last Wednesday, March 12, Mr. Fletcher (my supervising teacher for student teaching at Anderson Highland High School) had all the students in the Wind Ensemble write on a piece of paper two things that I am doing well and two things that I need to improve. The responses ranged from very helpful to useless, very serious and boring to hysterical. Overall, the general (useful) themes were: speak up, be more emotional (or just show a personality!), and discipline more/harder. Those are all very valid points. However, I wanted to quote a few specific entries here, because they are just amusing.

I really like Mr. Thom. He is probably one of my favorite students directors I’ve had. I like how he’s not full of bologna like most of the other people that come into here. Like, he doesn’t try to act all tough in front of kids to prove he has dominance over us. He if [sic] he was a bit more strict that might help.

I think Mr. Thom is a great music teacher. He actually works with the group until we get it right and doesn’t just run through all the music like some special director I know. [Who’s that?]

I think is a great well-rounded person
– He directs very good
– He actually think about the band
– He’s a nice guy! [all that, sic… yeah….]

Mr. Thom,
Your [sic] doing very well with us here at Highland. You seem to like us and have fun with us. You seem to know what your [sic] doing. The only thing I would say is to [sic] talk to [sic] soft. Just be able to yell at us if your [sic] trying to get us to pay attention. haha!
It’s been fun! [It’s not over…]

We’re getting better at the pieces that he works with us on (different from other student teachers).

You are a very good student director. You have a very good way to direct the band.

Well organized (good planning before directing) [ha! I have them fooled!]

Mr. T is actually the best student teacher that I have ever had. He actually involves his students and makes it fun.
he is Neat-O

Mr. T is very good at being a music teacher. As he teaches us, he is also learning by observing. [uhh, okaaaay….?]

Mr. T keeps control of the class well. He is smarter than most people. He should replace Mr. Stickler. Better than last years [sic] student teachers.

Mr. Tom [sic] is a nice, well dressed guy. He needs a backbone though.

Just give him an “A”. He did fine. I’m sure whatever school he will (eventually) conduct will love him.

He has a much better style than the other directors and he is a good guy. [style… conducting style? teaching style? clothing style?]

He is a cool guy and I like his sweater.
But in all seriousness he’s pretty good.

I like Mr. Thom because he is very lively, he knows a lot about music. I also like how he knows how to have fun but is serious about what he does.

Keep up the good work. Your [sic] doing a really good job. [oh, thanks, that’s informative!]

He’s been conducting well. [also useful]

G: tries to keep tempo pretty well
B: go faster

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A MusEd Paper vs. The Rest of My Life

Michael — Tue, 05 Sep 2006 14:05:00 +0000

So I had a nice long talk with Melissa yesterday. You see, we have this paper due in our MusEd class tomorrow – a paper about our philosophy of music education, it’s place in schools, etc. One problem – I’m not sure what my philosophy is! Also, I don’t totally agree with the things we’re being taught/told in class about the importance of music education – especially when it comes to performance ensembles. Furthermore, I’m not sure of my place in music education, or whether or not my place is even in music education or not.

It was on those subjects that we talked, for essentially two hours. The following are some of my thoughts, after our discussion.

I do not have to agree with everything we are taught. Individual’s philosophies will differ; we cannot all be clones of one another. It’s not even that I hate music or disagree with everything; quite the opposite. I just take issues with some of the things; for example, I do not find music (in any form) to be as completely essential to a person’s well-being and ability to function in society as English (as one article tried to say it is).

Music has a very important place in elementary schools. Kids will never know what they might be talented in or interested in if they are not exposed to many different things. Music, art (visual), P.E., computers, and drama are just some of the areas that kids need exposure to, right alongside “normal” subjects like math, English, literature, history, and science. In middle and especially high school, however, music takes on a bit of a different role. Though most states require a Fine Arts class or some equivalent for graduation, music classes exist almost entirely as electives. Thus, to my mind, they do not have to be truly curricular. Well, performance classes anyway. A non-curricular music theory or general music class will never get anything done; a curriculum is essential here. But I say that performance classes do not need (and in fact cannot function properly with!) a set curriculum.

Now, I am assuming a couple of things here. One, I am assuming that the teacher/instructor/director of these performance classes is doing his/her job well. To run an effective rehearsal and perform well, teaching is still required, even without a curriculum! The students must learn about the pieces they are playing, the historical context surrounding those pieces, the composers’ backgrounds, the musical concepts contained within the pieces, and the best methods to perform the pieces effectively. This still requires teaching and learning! I simply believe that a performance class cannot be oriented to a curriculum; it must be oriented to performance.

Stepping back a little further, than, beyond more than simply my philosophy on music in schools, I look at my future. Do I truly see myself teaching band or some other music class in 5 or 10 years? Honestly? Not really… While I still love music and do enjoy helping others enjoy music, I’m just not convinced that it is truly my main passion. Melissa made a good point while suggesting a couple of things for me to think about as far as how to deal with this semester and the major in general. She reminded me that I do, in fact, care about music and music education. Thus, I need to continue to treat it as such. I care about it and it is important to me, so I need to not completely neglect it. I should not get out of the major and the school and immediately pursue something else. I am much too far in at this point to get out, and I am completely capable of finishing this major strongly and, if it comes to it, even being a very good band director and music teacher. This is all very true, and I need to keep it all in mind.

However. (There’s always a ‘but,’ isn’t there?) I feel my true passion and calling elsewhere. More specifically, at church. I’m not sure exactly what that means, but that’s where I care the most about everything. There have been way too many signs of this over the past year to continue to call them “coincidences.” The part of me that is afraid of change wants to ignore all these signs, but I shouldn’t. Mark and Alex apparently see potential in me, and I can’t honestly say that I don’t too. I have been given opportunity and opportunity to serve in many different capacities at church, and I still can’t get enough – I love it. I had the opportunity to preach this past Sunday. Is that what I want to do with my life, become a preacher? Maybe! I don’t think that’s my primary area of calling, but it’s possible! Frankly, I’ve seen myself as an Alex (assistant minister, being in charge of music and other like-minded tasks) for quite some time. Like, 6 to 8 months probably.

The church has been given some money to use for student interns. Joel and Jessica are presently serving as interns, and they receive a stipend for their internships. Mark and Alex have mentioned to me that they’d like me to consider doing an internship, very possibly in the spring. This could be part-time as I still attend school and classes, or not. I could take next semester off and work at the church essentially full-time.

You know what, that sounds amazing!

But I have a problem. Well, a couple. I really want to graduate in four years. Partially for cost, and partially because I know I can. Well, frankly, I also can’t imagine not staying in the tracks of classes with Melissa. Especially with me less-than-enthusiastic perspective toward it all right now, I need her there. Perhaps that’s a lame reason, I don’t know; but it’s true, I want to stay in track with her. Not just so she doesn’t beat me ;-P

Other problem? Dad. He’ll have a fit if I tell him I’m considering not taking classes for a semester. Or that I want to graduate with my B.S. (or is it B.A.? who knows) in Music Education and then ignore that degree and either work in ministry or go back to school. There’s no way he’d go for any of that. Which is unfortunate, because if that’s truly what I’m being called to do, he shouldn’t be able to stand in my way. But presently, even if only in my mind, he is. That doesn’t seem right.

So, here’s where I’m at overall. I still like music and even music education. I’m going to try my best to do well (enough) in my classes, and I still want to get out of them what I can. If they’re not my number one priority, that’s fine. But I am not going to blow them off or develop a rotten attitude toward them. I am going to talk with Alex at length again about this whole situation and see where we go from here at church. I want to be even more involved. We just have to find the right balance. I am going to pray. A lot. If this is what I am to be doing, I need that to be clear. And lastly, I’m going to hope (well, pray) that once I have reached some sort of conclusive decision on this all, my dad will be receptive and supportive.

Okay, so that post is enormously long. My apologies. But it doesn’t even begin to approximate the breadth of our conversation last night… lol… To sum it all up, please pray for me!

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Music Education – Curricular, or Not?

Michael — Wed, 30 Aug 2006 20:44:00 +0000

So I just got done reading an article for my MusEd 360 class entitled “Making Arts Education Curricular.” The basic point of the article was to explain why arts aren’t yet widely considered curricular and what we (as [future] music educators) can do to make the arts curricular. But I have some issues with this thinking. Here’s an excerpt from the article review I wrote:

If music is so critically important, as much so as English and Math and Science, then I agree with essentially all of the article â€“ true curricula need to be written; teachers need to adhere to their curricula; schedules needs to be more reasonable; the arts need to be more inclusive; etc. But if music is not as crucially necessary, which I do not believe it is, then many of those points become moot â€“ it can remain largely extracurricular; it can be more selective; a true curriculum becomes less important; and so forth.

Is this bad? Should I be fired as a music education major? In a sense, I truly think so… In the past, some of us ‘good’ music ed majors have scoffed at ‘bad’ music ed majors, wishing they’d leave the major so that we don’t license bad teachers. We’ve secretly rejoiced when some of these people have, in fact, left the major for performance, for example – jerks, bad teachers, people who don’t believe in music education? They’re welcome to play, just stay away from our students.

But now I feel like a hypocrite. I still fully believe in music education as being important. It has been a very important part of my life, and I am what I am today in large part because of it. But I just don’t feel it to be as completely necessary as some of my classes are trying to make me believe it is. And I feel like the only one in the music education department who still feels like this.

I just don’t know…

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