Wonderful Message

In my grad class we watched another wonderful TED Talk. I wanted to share this with my friends who are educators, administrators, politicians and most important, parents.  This is Will Richardson speaking on the status of education and how we need to "change". 

Follow-Up to "Improvisation" Blog

In my last blog I wrote of my plans to implement some different techniques in teaching improvisation to one of my jazz ensembles.  The ensemble I used was my Jazz Lab group.  This group is a non-auditioned group that is for students who didn't get into the jazz band or who do not play a traditional jazz band instrument, but still wish to learn and play jazz music.

For warm-ups I had every student take a four bar improv solo over blues changes.  But instead of having them use a blues scale, I made them pick one note out of that scale.  It was intended to get them over their fear of soloing, which it did.  But what I really liked was the students who were comfortable about trying solos really had to work on making their one note creative and interesting.  In other words, they had to put all of their focus on rhythms, spacing and phrasing rather than melodic and pitch content.

This was a great exercise and I plan on using this and other techniques from the article "How to Make Your Musical Improvisation More Interesting" with my jazz band in the next couple of weeks.  I will keep you posted.

Baby-Steps to Improvisation

The interest in jazz has grown a great deal since I started teaching at La Vista Junior High School.  Though I am not a jazz guru, I love jazz.  I love to listen, play and continue learning about this wonderful genre.  One of the biggest obstacles for most students (middle or high school) is getting over the fear of improvisation.  Especially in front of their peers.  I have had students cut loose in a private lesson, but freeze up in front of their band mates. 

I found a wonderful article on easing into the improv. world, "How to Make Your Musical Improvisation More Interesting".  I am going to implement some of these techniques with my jazz lab band later this week.  I will do a follow-up very soon after the rehearsal to let you know the results.

Mistaken Identification & ASCAP Methods

I recently had an experience that both angered me and started me thinking about how one organization does business.  As a musician I try to keep an active performance schedule.  First and most, I enjoy playing music.  I also feel it makes me a better teacher, as well as giving me a great deal of validity with my students.  Plus, I need the work (since teaching pays so well). 

I began booking gigs for the upcoming summer.  I happen to be at a place that I have played several times a year for the past few years.  When asked about booking dates, the owner of this establishment informed me that, until just recently, he had no intention of booking me again and was actually angry with me.  That was until he did some research and investigating and cleared things up.  So naturally, I asked what happened.

The owner of this establishment received a letter of warning that he was to pay his ASCAP (American Society of Composers, Artists and Publishers) fees if he continues to have live music at his place of business.  ASCAP fees can run up to a couple of thousand dollars per year, depending on the place of business.  Now, for many small businesses this is a great deal of money, so some will do away with the live music and others will take there chances on being caught and fined.  Fines can run into the thousands and even jail time.

ASCAP sends people out all over the country in search of violators.  They pose as customers and then report back with their findings.  In this case, the owner did a little research to find out who this person was and when he was told the name, he was bewildered and angry...with me.  The person who reported him was Mark Irvin!  Yep, that's right, the same name as ME!  Fortunately someone convinced the owner to look into it further and found out this Mark Irvin was from Tennessee.

This whole process is somewhat of a 'catch-22' for me.  On one hand, being a songwriter and recording artist, I really appreciate the help and support for artists' rights provided by organizations such as ASCAP and BMI.

On the other hand, I have to question ASCAP's methods for seeking out violators.  In this case it not only came close to me losing a job, but much worse, me losing my reputation and good standings in my community and even throughout the Midwest.   If this would not have been straightened out, word of such things can spread quickly through similar venues as well as the music community.

I am not sure what the answers are.  The copyright laws can be very confusing and overwhelming.  The more I study them, the more confused and frustrated I become.

Passion For What You Do

Project PLN hosts some wonderful articles on teachers who are passionate about what they do.  In reading many of these, I almost felt as if I were part of this seceret club.  One I really enjoyed was Teach With Passion by Josh Stumpenhorst. 

Stumpenhorst posts a list of his definitions on what passion for your work is.  These are defenetaly going to be posted in my office.  As a music educator and professional musician I know for a fact that most of what I talk to family and friends about are these two subject and it drives them crazy.  I am often told from my wife or sons "New subject...Please!" 

In reading these artiles it is both comforting as well as motivational to me that there are so many others that feel this way about what they do.

I highly recomend posting Josh's list,  it will help remind you of why you do what you do!

Getting Advice On Social Networking

More on readings assigned for my grad class involved advice on social networking, which again I find very relevant to teaching and expanding social networking within the classroom and school district.  One of the points made was being positive and encouraging, when it can be so easy to be negative and critical in such forums.
As a music educator, I have now set up several groups on Facebook for my different school ensembles.  On this site, I can share news, schedules, assignments and even share performance videos.  The one thing I do make sure is that, for example, when a student goes to a YouTube link of their performance, I make sure that the students or whoever they share such links with, cannot make comments.  These are not meant to be critiques or reviews.  Setting up such parameters also can put parents at ease and more willing to let their child be a part of this type of social networking.

"Wisdom of Crowds" and Joining In

In my grad class we were assigned some readings, and one struck me not so much for the content itself, but the fact that, like me, so much of this new way of sharing educational ideas was new to the blogger, and he is a first year principal.  Within my district, administration has been very open to using applications such as Facebook, Blogging and Twitter and bringing them into the classroom and community.

So many educators are very reluctant to engage in these types of forums, and are not only missing wonderful learning experiences for themselves, but more importantly, missing out on educational opportunities for their students.