Monday, April 20, 2020
PMC Video Professional Development Sessions
April 21, 3:00pm Charlie Bartrug |
Palen Movie Trivia #2 Meeting ID: 779 2821 2413Password: 5f6P69 |
April 22, 1:00pm OKC staff |
OKC Post-lunch Soiree #3 Meeting ID: 789 8656 1491Password: none |
April 22, 12:00am BA Staff |
Roundtable on Enrollment & Beginner Testing Meeting ID: 992 9870 4651Password: 088345 |
April 24, 9:00am Bridgett Randolph |
Talk Amongst Yourselves (Hang out and talk about what YOU want to talk about!) Click HERE to pre-register. |
By now we are all in the middle of the "new normal" for the foreseeable future and it is nothing like we prepared for. We all want to be back in our classrooms enjoying the last part of the year when students have grown as people and musicians so that rehearsals are powerful excursions into music making. We want to go those trips we planned to reward students for their hard work and to help them continue to come together as friends and colleagues. We want to bring the school year to a conclusion that honors what the students offered and prepares them for new or continued success. This is what we were prepared for.
So, what now? Perhaps this is an opportunity for us to go all the way back to our beginnings as music educators. Think back to the first time you can remember making this decision. Why did you choose to become a music educator? (I bet it was not for the great pay, the wonderful hours, and the amazing working conditions). As a music teacher educator for many years, I asked this question of every music education major with whom I worked. Answers varied, but the overwhelming majority came to similar conclusions. At some point, music had changed this perspective teacher's life in a very positive way, and he or she felt an overwhelming desire to enable similar experiences for other students. When the perspective teachers spoke about this desire, it was with passion and commitment you could hear in their voice and see in their eyes. For many, this was a mission.
This mission gets complicated as we make decisions about what to teach in our classrooms. We can choose to approach music learning in one of three ways. We can choose to focus our teaching on the skills required for effective music learning. We help students learn hand positions, posture, daily drill, precision exercises, scales, tone production, bow hold, and a host of other essential skills that musical excellence requires. We can also focus our teaching on the necessary knowledge required for effective music making. These might include historical foundations of our repertoire, how to use a rhythmic counting system, or basic fundamentals of reading notation. Most agree that these two areas -- musical skills and musical knowledge -- receive the bulk of our instructional attention. The third potential focus of our instruction addresses the affective part of music making that includes moods, feelings and attitudes surrounding our music making. Focus in this area asks students to explore why they make music, what power might it have in their lives, or how music making can or has impacted them now or in the future. It asks students to be vulnerable enough to explore their ideas and emotions honestly. It is the part of what we do in our music classrooms that students don't often get in other parts of their school experience. It is the heart of what we do.
What if we use this time away from the pressures of performances, trips, banquets and all the other business of end of the year to focus on the hearts of our students? You have developed relationships with your students that transcend the need for regular classroom contact. You have given them the tools necessary for them to share themselves with others meaningfully. You have given them a language beyond words that allows them to express themselves in immensely powerful ways. Yes, their musical skills and knowledge are essential parts of this process, but now may be the time we focus on helping our students make music simply because they love it, they love those with whom they share it, and they want to have a positive impact on their world. We can empower this engagement in in a virtual environment and our students can be agents of change all around our communities. This is music education at its best!
In all of this, let's not forget about the importance of self-care! As a result of engaging students this way, we are able to get back to our beginnings as music educators. We can slow down and take stock of why we believe learning to make music is an essential part of being human. This idea that music making is a human essential is anthropologically reinforced, as we have yet to discover a human society that has not made music of some kind. Even among primal societies where food, shelter and safety were the concerns of the day, people made music. When we remember why we make music and share those opportunities with our students, we are not only engaging them in an essential part of their education, we are helping them learn how to be more human(e). Such work is food for our music teaching souls. It can heal us.
Your students are so fortunate to have you in their lives helping them learn not only how to make music, but why it is so important to do so. You can do this! It is likely why you thought about teaching music in the first place. Enjoy!
| Michael Raiber is band director at Mustang Central Middle School. He previously served as Professor of Music and the Busey Chair of Music Education at Oklahoma City University. He also served as the Director of Teacher Support and Conductor of Orquestra Esperanza for El Sistema Oklahoma, an instrumental music education and social reform program serving over 200 students in Northwest Oklahoma City Public Schools. His experience includes 13 years in public schools and 21 years in music teacher education. He also served as President of the Oklahoma Music Educators Association and NAfME Southwest Division. He is a native Oklahoman with degrees from the University of Tulsa (BME, MME) and the University of Oklahoma (Ph.D.). His passion is educating and supporting high-quality professional music educators who will inspire future generations. |
In the decade or so that I've spent performing and teaching as a double bassist, I've discovered a problem that is nearly always present in young ensembles: very few directors/conductors understand how to help their bass section. A good director knows that a properly-functioning bass section is both the rhythmic and harmonic foundation of the orchestra, but most non-bassists lack the tools to help young bassists develop the technical skills necessary to carry that weight. I will be sharing some ideas for conquering a few of the most common challenges that face beginner and intermediate level double bassists.
Proper basic positioning is of course an essential part of learning any instrument, but the physical dimensions of the double bass create some additional challenges. The majority of basic positioning problems that I see fall into one of two categories: bass height and left hand/wrist shape. When the bass is at the correct height, the student's left thumb should be somewhere between their nose and eyebrows when in first position. This literal "rule of thumb" applies whether the student plays standing or sitting. If the ideal height is somewhere between the notches on the bass's endpin, it's better for the bass to be a bit too low than a bit too high. I've also found that inadequate attention is given to the left wrist. I can remember my eighth grade orchestra teacher (a wonderful and inspiring person) telling me over and over to keep my left elbow up so that my hand wouldn't lose proper shape. While she correctly diagnosed the problem, she didn't know the best way to correct it. The left wrist joint should always be flat, and the height of the elbow will be different from student to student based on their unique physiology. If the wrist joint is bent either too far up or too far down, it makes maintaining a good left hand shape much more challenging.
Because of the size and string length of the bass, frequent and large left hand shifts come into play much sooner than with other string instruments. Nearly all two octave scales require the student to play in thumb position, which is a major challenge for the teacher as well as the student. Confidence when transitioning into/out of thumb position and solid left hand shape are essential for pitch security and tone quality in the upper register. In thumb position, the thumb should be parallel to the floor with first, second, and third fingers curved at the middle joint (fourth finger/pinky isn't used in thumb position). The contact point is much more on the tips of the fingers in thumb position, versus the pads of the fingers in the lower positions. When shifting in thumb position, it is important that the thumb moves along with the left hand as a complete unit to sustain contact with the fingerboard and to develop muscle memory. To maintain a consistent dynamic level in thumb position, it's a good idea to keep the distance between the left hand and the bow the same as the left hand moves into the upper register. The closer the left hand is to the bridge, the closer the bow should be to the bridge as well!
Speaking of the bow... It's HARD to get a good sound with the bow. A common pitfall when directors want more or better sound from their bass section is to ask for more bow and/or faster bow speed. This isn't a good strategy for bassists. The strings are thick and can be cumbersome, and require a fair amount of weight on the bow to pull a good sound out. Often, a slower bow with focused weight application will produce the desired increase in sound quantity as well as quality. Work with your student bassists to make sure that all the weight is applied to the bow before the bow stroke begins. The "dig" at the beginning of each stroke is essential to developing a good core sound, and it helps eliminate a lot of the scratchy, thin sounds that can plague young bassists when the bow doesn't fully engage the string.
Lastly, don't be afraid to pick up a bass and acquaint (or reacquaint) yourself with the unique challenges that face your bass section. Maybe even find a teacher and take a few lessons! If it's in your budget, consider bringing in a local or regional bassist to work with your section a couple of times per semester. Developing a solid bass section will pay dividends not only for your bassists, but for your ensemble as a whole.
| Riley Robison is a double bass teacher and performer based in Springfield, MO. He is a long-time member of the Springfield Symphony Orchestra, and also serves as principal bass in the Missouri Philharmonic Orchestra and the Springfield Regional Opera Orchestra. In addition to maintaining a large private studio and an active freelance schedule, Riley is an adjunct instructor in the music departments of Drury University, Evangel University, and College of the Ozarks. |
| (417) 882-7000 | (573) 256-5555 | (816) 792-8301 |
| (417) 781-3100 | (405) 896-8111 | (479) 464-8877 |
| (918) 286-1555 | (636) 229-1904 | (417) 882-7000 |