Waking up on Saturday morning was not my ideal way to spend the beginning of the weekend. However, the longer I was in the workshop the more fun I began to have, and the more energized I felt.
We started when Dr. Allsup played a piece of music for us and asked us "what do you hear?" The most interesting part about this was we used a lot of musical terms such as "dynamics", "harmony", and "timbre". Someone described the different instruments involved as having different "textures". In response, Dr. Allsup asked, "What do we mean by texture? How would you describe it to someone who doesn't know music?" This stumped the entire room. I think the most interesting thing about musicians is how there are a lot of things we just "know" but can't explain to someone else. I feel like musicians live in this sort of bubble when with other musicians and we forget that not everyone knows what we're talking about. I think this is especially problematic when people go to teach students for the first time, especially when some students will walk into their class without any prior knowledge on music at all. I'm glad that Dr. Allsup challenged us to think about what our "musical" vocabulary would mean to anyone else, and asked us to really think about how we would approach that type of abstract idea. Another thing I really appreciated from Dr. Allsup's workshop was when he talked about a teacher "modelling" something to their students. After we created ostinatos and put them together, he brought to our attention how he never directly modelled what we were supposed to do. He said, if a teach doesn't model, students don't think there is a "right" way to do something, and suddenly there are no limits! I think this idea is really interesting because it fosters that creativity that I believe is really important for music education. However, I felt like because he didn't model the activity, I found myself confused as to what he was asking for. Perhaps this idea would be better demonstrated if there were more clear instructions? Finally, after the ostinato activity was done, Dr. Allsup asked, "How do you extend a basic activity?" For me, it promoted an idea of further learning, and asked that "so what?" factor that allows for an activity to become more than just something we do, but something to learn from. To me, that is a very important idea. Altogether, I had a lot of fun at the workshop. I was a bit disappointed I had to leave early for my recital! The last thing that really spoke to me was when Dr. Allsup said, "Find something and try it and try it and try it." It was a nice reminder never to give up doing something you love, which was motivation I really needed for the next coming weeks.
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Carole PalattaoI'm an 18 year old studying classical voice at Western University. I'm also a hardcore mental health advocate, and I do creative writing on the side for fun!
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April 2017
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