Teaching Music With Technology

James Marcia, in furthering Erik Erikson’s work, theorized that there are four stages of psychosocial development.  Many of these stages are faced in adolescence.  In fact, I would argue that a secondary educator will, more than likely, have to contend with all four stages in a classroom.  It would be interesting to delve into the four development stages and see what correlation they have to different parenting styles and/or marital success and modeling in the home.  But, I digress... The four stages of development are: Identity Diffusion - where an adolescent feels that they have to make little to no choices but they have little to no commitment. Identity Foreclosure - where and adolescent seems willing to make some longer range plans, takes on significant roles, or begin to form values but still rely on those around them.  They have not explored a lot of options in terms of career and future but mostly trust parents or their sensei (MKO) in their suggestio...

I'm going to include a video... mostly because the video refers to Vygotsky as "the Mozart of Psychology" and we all know how I feel about Mozart! Okay... now that you've brushed up on your Vygotsky (or if you're ADD like me, you ended up listening to Mozart for a half an hour before you ended up back here.) I'd like to tell you how I've seen this in the classroom.  In a rehearsal environment, it is easy to identify the teacher as the More Knowledgeable Other (MKO).  The teacher knows more about music than the students do in terms of phrasing, dynamics, performance standards, etc.  Vygotsky theorized that learning came through social interactions.  And, other than a team sport, I'm not sure of any other classroom that is more social than a choral classroom.  I think that group work can be highly effective in a choral setting if used for the right reasons.  I have watched this with Mr. Choir many times.  He will model a sound or an articulation...

If you think you are beaten, you are; If you think you dare not, you don't. If you'd like to win, but you think you can't, It is almost a cinch- you won't. If you think you'll lose, you've lost; For out in this world we find Success begins with a fellow's will It's all in the state of mind. If you think you're outclassed, you are; You've got to think high to rise. You've got to be sure of yourself before You can ever win the prize. Life's battles don't always go To the stronger or faster man; But sooner or later the man who wins Is the one who thinks he can! - Walter D. Wintle It is SO fascinating how much mindset and thinking play a role in our success!  As I have been observing high school choir classes, I have seen how having a growth mindset is crucial to success and learning.  If a student has the common mantra of "I can't sing" then they are right.  This is an example of a fixed mindset - the mindset w...

I have landed a great observation gig at a high school in Utah County.  The cooperating teacher is plain awesome and I am learning a lot by watching him at work.  So that I might remain objective on this blog, I'll not mention where I am just in case something negative comes along.  I don't anticipate that happening because this guy is right on the ball and I'm completely in love with his program and his execution of it.  The focus of our Educational Psychology class lately has been metacognition.  Metacognition is a fancy term for thinking about... wait for it... thinking.  Yep, thinking about thinking and being aware of where your thinking is taking you.  This is a fun process to watch in these choral classes.  Mr. Choir (That's what I'll call my mystery co-op teacher.) often starts his classes with a "braindance." The kids pat their opposite limbs with their hands from finger to shoulder.  Then they try some physical brain teasers. ...

I am a big fan of online learning.  When I started college, I struggled... really struggled.  For example?  I ended up taking Psychology 101 three times.  After the second fail, my wife implemented a new family rule for my college career. And that was fair.  With our first baby, a new mortgage, a car payment, and paying tuition, it certainly made good financial sense to not repeat classes.  So why the Psych class fails and the struggle through my associate's degree?  At the time, I was an undiagnosed ADD adult that wanted to study music.  I didn't see how psychology (or those dumb math classes) was (were) going to get me into a position of being a world-class musician.  The content felt irrelevant to me and my first two psych professors didn't seem to have any interest in changing that.  Read, lecture, notes, test; read, lecture, notes, test; ad nauseam.  Testing was about 70% of the grade so when I didn't test well, I flu...

There are three things that I love in this world just slightly less than my wife and kiddos. Music - which I have chosen as my career. Fly-fishing - which may have been an easier choice as a career but harder to make money... plus, I'm not a huge fan of boats or swimming. Classic cars.  This doesn't make money, it eats money.  But man, they are sure fun. A 1963 Chevrolet Bel Air and a 1953 Chevrolet 210. Evidence of a very patient wife. The phrase "they don't make them like they used to" is most definitely applicable to cars.  There is just something about all that steel, chrome and - I swear to you - a smell to them that just can't be replicated.  There's only one problem with classic cars...  in original condition, many are not safe to drive on today's roads.  They have suspension parts that are outdated or unsafe, brakes that are insufficient and unsafe for modern freeway speeds, and outdated electrical systems.  Howe...