Reflection #1

Name: Lexi Payton

1. Describe your initial reaction to hearing about the format of this ensemble
experience.

I was not shocked because of taking Contemporary Ensembles as an undergraduate

student, but I was still nervous about trying to learn by ear. I do not have much experience
learning by ear, and I am not comfortable playing drum set, bass guitar, or string bass.

2. How comfortable do you feel working in small student chosen groups, without the
guidance of a teacher?

Not all comfortable Extremely comfortable

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3. How comfortable do you think youll feel as a teacher allowing your students to
make their own musical decisions without your constant guidance?

Not all comfortable Extremely comfortable

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4. Describe the method(s) your group used to make musical decisions. List and
describe any resources that were/will be used.

Cover: We discussed genres of music in order to pick songs, and a discussion of vocal
harmonies led a group member to suggest finding a Beach Boys song, and we all were
excited about that idea, so we started listening to Beach Boys songs on youtube. We picked
Kokomo, and we decided instruments based on general interest. I have not played drum set
before, so I was interested in experimenting with the drum set!

Arrangement: It took us a little longer to decide what song to do as an arrangement. We

were originally thinking along the lines of a pop song (something that our students might
know), but we couldnt think of many that we were all interested in. One of our group
members suggested a particular song (Take me to Church). We all liked the style and
overall sound of the song, but we did not think the lyrics would be appropriate. In order to
find songs in a similar style, we listened to a few songs on pandora, and picked Ho Hey by
the Lumineers. We were originally thinking of doing a very fast folksy hoedown type of
arrangement, but a group member suggested a slow swing style. We experimented with
swinging it, and decided that we liked it!
Composition: We all wanted to do some sort of blues song, and we decided at the very
beginning (in our first day or two) that we wanted to do it for our composition.

5. What are your expectations for the upcoming ensemble experience?

I am expecting to become more comfortable on drum set, bass guitar, and string bass! I am
also expecting to become more comfortable with experimenting with new instruments, and
improvising a little bit on new instruments. I hope to learn to trust my ear when learning
music.

(Reading Reflection #1)

Lucy Green Reading Hear, Listen, Play! Intro and Part I Chapters 1-7 (pp .xv-38)

1. What are five characteristics of informal popular music learning practices?

a. Learners choose music that they want to learn
b. Copy recordings by ear (trial-and-error at first)
c. Learning happens alone and with friends- learning from each other
d. Each learner finds their own way to learn through world music
e. Strong focus on listening, performing, improvising, and composing

2. Describe the distinctions between formal music education and informal music
learning. (i.e. are they clear cut, overlap, how, examples)
a. They are very different approaches to learning music, but they have some
similarities. While informal learning happens mainly through
experimentation and listening by ear, formal learning happens through
direct instruction and reading from musical notation. Informal learning
generally happens among peers and alone, and involves music that the
learner chooses, however formal learning involves a teacher and music
chosen by that particular teacher.

3. List and describe different learning styles research suggests you are likely to
encounter. Which one do you most represent?
a. impulsive learning style the student plays loud notes/rhythms without
seeming to listen to the recording
b. practical learning style the student listens carefully to the recording,
plays parts of a scale or uses some other organized way to find a note, and
then use that note as an anchor
c. shot-in-the-dark the student might seem wary about playing anything at
all, play random notes without seeming to know if they are correct or not
d. theoretical approach the student asks a lot of questions
e. I think that I my learning style is a mixture, but mostly practical learning,
because I try to come up with an organized way to figure out tonic, and then I
use that as an anchor, and experiment from there. At first I was probably a
little bit of a shot-in-the-dark learner because I was afraid to make
mistakes, but once I forced myself to relax and go for it, I did it in a fairly
 organized, practical way. I also think that I have a little bit of a theoretical
approach, not about the task of learning by ear, but of trying a new
instrument. I found that I have been asking a lot of questions about some
basic technique for these instruments.
4. Why/How do you think it might be challenging to bring informal learning practices
into a school environment?
a. I think that it could be challenging in a school that has limited space and
limited rehearsal time. If there are pull-out lessons it would be a little easier
to implement, but I think it would be difficult in a large group setting,
especially if there is limited space.

5. What part of this reading was most interesting to you? Restate and react below.
a. I really enjoyed reading about the different learning styles, and the teaching
suggestions for each learning style. I think that understanding the common
reactions and learning styles to informal learning can help my teaching
because it will help me know how to prepare for this type of activity because
I will have an idea of what to expect. The teaching suggestion that struck me
was the teachers reaction to an impulsive learning style. If a teacher is just
playing loudly and not seeming to listen to the recording, instead of jumping
in and helping immediately, it is important for the teacher to give the student
some time to adjust and to start listening and responding. This activity is
more about building confidence than accuracy (at the beginning). I think that
this would be a challenge for me because I would want to help my student by
offering suggestions, but the best way to help them in the informal learning
style is to allow them to figure it out for themselves. If they do not adjust
after they have had some time to listen, then I could jump in and play it on
my instrument slowly so that they can play note-by-note to get a basis of
where to start. Maybe doing that exercise would help them to open their ears
up and start listening more closely to the recording. Another teaching
suggestion that I appreciated is asking students questions to get them to
listen to specific parts of the music (a particular pitch or rhythmic segment).
This type of guidance seems like it can be very helpful for an informal
learning experience!
 Reflection #2
Name: Lexi Payton

1. In the space below describe the rehearsal that took place today.

In todays rehearsal (Thursday 7/30), two of our groups combined. Both groups developed
the same idea in a surprisingly interesting way, using the same overall form, same key,
instrumentation, and the same idea for lyrics. Instead of starting over and making one
group change their plan, or having both groups perform similar songs, we decided to join
the groups together! This was a very fun idea, and it took some good communication to
share ideas and meld the two groups together. After presenting each groups individual
ideas, we created a plan that combined the ideas together. We maintained the lyrics that
the other group had already written, but we added a chorus that our group had been
working on. We also changed the instrumentation, and added a brass/sax section. I learned
very quickly that I am much less comfortable trying to play in this type of setting on my
primary instrument than on a secondary instrument. I feel that I have an excuse to make
mistakes and not sound the best on my secondary instrument, however I feel that there is
an expectation that I sound good and play well on my primary instrument. This is
especially challenging to me because I dont have very much experience playing without
notation on my primary instrument. I also have a huge fear of improvising because I am a
planner by nature, so I find it quite terrifying to play an improvised solo that can be heard
by everyone. I will try to push myself out of my comfort zone by attempting to solo. I am a
little nervous that this could push me over the edge (too much at one time, and without a
lot of time to prepare and feel more comfortable before our performance) because I am
already out of my comfort zone playing interjections by-ear, with the brass/sax section. I
hope that I can become a little more comfortable with this idea before the performance, but
there is not much time!

After this combined rehearsal, we split back into our small groups. My group ran through
Kokomo (Beach Boys) and worked on the ending. Then, we switched to our arrangement of
Hey Ho (The Lumineers). We worked on trying to create more of a swing feel, and we
played this through several times in order to become more comfortable with the chords
and the words. This was a very helpful, and productive rehearsal overall!

2. How would you rate the productiveness of this rehearsal?

Not productive Very Productive

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(Reading Reflection #2)

Lucy Green Reading Hear, Listen, Play! Part II Chapters 8-13 (pp. 41-59)
 1. Describe how the approach to learning described in part I was adapted for use in the
ensemble setting.
The approach was similar because it started with listening to the full recording and
then taking it apart bit by bit, and adding new tracks as the first ones are becoming
more comfortable. One way to approach it is to have the entire ensemble learn each
track. This can be done by having everyone try at the same time, or by having one
section try at a time. After they have learned several tracks, there are a lot of options
for different activities. Some of these activities include assigning a particular riff to
one section and the baseline to a different section. Another activity is to have
everyone freely pick whatever riff they want to play and switch whenever they
want. The riffs can also be passed from section to section.

A second approach to this type of learning in an ensemble style is not exactly from
the HeLP method, but this reading examined a teacher adjusting this idea to her
individual students. She created her own tracks, and assigned one to each section.
Then, they put them together as a whole group. This sounds like a fun way to
approach this method, as long as a large amount of time is not used for each section
(while the other sections just listen instead of play along).

2. Describe and react to the role of the teacher.

The teacher has a little bit more of a presence and a more active role in an ensemble
setting. Because it is often such a large group, the students need a little bit more
guidance, need someone to be in charge of the recording equipment, and need some
direction as to which activity to do. The teacher also should be very encouraging,
and should be careful not to single any one student out, even for praise.

3. What were the overall views of the participants? How is this aligned with your
experience as a music educator?
I think that the learning styles mentioned seem like an accurate representation of
what a teacher could expect from their students. I wonder if there would be any
students who refuse to participate at all. I also wonder if age plays a part in how
willing the students are to participate and try improvising and new ideas. I also
think that it would be very important to create a safe space for this type of learning
situation, by discussing appropriate comments and reactions to the
experimentation. Students should understand that it is important for everyones
learning experience to feel comfortable trying new ideas, and that mistakes should
not make them feel ashamed. In order for this to happen, the teacher and the
students should be supportive and positive in all of their interactions with their
peers.

Lucy Green Music, informal learning and the school: A New classroom pedagogy Chapter 3
(pp.41-66)

1. An example of students listening, choosing, and beginning to copy music is provided.

What insights did this provide? How did it compare to the process of listening,
choosing, and beginning to copy music employed by your ensemble?
 It was interesting to hear how they talked throughout most of the first few times
they listened to the song. When my group picked a song, we started by discussing
different genres of music and then possible artists. Then, we listened to several
songs by that artist, and then picked our favorite (and one that we thought could be
accessible). Similar to this example, our group talked about what we heard and what
we liked, and then started talking about possible instrumentation. This section
brings up an interesting point, stating that there needs to be agreement across the
entire group as to which song to pick. This can involve some compromising. We did
run into this a little bit when we were picking our arrangement. One group member
really wanted to do a particular song, but some did not think the lyrics were
appropriate. To compromise, we listened to songs in a similar style from Pandora,
and then decided on a different one.
2. What is your reaction to the section titled Finding pitches on Instruments?
I found it interesting when the author inferred that many students had a hard time
hearing specific notes because they are accustomed to listening to music without
noticing the details. I think that this is true sometimes in my own life. If I am
listening to music when driving or doing another activity, it is hard to notice the
specific layers of music that come together to make a song. I think that this can
cause your ear to be less attuned to hearing specific parts, even when you are trying
to listen specifically for them. I can see that this would be a challenge for young
musicians undertaking this project. From this example, I can see the importance of
giving students a starting point for what notes to use. The students in this example
had gotten to the point of frustration and boredom because they did not know
where to start. Once they had a few options of notes to play, they became much
more energized and I would assume more willing to try new notes.
3. What is your reaction to the section titled Progression: getting worse before you
get better?
It is interesting that there was the tendency to start off strong, get worse, and then
progress. The author makes a good point that this could be because students start
off with confidence, and then start to become afraid of making mistakes as they start
focusing on trying to sound good. Then, after they get past the fear of making
mistakes, things start to come together. I experienced this a little bit myself,
although it was not as drastic as our entire group falling apart. I think that it had to
do with us wanting to progress faster than we were, and me wanting to be able to
add in more complicated drumbeats.