<kmeamembers1@ksmea.org> Subject: [KMEA Members] What's New in the Kansas Music Review! Date: April 27, 2019 at 4:42:44 PM CDT To: <kmeamembership@ksmea.org> Reply-To: Troy Johnson <tjohnson@ksmea.org>
What's New in the Kansas Music
ReviewKansasMusicReview.com The end is near! Well, the end of the school year, that is. As you prepare for your final concerts and all those mundane year-end tasks, please don't forget to leave in your students the reason why you teach music. Or, in the heat of the moment, have you forgotten? Have you been so intensely engaged with all of the minute tasks of a teacher that you neglected to think about the larger task of music education? In truth, we often get so busy that we can't see the proverbial forest through the trees. If this is you, maybe it's time to sit down with a cup of coffee, some paper and a pen and write down the reasons why you chose to teach music. And, maybe it's time to see what others think. The articles in this month's KMR may be able to help you enter your summer with some good ideas to think about as you rethink and refresh on your much needed break. Happy Reading! KMR Editor Steve Oare editor@ksmea.org
New articles in the Kansas Music
Review include: Southwestern Division Collegiate Summit Panya Amphone, KMEA Collegiate President This July 19- 21, Oklahoma City University will host the first ever Southwestern Division Collegiate Summit. This divisional summit is intended to provide opportunities for Southwestern Division collegiate members to network with fellow future music educators as we focus on advocacy and leadership development. Advo-Angle and Government Relations: What is Ahead for Us? Kelly Knedler, Advocacy Chair Advocacy is defined as an act of pleading for, supporting, or recommending where the ultimate response sought from the audience is a "Yes!" vote! The KMEA Mission Statement says: The mission of the Kansas Music Educators Association is to support music educators by fostering leadership, providing professional development and promoting the advocacy of music learning in schools and communities. KMEA Music Advocacy and "The Advo- Angle" exist because of the Mission Statement! And we are here to provide music education advocacy in all of our schools and in our communities. Northwest District Musings: Learning from Retired Teachers Don Mordecai, Northwest District President As a Kansas Band Director in a public school, there are many people I admire. My colleagues come to mind, because day in and day out, they are at school, making the world a better place for the students! This includes teachers, coaches, administrators, custodians, secretaries, bus drivers, cooks, nurses, well, you get the idea. But there is one group of people that has always been special to me; retired band directors. I only see a lot of them once or twice a year, but when I do, they really make an impact on my life. I wanted to write a short article that had something to do with retired band directors, their experiences, what they found most worthy of their time, and what they may be doing now. As I began to explore this topic, I reached out to three such individuals, and what I found is very interesting to say the least. This piece is more about what I learned, but in the future, I hope to have my internet conversations with them published so that you can read for yourselves what makes them tick, and what they remembered most about their careers. North Central District News Jamie Minneman, North Central District President Greetings from the North Central District! This has been an exciting first year for me as president, and I am so grateful to be working closely with some of the best music educators and all- around people in the state. I want to thank my executive board and the KMEA board for their guidance and counsel throughout this year. Imagining the Kodály-centered Instrumental Classroom Brian Meyers, Oxford OH Reprinted with permission from the Oklahoma Music Journal, Fall 2017 Volume 24 #1 Have you ever really stopped to think about what a Kodály- centered instrumental classroom might look like? In many ways, it would physically look just like any other instrumental classroom. However, in the Kodály instrumental classroom, students start with singing as a way of becoming acquainted with a song. The voice is then paired with the fingers, building an auditory relationship between the two, which leads to performing the song on the instrument. In the Kodály classroom, we encode notation (writing it) as well as decode it (read it) as a way of aiding students in becoming musically literate. Finally, the Kodály classroom is student-centered and builds upon their knowledge, whereas the traditional classroom is teacher-centered and built upon the knowledge of the director or that which is contained in the method book. Simply imagining the differences between traditional and Kodály based models can help us begin to conceive of how we might instigate change. Influencing At Risk Students through Routine and Procedure DeLee Brown, Salem OR Reprinted with permission from the Spring 2018 issue of the Oregon Music Educator Are kids changing, or is it just me? I'm sure educators have been asking themselves this question for decades as we move from generation to generation. I would submit that children have not changed all that much, but the circumstances and the experiences they are having, certainly have. We are keenly aware of students who are coming to school with basic needs not being met. The ACEs research around adverse childhood experience and trauma are bringing to light the ever-increasing number of students who are affected by trauma and its effect in on their learning and behavior in our schools and classrooms. Music Educators: An Important Part of the Solution to the Adolescent Mental Health Crisis Erin Bailey, Salt Lake City UT Reprinted with permission from the Utah Music Educators Journal, Fall 2018, Vol. 64, No. 2 Adolescence is a time of rapid physical, social, cognitive, and emotional development. Many people assume that children experience more emotional turbulence during adolescence than they experience in early childhood. However, evidence suggests that adolescents today are facing a mental health crisis that is unprecedented in history. While there are many factors affecting adolescent mental health, new studies show that participation in music can reduce stress, anxiety, and depression in young people, and it can help students feel connected to and accepted by their peers. As music educators, we are in a prime position to affect the mental and emotional health of our students in positive ways. We can do this most effectively by focusing on ways to keep our ensembles inclusive and participatory.
Other items of interest from NAfME
include: Got Ethics? Ethical Issues and Conundrums in Music Education Paul K. Fox Are you able to navigate that sometimes "foggy" pathway towards understanding the overlapping concepts of: Personal morality, Regulations of law, Professional ethics, or Professional dispositions? With serious allegations of professional misconduct, incidents of sexual harassment or discrimination in the workplace, or violations of trust involving CEOs, managers/supervisors, celebrities, politicians, and even teachers in the news every week, now might be a good time for a "refresher course" on school ethics . . . that is, if you ever had one! Collegiates, Clean Up Your Social Media: Getting Ready to Apply for a Job? It's Time to Curate Your Social Media! Paul K. Fox Have you ever gone on the Internet and searched for your name? Have you assessed what your image (and "personal brand") say about you on all the social media platforms? According to a McAfee family safety blog, in anticipation of future employers researching you and everything with your name on it, you should make a concerted effort to "launder" your online presence. - "People are watching you right now. Like it or not—agree with the intrusion or not—you are being Googled, judged, and analyzed by the body of content you've posted online. Whether you are applying to a college, for a summer job, or even currently employed, you can bet someone who matters to your future is on your digital trail." Broader Minded Beat: How Much Does Talent Matter? This originally appeared in the second edition of the Broader Minded Beat newsletter (May 9, 2014). It may be true that wide variations exist in natural aptitudes for things like music and sports. But is being blessed with vast natural ability enough? Or is it even necessary? What does it take for any high performer—be it in music, athletics, literature, or really any field for that matter—to achieve the highest level of excellence in their field? Any good educator or coach will tell you, if they haven't already, that the work matters. Consistent, focused effort along with good support and coaching inevitably produces learning and improvement, along with side benefits like self-discipline, self-awareness, determination, and patience.
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