Looks Matter

In “Looks Matter,” by Virginia Postrel, she says, “Good design is an important source of economic value and competitive advantage,” and that “What happens to the great cook who can’t design an attractive restaurant.” These thoughts lead me to think about the value of teaching students about design in the classroom. Because people do enjoy eating, shopping, or participating in a recreational activity in an area that is aesthetically pleasing, it is important to teach our students how to create and value good design. It is true that a good cook who owns a restaurant that looks like a dump will probably be less successful that a shabby cook who has a restaurant that is designed to give the customer a compelling feeling. I also believe that it is important to start giving students experiences in design and education at a young age, while in elementary school. While children’s minds are young they can begin to learn how to think creatively. If given experiences that cause them to use the creative part of their brain, then as they grow and develop students will be more apt to come up with original ideas and creations.

Fashion

I was thinking about how to created a compelling educational experience related to fashion. I think that upper elementary student would enjoy analyzing an episode of "What Not to Wear." However what if they took this a step further. Students could create a humorous fashion show called "What Not To Wear." Students could create interesting outfits to take turns modeling. As a writing connection, each student could write a commentary describing a classmates choice of clothing. Oral reading skills would be demonstrated by the students as well as they read the commentary while their classmate modeled the clothing. Technology could also be integrated into this assignment. Students could make a video of their fashion show with commentary using Windows Movie Maker.

Music is like a Lesson Plan

I would like to make a comparison between a teacher’s lesson plan and music. At the beginning of a good song, the composer uses something called a hook. The hook of the song is a short portion of the song that is used to catch the listener’s ear. Similarly when teacher’s plan a good lesson it is necessary to have a good introduction, which is the part of the lesson that grabs the students’ attention and compels them to want to learn or take part in the lesson. This portion of both a song and a lesson is critical. If the hook is not compelling we turn the radio off. If the introduction to a lesson is boring or not present, then students will tune out.

As a song continues and develops many times different instruments, rhythms, and patterns are added to the song to make it interesting. However there is repetition throughout to make the song flow continuously. In a lesson plan the teacher must also use different techniques to keep the students’ interest. Just as different instruments play at different moments in a song, the teacher might at times integrate a hands on activity into the lesson, a small group exercise, or a kinesthetic activity. The variation keeps the students’ interest. The repetition of material also helps the students become comfortable with the material presented in the lesson. The repetition of a rhythm in a song makes the listener comfortable with the music.

At the end of a song there is a concluding piece. Sometimes this portion of the music repeates the hook of the song. At times the song might end with the singer holding a high note. Likewise at the end of a good lesson the teacher provides a conclusion to the lesson, summarizing the information taught.

Animusic

This week I just discovered "Animusic!" More examples can be found at animusic.com or on youtube. DVDs of full creations can be purchased from animusic.com. Animusic is music that has been aligned with a completely digitally created animation. At animusic.com they describe the creations as, "Animusic is computer animated music where virtual instruments perform music on their own, precisely playing each note."The animation illustrates the composer or designer's vision of what the instruments could look like in one's imagination. I think these Animusic videos demonstrate how one can put their vision and emotions into a stimulating auditory and visual creation.

Gotta Keep Reading!

One of the best examples that I have found that makes an excellent connection between music and education is the rendition of the Black Eyed Peas song, “I’ve Got a Feeling,” to “Gotta Keep Reading.” When one listens to the rendition “Gotta Keep Reading,” it evokes a number of emotions including excitement as well as ties to our social and cultural life.
I played this video for my upper elementary students and they were entranced and of course wanted to watch it over and over. I ended up adding a link to it on my webpage so they could show their parents the video at home. I knew when I watched it that something about the song made it compelling. I could tell that the students were moved in an emotional way. But what was it that created this feeling?

First of all there is a catchy rhythm that hooks the listener and makes one want to dance. How simple yet creative it was, to incorporate a book as a prop into the video that the students danced with. Is it the words or the music that make this song compelling? In this case I believe it is a combination. I do not think the words to the song alone would be as compelling as they are to the rythm of this particular song. The creativity of writing a innovation of this song about reading makes it interesting to listen to the words. However it is the pattern and rhythm of the music that the listener enjoys. Although the words, “This book’s gonna be a good book,” are repetitive throughout the song, the notes increase going higher with the repetition, and then as the anticipation grows, then the words and rhythm change.

The social and cultural aspect of the video also draws in the students. When they view their peers performing a song of this type I think that it gives them a new respect for reading, which was the topic of the video.

Music Connections

When I listen to a song and decide that I like it, I don’t usually think about what the elements were that made me like it. Somehow I just know I like it. Was it the words, the story within the song, the sound of the music, the rhythm, or the combination of notes? After reading about the “hook” in music and listening to Robert Kapilow’s podcast interview, I realize that there is a lot more to creating a compelling piece of music than I originally thought.

I would like to think of the “hook” in music as the lead sentence in a written story. It is the “hook” that is used to catch the ear of the listener. As one reads a story the beginning is the part in which the author draws the reader in. In music the hook will determine if the listener shuts off the radio or keeps listening just as the lead in a story will determine if the reader will continue. Interestingly though in music, it is not always the words that catch the listener's ear. Robert Kapilow discusses many techniques that are used to make a song profound, and what causes a “sticky idea”. It could be a repeating rhythm that increasingly gets higher causing anticipation. It could be a variety in the musical rhythm but a repetition in words. It could be the cultural and social ties that the song has to us giving us a sense of belonging.

Teaching students to be aware of the elements that draws one into the song will allow students to think critically and make connections between their literature studies and music.

Aesthetic Elements in the Educational Setting

Now I am perplexed in thinking about in what ways can schools effectively provide experiences that evoke emotions, feelings, and cause the students to connect with the subject matter on a different level? I do believe that if a teacher is truly interested and compelled by the subject matter that they teach, then they will be able to create more lessons with aesthetic connections.
In the article “Learning and Teaching the Ways of Knowing,” it states, “Are students aware of the aesthetic aspects of mathematic, and if not, what can we do about it?” There are a number of thoughts that come to my mind about how to integrate the arts in to math at the elementary level. Photography could be used to teach students about various mathematical concepts such as shapes, lines, symmetry, congruence, and patterns. Students could either take photos of these concepts or analyze photos taken by others. Students could create films to explain their understanding about various methods in which one math problem was solved. Many times students are encouraged to draw a picture to solve a problem, but what if they went a step further and created something from their drawing such as a poster or a video?

Connecting “Learning and Teaching the Ways of Knowing” to Education

“The aesthetic becomes a casualty in American education.” This line from “Learning and Teaching the Ways of Knowing,” illustrates that American education lacks the appreciation for aesthetic learning. It is questioned, “How do we help students experience the aesthetic aspects of language?” Especially in a society in which it is required that each teacher covers numerous Grade Level Content Standards, do we neglect the arts and integration of aesthetic appreciation. The arts seem to be considered luxuries.

If educators begin to integrate lessons that evoke emotion and feeling, then students will be able to make connections and “see how each piece is a part of a larger whole.” Bringing attention to the aesthetics in school curriculum also allows students to develop sensibilities about our world. It is necessary for schools to provide students with experiences that move students to feel compelled about what they study. Passing state mandated tests does not always demonstrate a student’s understanding of a subject as well as an emotional connection to a feeling that was created through a student’s learning.