CMEA Summer 2015.pdf

Summer 2015

CMEA NEWSCONNECTICUT MUSIC EDUCATORS ASSOCIATION

volume LXVI, number 4 • www.cmea.org

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CMEA News, Summer 2015 1

www.cmea.org

CMEA NEWSCONNECTICUT MUSIC EDUCATORS ASSOCIATION

Volume LXVI, Number 4

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

CMEA Executive Board ......................................2

Upcoming Events ............................................3

President’s Message

Stephanie Zak ......................................4

Southern Region

Theresa R. Voss ....................................6

Letter from the Editor

Carolyn Bennett ...................................8

CNAfME State Council

Jennifer Allin .................................... 10

In-Service Conference Follow Up

Lauren Verney-Fink ............................. 12

Student Affairs Commission

Brian Hutton ..................................... 14

Memories of the Conference ............................ 16

Art Slam .................................................... 22

An Interview with Jacqueline Coleman

Carolyn Bennett ................................. 25

Preparing Future Music Teacher in

Your High School Music Program

David J. Teachout ............................... 30

National Music Standards

Elizabeth Starr ................................... 34

Advertiser IndexCT Arts Institute ..................................... 9

George Parks Leadership in Music Education Award ...................... 13

Quaver ............................ inside front cover

Research Beat ..................................... 29

Yamaha ............................................. 15

www.cmea.org

2 CMEA News, Summer 2015

Barbara Skrebutenas, Executive [email protected]

David Pelletier, Advocacy

Richard Diamond and Matt DiLassus, Eastern Region Directors

[email protected] [email protected]

Walter Culup, Northern Region [email protected]

Stephanie Zak, [email protected]

Michael Ances, President Elect

[email protected]

Brian Hutton, Student Affairs Commission

[email protected]

Lauren Verney-Fink, Professional [email protected]

Magda O’Brien, Membership

[email protected]

Theresa Voss, Southern Region Director

[email protected]

Nick Albano, Western Region Director

[email protected]

Carolyn Bennett, CMEA News Editor

[email protected]

Jennifer Allin, CMEA Collegiate State Chair

[email protected]

CoNNECTICUT MUSIC EDUCATorS’ ASSoCIATIoN ExECUTIvE BoArD

Scott Friend, [email protected]

mailto:[email protected]















UpCoMINg EvENTS

Saturday, June 13th: CMEA Leadership Retreat

June 23-29: NAfME National Leadership Assembly

June 24-26: NAfME Collegiate Advocacy Summit

June 25, 7-8 PM: NAfME Webinar: American Public School System Nuts and Bolts Operation for an All-inclusive Steelband presented by Rachel Palmer

June 29, 12-2PM: NAfME Webinar: I Have A Degree in Music… Not Audio! Part 1: Audio Basics for Educators

June 30, 12-2PM: NAfME Webinar: I Have A Degree in Music… Not Audio! Part 2: Recording and Assessment

July 1, 12-2PM: NAfME Webinar: I Have A Degree in Music… Not Audio! Part 3: Teaching Composition with Music Technology

July 20-July 23: Connecticut Arts Institute, Fairfield University

October 25-28: NAfME National In-Service Conference, Nashville, TN

Did you know you can announce your upcoming events in the CMEA News? Contact Carolyn Bennett at [email protected] for details.

Remember, your School Association Fees are due by September 18th, 2015!

A downloadable invoice can be found at http://cmea.org/node/515.


http://cmea.org/node/515


prESIDENT’S rEporT

by Stephanie Zak, CMEA President, Music Instructor, Meriden Public Schools

Greetings CMEA membership! It is bittersweet moment

for me writing my last article as your CMEA President.

As I was searching for topics to address I came upon my first

article to you. There were several foci that I spoke to: Effective

Networking, Leadership in a time of Rapid Change, Effective

Leadership and Organizational Effectiveness. I want to share

with you the successes that we have had in each category over

the past couple of years:

Effective Networking

• Executive Board members have successfully represented the state at Eastern Division meetings and conferences, NAfME sponsored events

• Communication has been strengthened within the CMEA membership

• Executive Board members have attended region sponsored functions such as adjudications and festivals to provide membership up to date information regarding the organization (increased visibility)

• The president of CMEA has served on two committees for Eastern Division – one that involved the recommendation for the 2019 All Eastern Conference and one that provided analytical data for recommendation of the NAfME Council Chairs

• CMEA President is a participating member in the new State Arts Consultant Think Tank – representation from the State Department of Education, CT Dance Alliance, CT Arts Educators Association, and CT Arts Administrators Association are discussing current issues in the arts.

inserviceconference.nafme.org

inserviceconference.nafme.org


• CMEA is partnering with the Connecticut Arts Educators Association Executive Board on advocacy efforts such as Arts Slam

• CMEA is meeting with ACDA, ABDSA, ASTA, Kodaly and Orff organizations to discuss organizational partnerships

• Effective Leadership and Organizational Effectiveness

• Open door policy for all members

• Involving members in CMEA activities – knowing where their interests lie and applying their knowledge in such positions

• Transparency of CMEA policies and budget

• Sought out professional council when needed to address legal situations

• Questioning and involving members in the decisions that will affect them

• Monthly board meetings that address the concerns of the membership

• Created processes/procedures for hiring CMEA Executive Director and CMEA Editor

• Adjudication Committee formed to further discuss repertoire and adjudication process (NEW!)

• Creating the Professional Development Conference Chair Committee, with Mrs. Lauren Verney-Fink as Chair

• Eastern Region agreed upon two members becoming the Eastern Region Co-Chairs

• Lyn Nagel, Amy Hannequin, and Jason Bouchard were hired as State Judge Chairs

• Providing essential professional development for our membership

• Increased the membership among the collegiate chapters, bringing two Executive Board Collegiate CTNAfME members to the NAfME Leadership Assembly yearly

• Student Affairs Commission created the CMEA Ensemble Chair Handbook, which detailed CTFest procedures and explanation of duties at the Region level. Yearly meeting of all chair positions commence at the June Leadership meeting

Leadership in the time of Rapid Change

CMEA will continue to address this topic. Technological issues such as our website and CTFest usage will continue to be topics of discussion at our monthly meetings. In our digital age today, we can offer so much more to the membership in terms of professional development and music offerings. The CMEA magazine has gone viral – available on the website twice a year. We look to you for input – please share your ideas and thoughts with us in how we can better serve you.

If any member is interested in serving on the Professional Development Committee or Adjudication Committee, please feel free to contact Lauren Verney-Fink or Dale Griffa. Both are eager to start their planning for the upcoming school year.

It has been my pleasure to serve as your CMEA President. Even though I will be stepping down, my plan is to continue my efforts in the role of Advocacy Chair. I have enjoyed my time speaking on behalf of the organization to all stakeholders in the education field and will continue to provide the membership with up-to-date information on state and federal issues that affect the Arts. In the fall, please look for the 2016 Arts Slam sign-up. We need to spread the message of STEAM….not STEM – the importance of a sequential and comprehensive education in the Arts!

I wish everyone a relaxing and restful summer.


SoUTHErN rEgIoN, SUMMEr ‘15

Theresa R. Voss

As happens every

year, it seems

as though we are

hurtling through time

to the end of June. The

late and prolonged

winter finally gave

w a y t o s p r i n g ,

and we’ve made it

through conferences,

assessments, festivals, and concerts, and now we ready

ourselves for the incoming students so we can begin

all over again in the fall. I do hope you afford yourself

some time this summer to relax, and then refresh and

renew your teaching practice. We are fortunate to be

surrounded by exciting programs and offerings in and

around Connecticut—find one and get re-inspired!

Before we get to summer, allow me to take a moment to thank you all for your support during my tenure as your Region Director. It has been my privilege to work with you, and I thank you for the enriching dialog and good laughs we’ve shared these two years. I look forward to our continued collaboration as Connecticut’s music educators. Let us also thank our colleagues who have given so much of their time and energy this year to provide invaluable musical experiences for our students in the Southern Region. As we all know, these are our peers who volunteer to assist at the region level, knowing in a couple years, someone else will do it for their own students. We cannot function without our volunteers—please join me in expressing gratitude for their efforts!


For High School:

Brian Cyr, Adjudication Co-Chair and Festival Co-Chair/Co-Host

Dean DellaVecchia, Adjudication Co-Chair

Jessica Shearer, Adjudication Site Chair

David Pelletier, Festival Co-Chair/Co-Host

Kevin Lam, Band Chair

Michael Carnaroli, Choir Chair

Taralyn Bulyk, Orchestra Chair

Aaron Barkon, Jazz Band Chair and Jazz Head Judge

Kevin Buno, Voice Head Judge

Suky Bryan, Strings Head Judge

Robert Smith, Percussion Head Judge

Mark Gahm, Winds Head Judge

For Middle School:

Scott Ferguson, Festival Chair

Maureen McGovern, Adjudication Chair

Stephanie Zak, Adjudication Site Co-Chair

Marta Kwiczor, Orchestra Co-Chair and Adjudication Site Co-Chair

Neil Shilansky, Head Judge Chair

Rachel Mekeel, Band Co-Chair

D. Scott Stewart, Band Co-Chair

Keith Traver, Mixed/Treble Chorus Co-Chair

Laura Traver, Mixed/Treble Chorus Co-Chair

Steve Fitzgerald, Jazz Band Chair

Ciara Cohen, Orchestra Co-Chair

Michele Beck, World Drumming Co-Chair

Daniel Kinsman, World Drumming Co-Chair

I wish you each a successful and fulfilling end to your school year!


A LETTEr froM THE EDITor

Carolyn Bennett

Welcome to the Summer 2015 edition of the CMEA

News! I hope you’ll enjoy the features in this edition.

In this edition, you’ll be able to read about a future music

educator’s views on the new Core Arts Standards. You’ll get

to know our new state arts consultant, Jacqueline Coleman.

You can glance through memories of two great CMEA events

this spring, the ArtSlam and the Conference. Lastly, as you

look forward to next year, you may identify some future music

educators in your classes. Dr. David Teachout has some great

pointers on structuring classes to support the rising generation

of music educators.

I hope you find some free time over the summer, and I hope you use some of that time to reflect on your practice as a music educator. Why not share your wisdom with others through the CMEA News? Challenge yourself to become an active contributor! Even something just a few paragraphs long could make an impact on music educators throughout Connecticut. Here are some ideas:

• Introduce the reader to one of your favorite warm-ups

• Discuss one of your favorite pieces of repertoire

• Describe a successful lesson plan or unit

• List your most creative “classroom tips and tricks” that will help others become more efficient, organized, or inspired

• Compile your favorite motivating or inspiring quotes

• Recommend a teaching tool you love

• Read and review a book

• Listen to and review an album

• Interview one of your musical heroes

• As you repair an instrument, take photos and caption them as a tutorial for others

• Research and report on a subject you find captivating

Here’s to a summer filled with relaxing, recharging, and reflecting!



Summer is here, and that means it’s time to pick our new

council! Before we discuss next fall though, I would like to

take a second to review our past year. In February, our benefit

concert raised over $200 for the Horns4Kids charity, and

brought together musicians from many different Connecticut

schools. The concert was a lot of fun, and the performers all had

a great experience playing in a beautiful recital hall. Next year

we hope to see the concert expand to even more schools and

continue to grow to new heights.

In April, we hosted a conducting workshop at the lovely new music hall on the campus of WCSU, with Dr. Timothy Wiggins and Mrs. Hilary Brown as our volunteer clinicians. Music educators from around the state were able to conduct a wind ensemble set-

up through classic pieces such as English Folk Song Suite and Host’s Second Suite. Even more enjoyable was the reception after, where many students from various Music Ed programs stayed, talking about their programs, the career field, and their colleges. We

CNAfME STATE CoUNCIL

Jennifer Allin (Central Connecticut State University)


all made more connections and formed friendships; we even met some of these same students again at the In-State Conference later on in the semester!

So what’s next for the council? I personally will be student teaching in the fall, and will also serve as a part-time advisor to the new Collegiate Council, as our past-presidents traditionally have. Director of Communications Valerie Stickles has just completed her student teaching and graduated from UConn. Valerie will be looking for a teaching position, and I know that whatever classroom she ends up teaching in will be lit up by her fun personality and constant smile! Director of Finances, Holly Brown will be pursuing a M.M. Horn Performance degree at Mannes: The New School in New York, New York. She has also been accepted into the studio of top-notch horn professor David Jolley. Our resident elect, Katie Robison, will be taking over the council as President next fall!

That leads me to our next topic: the new council. The State Collegiate Council has selected three new members to replace those of us who are leaving this fall. In the position of President-Elect, we have Julie

Luppino of WCSU. Director of Communications will be Lexi Bodick of UConn, and Andrea Shabazian of CCSU will be the new Director of Finances. The elections we difficult this year, as we had many applicants who embody the spirit of NAfME! I know the board we have picked will continue to improve the foundation we have built upon, and we are very excited to see what they accomplish! We will be handing over the reins officially on June 13th at the CMEA house in Cromwell. Good luck ladies, and to music educators everywhere, enjoy the summer!

2014-2015 Collegiate Council OfficersPresident - Jennifer Allin (Central Connecticut State University)Vice President/President-Elect - Katie Robison (Western Connecticut State University)Director of Finances and Internal Operations - Holly Brown (Western Connecticut State University)Director of Public Relations - Valerie Stickles (University of Connecticut)


IN-SErvICE CoNfErENCE foLLow Up

Lauren Verney-Fink, Professional Development Chair

It great seeing and meeting many of you in Hartford at

the Conference! I hope you thought the Conference was

worthwhile and beneficial. Thank you to all who presented,

presided, performed, lent instruments/equipment, and attended!

I’d like to especially thank Hannah Fraser (Meriden) for her

tireless work throughout the entire conference.

Nearly all of the feedback I’ve received about the Conference is really positive! • GREAT sessions throughout the entire weekend• Wonderful honors ensemble performances• Inspiring Key Note Speech from Keith Reeves• Happy that the Conference is back at the

Convention Center• Nice to do something different/take time to

continue growing as an educatorHaving said that, another comment I repeatedly heard was….“But where is everybody else?!” There were a lot of empty chairs during some amazing sessions and performances.If you didn’t attend this past CMEA Conference, I’d really like to find out what prevented you from going! The Conference is there for you. Help me help you attend next year by taking 30 seconds to complete this anonymous survey. Your responses will truly help during the session selection and scheduling processes.

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/69FTN3FIf you presided over a session and forgot to hand in the blue feedback form, please mail it to me (Fairfield Warde High School, 755 Melville Ave., Fairfield, CT 06825) or email me your responses! The info on the forms is really valuable.Finally, if you have suggestions for next year’s Conference, please email me at [email protected] you a relaxing, rejuvenating, and enjoyable summer!Sincerely,Lauren

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/69FTN3F




GeorGe N. Parks LeadershiP iN Music educatioN award

Nomination period is now OPEN!

Developed by the National Association for Music Education and Music for All, the George N. Parks Leadership in Music Education Award is named for the late George Parks, director of

the University of Massachusetts Minuteman Marching Band. Considered a national authority on

drum majoring, Mr. Parks led the George N. Parks Drum Major Academy, including at the Music

for All Summer Symposium.

The George N. Parks Award honors an exemplary music educator who embodies the character-

istics and leadership that Mr. Parks showed his students every day. The recipient must demon-

strate:

– Collaborative spirit

– Dedication to knowing students as individuals

– Perseverance and enthusiasm

– Ability to instill qualities in students beyond achievement in music

NAfME and MFA will hold an open nomination period for the George N. Parks Award through Oc-

tober 1, 2015. Please send the following information to Jill Staton ([email protected]) if you wish to

nominate a candidate:

1. One page, typed, double spaced word document detailing why the band director should be a

candidate for nomination.

2. First and Last name, email address, physical address and phone number for you and your

nominee.

With members of the MFA board of directors, the NAfME Council for Band Education will select

the recipient based on the criteria, and information submitted with nomination.

The recipient will be brought to Bands of America Grand National Championships in Indianapolis

in November 2015 to accept the award on the field. All nominees will be listed on NAfME.org fol-

lowing selection of the recipient.

http://www.musicforall.org/


NAfME.org


STUDENT AffAIrS CoMMISSIoN

Brian Hutton, [email protected]

I would to express appreciation and congratulations to the

All-State Festival Committee, under the direction of Ray

Sinclair and Andrew Potts, for a successful festival. Throughout

the weekend, I observed students in rehearsals, at meals, during

breaks, and of course at the wonderful concert. There were many,

many very happy students and grateful directors. Thank you for

your tireless work throughout the past year to make this happen!

I look forward to continued success next year.

By the time you read this, the new 2015-2016 high school regional and all-state audition repertoire list will have been uploaded to the cmea.org website. Good luck to all of your students as they prepare for their upcoming auditions next year.

It has been an honor to serve CMEA as the new Chair of the Student Affairs Commission. I have valued the opportunities to meet many new members at region-level festivals as well and at the all-state festival.

I would be remiss if I did not send along a special thank you to Ned Smith for his continued guidance and leadership during my first year. This helped ease the transition between SAC chairs. Most importantly, I appreciate the shoulder to lean on whenever I had (numerous) questions.

Best wishes to all of you for a relaxing summer. I look forward to working with you all again in the fall.

Stay current with us on Facebook!Go to Connecticut Music Educators Association

Share ideas, concert events, report “Good News” in your school/district/college campus!


cmea.org


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The 2015 CMEA In-Service Conference was full of learning opportunities for stu-dents and teachers alike! Take a look at some of the sights, and read about some of the ideas attendees took away from the weekend.

Theresa Voss:“Dr. Bond encouraged us to work with purpose, and provide our students with all the preparation they need for a productive rehearsal.”

- Refresh Your Routine: Creating a Purposeful Warm-up Se-quence, Dr. Vanessa Bond

Theresa Voss:“We are training the students as con-sumers of music and art. It is our responsibility to educate them about significant performers.”

- Guided Listening: Using Today’s Rehearsal to Inspire Tomorrow’s Audience, Matt Travis


Ray Jackson:“Positive feedback contributes to positive behavior. It must be pro-portional to negative feedback.”

- Why Won’t They Stop Talking?! Dr. Timothy Wiggins

Ray Jackson:“To teach, and to discipline, are the same. One can ‘rehearse’ proper academic etiquette using the same format as one would re-hearse music - though in a more subtle way.”

- Why Won’t They Stop Talking?! Dr. Timothy Wiggins

Matt DeLassus:“Assessment is not for the state, the principal, the teacher, or the parents. Assessment is for the students.”

- Performance Based Assessment, Keith Reeves


Ray Jackson:“The mind likes to create patterns out of things in life… Take advantage of that.”

- Understanding Through Movement, Sally Rogers

Emily Blanchard:“Chances are, students are not going home and being told stories - they’re looking at a screen, so I think it’s great if we can exer-cise their imagination… If they’re connect-ing it to their lives, it means so much more to them.”

- Creating Storytellers in the Elemen-tary Music Classroom, Greg Wilfrid

Marianna Vagnini:“The SHS Signers were stunning- a beauti-ful selection of songs sung with beauty and grace.”

- Simsbury High School Singers Per-formance, Colleen Thompson

Hannah Fraser:“With just a little bit of imagination and movement, you can get kids to sing with true artistry!”

- They Can’t Sit Still For A Reason!, Dr. Sandra Doneski


Laura White:“Connections between music and other disciplines are valid as they provide a deeper understanding of the world around them.”

- Literacy in the Instrumental Classroom, Doreen and Dana Saccomano

Angela Griffin:“If our students learn music vocabulary, they are more artistic and expressive citi-zens.”

- The Music and Literacy Connec-tion, Dr. Demaris Hansen

Angela Griffin: “We are music teachers who teach music, but let’s know how we already support the Common Core.”

- The Music and Literacy Connec-tion, Dr. Demaris Hansen

Damon E. Coachman:“What they see is what you get! Always work on improving by self-reflection.”

- It’s All Your Fault, Dr. Jamie Spillane


Steve Corneau:“Regarding temperature and humidity: If you are comfort-able and happy - so are your string instruments!”

- General Maintenance and Care of String Instruments, Kenneth Kuo and Kevin Chapin

Matt DeLassus:“Sandpaper is the reed’s best friend! Use it to make mi-nor adjustments without the chance of ruining the reed.”

- Bassoon Reeds: How they work and making them better, Dr. Brian Kershner

Roberta Verbyla:“Teach people, through the language of music, using your instrument of choice.”

- The Learning Myth, Nick Ambrosino

Michael Gardner:“I teach music because it makes children more compassionate, better humans.”

- It’s the Music that Matters, Bruce Pearson

Brian Hutton:“Think in the music - not just about the music.:

- One for Singing - And Singing for All!,Sandra Doneski


Maria Tangredi:“The entire presentation was heartwarming and engag-ing, but what was the most inspiring was the stories that the student mentors shared about how their participa-tion changed their lives. One student, Nicole, shared her intention to become a doctor early on in her high school career, but how this experi-ence ignited her passion to be a special educator. The intrinsic rewards for her outweigh any monetary compensation.”

- Bringing Unified Mu-sic to High School Stu-dents, Lauren Churchill and Victoria Depres

Roberta Verbyla:“Dr. Vu described the power and defiance of the Baltic States after the fall of the Berlin Wall as they partici-pated in the Singing Revolu-tion. He also discussed Criti-cal Pedagogy. It was very thought-provoking, and he encouraged discussion among participants. He was very knowledgeable and scholarly, yet approachable.”

- Making Our Worlds with Our Songs: Mu-sicking as Critical Thinking, Dr. Kinh “TK” Vu

Carolyn Bennett:“One of the most immedi-ately successful resources I took away from this workshop was www. incredibox.com. What a fun, motivating way for stu-dents to have ‘instant success’ in composition while empow-ering them to tackle form, tex-ture, and other compositional concepts.”

- Free Technology for the Music Educator, Bar-bara Freedman

Carolyn Bennett:“It’s immediately apparent that Lily’s Chinese folk song ar-rangements are written by someone who truly understands the young voice. They are well-written, quality literature.”

- Chinese Folk Songs for Elementary and Middle School Choruses, Lily Grant

incredibox.com


ArT SLAM

On Tuesday, April 7th, music students from several CMEA schools gathered in the Old

Judiciary Room of the State Capitol for ArtSlam 2015. The event also featured visual art

created by students from around the state and live art-making, sponsored by the Connecticut

Art Education Association (CAEA).

Featured musicians hailed from Bethel High School (Damon Coachman and Karen Neville, directors), Washington Middle School (Dorri Mendes, director), Chippens Hill Middle School (Lisa Ladone, director), and The Watkinson School (Luke Nelson, director).

I think the Arts Slam is important to show our law makers the quality of music education going on in the schools. - Lisa Ladone

[Events like ArtsSlam are important for] many reasons, including 1) teaching our students how to

advocate for something they believe in, like music education; 2) showing our public servants that music education is alive and in need of their constant care and support; 3) showing our students that the music they perform can be used to attract attention, start a conversation, and foster change. My students felt empowered to bring their music to the seat of government and be heard in support of a worthy cause. It helped them see the potential of their music making beyond the classroom and the performance stage. - Luke Nelson


Events l ike ArtsSlam are important because i t ra i ses awareness not only for legislators about Arts awareness, but also students. Students can see that their voices (or their instruments) can make a difference for music students and programs throughout the state, not just their own. It was a “bigger picture” moment. - Dorri Mendes

The CHMS Bucket Band performed arrangements from Kevin Mixon’s book Bucket Jams. I picked it up at the NAFME National Conference a couple of years ago after I attended his session. It helps the students with rhythm and coordination. It is especially good for training students to play drum set. The CHMS clarinet and flute ensemble performed pieces from Festival Ensembles by Bruce Pearson and Chuck Elledge. I

chose arrangements from these books because they are 3 part arrangements that cater to different levels while building independence and listening skills. - Lisa Ladone

Both the schools that participate and the public servants whom we met are impacted by the visible and audible support for music education that ArtsSlam provides. It is a vital

reminder of the importance music plays in education. The dedicated student musicians can impress upon those in attendance what a life-shaping quality music education holds better than any brochure, phone call, or sales pitch. - Luke Nelson

My students were in awe of performing in such a beautiful space. It also allowed them to be proud of the work they’ve done doing something as special as performing at the State Capitol. - Dorri Mendes

Please consider applying on behalf of your ensemble to participate in ArtSlam 2015!

Do it! Be heard! If we don’t vigorously advocate for music education, who will? - Luke Nelson


Think of your students. Take a moment and think about what they’re about to do. They are ambassadors, they are the truest testament that the arts make a difference, bring people together, create an outlet, and

forge bonds that last a lifetime. We all do what we do because we were inspired by music. By being an advocate of the arts, you are helping others have that opportunity as well. - Dorri Mendes


AN INTErvIEw wITH JACqUELINE CoLEMAN

Carolyn Bennett, NEWS editor

Recently, I had the pleasure of chatting with Jacqueline Coleman, our recently-appointed

Arts Coordinator for the State Department of Education. Read on to learn more about

our new arts voice in Hartford, and her perspectives on current issues in arts education.

Do you have a mission statement, an overall direction for your work?

The mission statement is under development. To me, it’s really important that it not be my mission statement - that it be the mission statement of collective educators across the state. There are things that I care a lot about, that I’m particularly passionate about, but I know that if it’s not aligned or connected to your work, it doesn’t matter. I’m anticipating having it come out with the CT State of the Arts Report, a collaborative piece I’m working on with the Department of Economic and Community Development. We’re collecting data lots of different ways.

I’ve put together a think tank, and it became clear they wanted a mission statement that was a large enough umbrella that we could all start to use across the state and would include all the different directions that the different art forms have, all the different approaches. Instead of advocating with 10 different voices, let’s get one large voice so we can get people listening to the large voice and then hear the specific viewpoints within it. It’s still a draft, but it’s pretty far along.

I can say one of the places I’m already sensing is going to be really important: Our young people today are inventing their way into the future. How they get and process information is very distant from our 20th century paradigm. We have to co-create with our young people because they have a relationship to technology that is different than we do. We need to help our young people be ready to be artists twenty

years from now, when we don’t even know what that looks like – what they perform, who they perform for, how they market it.

Another thing that is important to me is equity: ensuring ways to never take away from where things are going well, but finding ways to bring more ideas, resources, or opportunities to places that are less served, specifically in the arts. The “arts gap” is a phrase that has come up in meetings. There will be 25 things that need to be done, and we need to decide, what first? What can we focus on first, collectively as a state?

Can you tell me more about the think tank?

I’m a very transparent person, very collaborative person. I think in conversation. I knew I had a lot of things to bring to the position, but I also knew there were many more things that anyone would need to learn, especially in four art forms (music, art, theatre, and dance) plus a new media arts component. I was going to do forums and talk to people, but I also needed advisers that can offer up ideas and quick actions to help move things forward. I wanted a small group so that in a two-hour meeting everyone’s voice could be heard. I knew it needed to have representation from all four art forms. I knew it needed to have representation from veteran teachers at a leadership level and also a teacher a few years in. And of course it needed to represent the different DRG’s (district reference groups) and varying socioeconomic communities. Urban, suburban, and rural all around the table.


In a higher-education group I convened, something that came up was, “Look around the room. It’s a lovely diverse group in terms of age, gender, and every single one of these 30 people is white.” These were the higher-ed leaders across the four art forms in the state. This was brought up by several educators in the room. How can we attract to colleges a diverse body of future arts leaders? So I’ve been trying to bring all kinds of diversity to the think tank. The think tank includes Mike Ances as the president of Connecticut Arts Administrators Association, representatives from the Office of Community and Economic Development who work with the HOT schools program, and Stephanie Zak, among others.

One of the things we’re working on is leveraging professional development. Something came up to Mike Ances at the NAfME convention in Providence. A music teacher from an urban district said, “You know, what we really need is classroom management. Getting them where they need to be to begin the arts instruction.” If there are 4 different organizations leading Election Day PD, are we triple dipping and offering too many things? How do we strategically place these opportunities? We’re discussing opportunities statewide, offering recommendations on where there are areas of need.

I know many music educators have heard about or are working on the survey you sent out. What do you hope to learn through the survey?

It’s so important that we have as many schools as possible complete the survey so we have valid data. I’m leaving the survey open through June. There are 277 surveys started, and 170 completed. There are a heck of a lot more schools than that out there! I realize you’re going to probably have to talk to district people to complete the survey, and I realize it’s big.

Data drives decision making. If we want powerful decisions to be made around arts education and arts learning in our state, we need data to back up what we already know. Instead of preaching to the choir,

we need to reach the audience and the people walking by on the street. We need to get them to understand why this is important and why time, money, or other resources should be allocated. If we don’t get a valid sample, it’s not going to give us the data we need to be able to move forward on any decisions.

Some people were worried because their district doesn’t have a strong arts program. That’s what we’re trying to reveal. No districts will be named in the survey. We can cross reference all that data, without mentioning districts. There may be correlations with overall school attendance or achievement, for example. There are ways we can analyze the data so we can send a very specific message about what is needed.

It sounds like you’re making an effort to find out what educators need from you. What about the other end of the equation – what does the State Department of Education want or expect from you?

Being just over 3 months in, I’m still learning. I want to understand better how the different other content areas and SBAC are all moving forward. I know those other areas have an impact, a trickle effect. That’s a personal thing I’m trying to learn - the dynamics of all of that.

I do know that the state level, when the Common Core State Standards were adopted at the same time as SBAC and teacher evaluation, there was a lot of push-back. One of the state directives has been, “Slow down. Engage stakeholders, talk to parents, present to board members. We want to know that your teachers are on board. We don’t want to put more burden on districts requiring them at the state level to put in data.” But I understand assessments drive instruction and help us to get better. When the standards are adopted, we of course need to have measures, to know what’s happening in the classroom. Through that all, I think professional development is a huge area of need. A lot of arts teachers get a lot of PD in Common Core and


whatever other initiatives are going on in their districts, but in their content area, not so much.

Why is arts education important? Do you have an elevator pitch for arts advocacy?

The arts have always been important; we’ve been pitching it for a long time. Yes to all of that. But right now in particular, because everything is moving so fast, I think the arts are a brilliant way to teach effective face to face and technological communication. The arts have the power to model meaningful relationships across generations. A work of art can touch something that is not electronic. We can’t not prepare the kids or ourselves for the technology. But what we have is the gift of the soulful part, the humanity, the cultural development of who we are as people and how we live and process the world. Our students are going to do it different. They’re even being wired differently, holding a phone at three years old. If they have a strong presence of the arts, they have a better probability of staying in touch with their humanity. Creativity. Collaboration. The things that are important in life.

There seems to be a tension sometimes between “arts education” provided by certified teachers, and “arts in education” experiences provided through artist partnerships. How do you feel about this tension?

Interestingly enough, when I first came into the position I heard a lot about arts education versus arts in education. I have had firsthand experience with how “all boats will rise.” There is a fear of supplanting. If you let them come in and the principal sees the value, the classroom teacher sees the value, and they realize the importance and the vibrancy, it actually feeds the arts programs. I don’t think we need to choose. We need to be inclusive, especially if were talking about the high level umbrella statement. Within that, we all need to agree that were not trying to supplant or replace; we’re trying to find the niche where it can be a supportive part of a larger machine.

I found out that the National Education Association and Americans for the Arts have started deliberately to use the phrase “arts learning.” It’s not an either-or or better-than; both are very important. I can say that artists bring really interesting, valuable things into the classroom. Most of the time they have little opportunity to study educational strategies. What they’re doing is great and valuable, but only to that point. Then there are those who do this every day, and then having the artist come in for the day with that energy is so powerful.

It’s an area that needs to have some healing. The artists in residence have a fear, they think they’re less valued, and the teachers fear the principals will replace us. I’ve seen little of that happen, but the fear exists. We’ve had to fight so hard to get where we are, that we’re in this constant fight mode. So instead of scraping opposite each other, let’s have a more embracing approach.

If it becomes that something is being supplanted, I would want to know about it and I would want to ask questions. There was a school I loved in Hartford, with Hartford Performs and a certified art teacher, but before I was there they cut their music teacher. The principal was building up a lot: community partnerships, exhibition nights. I said, “Don’t you think it’s time for a music teacher?” And she was practically crying, saying, “Jackie, we’ve had so many snowstorms that I don’t have enough money in my budget to pay the required plowing of our driveway. I have to pull it out of our budget for toilet paper.” Sometimes when it looks like supplanting, it’s really all they can do. Maybe the community artist got a grant and it’s not costing the school anything. The districts that have the resources to have both, should. That’s part of a comprehensive arts learning experience.

Another common refrain in arts education is “art for art’s sake.” What’s your take on that phrase?

Someone on the think tank said, “What is arts sake?” We do arts because it’s part of who we are.


It’s arts for who we are, because of how we exist in the world. I understand conceptually the idea. I do think it can be adversarial. It depends on the culture of the school and the dynamics of the individuals. I think a lot of times arts teachers don’t get acknowledgement or credit or resource support, so they feel like they have to demonstrate that what they’re doing is as valuable, which feeds into this perception. When somebody is not acknowledged, they’re going to find another avenue to feel valued. In some ways, I think I don’t want elementary teachers bringing it into the classroom because they don’t know what they’re doing. What’s going on in the programs that are preparing those teachers, so they have the presence of music or the knowledge to link to history or musical vocabulary?

In my experience, classroom teachers are terrified of theatre. I think that’s true of music too. They like to listen to it, but they’re not comfortable. But there are others - I know this one guy that has his guitar in class every day. But the kids go to music class. They get their sequential music instruction. He doesn’t try to cover that. It’s a yes-and. There’s this word “tensegrity”- tension and integrity. Not that we want a rift that will get in the way of moving things forward, but maybe there’s a tension that will always exist. When you can feel valued and honored for your work, it makes that okay.

I know as a state employee, you can’t express personal opinions on a recent hot-button topic: standardized testing. So I’ll word my question carefully: Without making any judgment, we can accept that standardized testing is a present reality in our state. How do you see that reality interacting with the world of arts education?

As a state employee, part of my job is to be in support of whatever SDE does and SDE is obviously supportive of SBAC. What happens when those worlds collide? That’s a big area of learning I’m interested in figuring out. At the same time, I think there’s some interesting conversation about mastery-based learning and showing development through portfolios across

content areas. My dream would be that we shift from standardized tests to demonstrating mastery. Then there would be less tension. When you go home and make dinner, you don’t say, “I have to use math to halve the recipe; I’m using my literacy to read the recipe; I need my science to figure out the temperatures.” When we live life, it’s not separate.

My larger wondering about education in general is this: We have a system that supported where we were in the 50’s in factories. It’s hard to change a system once it’s established, though some changes have happened within the larger system. I think the testing is an offshoot of this challenge.

How can educators get involved with your work?

Right now, there are 289 applications for the standards review committees! I’ve gotten two people in the office to help make it a fair process, helping to be reviewers. I’ve been busy working on that.

There’s an opening for a teacher-leader-in-residence in the arts at the State Department. The only teacher-leader-in-residence they’re hiring this year will be in the arts. It will be a split with the district, 60/40 or 50/50, however the district wants to work it. The state will pay the district half the salary, and the teacher will remain hired by their district. The job description for that person will have a lot of involvement with the standards and the state of the arts report and the recommendations that surface out of that.

I guess one of the things I’d like people to know is, I believe in an open door. I have been told in my first chunk of time here, to get out and talk to people. If someone wants to invite me, I will come out and visit school sites. If you have something you want to share, if you want to talk about something, if you have a great idea, share with me. If teachers want to be involved in something but they’re not sure what yet, like a workgroup, I’ll put their email address in a file for reference. Teachers can email me at [email protected].




Research

Impor tant New Peer -Reviewed S tudies Compiled by Carolyn Bennett

“No Gum In Music Class!” - A Scientific Rationale

“Interfering with articulatory motor programming by chewing gum reduces both the number of voluntary and the number of involuntary—unwanted—musical thoughts... Chewing gum affects the experience of “hearing” the music and cannot be ascribed to a general effect on thinking about a tune only in abstract terms.” Beaman, C. P., Powell, K., & Rapley, E. (2015). Want to block earworms from conscious awareness? B(u)y gum!.Quarterly Journal Of Experimental Psychology, 68(6), 1049-1057. doi:10.1080/17470218.2015.1034142

High School Composition:

Students identified enjoyment, improved musical un-derstanding, personal expression, increased interest in music, and understanding composition process as

benefits to composition experience. Menard, E. A. (2015). Music Composition in the High School Curriculum: A Multiple Case Study. Journal Of Research In Music Education, 63(1), 114-136. doi:10.1177/0022429415574310

Music in Physical Education Classes:

“Regardless of the activity, students in [physical education] lessons with music were more active. This was true in both the more sedate walking activities and the more vigor-ous Frisbee activities. Implications for teach-ers seem fairly straightforward--using music generally throughout the lesson and across a varied curriculum will have a positive effect on physical activity rates.” Barney, D., & Prusak, K. A. (2015). Effects of Music on Physical Activity Rates of Elementary Physical Ed-ucation Students. Physical Educator, 72(2), 236.

Visit nafme.org to subscribe to the

Journal of Research in Music Education

Language Development and Music:

“This study is the first to show a relation between rhythm perception skills and morpho-syntactic pro-duction in children with typical language development. These findings extend the literature showing substantial overlap of neurocognitive resources for processing music and language.” Gordon, R. L., Shivers, C. M., Wieland, E. A., Kotz, S. A., Yoder, P. J., & Devin McAuley, J. (2015). Musical rhythm dis-crimination explains individual differences in grammar skills in children. Developmental Science, 18(4), 635-644. doi:10.1111/desc.12230

Would you like to share the latest research that has interested you and informed your teaching? Contact [email protected] and volunteer to compile the Fall 2015 Research Beat.


prEpArINg fUTUrE MUSIC TEACHErS IN YoUr HIgH SCHooL MUSIC progrAM

Each year, a number of high school musicians demonstrate the skill and express the desire to

pursue music teaching as a career. Researchers have found that the start they get will have

an inordinately strong effect on the success they achieve during their undergraduate training and

during the beginning of their career, and music teachers play a critical role in giving them that

start (Bergee, Coffman, Demorest, Humphreys, & Thornton, 2001; Isbell, 2008). Students

who show strong potential for becoming music educators are typically assigned tasks such as

running sectional rehearsals, serving as drum major, or occasionally conducting a piece on a

concert (Fredrickson & Burton, 2005). Although experiences like these are valuable, they do

not comprise a well-conceived strategy upon which to build a career in music teaching. What

follows is a set of developmental learning activities that work together synergistically to provide

a foundation for professional development based in two areas: musicianship and ‘educatorship.’

Essential Areas for Promoting MusicianshipPossessing expertise in one’s content area is a ‘must’

for any teacher. For music teachers, that content area involves skill development as well as knowledge. 1. Major instrument performance skill. Private

instruction while in middle school and/or high school will help to accelerate the technical and musical development needed to express musically sophisticated ideas.

2. Secondary instrument performance skill. Instrumental majors must develop basic performance skill on all woodwind, brass, percussion, and string instruments. Starting within one’s ‘home’ instrument family may help one avoid feeling inundated by the task.

3. Vocal/choral experience. Every musician can benefit by engaging in singing activities, a proposition that often receives resistance from instrumental students. According to Wallace

(2014) however, “Participation in a choir can have immense impact upon instrumental students’ development as well-rounded musicians” (p. 499).

4. Conducting. Prospective music education majors benefit greatly from basic conducting instruction. However, only after conducting an ensemble do they begin to gain an awareness of the complexities associated with conducting and rehearsing (Silvey & Major, 2014). Providing opportunities to conduct small ensembles may provide the needed experiences without usurping precious large ensemble time.

5. Piano. Most music degree programs include several semesters of piano skill development. If foundational skills can occur prior to college, students can apply what they learn to other areas such as music theory and score study.

6. Music theory and music history. Sometimes an Advanced Placement (AP) version of this


content is offered in high school or can be found in an on-line course. In most music schools and departments, courses

and experiences are provided to help students develop in each of these areas. However, when prospective students can get a head start on these skills and knowledge, they can take advantage of increased opportunities to apply and solidify this content during early field teaching experiences in their undergraduate training.

Essential Areas for Promoting ‘Educatorship’Simply possessing musical knowledge and skill

is no guarantee one can teach that content to others. Developing a sense of ‘educatorship’ is as important as, and some would argue more important than, one’s musicianship for becoming an engaged, effective music teacher. Effective teachers understand that teaching is a complex undertaking requiring incremental pedagogical processes tempered by information gathered from carefully crafted feedback mechanisms administered at well-placed points throughout the instructional process. So how do high school students who want to be come effective music teachers get started? What follows is a description of four essential areas of ‘educatorship’ that can be initiated when prospective music majors are still in high school.

Components of effective teaching. There is an ordered four-step process to designing effective instruction (Fink, 2013), beginning with identifying situational factors, i.e., how many students are in the class, what prior knowledge do students bring, where will the teaching/learning activities take place, what facilities or teaching tools are needed? Next, one must determine learning goals, i.e., what should the students know and be able to do as a result of their experiences in the class? Third, one should determine assessment and feedback mechanisms that reflect the specific situational factors and learning goals, i.e.,

what will the students have to do to demonstrate that they have achieved the learning goals? Finally, one should determine teaching/learning activities based on learning goals and assessments, i.e., what activities will students engage in to help them do well on the assessment activities and successfully apply that learning to future situations? These four steps can be applied to any situation where you want significant learning to take place, however they must occur in the order presented above to be most effective. You can initiate future music majors’ development by first having them recognize these four components in your planning process. Ultimately, they should apply this model to their own planning processes.

Components of effective delivery. Sometimes prospective teachers possess a great deal of enthusiasm for what they know and do, but need to work on delivery skills to maximize their communication with students. The good news is that these skills can be learned. Vocal expression involves variation in vocal pitch, quality, volume, and rate, while physical expression involves eye contact, facial expression, arm and hand gestures, and posture. Each of these components can be practiced individually and in tandem to maximize one’s delivery skills (for specific delivery skill exercises, see Raiber and Teachout, 2014). When prospective music majors become familiar with effective instructional design and aware of their delivery skills, they are ready to plan and execute teaching episodes where they can notice issues of pacing, delivery, assessment, and feedback.

The power of peer teaching groups. If you have several individuals in a cohort of prospective music teachers, you can take advantage of the ‘social reference group’ effect (Blumer, 1969; Mead, 1934), a powerful interaction that occurs when people develop a social identity within a group that shares common understandings. In this case, the feedback (and praises) each other can give on such components as


lesson planning, delivery skills, pacing, etc. helps each member of the group develop his or her individual teacher identity. Think of the powerful effect of a peer comment such as, “Hey, the closing activity you did with the middle school clarinets yesterday was really cool… great job!” High school musicians often receive comments and praises for their musical accomplishments. Receiving similar comments about their teaching accomplishments can be equally powerful.

The power of appropriate mentorship. As prospective teachers develop, they work through three basic stages, each characterized by the most pressing psychological needs (i.e., concerns) perceived at any given point in time (Fuller & Bown, 1975). In the first stage, (the ‘self concerns’ stage) young teachers often focus on their personal adequacy as teachers. The most appropriate mentorship style to help those at the ‘self concerns’ stage is to be directive, i.e., giving very specific instructions for what you want them to do first, second, third, etc. Their egos are fragile and they just want to be told what to do. As they gain confidence, however, they move into the second stage (the ‘task concerns’ stage), where teachers focus on mastering teaching techniques. These include concerns about developing lesson plans, mastering content and necessary skills, and being able to apply teaching strategies to instruction. The most appropriate mentorship style to help those at the ‘task concerns’ stage is to be collaborative, i.e. asking them what they think should be planned. Their egos are a bit more developed and they need the opportunity to try their ideas, but they also need to have you close when their plans do not work. At the final stage (the ‘impact concerns’ stage), teachers’ concerns focus on the effect they can have on students. These concerns are about student achievement (both short-term and long-term), student motivation, and students’ personal wellbeing. The most appropriate mentoring style to help those

at the ‘impact concerns’ stage is to be non-directive, i.e., letting them develop and plan their lessons with you being available to consult, but not direct. Their egos are strong enough that they can learn from their mistakes without having their teacher identity suffer. Appropriate mentorship at each stage helps prospective teachers accelerate through each developmental stage.

Critical to developing a sense of ‘educatorship’ is the ability for a prospective teacher to work with one particular group over a period of time so that he or she can experience bringing that group forward in their development.

In summary, there are several specific areas for promoting musicianship that, if started when prospective teachers are in high school, will help them to accelerate their ability to apply that musicianship in their early field teaching experiences and in their early years of induction into the music education profession. Of equal (or greater) importance, however, are areas for promoting one’s sense of ‘educatorship.’ Together, the braiding of one’s sense of musicianship with his or her sense of ‘educatorship’ provides a solid foundation for pursuing a degree in music education. Considering that some of your current students could likely be your colleagues in the not-so-distant future, you are in an ideal position to help them get the best start possible.

ReferencesBergee, M.J., Coffman, D. D., Demorest, S. M.,

Humphreys, J. T., & Thornton, L. P. (2001, Summer). Influences on collegiate students’ decision to become a music educator. Report sponsored by MENC: The National Association for Music Education.

Blumer, H. (1969). Symbolic interactionism:

Perspective and method. Englewood Cliffs, NJ:

Prentice-Hall.

Fink, L. D. (2013). Creating significant learning experiences. New York: John Wiley & Sons.


Fredrickson, W. E., & Burton J. B. (2005). Where will the supply of new teachers come from, where shall we recruit, and who will teach these prospective teachers? Journal of Music Teacher Education 14(2), 30-36. doi:10.1177/10570837050140020105

Fuller, F. F., & Bown, O. (1975). Becoming a teacher. In K.Ryan (Ed.), Teacher education: Seventy-fourth yearbook of the National Society for the Study of Education. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

Isbell, D. S. (2008). Musicians and teachers: The socialization and occupational identity of preservice music teachers. Journal of Research in Music Education, 56(2),162-178. doi:10.1177/0022429408322853

Mead, G. (1934). Mind, self and society. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

Raiber, M. A., & Teachout, D. J. (2014). The journey from music student to teacher: A professional approach. New York: Routledge.

Silvey, B. A., & Major, M. L. (2014). Undergraduate music education majors’ perceptions of their development as conductors: Insights from a basic conducting course. Research Studies in Music Education, 36(1), 75-89. doi:10.1177/1321103X14523532

Wallace, K. (2014). When instrumentalists sing. International Journal of Music Education, 32(4), 499-513. doi:10.1177/0255761413519052

This article first appeared in The North Carolina Music Educator.

David J. Teachout is Professor and Head of the Music Education Department at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.

Contact information:

Email: [email protected]

Phone: 336-334-4759

K.Ryan



NATIoNAL MUSIC STANDArDS

Elizabeth Schorr

In a country as large as the United States, with different educational standards for each state

and each school system serving the needs of its own specific community, it is difficult to

ensure that students in all states are given an equal education. In a system where students in

the same school district can graduate high school with the same degree but different levels of

competency, the role that music plays in their education must be advocated for and defined. In

2014, the National Coalition for Core Arts Standards published “The Core Music Standards,”

which are voluntary standards that aim to ensure that all students, regardless of their demographic

profile, graduate from high school with the music skills and knowledge necessary to succeed in

their academic, professional, and personal pursuits.

These new standards were published in conjunction with the Common Core standards and provide the literature necessary for music to be recognized as a core subject in schools. They also serve as an initial attempt to begin to address the current disparity in music education; however, they pose a problem to classrooms and school districts who have already established a curriculum that may vary from the requirements set forth in these standards. An emphasis on high-stakes standardized testing and the comparison of school districts across the USA accompany these new education standards. These tests are national, but currently there is no national curriculum. Additionally, there is a severe lack of professional development accompanying these new standards, leaving teachers without the resources to implement the material in classrooms. Through the critical analysis of the content of these standards, I will demonstrate how these new standards are a step forward in American public education, but also how they should be revised in order to be more applicable at the local level.

National Music Standards: A Brief HistoryWhen beginning to address these new standards it

is important to recognize the historical events leading up to the development and implementation of the national standards. Several events in the past fifty years have furthered the development of music education in public schools. The history provided predominantly addresses the events that led up to the development of standards for music education. The events discussed highlight instances in American history where individuals who were invested in furthering music as a core subject in education, met and documented strategies that would work to help music achieve security in education.

The Contemporary Music ProjectThe Contemporary Music Project was undertaken

in 1959 and aimed to help the music education profession modernize itself to serve contemporary societal needs. The purpose of this project was to place composers under the age of 35 in public school systems to serve as composers-in-residence for


students. This provided opportunities to increase the emphasis on the creative aspect of music in the public schools, and helped decrease the large separation between music composition and music education (Gary & Mark, 2007). This benefited the composers, music educators, and students involved equally, as it offered opportunities for students and music educators to be exposed to contemporary music, and provided a supportive, creative outlet for young composers. Although The Contemporary Music Project lost its funding, the benefits of the project were clearly seen, and the inclusion of composition as an important part of music education remains pertinent today.

The Yale SeminarThe Yale Seminar on Music Education was a

federally funded music education project, which took place from June 17 to 28 in 1963. In the late 1950s, President Kennedy created The Panel on Education Research and Development, which promoted the belief that students would excel in science if they were provided opportunities to see the human experience through the arts. The panel wanted to discover why public school music programs were not producing musically literate and active citizens, and thus the purpose of the seminar was to consider the problems facing music education and to propose possible solutions. The panel placed a great emphasis on the use of quality literature in music classrooms. This was one of the first times that standards for the literature in music classrooms were addressed (Gary & Marks, 2007). The Yale Seminar provided great insight into the status of music education, but because music educators were not involved in the research and development of potential ideas for the new curriculum, much of the information gained from the seminar was discredited.

The Julliard Repertory Project

One year later, The Julliard Repertory Project was established to address the concerns noted in the Yale Seminar. Those attending the seminar worked to develop a large body of high quality music to provide music educators with the resources to bring students in kindergarten through sixth grade authentic and meaningful music. The project consisted of three groups who worked to compile repertoire: a) a group of research consultants, b) a group made up of musicologists and ethnomusicologists, education consultants, who were music education professionals, and testing consultants, and c) a group of public school elementary music teachers). Seven categories of music were selected for the project: pre-Renaissance, Renaissance, Baroque, Classical, Romantic, Contemporary time periods, and the Folk music genre (Gary and Marks, 2007). Despite its quality and availability, the collection was not received with acceptance due to its association with the Yale Seminar and a lack of interest in the music literature proposed. However, the music collected is an invaluable resource for Western European Art Music and provided the foundation for high standards in music literature today.

The Tanglewood SymposiumIn the spring of 1967 the Music Educators National

Conference (MENC) arranged for a convention known presently as The Tanglewood Symposium. The symposium attempted to answer some pressing questions concerning the direction of music education, such as “‘What are the characteristics and desirable ideologies for an emerging post-industrial society?’ ‘What are the values and unique functions of music and others arts for individuals and communities in such a society?’ ‘How may these potentials be attained?’”(Gary & Marks, 2007, 364). The Tanglewood Symposium was the first instance of curriculum development by music education professionals and pushed music education to begin to establish itself as a part


of the core curriculum in schools. At the conclusion of the symposium, a declaration was released stating, “We believe that education must have as major goals the art of living, the building of personal identity, and nurturing creativity. Since the study of music can contribute much to these ends, WE NOW CALL FOR MUSIC TO BE PLACED IN THE CORE OF THE SCHOOL CURRICULUM” (Gary & Marks, 2007, 364).

The Goals and Objectives Project In the same way that the Julliard Repertory

Project aimed to address issues brought up by the Yale Seminar, the Goals and Objectives (GO) Project aimed to implement the recommendations of the Tanglewood Symposium. Beginning in 1969, the GO Project established four major goals and thirty-five specific objectives. The four major goals were establishing comprehensive music programs in all schools, providing opportunities for people of all ages to learn music, invest in a quality education for teachers, and to use the most effective techniques and resources available in music instruction (Gary & Marks, 2007). This was a national effort, headed by MENC, to work towards comprehensive music programs in all American schools.

Goals 2000: Educate America ActThe events mentioned previously were stepping

stones for the music education profession, as they provided the information and resources needed to establish national standards for music education. In 1994, a congressional act was passed known as the “Goals 2000: Educate America Act” (Gary & Marks, 2007). This act originally did not recognize music as a core curricular subject, but after extensive advocacy efforts on the part of MENC, music was included. The act established national standards for education, and, in 1994, allowed for the development and

implementation of the National Standards for Music Education.

The Common Core State StandardsThe timeline provided shows the progression of

the development of the music education, but the development of national standards and objectives in education occurred in other subjects often before they were developed for the arts curriculum. In 2009 the government began to develop the Common Core State Standards, that consist of two categories, the college- and career-readiness standards, which address what students must know and understand by the time they graduate high school, and the K-12 standards that address learning expectations for elementary school through high school (Core Standards, 2014). These standards provide consistent learning goals across states and came about because of a lack of academic progress in the American public school systems. After five years of revision, 43 states have adopted The Common Core State Standards (Core Standards, 2014). This educational reform is a step forward in our public education system as it provides teachers and school districts with national benchmarks, which ideally will help lessen the disparity that currently exists in American public education. However, it is important to note that Common Core only addresses learning and literacy standards for English Language Arts and Mathematics.

The National Coalition for Core Arts StandardsThe National Coalition for Core Arts Standards

(NCCAS), which is made up of expert educators in the arts fields, published the National Core Arts Standards in 2014. These standards align to the Common Core Standards in both structure and content. Arts education has had a formal place in American schools since the early 1800s, and the NCCAS promotes the arts as equal subjects in schools curricula.


The Core Music Standards

The Four Artistic ProcessesTo gain an understanding of the Core Music

Standards one must begin with the four overarching themes that provide the structure of the standards. These themes, creating, performing, responding, and connecting, are called the four artistic processes. Underneath each artistic process are a total of 11 anchor standards, which are broad statements of what a student should know and be able to do as a result of their education (Common Core, 2014).

Creating. Through the process of creating students are expected to be able to take knowledge gained in the classroom, and with guidance use it to develop their own individual thoughts. Three anchor standards fall under the creating category: 1) Generate and conceptualize artistic ideas and work, 2) Organize and develop artistic ideas and work, and 3) Refine and complete artistic work. An example of an activity that would fulfill a creating requirement would be if a second grade music classroom were to use previous knowledge of rhythm patterns and create their own rhythm pattern using rhythm syllables.

Performing. The second theme, performing, requires that students gain the experience and skills necessary to be able to analyze their own and other performances and demonstrate their ability to present musical thoughts and ideas. The next three anchor standards fall into this category: 4) Analyze, interpret, and select artistic work for presentation, 5) Develop and refine artistic work for presentation, and 6) Convey meaning through the presentation of artistic work. To fulfill this standard in a 7th grade music classroom, students, in small groups, could present musical works using classroom instruments.

Responding. Through the responding process, students are asked to take time to show their

understanding of information gained in the classroom through reflection, analysis, and critical thinking about music and music performances. The next three anchor standards that fall under this artistic process are: 7) Perceive and analyze artistic work, 8) Interpret intent and meaning in artistic work, and 9) Apply criteria to evaluate artistic work. In a 5th grade classroom students could listen to two musical selections of two different styles (i.e. jazz and plain chant), and compare and contrast the differences using a graphic organizer to record their personal thoughts.

Connecting. The fourth and final process is connecting. Students must be able to relate the information learned in classrooms to life outside of a classroom. The ability to apply knowledge learned in schools to real life is the ultimate goal of education. If a student leaves school with only knowledge and not the ability to apply it, how can they be expected to be successful members of society? This theme provides opportunities for educators of every discipline to work together to create a cohesive learning environment. The two final anchor standards, which fall under this artistic process, are: 10) Synthesize and relate knowledge and personal experiences to make art, and 11) Relate artistic ideas and works with societal, cultural and historical context to deepen understanding. An example of a way to apply this in a secondary general music course would be to take Mendelssohn’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Op. 61 Overture, and ask students to use their prior knowledge of the text (gained in their English courses) to identify the different musical themes that represent specific characters.

Comparing the Standards

The Content The content and presenation of the Core Music

Standards differs greatly from the 1994 standards. Standards from 1994 were presented in a simple


list that applied to all grade levels and included objectives that should be covered in each class. The 2014 Core Music Standards provides teachers with individual standards for each grade level and class type. As shown in Figure 3, this is an overwhelming amount of information;the layout of information is not easily understood. Figure 4 is an example of an anchor standard for second graders. The standard falls under the artistic process of performing, and Anchor Standard #5, where students are expected to evaluate and refine personal and ensemble performances, individually or in collaboration with others. In this example, two standards are listed that can be applied to a specific lesson objective.

Enduring Understandings and Essential

Questions

The common core standards and the core music standards make use of Enduring Understandings

and Essential Questions. Enduring understandings are statements that summarize important ideas, and core processes that are central to a discipline and have lasting value beyond the classroom. They describe what students should understand as a result of studying a particular content area. The enduring understanding for the Anchor Standard in Figure 4 is for students “to express their musical ideas, musicians analyze, evaluate, and refine their performance over time through openness to new ideas, persistence, and the application of appropriate criteria” (Core Standards, 2014). An essential question is a concept in the form of a question, and sets the focus for a lesson or unit. The essential question for the Anchor Standard in Figure

4 is, “How do musicians improve the quality of their performance?” (Core Standards, 2014). The enduring understandings and essential questions are tools used in Common Core and the National Core Arts Standards to assist in the development and identification

Figure 3. An example of what the NCAS look like.


Figure 4. An example of an Anchor Standard.

of the overall knowledge a student should gain from a specific activity.

Making Connections.

Figure 5 compares the Core Music Standards and the 1994 Standards, with the common core standard on the top and the 1994 standards in the bottom row. By connecting the 1994 Standards to the Core Music Standards it is easier to see what students must do

to demonstrate their understanding of the concepts presented by the new standards. In this instance, by “listening to, analyzing and describing music,” students are able to demonstrate that they can “apply established criteria to judge the accuracy, expressiveness, and effectiveness of performances.” The new standards lead educators towards metacognition in classrooms; as educators continue to figure out what students must do to show cognitive understanding, the application of these standards will become simpler.

Application of the Music Standards in Current

Classrooms

The implementation of the Core Music Standards looks different in every school district. Table 1 indicates a lack of available professional development for the three participants There is no set protocol for introducing the standards to teachers and classrooms, and the responsibility of implementing the standards in classrooms is being placed solely on teachers.

Figure 5. A comparison of the 1994 and 2014 Standards.


Table 1Interviews with Teachers in the Greater Hartford Area (Personal Communication, February 2015)Questions

Has your school district begun to implement “The Core Music Stan-dards?

Classsroom A

The curriculum was last updated in 1991, and is being updated by the music faculty in the Summer of 2015. Teach-er A is more familiar with the older standards but has worked to incor-porate the new standards in the classroom

Classroom B

The school district has begun using the Core Music Standards in classrooms.

Classroom C

Classroom C is awaiting the CT Department of Education voting results before implementing the new standards in classrooms

What does the administration require you to do in your classroom to apply these standards?

Teacher A says they are not sure whether the dis-trict is cognizant of the new music standards.

The process of rewrit-ing the standards into the curriculum has begun, no specifics available yet.

Teacher C found the standards to be very difficult to understand, and argues that the “creating” section is the most challenging. The applica-tion across disciplines is a positive thing, and finds standards easy for students to understand.

Do you find the standards helpful or difficult to use in your classroom?

Teacher A finds them difficult to understand and thus difficult to implement in the class. Appreciates the Endur-ing Understandings and Essential Questions and uses them as tools for planning, but wishes they were more concise.

Not Applicable. Teacher C finds them challeng-ing but approves of the standards. Appreciates that there are Es-sential Questions aligned to each standards and thinks that more music teachers should be asking themselves how they would answer the questions. Thinks that music departments should be discussing these questions to assure alignment within programs. Especially for ensemble directors they serve as a reminder that there are larger goals than the final product of giving a concert.


Challenges of The Core Music StandardsAs seen in the information collected from current

teachers, many challenges in the implementation of The Common Core and the Core Music Standards. These educational benchmarks are only a first step towards the education reform that the United States desperately needs. Although it has only been a year, implementing these new standards is proving to be a difficult adjustment for students and teachers. There will not be instant results, as there cannot be quick-fix-improvements for an issue as complicated as implementing national standards for the first time in a non-standardized educational environment. Teacher support in the form of funding and professional development is of the utmost importance if these standards are going to positively impact learning communities. Educators cannot sucessfully implement these new standards without an explanation of how they work. These standards are not a finished product, and therefore teachers should be included in the process of revision as they begin using the standards in classrooms

The value currently placed on high-stakes testing puts pressure on teachers to spend time teaching students how to successfully pass tests. Standardized testing does not test the arts subjects, and pushes schools to cut funding for arts programs and invest more in the tested subjects that. Students need a comprehensive education, and that education includes music. Emphasizing specific subjects creates an unfulfilling learning environment for students and teaches students that only certain aspects of their education have relevance. Furthermore, the standards provide teachers with an overwhelming amount of information and the presentation of that information

is confusing. The wording of objectives is often superfluous; at times it is difficult to see the main objectives as they are clouded by extraneous text.

For these standards to be successful, nation-wide professional development must be implemented. Organizations such as NAfME can provide professional development to support the implementation of the national standards. Workshops can give school district representatives the tools they need to revise their district curricula. Tea’hers’ previous education will not necessarily allow for them to successfully reach the benchmarks set in place by the new standardsBy editing the current website to provide easier access to the standards and by providing supplemental materials that will help explain the standards concisely, they will become easier to understand. Finally, for all teachers to have an appreciation for every subject it may be beneficial for faculties to work across disciplines and collaborate. In this way, students are able to clearly see how every aspect of their education is connected, and teachers will be able to provide consistency and perspective to their students and each other.

Conclusions and Future StudyThe Core Arts Standards are a step forward in

American public education, but they will not endure in our educational system unless they become more functional. Students deserve an education that will help them be successful members of society, and educators need professional support as they work to raise the educational standards of their classrooms. For America to remain an international leader in education, and to provide all students with a fair and equal education, it is imperative that theCore Music Standards continue to undergo revision, and professional development be made readily available for educators.


ReferencesBaird, K. (2012). Trapped in mediocrity: Why our schools aren’t world-class and what we can do about it. Maryland:

Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.Core Standards (2014). Development Process. Common Core State Standards Initiative. Retrieved from http://www.corestandards.org/about-the-standards/development-process/#timelineGary, C. L., & Mark, L. M. (2007). A history of American music education. Lanham, Maryland: Rowman &

Littlefield Publishing Group, Inc.Hansen, D. (2015) Fluency and prosody lecture [PowerPoint Slides]. Retrieved from http://blackboard.hartford.edu/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_tab_group_id=_2_1&url=%2Fwebapps

%2Fblackboard%2Fexecute%2Flauncher%3Ftype%3DCourse%26id%3D_53182_1%26url%3DHilliard III, A. G. (September/October 2000). Excellence in education versus high- stakes standardized testing.

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Ohio State University. 41. Retrieved from http://www.unco.edu/cetl/sir/stating_outcome/documents/Krathwohl.pdf

National Center for Education Statistics. (2015). [Average scale scores for long-term trend reading, chart April 10, 2015]. NAEP Data Explorer.

Retrieved from Institute of Education Sciences Web Site at https://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/lttdata/report.aspx#

National Center for Education Statistics. (2015). [“Highlights from PISA 2009: Performance of U.S. 15-Year-Old Students in reading, Mathematics, and Science Literacy in an International Context,”]. U.S. Department of Education Web Site at http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2011/2011004.pdf, pp. 8, 18, 24.

Elizabeth Schorr is an honors student at the University of Hartford’s The Hartt School, where she is currently studying Music Education and Vocal Performance. Elizabeth is an active member of NAfME, and has served as both President and Vice President for the Collegiate NAfME chapter at Hartt. Elizabeth will be presenting the information in this article at the University of Hartford’s TedX event this coming Fall, and hopes to provide information and insight on the new educational reforms taking place in American schools.

http://www.corestandards.org/about-the-standards/development

http://blackboard.hartford.edu/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_tab_group_id=_2_1&url=%2Fwebapps%2Fblackboard%2Fexecute%2Flauncher%3Ftype%3DCourse%26id%3D_53182_1%26url%3D

http://blackboard.hartford.edu/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_tab_group_id=_2_1&url=%2Fwebapps%2Fblackboard%2Fexecute%2Flauncher%3Ftype%3DCourse%26id%3D_53182_1%26url%3D

http://www.unco.edu/cetl/sir/stating_outcome/documents/Krathwohl.pdf

http://www.unco.edu/cetl/sir/stating_outcome/documents/Krathwohl.pdf

https://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/lttdata/report.aspx

https://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/lttdata/report.aspx

http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2011/2011004.pdf

Documents

CMEA Summer 2015.pdf