Greek Philophers, Yellow Dove, and Guido's BIG Hand

MU411 Costume Competition

The month of October SCREAMS out for dressing up. What better way to learn (at mid semester and the day before Halloween) than playing dress up?

All students were given a chance to create a costume to represent a musical historical figure covered in the course. This was accompanied by a short presentation on the person, animal or figure for bonus points.

Today we were visited by Guido of A'rezzo with his extra large solefedge hand, the dove that sang chant to Pope Gregory the Great, and Hildegard of Bingen with glasses- because she was a visionary. Brilliant!

There were Greek philosophers that argued the merits of Ethos. And even Greek Gods and Goddesses. A gargoyle from the Cathedral de Notre Dame explained ornamentation and a Cave Man taught us about the earliest instruments and drawings.

And that is only a few of the highlights.

Me, I went as Spottacus the magical giraffe.

As my colleagues walked by the classroom door, they smiled and laughed. Dr. McCutchen even noted, "Just another day in music history."

Raffe-Tastic

Fashion Note: Spottacus is pictured here in full Halloween Costume. Witches hat (sometimes masquerades as a beard) and Attacking Evil Spider. The bandanna was made by "Team Trickster", a group of students that also like to throw around Fauxbourdon.

The magic of Spottacus struck again this last week. On Tuesday, the music history Renaissance midterm hit full force- striking fear into the hearts of students and exhaustion into me. That's a lot of grading. 

In my haste, I'd forgotten to grab my giraffe on my way to class. The absence of giraffe was duly noted by students and deemed unacceptable.

Joey was the most vocal. He said that he COULD NOT DO THE MIDTERM without a GIRAFFE STARING AT HIM. Spottacus was quickly retrieved and the midterm began.

After the exam a funny thing happened, as the students finished they went to pet the giraffe. Styling the mane and brushing the fur with their hands. They were letting go and relaxing. 

I continued to collect papers and answer questions. And when I looked again Spottacus was being cuddled by Mark and Corey (or maybe used as a life preserver). I am still not sure. But it appears that Spottacus resonates more than even I understand, at times.

Later I went to my studio and outside my door there was a painting of Spottacus waiting for me.

Pirates, Clown Shoes, and Music History

When did I become more knowledgable about music history than Wikipedia? Definitely not more knowledgeable but maybe more entertaining?

 

JSU students yell out questions in the hall, message me while they are at museums for more information, and dig for facts in class (well past the book). I am constantly challenged. Here's how as a performance major I have held my ground and raised exams scores for students across the board. 

Book cover courtesy of
http://drjilltaylor.com/book.html

In college I was determined to SURVIVE the notoriously challenging curriculum of Indiana University. After class, others would go home and open their Burkholder-Grout text, relishing the reading.

 

I would fall asleep. Note: it does not make a comfortable pillow. I've tested this as I've now read it 5 times.

 

Luckily while in college I met and worked with Harvard Brain Scientist Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor. I would puppy sit for her while she did public speaking events.

 

In exchange, she taught me about working with the right and left side of the brain while studying, aiding retention. 

 

She also helped me learn how to stay out of the amygdala. The part of the brain that is fight or flight. The prepubescent self. The part of the brain that can not access the right or left side of the brain.

 

 

What I learned- most education only teaches to the left side of the brain. Read materials, discuss materials and then test on memorization of materials. Yawn! 

 

Courtesy of McDonald's

No wonder I was bored. Education (especially for artists) needs to allow for creativity and expression.

 

By working with both sides of the brain I was entertained, present and my test scores became the highest in the class. I have seen the same effect when I teach with the same methodology.

I strive to  remove the intimidation factor of facts and dates by drawing memorable entertaining parallels. For example, Baroque Era composers are McDonald's characters.

 

Antonio Vivaldi is Ronald McDonald, both had red hair, had a love affair of shoes and both worked at a hospital for children. J.S. Bach and the ham burglar went to jail. Grimace and Handel both struggled with their weight.

 

When we study the ARS Antiqua, ARS Nova, and ARS Subtilior we speak like pirates. "Arrr- shiver me timbers- it's the Ars Nova!"

The composer Guillaume de Machaut is drawn on the board as a pirate with a bird on his shoulder named Poly, making reference to the use of polyphonic music. And his peg leg notes the greater use of rhythmic syncopation.

My drawings are purposefully not as artistic as this clip art. As I draw the students come alive as art critics. You won't catch any of them texting, sleeping or zoning out. They are too busy asking why my birds are so fat, what Grimace really is, and taking pictures for their notes.


Source: secondid.tumblr.com via Kay on Pinterest

The left brain is learning facts and the right brain is entertained. Often on exams when students can't remember the answers I have them draw the pictures. As they draw they begin to remember the details of the materials.

 

Most test taking anxiety occurs when one is in the amygdala. The only way out of the amygdala is to go into the right side of the brain through the breath.

 

If the facts are only stored in the left side of the brain, the student the student will remain unable to access the answers. 

 

But if the students has learned the materials and stored them in both the right and left side they will begin to have success.

 

By teaching both sides of the brain the material is always accessible, even when one is nervous.

 

The last gem of wisdom I learned from Dr. Jill, excited and nervous are the same chemical in the brain. Shifting perceptions can dramatically alter the reality and calm the nerves. And when all else fails- breathe- it will open your creativity.

Oregon: A Home-Sick Love Affair

Mt. Hood, picture taken from my childhood home

As a musician I am constantly striving to learn about other cultures and finding ways adapt  their dialects.

 

Just this last week in music history we talked about the Franco Flemish composers. How their art embodied an international style, enlivening and enriching their music.

 

 

 

I contiue to have adventures  and grow but I still get homesick.  

 

The most recent case of  homesickness started while I was reading Wild by Cheryl Strayed last week. The book charts her journey hiking the Pacific Crest Trail. The chapters about Mount Hood and the Three Sisters reminded me of the views from my childhood home. And like a mountain, saddness erupted out of me for all that is gone.

 

Picture curtoursey of
 http://www.cherylstrayed.com/wild_108676.htm

My parents used to joke that the house was so old that whoever bought it would bulldoze it to build a mansion. We had no heating in the upstairs and shag carpet, 30 years after it was fashionable. And I still miss it.

We had VIEWS. Down the road we had Multnomah Falls. And we had West Coast Culture- a million coffee houses and Powell's Books.

 

The South has its own charm- great antique stores, warm air and light winters. But there will always be something special about where I grew up. And a yearning to return- even though I know it is not the same place I left.

 

It seems that everywhere I go finds a way of becoming part of who I am. It reminds me of  the song "Home", attached below.

 

 

 



Spottacus the Magical Giraffe

Giraffes. I take a giant stuffed one, named Spottacus, with me to class to teach each day. It's perplexed my colleagues, enchanted students and become a mascot for "striving for the highest" and "sticking your neck out".

A little history of how this all came about- I am a performer, all of my degrees are in performance.  But life is full of magical moments, little  hiccups that push a person into using their talents in a way that one might not have anticipated- for me that is how I fell into pedagogy.

My performance background allowed me to see that education is entertainment at the highest level. And that if I could find ways to unite the right and left sides of the brain while teaching, students would improve their retention of fact based material and they would stay present in the moment (a true challenge in the world of multi-tasking).

Since then I have found that the giraffe can be a prop to act out music history events. When we study the Flight of the Walkuries, the giraffe flies around the room rescuing the fallen students as they pretend to lay wounded on the ground. This week we acted out the Erlking. The giraffe was the running horse as the mythical being came after father and son. It makes learning fun and interactive.

Spottacus has become their friend, a way to interact on an personal level without becoming intimate. The students fight over who gets to carry the giraffe to class and return him to the studio. There is a regular discussion of the props worn by the giraffe. Which outfits best fit the fashion for the season and suit the lecture. It is a time that their voice can be heard, their opinion voiced- opening a door for dialogue.

To all those that have voiced criticism- my students rarely fall asleep in class and I have not needed to curve an exam, even though the material is some of the most difficult they will experience in their music degree. To me, teaching college is like kindergarten on steroids. Why shouldn't learning be as fun as play time was when we were children?

Here is the video that inspired the original adoption of Spottacus. It felt like an example of so many of the projects that I was grading.

Update: SHAPERS Fox2 vs Reiger 1A

A few weeks ago I wrote a blog noting the similarities of the Fox2 Shaper and the Reiger 1A. Those shaped pieces of cane have since been made into reeds. Now I can note small differences, that I believe evaded me due to the curvature of the shaped cane.

The Fox2 is narrower. Most notably, at the tip of the reed by almost a full centimeter. Depending on the overall length of your reed it could differ more or less. I should note that I play on a 26 cm tube and a 29 cm blade. For an overall reed length (butt to tip) of 55 cm.

The reed wrapped in purple is the Fox2 the reed wrapped in the orange is a Reiger 1A.

This intrigued me. So I then sought out to see if the Reiger 1A differed from Danzi GSP cane. The dimensions across the tip proved to be the same.

The reed wrapped in Pink is a Danzi GSP and the orange is the Reiger 1A.

I have yet to play on the reeds enough to note the exact differences the cm difference at the tip will make. To create a true test I made sure the cane is all Danzi. And both the orange and the purple reed were taken off of my profiler and soaked for an equal amount of time.

Be sure to check back for an update.