Summative PDA Reflection (Submitted after completion of 15 PDA hours)

Name: Allison Griffiths Semester: 1

During the month of July, I was fortunate enough to attend the New York State Summer School of the Arts for Choral Studies. Among nearly 70 other aspiring vocalists, I was introduced to the rigor (e.g. we engaged in at least eight hours of rehearsal and study per day) and the joys of the music industry. It was here that my passion for music education was sparked and its from my memories of this experience that I continue to draw inspiration. Each day began with a group warm-up with the choir. Under the direction of Dr. Hugh Floyd of Furman University, we experimented with both traditional and unorthodox physical warm-ups. Dr. Floyd always made sure to pair a traditional exercise with something completely new and exciting (e.g. a Don Quixote-inspired warm-up in which we mimicked both the physical and vocal features of each of the characters). So often choral warm-ups become tedious and ineffective because they lose the interest of the singers; observing Dr. Floyds unique style of warming up the choir really served as a testament to the power of variety in the classroom. Not only were our voices working, but our bodies and minds were as well; it seems highly unlikely that a teacher would lose the focus of a student when s/he engages the students entire being. When it comes my turn to conduct a choir, I will definitely remember the effectiveness of those warm-ups and will no doubt strive to implement the same sort of holistic and engaging exercises. After choir warm-ups, we would split off into four different sections of musicianship class. I was lucky enough to study with Dr. Nathaniel Adam, who is currently working for the Yale Music Department, and came to understand the importance of theory and musicianship, especially for music educators. Dr. Adam is only about nine years older than I am and utilized a very different teaching approach from Dr. Floyd and the other professors. Dr. Adam always recognized us as being at his level; he never treated us as inferior high school students. To me, this was so refreshing and struck me as being really effective. Ive had other teachers in the past who, despite a minimal age gap, treated me as inferior; accordingly, it was much harder for me as a student to give them my full attention. Dr. Adam, however, was always careful to avoid such a situation and kept us engaged by treating us as his equals. The potential downside to this approach is that the students become too comfortable with the teacher to the point of being inappropriate. Dr. Adam, though, clearly understood this and took it into account as he taught us; he still made it apparent that he was the teacher and that he deserved respect. His teaching style, to me, is one that is seemingly natural, but is founded on a great understanding of teaching principles and nuance. Interestingly enough, Dr. Adam also discussed his doctoral dissertation

with us on several occasions; and what I found fascinating was that he chose to discuss in this dissertation the pedagogical methods for teaching theory to non-musicians by using popular music to create a common ground. His unique methods and refreshing perspective seem very effective and well-adapted for the education of my generation and the future generations of the 21st century. Dr. Adams style will definitely be beneficial if ever I am teaching high school students or even college students. After theory came Mixed Choir rehearsal with Dr. Floyd. Like his unique and exciting warm-ups, rehearsals with Dr. Floyd were always high-energy and very engaging. Even though we would sit through at least three hours of choir rehearsal every day, it never once seemed monotonous and I would go back and relive that summer in a heart-beat, just to experience those rehearsals again. By carefully planning his rehearsals on a sing-discuss-sing model, Dr. Floyd made sure that his singers were well cared for in all aspects, not just vocally. If the choir was clearly having a day of mental distress for whatever reason, Dr. Floyd would change the mood by simply talking to us and then sealing the deal with a meticulously-chosen piece of music. On that note, one of the main things that has always impressed me about Dr. Floyd is his ability to choose music that speaks to my generation and to the human condition as a whole. His programming not only spans the emotional and poetic spectrums, but also is clearly educationally based. For the final concert, we prepared approximately fourteen pieces of music that covered everything from Schtz to Hogan to Copland to Stroope. So much of my knowledge of musical genre and music history comes from the three summers I spent at this program studying with Dr. Floyd. He used every single piece to teach us something about the music world and its rich history. He also frequently provided poetic, political, and historical context for the pieces and thereby engaged the singers whole being. In the end, we not only sounded extraordinary but also understood the music world and the human condition in far more depth. When we did not have Mixed Choir rehearsal, we would often have Mens and Womens Choir rehearsals. This year, Womens Choir was directed by Ms. Erica Washburn, who also attended Westminster and is now the Director of Choral Studies at the New England Conservatory. Ms. Washburn, like Dr. Adam, is not very much older than most of the singers in that choir, yet she commanded respect. She took a different approach from Dr. Adam, though. Because she was dealing with a choir rather than a class, Ms. Washburn always kept us on task and focused by being very straight-forward and direct. There was never a question of who was in charge or what was expected of us. This sounds very militaristic and a bit scary, but in reality Ms. Washburn was very much one of us and was never afraid to say that. She was commanding, but never lost her compassion. Shes the kind of teacher that will always listen and always knows the right thing to say. I was also a private vocal student of hers over the summer and so I came to know her in a different light than others may have. Being able to see her in the studio and then in the choir rehearsal was very beneficial for me as a future music educator; I was able to observe first-hand the flexibility that a good teacher must have; one minute, she was working on my expression and the next, she was warming up a choir. Her abilities to wear so many different hats

and to retain her compassion and empathy are very inspirational to me and serve as a great example. My experience at the New York State Summer School of the Arts has forever changed my view of music and of world. I have no doubt that as I progress through Westminster and out into the teaching world that my recollections of the excellence in music education that was present at that program will guide me and inspire me.