Music Center
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Sound Lab
Teaching and Learning Laboratory Reflection #2 This week I was more aware of my of my body movements and language throughout all my rehearsals. In wind ensemble, church choir and brass band rehearsals I learned something new each day about how my body reacts to music. With this experience I decided to journal every day of the week. Monday; On Monday I participated in Wind Ensemble with my Euphonium and I first used the idea of body mapping in a small way. I noticed my foot tapping a beat and I thought’ “Oh wow, I could use this to help my musical abilities just like Kathleen said”. So I started paying attention more, during the rehearsal, to what exactly my leg was doing and how it helped. It improved my concept of time and the conductors tempo because I constantly had a steady beat to rely on and deeply feel through my body mapping. Tuesday; On Tuesday I sing in my church choir which was a different way to experience the body mapping. I used this skill while singing to pay attention to what shapes my mouth were making in order to sing certain vowels. I was always paying close attention to what exactly my mouth was doing and how it would react to what I was singing. I noticed that I have to shape my mouth to the vowel I want a second before I actually sing it. This taught me that being aware of the vowels you’re singing and your mouths shape can really improve your sound. Wednesday; On Wednesday I had Wind Ensemble again and the guest speaker/conductor, Carolyn Barber, was there to lead us. This guest taught us how to play without having a conductor in front of us and how to keep our bodies engaged if we weren’t playing in certain measures. So I used my body to sway back and forth during the music and to keep myself fully engaged even if I was just listening to the music and not actually playing a note. Thursday; On Thursday I had brass band rehearsal at my church and this group is technically the hardest to play in. Since it is the most challenging, I thought it would be a good opportunity to focus on what exactly my fingers were doing in order to pay. In doing this, I could really feel my whole hand moving and it helped me to realize my wrist and all my finger bones are involved in playing.
Weekly Reflection #6 - My mom and I were listening to a talk on the radio about abortion. We both agreed that instead of saying yes or no in general to abortion it should depend on the person and what their situation is. Instead of judging an 18 year old woman for being pregnant you need to see her situation first. No one should be judged no matter what they do, who they are, or anything of that sense. - This past week I worked every morning from 9am until 3pm and then went straight to my driver education which was 3:30pm - 9:00pm so I was tired. This week I focused more on the emotional aspect of being tired and I realized that my patience is gone. I have no time for details and I also couldn’t stand being at work because it was emotionally exhausting. - If you are giving positive feedback you can’t give a but. A Lot of the time we focus on good and bad but this week I focused on only the positives and realized life is a lot of fun that way. Even though I was tired this week I would tell my mom my day was great instead of saying “but I was tired”. This ended up helping me understand that I can make my day better by taking out the “but”. - I think that sometimes if you don’t say “in my opinion” people can get offended especially if you’re in a fight and are not trying to argue but you are trying to state how you feel. Sometimes you stating your feelings but not expressing that you are can lead to a fight so I think it’s important to say “in my opinion” - I can learn how they react to me sharing my opinion and what they might say back. For example, this week my mom and I talked about different music genres and how she doesn’t think rap is music in her opinion. I said that I think it depends on who is listening to the music. So by listening to her opinion I found that I can give proper feedback to her and that is interesting to me.
Leadership Exercise Pitch
The exercise I will be proposing is called the ball toss. First step to the leadership exercise I propose is to get everyone seated in a circle. I start by tossing a ball of yarn to 1 person across the circle from me but I hold on to the unraveled end. When they receive it they either say their name or answer a question (ex. what is your biggest fear, tell us a special childhood memory, tell us about a scar you have, etc). After that person answers, they toss the ball of yarn to someone else but first they twist a bit of yarn around their wrist so they are still connected to it. With each toss, it creates a web and by the end of the activity, everyone has had a chance to speak briefly and is attached to the yarn. At the end the leader (me) will discuss the symbolism of everyone being connected or how if one person drops their yarn, the chain is broken. So therefore, everyone has to hold their part for the web to stay in tact. This connects everyone in the class and bonds us together.
Reflection 8
This week I really related to the article when it talked about how the amount of sitting you do a day impacts your body. I was sick a few days of the past week so I was in bed trying to rest. After resting all day and sitting all day I found that my back hurt a lot. So I can relate to the fact that sitting and resting for a long time can lead to pain because my back was very sore after the days I rested. This also showed up after I was sitting and practicing for a while. Once I put my instrument down I found my back and neck were quite sore and it was very uncomfortable for me to continue to sit there. I really agreed with the article when the author talked abut how our bodies are like a spinning top and how they are more stable through dynamic activities. I find when I do a lot of movement throughout the day then I feel better and my body feels healthy whereas if I were to sit all day then my body would be sore which is odd because you would think it should be the opposite way. Even eating dinner or taking the dog for a walk or playing games with my family can help the movement in my body and help me to feel healthier. I also learned that I feel better while practicing if I switch up my positions. If I am sitting for a while then I will stand up and practice like that for a while and vice versa as well.
Weekly Reflection #9
The two questions I will be focusing on are; Does everyone have equal access to making music/creating art? How can the arts be used as a powerful tool of justice and advocacy? First of all, nobody has equal access to music making because we are all in different places and stages in our life. For example, I am a music student and attend church where I am in many musical groups such as band and choir. Therefore I have a lot more access to instruments and teachers then someone in nursing might have. Also, children in grade three or younger are not allowed access to instruments other than their voice which is quite different from a grade eight who can play in their school band and be a part of school choir if available at that school. Every year when we get older our school provides more instruments or groups we can be a part of and we can afford to buy instruments if we have a job. More people who could not be able to make music could be people in jail, hospitals, or nursing homes. Of course this is just an assumption but it is very likely that they do not have access to the music supplies that I do. My response to the second question is that it can teach content behind local issues. Many people can do strikes using music and flash mobs using music in order to create awareness on certain issues. Many people connect with music so using it to make people aware will have a great outcome. I was involved in a flash mob with my church band at a mall to raise awareness for funding for rehabilitation centers and this is an example of how music can help raise awareness and justice for men and women in rehabilitation centers. In conclusion, not all people have the same access to music and music can be a great way to get justice for many different people.