June 2011

First Leading Notes Podcast!

In line with our theme of Connections, we speak with Dr. James Jordan about expression, community, self, music education, and his book, The Musician’s Soul. Go ahead and download it! Listen to it while you drive to work, do chores, or cook dinner!

• Click HERE to download the podcast (or have it sent directly to iTunes).
• OR, just stream our first episode here (but, seriously, go ahead and put it in iTunes): 

While the term “connection” has a lot of different connotations, it is clear that anybody who is reading this has their own personal connection with performing and listening to music – a connection that has motivated you to devote your life to teaching music.

Often times, the connection between music student and music teacher is one of the strongest relationships that a child has with an adult. Other times, that personal connection with music might not be enough to sustain the energy required to be an excellent music teacher in the 21^st century. Some teachers struggle to connect their own professional practice with our professions’ national standards. Some teachers, who may not see another music teacher for days on end, may feel isolated from the profession as a whole. Other teachers have a hard time expanding their own musical comfort zones in order to connect with the tastes and interests of their students. Even worse, with all of the extra demands placed on music teachers today, some may struggle to sustain that initial connection to music and children that brought them to the profession in the first place.

For this issue of Leading Notes, we explore the numerous points of connection required to be a music teacher. Since we tackle a broad range of connection points, we have divided this issue into sections and we encourage you to fully explore and engage with all of them. Perhaps you will discover some new connections that you had never considered.

Leading Notes is a publication designed to engage music educators from all traditions and perspectives. The online nature of this publication means that, once we publish it, you are in control of what happens next. In many ways, this is your magazine. In order to get the most out of it, you are strongly encouraged to leave comments on individual articles and tweet or “Like” your favorites. If you want to engage with others about the ideas you read about here, please visit us over at MusicPLN.org. Also, get the latest updates by following us on Twitter and “Liking” us on Facebook.

Contents

Connecting Through Curriculum

• Don’t Just Stand There and Watch Her Burn: Using (Not Ignoring) Music to Educate About Violence Against Women by Colleen Norton
• Getting Schooled in South Central by Ariel Alexander
• Teaching Comprehensive Musicianship: Applying the Eighth and Ninth National Standards for Music Education by Anthony Denaro
• Moving Beyond the Notes: Arts Integration & The School Music Program by Keith Ozsvath & Lisa Hatfield

Making Connections for Expressive Teaching

• The Spiritual Presence of the Musician: Spiritual Synergism That Grows Out of Solitude and Being Alive by James Jordan
• Connecting for Music by Lindsay Morelli

Reflections on The Teacher/Student Relationship

• Sparkle Net, Light Blue by Barbara Grant Jaworski
• Love, Loss, and the Bb Concert Scale by Nick Jaworski

Connecting Through Social Media

• Instant Professional Development: Music Education and the Power of Twitter by Andrei Strizek
• Fostering Connections Through Social Media by Andy Zweibel

New Connections in Pedagogy

• Gender Associations and Musical Instruments: Connecting Literature to Practice by Justine Dolorfino
• Is it time for AP Band, Choir, and Orchestra? by Ben Collins