Lexi graham
Future Music Educator
Western University
ABOUT
My name is Lexi Graham. I am a student at Western University in London Ontario studying the saxophone and specializing in Music Education.
Music has always been my biggest passion and I've been able to participate in the Ontario Honour Band, school ensembles and church groups. I am always excited to learn new things and teach others the knowledge I have acquired.
Sound lab Assignments
Graphic score 14/09/19
Body mapping 19/09/19
Through learning about the process of body mapping, I was able to address some issues and misconceptions about the position of my body while I was practicing and performing.
This week, specifically at my lesson with the saxophone professor, I learned that some of my previous habits of holding and positioning myself while playing were disabling me from playing with my best possible sound and staying healthy and safe. We touched on two specific aspects of my playing and worked mainly through why it was important to follow these rules of placement.
First , she talked to me about how my positioning of the saxophone was not correct, especially when sitting. The way I had been holding my instrument was actually putting a lot of strain on my neck and back muscles. Rather than trying to hold the saxophone by lifting it up with my hands (thumbs and wrists), I needed to have a firmer embouchure and use the top of my hip bones to rest the instrument. I tended to use my wrist muscles to hold the saxophone away from my body to try and create more of a ninety-degree angle for the neck piece but my teacher warned me that if I continue to hold the horn as I was previously, I would most likely develop the medical condition of tendonitis.
The second aspect was more specifically on my jaw movement and air supply while trying to perform the technique of 'vibrato'. For the saxophone, to create the vibrato sound, one must slightly move their jaw while still providing lots of air. My professor wanted me to focus on those small movements and work on them in more intentional ways. She gave me an exercise that subdivides beats with only vibrato, and not simply making random wave lengths when playing. I realized that I needed to focus more on this jaw movement and a consistent amount of air pressure the whole time I was playing.
These two small, yet very impactful realizations of my body movement have already displayed the effects of body mapping and why it is important to be aware and intentional of where my body is placed when playing. These details do not go unnoticed by audience members or even myself when practicing and playing.
solfege activity 25/09/19
For my activity with the class, I would like to have everybody in a circle about elbow length apart. At a given tempo everyone will take turns going up and down the scale using the syllables (do, re, mi, fa, sol, la, ti, do, etc.) We will do this a few times and increase the tempo as we go. Next, we will go around and do arpeggios (do, mi, sol, do, sol, mi, do).
To change the idea of the exercise, we will have everyone put their head down and think of a pitch they are going to sing. On the count of three, everyone will lift their head and try to confidently sing their pitch without changing it. After a few times to do that, we will do the same but when they find someone who is singing the same pitch as them, they need to switch places in the circle.
This activity will probably take around 10 minutes.
body percussion 03/10/19
Sound Lab Reflection 5 & 6 19/10/19
A Tribe Called Red is an Indigenous Canadian group from Ottawa, Ontario. This band’s style of music is called “Electric Powwow”, in which they are the generic forerunners. From starting out DJ-ing in local bars to being nationally recognized and Juno award(s) winners, this group has made a big impact creating and upholding the “soundtrack to a contemporary evolution of powwow”. In all of their music, A Tribe Called Red is heavily influenced by Powwow traditions of music and community and they create “powwow dance-driven drum music”. They focus on creating their own material and are welcomes all people to enjoy and learn from their music.
Their song “The Road” came out in 2013, and is a dedication the “Idle No More” protests and Attawapiskat First Nation Chief Theresa Spence. The song is heavily rhythm based with the use of traditional Indigenous vocal techniques (vocables –singing with no words or to replace words of an old song). The mellowness of the song shows that it is serious and the drum almost sounds like marching. I really found this song interesting and even more so when I heard that is was dedicated to the activism against Stephan Harper’s conservative party and their introduction to Bill C-45. A bill that diminished the rights and authority of Indigenous communities while making it easier for the government and businesses to push through projects without strict environmental assessments.
The fact that this song was purposefully created and dedicated to support current events in the Indigenous community is very admirable to me. Their involvement of what was going on shows the unity they have as a community, which really mirrors the mindset of traditional Powwows. The purpose of these gatherings is to meet together, and to join in dancing and singing; it is a time to renew Native American culture and preserve their rich heritage of ancestors.
The fact that A Tribe Called Red, in all of their music, is simultaneously remaining unified in their past and present all while making a path for their future is not a small feat and should be celebrated! It makes me very happy and supportive of their work because it is not simply making music for fun (which is a valid reason), but it goes much deeper and speaks to the profound impact that music has in culture and history.
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Cowie, D. (2015, September 2). A Tribe Called Red. Retrieved September 17, 2019, from https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/a-tribe-called-red.
Marshall, T. (2013, April 12). Idle No More. Retrieved October 17, 2019, from https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/idle-no-more.
What is a Native American Pow Wow? (2019, June 28). Retrieved October 17, 2019, from https://www.powwows.com/main/native-american-pow-wow/.
Sound Lab Reflection 7 30/10/19
As a musician, bad performances are all part of the package. With all the good performances come an equal amount of bad ones. An experience that did not go as smoothly as I had hoped is my audition to Wilfred Laurier University. At this audition, I was not able to rehearse with the pianist and therefore I was not able to completely align with her during all the transitions, and that inconsistency caused me to stumble at parts, not stay together with my pianist and then mess up further because of that frustration. I was clearly frustrated but also sad and disappointed of myself because this was a very important audition and I was not showing my full capabilities.
While reading these articles, I found it interesting how the man “David”, was talking about how “to succeed” is not a verb on its own that is attainable because it is extremely vague. You must be specific when you are setting goals especially each time you play a piece of music or else there is no point. Playing without intention is not worth the time and effort, there has to be purpose. So in this audition that I was talking about earlier, I was so focused on how my timing was lining up the pianist that that affected the rest of my playing. The “interpretation” of being frustrated while playing, does not help at all because it really distracts from what you are doing well in other areas. Not to say that it is helpful to ignore what you are doing wrong, but if I were to not have gotten frustrated, I could have focused more of my energy on listening and cueing the pianist for the next transition. Because I was focused on how I had messed up, I had basically given up on myself and already deemed it a bad audition.
Something I wish that I had done there (and will do more intentionally now) is to purposefully reflect on what I am doing when I am practicing and even after a performance. Completely tearing yourself down is not always helpful (although sometimes it is necessary). It is equally important to know what you are doing well so that you can keep doing it well.
“Gifted artists go unheard because of unnecessary fear. People never meet their own expressive self because of self-consciousness and doubt” (Gorman). As a musician, I am much more capable than I let myself believe. Especially with performances, I need to stop being scared, but willing to fail so that I can further learn from it.
Sound Lab Reflection 8 8/11/19
I chose to practice these learning skills by trying to throw a miniature basketball into the basket. From the article that we read, I learned that I needed to make a specific goal. I made a goal that I would make two baskets in because it was specific and attainable. The first three times I missed but after each time I slightly adjusted what I was doing. The first time, I was not throwing the ball far enough, the second time, it was to far to the left, the third it was too far from to the right. Each time, my first thought was to get frustrated with what was happening. It was a simple goal and I still could not succeed. But remembering what the article said, I tried to thing of my mis-takes as a positive learning experience. By shifting my mindset like this, I was able to see that me missing my goal was an opportunity to break down what I was doing, and specifically think about what needs to happen for me to get a basket. With a few more trial and error occurrences, I was finally able to attain my goal with much more knowledge about how to succeed again. Due to this mindset and technique explained in the article, I gained much more from this simple physical activity.
Sound Lab Reflection 9 15/11/19
Tuesday: Today in my lesson, I went in really wanting to experiment with the stylistic approach on one of the pieces I’m working on, Suite pour saxophone alto at piano. The second movement is called Danse des démons and it has a clear stylistic contrast from phrase to phrase. My experiment was to exaggerate the different styles as much as I was able. The first theme was snappy, staccato, impulsive and quick. My teacher gave me the advice to try and imitate the piano part as much as I could. The contrasting theme is very flowy, connected, and legato. By experimenting with style and exaggeration, I was able to get a better representation of what I wanted to convey in my piece.
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Wednesday: On Wednesday at Wind Ensemble, I wanted to experiment with how I could be more rhythmically accurate. I find that I have an issue keeping track of counting rests because I get distracted by the instruments around me. With the experimental mindset in my head, I tried to count the rests by counting in my head. This did not prove to be very successful because I was not able to keep myself focused on just counting without externalizing what I was doing in my head. The next time, I tried to use my fingers to keep track of how many rests had gone by. The issue that came with this strategy was better than the last, but still was not the best because at the end of these rests I could not get my fingers back to my saxophone in time. The last time I tried to count with my fingers again, but this time by pushing down the buttons on my saxophone. It as great to find a solution to help my counting in ensemble!
Thursday: On Thursday when I was practicing my technique, I tried experimenting with the subdivision I used with my metronome because I was working on a passage that I felt was way too fast. After I had experimented with the tempo, by starting slower and working my way up, I tried to put my metronome at the eighth note tempo so that the sixteenth notes would not feel as fast. I found this successful because it was a simple shift of perspective. The speed of the notes I was playing was no shorter than before, but now I was able to successfully produce them at the tempo I wanted. Instead of getting frustrated and walking away, I thought of what I needed to do to succeed in what I was trying to do.
Sound lab reflection 10 23/11/19
It is very interesting to think about your body. It is a little bit of a paradox because so often throughout the day we unconsciously move our bodies to where they need to be or to where they feel comfortable. The article by Nick Drendenburg specifically about posture was very interesting to me because he was talking about this idea of how telling yourself to have “better posture” (as in bodily position) does not really make sense because that is not what is happening when you feel tight sitting at a desk. He used the comparison of staring versus looking at something. Staring takes much more focus and therefore your brain is not necessarily concerned with the rest of your body. I personally can relate to this because I feel that when I am sitting down and playing, I am focusing a lot more effort into my posture because it is not natural to sit with an instrument, but when I am standing, a comfortable position comes very easily to me.
A similar idea to this was in the interview with David and Marion when they were talking about how you do not have to try and distinctly isolate an issue when you are experimenting. This is not necessary because if you want to reach a goal, your body and mind will most likely make those adjustments for you so that you do not need to stress and focus on what you previously messed up on. I thought back on how in my practicing, a lot of the time when I want to change something, I do not need to specifically identify what was happening.
Sound lab reflection 11 27/11/19
"This week there is no reading. Think back to your first week at Western. Think about the goals you had at the beginning of the semester, possibly the one you articulated in our first class, and answer the following questions:"
1) How have you grown towards this goal? Did your goals or focus change over the course of the semester?
At the beginning of the semester I was really trying just to get used to how things work here at western and my goal was to meet new people and make lots of friends. I have definitely achieved this goal and made lots of amazing friends through the program along with learning so much from all my professors.
2) What was a challenge you faced this semester with respect to your time, wellness, or motivation? How did you work through it? What have you learned for next time you face this challenge?
A big challenge for me was fitting all the things I needed to get done in while still having time to relax. I wanted to be very prepared for my upcoming tests and performances, but at times it just became too much to do while maintaining the social contact I needed from outside sources. At times it was also hard to feel motivated because even after I worked really hard, no one seemed to think I was doing any better than before. It’s easy as a musician to doubt your abilities, but it is really important that you just keep moving and not letting the struggles stop you from working hard.
3) Think of an idea that will be helpful to keep in mind as you work through next semester. This can be a good habit you are trying to keep, a specific goal, or a guiding principal. Write a phrase or mantra that you can use every day to remind you of this idea. Write this phrase in bold at the end of your reflection.
I think it will be really good for me to be more strict in a specific time schedule so that things do not end up being done last minute a lot of the time. I want to be consistent with completing my to-do lists every day from my planner so I can use all the free time I have to the fullest.
I WILL DO WHAT I ASSIGN MYSELF SO I STAY ON TOP OF MY WORK.
Videos
Leadership in the classroom
This clip from the famous movie, "School of Rock", starring Jack Black demonstrates a timeless method of teaching music: imitation. The character, "Mr. Schneebly", simply shows the students the line he wants them to play and then asks them to repeat it back to him as well as they are able. This strategy is very useful in ear training and getting rid of the sheet music (which may be difficult for some students to understand). His technique is efficient in that it really gets the students to listen and watch what he is doing so that they can do the same. Although it is unlikely that all students would have gotten the exact lines he asked them to the first time is unlikely, he did a very good job at identifying where each student was at and what they could handle. "Mr. Schneebly" understood the level of the group and gave them a piece where they would still have fun playing, but was slightly out of their comfort zones.
This movie scene from "Dead Poets Society" starring Robin WIlliams demonstrates a very desirable teaching strategy that is rare to see anymore. This is a technique where the teacher pushes the student to do things that they never thought that they would be able to do. It is admirable how instead of embarrassing or ridiculing his student for not doing his homework, Mr. Keating chooses to show his student that he in fact does have an ability and talent to create poetry. A great way that they teacher does this is by having the student say what he is immediately thinking, not what he thinks the right answer may be. He pushes creativity because that is where true greatness comes from. The student is then so inspired and excited that he was able to come up with such a great poem just by saying what he is thinking. You could also tell that the other students in the class were very impressed with what he had come up.
Music in my life
Teaching philosophy
Assignments
Response #1
Repositioning ‘The Elements’: How Students Talk About Music
Rose, L. S., & Countryman, J. (2013). Repositioning ‘the elements ‘: How students talk about music. Action, Criticism, and Theory for Music Education 12(3): 45-64.
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Article, “Repositioning ‘The Elements’: How Students Talk about Music”, by L. S. Rose and J. Countryman discuss the repercussions of generalizing and over-simplifying music simply into ‘elements’. This article deemed to be extremely relevant to today by examining how the intensive focus of individual aspects that ‘make up all music’ may be a major reason as to why so little students are continuing in music or fully grasping the abstract idea that music is.
I found it very surprising that in 2004 only 5.7% of students enrolled in Grade 12 music. This is an incredibly low statistic to me as I know how much teenagers enjoy listening to music and experiencing it personally. That led me to a realization of how different it felt to simply be listening to music on my own and actually being in music class at school. When vocabulary like simplify, discriminate and categorize were mentioned in relation to the elements, it frustrated me. I had never thought of how putting all of music into simple categories diminishes the depth and indescribability that all music has. By trying to make up a formula for a ‘good piece’ of music, it automatically divides music into ‘more’ or ‘less’ artistic/musical.
I was interested when the article spoke about when the expectations of ‘what is possible’ are exceeded. It opened my eyes to how much more inclusive a music classroom could be if some forms of music were not somewhat ‘frowned upon’ in the professional music world. The diversity and complexity of music is one of the factors that draw people to it, and it does not seem right that in the twenty first century, the main focus in music classes is (for the majority) is western classical music.
I was frustrated with how much pressure music teachers have to standardize their lessons, and how the curriculum limits most teachers from sharing what they truly think is important to teach in music. One point that I slightly disagree on is to always consult students on what musical pieces to choose. I think that it is important for a good variety, but students do not always have the right mindset in choosing more challenging pieces to improve their skills.
Throughout this article, I was very engaged. If I could talk to the authors, I would want them to share more examples of the research they found from the students and why they believe that using vocabulary that the students use and recognize is a crucial move to teaching music.
Dear future student
Dear Future Student,
I am so happy that you are here and that I am working with you. It gives me so much joy that I get the privilege of expanding your knowledge in music and working with you. No matter where you came from or why you came here, I am very pleased that you are willing to try something that may not be what you are used to.
First and foremost, I want you to know that I am so proud of you. Whatever stage of learning and performing you are at, I am so grateful to be part of your journey and watch you grow. What impresses me the most is not necessarily the finished product of your music but your work ethic and persistence to get to that point. Discipline is arguably one of the most important skills that one can ever develop. The main goal is never perfection; it is simply improvement from the day before. All the behind the scenes work you do is what makes me think that you are truly remarkable.
My goal is not just to tell you what to do. I want to show you that I too need to practice every day to become a better musician. The most effective way for me to teach you, is to lead by example. It is very easy for me to talk with you and give you a bunch of lessons. The challenging part is to put these lessons into practice myself. I desire your respect, so to do this; I do not want to let teaching music be my sole focus.
Although I am your teacher, I do make mistakes. Please feel free to talk to me if you have different opinions or strategies so that I may continue to learn from you. I am not here to order you around, but guide you and give you the best that I can offer. Also, keep in mind that I am available to talk at any time, whether it is music related or not. I am your teacher but also someone who is rooting for you in every sense of your life.
I really hope that you feel that you belong here in the musical world. It will always be a community that you can trust, depend on, and have fun in. No matter where you end up in life, whether you continue in music after this class, you should know that you always have this community to come back to. While you are here, I want to move at a pace that is set for you individually, enjoyable and still challenging. My job is to make you the best musician that you can be, so that will include pushing you outside of your comfort zone at times. What makes the community of music so unique is that we are all reaching toward a common goal in different ways: to be the best musicians we can be.
It is not going to be easy. You are going to be tempted to give up. But I am going to be here to get you back up on your feet and trying again. I am here for when you need a helping hand with anything. As your music teacher, I care about you, and not just because you are my student, but because you are now part of my music family.
Sincerely,
Ms. Graham
Response #2
Popular music and Modern Band principles
Powell, B., & Burstein, S.. (2017). “Popular music and Modern Band principles”. The Routledge Research Companion to Popular Music Education. 20: 243-254.
Article, “Popular music and Modern Band principles”, by Bryan Powell and Scott Burstein discuss possibility and benefits of all music programs to expand and offer popular music studies and “Modern Band class”. The article went through many issues that students have already with musical performance and making and how the “Modern Band class” will help to eliminate anxieties and shape confident musicians from an earlier stage.
I found it very surprising how much sense this article made to me. Not that I did not enjoy my high school’s instrumental music program, but I can easily agree how this area of music-teaching would be much more appealing to multiple students. It does not seem fair that the only music that is being taught in the educational system in most places is music that many young people do not necessarily enjoy listening to. The way of teaching that was mentioned in the article is much more open, hands-on, engaging and creative for a much larger number of students.
I was interested when the article spoke about how the definition of “popular music” was always evolving and relative to the time and place. The article mentioned how the term “popular music” could be problematic because most music that is still listened to today, was obviously popular at one point. It made sense to me that the music studied in class should also largely be what the students are already listening to and enjoy very much.
With all of this, I am not saying that every music program should be only what is being shared in the article, because it is very important to learn about the past of music and see the evolution, but it seems silly that more programs have not already incorporated this.
I was frustrated with how much equipment would be needed for the program to actually be able to run. When music programs already have to pay so much money for so many instruments and repairs, it would be a huge investment to go out and buy the equipment for the modern band class – guitar, bass, keyboards, drums, vocals and recording technology.
The comparison to music and another language being taught was very interesting to me and I was very surprised with how Modern Band class had so many beneficially effects on areas such as composition, improvisation, feeling comfortable playing, and learning from others. It seemed that in smaller groups of musicians working together, it is easier to teach these concepts and observe them from individuals.
This article was very interesting and really got me thinking about multiple aspects of music. The division between Western classical and popular music do not need to exist in the world of music because one is not better to teach or learn. These authors went to great detail to explain how the two working alongside each other or even changing to more modern practices of teaching music could be very beneficially for students.
Response #3
When examining isolated music teaching, it is crucial to be aware of the positive and negative results. When looking at the article “Isolation in studio music teaching: The secret garden”, it is easy to focus on the inhibiting sides that occur when in confinement of a private studio. While the guest speaker we heard on Wednesday talked about many positive products.
It was interesting to see the article points out how private music teaching is exclusive. I do not agree that this is as bad of a thing that the article makes it out to be. As we learned from Torin Chiles, this seclusion is beneficial because it allows a close relationship with students and a focused environment. In the claim's defence, I can imagine how easy it would be to fall into this isolation and stop referring to friends/other private teachers. I can definitely understand how a private teacher could stop getting external resources and professional development because it is not as easily available.
When listening to the guest speaker, he was very insightful in sharing his view of important characteristics one should have to be a successful private teacher: motivated, passionate, self-disciplined professional, and others. These made me think about the work I need to do with teaching students privately. I would like to have some practice doing this so that I can start to think about what I want to be as a private teacher. I found it very helpful how he gave us the advice to be smart in teaching and come with a plan, keeping track of everything that happens in the lessons for your own reference.
It makes a lot of sense to me how we can really remember the roots of music teaching through private lessons and why it has passed the test of time. But I disagree with a few of the claims from the article when they were talking about how isolated music teaching can lead to elitist behaviours, because in my personal experience, I have felt that my teachers have, right from the start, made it very accessible for me to choose what I would like to be learning and giving me resources for what I am interested in. For example, when I first took private lessons for saxophone, I was only interested in learning jazz and how to improvise, because that is what I told my teacher that I was interested in.
Obviously, as both Prof. Chiles and the article mentions there are positive and negative results (like there are in any music-teaching style). I still believe that this style of teaching is extremely valuable and should never be taken away. The benefits for being privately taught as a student are countless and very impactful in shaping musicians.
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Burwell, K., Carey, G., & Bennett, D. (2017). "Isolation in studio music teaching: The secret garden". Arts and Humanities in Higher Education, 1–23.
influential teacher
Jessica McKay has been a music teacher at Lambton Central C.V.I. in Petrolia for the past 13 years. She was very lucky to find a teaching job very shortly after she got out of Teacher's College. I interviewed Ms. McKay and asked her a variety of questions that roam through many subjects and areas of teaching -some of which we have been discussing in class.
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McKay shared that she was inspired to go into teaching music by watching and experiencing the music program from her two high school music teachers and her private piano teacher. They opened the exciting doors of music up to her and many experiences and opportunities with that. She has many happy memories with family and friends through music. Along with the positive experiences she said that she loved the challenge of learning, participating, creating, and being part of the community music opened up to her.
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Since the beginning of her career, McKay says that her philosophy of music-teaching has fundamentally stayed the same; she wants to nurture a spark and be part of the journey in creating life-long learners, music-makers and arts advocates. To her, the most rewarding part of teaching is being part of the journey with so many fabulous and unique kids on their own journey. Even with frustrations from the lack of understanding and appreciation of the value and necessity of arts education -especially in more rural communities- McKay says that the effort and “fight for music” is always worth it.
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One of the daily struggles of being a music teacher is how to “properly” assess students. McKay shared that she uses a wide variety of avenues - including performance, written, verbal, peer, growth, self-reflection. She says, “I struggle with assessment and actually feeling good about it - in the arts, there is a more subjective aspect to assessment and evaluation, and I would like to be able to reflect more on the journey and personal growth and musicianship skills...rather than making it fit into a mark”. She identifies the issue to be the lack of information that is actually expected from arts teachers due to the open-ended curriculum but have more strict expectations from the school, school board, and the ministry of education.
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When asked about different teaching styles and how she balances informal, formal and non-formal teaching, McKay says that “I will always default to addressing the needs of the kids in the moment - if that means the lesson I had planned goes out the window, so be it”. She refers to a “hidden curriculum” that is more interested in students being happy, healthy human beings, and using music as a medium of that. McKay admitted that she finds it challenging to incorporate multicultural aspects of music and teaching in such a small rural town where there is not much diversity to begin with. However, she attempts to expose students to different types of music and cultures, change their vocabulary if it is culturally insensitive, and have discussions that are respectful of all cultures.
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Along the same lines of teaching styles, I asked if she taught students who were interested in going into music after high school different from other students. McKay told me that the first thing is she tries to continue to fan the flame of their passion and get them better professional help from private teachers. She then tries to challenge them and give them opportunities such as auditioning to play in the Ontario Honour Band or leadership experience throughout the music department. With not much extra time or resources, she does her best to help them through researching universities and helping them figure out what would be best for them.
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The last question in the interview was ‘What is your favourite part about teaching?’ and McKay’s answer was quick and genuine and she said, “Getting to work with so many awesome people in a medium and artform that touches our being like no other”.