Final!
Step 1: Repetoire Recital
- Perform live or Record 2 contrasting examples from your repertoire that demonstrates your semester benchmark goals/accomplishments
- Upload your recording/video in the Final Exam section of your Jimdo
- Include the title(s)
Flamenco (video), Star Spangled Banner (assembly arrangement)
Step 2: Use the following Rubrics to guide your responses regarding your semester achievements
A. Identify areas of strength
I felt I did a good job at coming right in, and getting to my planned warm up that I did every day
B. Identify areas of needed improvement
Nothing at the time
C. What strategies might you use to overcome these challenges?
N/A
2. Practice
A. Identify areas of strength
I have a good practice routine down; I can address issues in my practice well, and change methods if one is not working for me.
B. Identify areas of needed improvement
Nothing at the time
C. What strategies might you use to overcome these challenges?
N/A
3. Work Habits
A. Identify areas of strength
I don't get distracted and I work well in a blended learning environment
B. Identify areas of needed improvement
Nothing at the time
C. What strategies might you use in the future to overcome these challenges?
N/A
Step 3: Answer the following reflective questions
- In what way have you grown as s musician this semester?
I have grown as a musician in many ways, but one big way is thinking about my practice. My practice sessions have become way more productive because of the pyramids and learning how to chunk and slow practice. I used to just try and tackle the whole thing at once, get frustrated, and then take a break, but this new method helps me to be more successful in learning new parts and practicing for longer period of time.
- What has been the greatest benefit/most rewarding aspect of your learning experience?
Being able to learn a piece in a shorter amount of time. It seems counterintuitive that practicing smaller chunks would take a longer amount of time, but in reality it allows you to learn parts faster and then move on to new chunks, conquering the whole piece at an overall faster rate
- How would you approach the process differently if you had another opportunity to learn in this manner?
I do not feel there is anything I would approach differently; I feel I was very productive and my learning was not interrupted or distracted frequently.
Step 1: Reflection
Review the Benchmark Goals you set for yourself in Getting Started; What is it that you hope to know and/or be able to do at the conclusion of the course?
- Comment on your semester achievements in relation to your initial goals
I was very successful in terms of achieving all of my goals. I wanted to learn how to read sheet music, which I did for both Flamenco and Star Spangled Banner; I wanted to become more of a pick player, which I have; and I wanted to learn all the scales which I did!
- How well did you achieve your goal? What goals were met? What goals were not met?
I did a very good job of achieving all of my goals. Dave did a great job at ensuring that my goals were met.
- How well did you avoid sources of interference to stay on task?
I did a good job at not being too distracted by technology or peers, and staying focused so I could achieve my goals
Step 2: Review your responses to Attributes of Success (Unit 8)
- Comment on the outcome of these self assessments as it relates to the quality of your work this semester
The quality of my work this semester has been pretty strong, and all of my self-assessments depict that
- What has been your greatest strength?
My greatest strength has been the ability to work independently
- How can you compensate for weaknesses?
Sometimes struggling to find motivation to do work on sluggish days. I can compensate for that by always having a set plan or schedule to make sure that I'm hitting benchmarks and then I can take a break.
- What have you learned about learning?
I have learned that your environment has such a big impact on your learning and the way you retain information. This is why we learn in a positive classroom setting and try and limit distractions.
- How does what you learned relate to other things you have been learning or have experienced?
In my psychology class we learned about your environment too and how it affects your learning and development.
- How would you approach the process differently if you had another opportunity to learn in this manner?
I would probably try and make more clear cut deadlines for myself to accomplish work so I wasn't doing it all last minute.
Step 3: Review your Music Literacy Benchmark Assessment located in Unit 1.
- Comment on the status of your current comfort level with this material relative to the past
When I took the literacy benchmark at the beginning, I had a pretty high score from being in band and having taken music theory already, there were just some things I needed to brush up on. Once I got back into the flow of reading and playing music and scales every day, my comfort level shot up.
- How well did you achieve what you set out to learn?
I wanted to improve my sight reading which has gone up a lot from doing all that work reading the sheet music and applying it to the guitar.
- What concepts were achieved? What concepts remain a mystery?
Everything on the literacy benchmark was an achieved concept!
Step 4: Provide a brief narrative regarding your private lessons with one of our adjunct staff members to include the following;
- Describe what your lessons looked like in general.
My lessons were always super productive. Dave would come in, we would start with a warm up (typically scales), and then we would work on sections of a specific repertoire piece that was stumping me.
- In what ways did you find your mentor helpful?
He has so much experience and therefore has a billion different methods to help you learn something. He has so much patience and is helpful to everyone.
- What were your three biggest take aways from your lessons?
Learning my scales in the circles of fifths, having patience with sections and different methods for tackling them,
and being able to listen to others while playing with them in a group (SSB piece)
Step 5: Briefly review the assignments you have submitted for Units 6-9
- Comment on the quality of work reflected in your ePortfolio as well as the content of your manilla folder
I always produced my best quality of work possible, and I did not procrastinate on assignments, rather I spaced them out for maximum production.
- Did you modify your portfolio approach for the second part of the semester or repeat your approach from the first part?
No my approach remained the same. This was not my first blended-learning independent style course, so I had experience.
Step 6: Answer the following questions regarding the future use of the course material
- Identify 3 of the most important concepts or skills you learned in this course
The circle of fifths major scales on the guitar, the importance of how you practice, and how to play guitar with a pick
- Explain why you perceive these concepts or skills to be important
The scales in the circle of fifths order is super important because it is applying music theory to the guitar, and it
provides insight on movable barre chords. The importance of how you practice had a big impact on me because we did a lot of focusing on how the environment and practice methods we use will affect
how efficiently we learn. Using the pyramids to practice really helped. Playing with a pick has changed my life. It's such a simple style technique, but I could not play with one before this
class and learning is so essential to being a good guitar player.
- How do you anticipate using these concepts or skills in the future?
I will apply my scales and pick techniques all throughout my physical guitar playing for the rest of my life. As far
as my practice methods go, I will become better and more efficient at practicing because of my newly acquired skills.
Step 7: Please provide some advice and words of wisdom for students taking this course in the future
Do not procrastinate or push off your unit work: it might seem like you can complete an entire Unit in one day, and you might be able to, but then you will not be learning what you need to be in order to become a better musician; the units are there for a reason.
Step 8: Please help us sculpt future classes by providing feedback, suggestions, etc. related to Unit Content, Adjunct Staff, Wix, ePortfolio, On-Campus, Work Flow, etc.
Having Dave around more often would have made my off days more productive. Having him around always made me a better player in both mindset, motivation, and actual skill level.
Step 1: Book Review
Please submit the following
- Title & Author
Musicophilia by Oliver Sacks
- Brief Summary of the Reading Material to include 3-5 quotes/passages(including page #)
This book was written by Oliver Sacks who is a doctor and scientist. He wrote this book to explain the effects that music has on the brain. In doing so, he used multiple case studies for chapters (a man struck by lightning, children with Williams syndome, people with seizures, etc.). He uncovers how music has a profound way of affecting people. For people who he studied that had "amusia" they felt like music was like pots and pans clanking together. Dr. Cicoria (the man struck by lightning) was losing his memory and could not remember names, but he was drawn to playing the piano and actually became a very good pianist.
Quote 1: This is about the man who was struck by lightning: "Life had returned to normal, seemingly, when "suddently, over two or three days, there was this insatiable desire to learn to listen to piano music." pg. 5
Quote 2: This is about a boy who lost his hearing: "Coleman makes himself listen to music every day, fighting to hear as he used to. Music makes him still hold the memories, the imagination of what is was like to hear with two ears." pg. 161
Quote 3: This is aout a young man with Tourette's syndrome: "music is a huge part of my life. It can be both a blessing and a curse when it comes to ticcing. It can send me into a state where I forget all about Tourette's, or it can bring on a surge of tics that is difficult to control or bear." Pg. 247
- Please answer the following
• Describe your thoughts, feelings and/or emotional response to the reading
I constantly got goosebumps while reading this book. The stories themselves were already very emotional to hear about, but once you read about the impacts music had on some people in positive ways, it constantly got me choked up.
• What was the most important insight you gained from the reading?
Music is more than it seems on the surface. There is actual chemistry occurring in your brain that makes the impact of music so profound. It makes me very grateful to be a musician because of the importance it has on your health and learning
• What surprised you the most in the reading?
In the reading I was surprised the most by how music can trigger people sometimes. I always knew it had an emotional trigger (hearing a sad song, or associating a song with a memory or person) but that it could physically trigger people too was crazy to me (example: the quote about the boy with Tourette's would sometimes be triggered by some music).
• What did you already know?
I already knew that music was stored in a different part of your brain, making music easy to trigger specific memories, even in people suffering from severe memory loss from Dementia or Alzheimer's. This is why music therapy is used a lot on older people.
• In what ways might you be able to apply the reading material to your musical interests?
I am really interested in the ideas behind music therapy as a psych major. Reading this book touched on that a lot and how music can cure and treat many physical and mental diseases. It was a very fascinating read.