If there are no questions, then there is no understanding.

On the utility of if/then questioning strategies in the development of cognitive facility. 

National and state standards are a known. They are fixed. They represent discrete bits of knowledge and/or skills that students should master in a given academic year as a way to provide a uniform education. The advantage to applying a uniform set of standards is that professionals see clearly what is expected and where children should be, developmentally, as they move through the system. The disadvantage to applying a uniform set of standards is that professionals are given their marching orders, as it were, as may see their job as one of ensuring children master conjugation or spelling, for example, without regard to how these skills apply to the why of education. 

The why of education. Simon Sinek suggests that, far too often, we focus on the how or the what of the things we do in our jobs rather than beginning with the why. By beginning with why, Sinek suggests, we ensure that others will more easily see the bigger picture of what we do or how we do what we do. Essentially, beginning with the why others will quickly see the “method to our madness,” to paraphrase the Bard.

The “why of education” can be seen as a marriage of social, emotional, and cognitive growth so that at the end of high school a young person may enter the adult world of commerce or service as a productive citizen. And yet, though we may believe in this idea of social, emotional, and cognitive growth, the reality of our nation’s educational agenda is squarely aimed at children’s cognitive growth. Unfortunately, mastering standards (e.g., solving an algebra problem on a standardized examination) is not equivalent to approaching a real-world problem from an algebraic point of view. This algebraic point of view, this perspective, is not related to skills or algorithms that can be applied so much as it is related to looking at a problem logically. If problems are a problem to be solved, then a requisite cognitive ability is to play with the problem’s variables apart of resolving or solving the problem

Therefore, if the why of education is our first and foremost concern for children, and developing their ability to approach problems or questions from different perspectives or different points of view, then all education, especially early childhood education, should present children opportunities to consider if/then questions. Unlike moving toward a known standard (e.g., fractions), approaching the concept of fractions through a series of if/then questions provides children opportunities to play with the idea rather than being bogged-down with definitions or symbols. If perspective-taking or altering a point of view is an important requisite of all education, it might be that we should focus our attention on simple conversations that employ if/then questions.

On Habits and Journeys and Change

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. 

This oft quoted phrase was written by the Chinese philosopher Lao-tzu (604-531BC). The beauty of this saying is that the physical change of traveling a thousand miles can be seen as a metaphor for a corresponding change of perspective, a change of thinking, or a change of values. It's this cognitive change that interests me.

If life is a journey, then all aspects of life are part of that journey. We are a whole. We might try to compartmentalize our lives to make things easier to handle on a daily basis and yet, those compartments are part of the whole. If the whole of our beings is on a journey, then it seems logical to assume that all of our compartments are journeying with us, modifying and adjusting and changing. Most things in life follow this pattern except for some institutions.

Consider the institution of education. The profession has survived many storms and stresses of popular and political upheavals and continues, unchanged and unscathed, to operate in largely the same way since the Nineteenth Century. Pedagogical methods and mindsets remain rooted to a core set of educational values that operate within a rigidly defined script. Professional practices and routines can serve as a grounding force when the electrical energy of public school education becomes overwhelming. We've all experienced the "Hang-on for dear life" moments throughout our careers.

And yet, is "hanging-on" best practice whether in mathematics or music? If life is a journey that begins with a single step, then the journey of pedagogy begins with a single try, taking a single chance a doing something differently.

Below is the reflection of a young choral music professional who gave something a try even though she had no reason to think that it would be successful based upon her pedagogical training and experience. The reflection relates to an assignment she completed for an introductory course in Dr. Edwin Gordon's Music Learning Theory.

• So I met with my choir yesterday and presented them with my lesson plan for my assignment.  We prepared to do a sight-singing exercise by singing a I-IV-I-V-I cadence using solfege syllables.  We sang it a couple of times to make sure they 'got it in their ear'.  We then did a sight-singing exercise which was a SSA piece, 4 pgs long, not very difficult but they still had to think about it.  I had the students write down in a few sentences whether or not they liked this 'new way' or not and why.  My hypothesis was that they would like the old way we did things.  Much to my surprise a majority of them preferred the 'new way'.  Their reasons were varied but most agreed that they felt they had a better foundation of what they were about to sing.  They felt more prepared.   Gordon 1  Baez 0.

In the immortal words of the great bard Dr. Seuss, "You do not like it, so you say. Try it! Try it! And you may!"

Anchors and Global Warming

We all need stability in our lives. We all need to be grounded or rooted. In the currents that run through our professional lives it's important to have an anchor to keep us from drifting. Depending on the size of the vessel, anchors can big or small. For music educators, small anchors may be particular pieces of music or particular styles/genres of music. Those big anchors may be a particular pedagogy or curriculum that has stood the test of time. With all the changes that take place over the course of a career we might lose our focus if not for a curriculum that is steadfast and true.


Imagine that, as a young professional, you anchor your career in "this way of doing things" or "that way of thinking." And, with the gentle ebb and flow of the tides things are peachy-keen, they are copacetic. You have a solid anchor and an anchor chain that allows you to move up and down with the tide.


But what happens when the currents of change become more noticeable? What happens when, due to global warming, the oceans of your professional life rises? Your anchor and your anchor chain are fixed and inflexible. They cannot move and your ship is trapped in the rising waters with few options.  It's a scary thing to see the world rise about you, slowly filling your professional boat with the waters of a sea of change. You do what you can but the reality is that your ship will sink.


Lucy Green, among others, asks us to consider adding a bungee cord to our anchor chains. The global economy and the 21st Century Learner are melting the polar icecaps of Nineteenth and Twentieth Century pedagogy, causing things to change dramatically. By adding a nice length of very flexible cord to our anchors we can more easily rise with the waters that will force us to think differently about how to anchor the value of music in the hearts and minds of our students and our nation. 

A New Role

Is is possible that those of us who choose to be music teachers and ensemble directors chose our profession because of its non-musical aspects? For example, let's be honest, to have any effectiveness in getting 25 to 100+ students to cooperate takes a lot of leadership and management skills that have more to do with a Fortune 500 company than they do with the art of music. Another quality of teachers and directors/conductors is control. Is it possible that we choose to work in public schools because we like to control and micromanage things? Are we a bit obsessive compulsive and tend to exhibit Type A personalities?

Lucy Green asks us to reflect on our roles in the classroom and rehearsal hall, and consider adopting a new role. To adopt a new role requires that we change the way we think about our role, which is difficult. However, even if we wanted to change our role, would our administrators or parents want us to change? After all we're in a service profession and we serve the expectations of our community. If this is so, is change possible?

Just something to think about.

Digital SLR Cameras and Garage Band

This week I've enrolled in a digital photography class at the Fairbanks Summer Arts Festival. If you know anything about the basics of photography, then you've heard about the triangle of aperture, shutter speed and ISO. Essentially, from a technical perspective, the perfect picture is just the right combination of all three of these. But this represents just one aspect of the art of photography. You might say that these are the photographic equivalent of the National Standards in education. They are just "nuts and bolts," "knowledge and skills."

Sure most individuals simply want to "snap and go" with a $700 camera but there is more to it than that, isn't there? There's composition, what's in the frame. There are the elements of visual art (shape, line, color, pattern, etc). These represent more than the knowledge and the skills. They represent the imaginative and cognitive side of taking pictures. These relate to artistic vision, understanding how to communicate effectively via visual media. In order to capture a moment that everyone is drawn to, a photograph that takes their breath away, it takes something more than knowing ISOs or shutter speeds or f-stops. It takes a human mind that sees something is a way no one else can.

When you see a photograph that is stunning it's probably because the photographer took the time to think and consider, and not one who was "snap happy." The same idea is true for those who use Garage Band. Sure, kids and adults can put sounds together so that the elements of music (rhythm, melody, harmony, form, and instrumentation) work together but that's just the "nuts and bolts" of music, it's the National Standards of music. What's missing in these types of thrown together, point and click compositions/creations is the cognitive and imaginative side of the art of music.

As technology pushes traditional approaches to music education to the periphery, rest assured that it cannot replace the cognitive, imaginative, and innovative mind. And, if this is so, then might we want to begin highlighting and educating those aspects of musical interaction and cognition that no machine can duplicate, especially when we consider that technology grows exponentially?

Graphic taken from: http://www.nobadfoto.com/understanding-exposure.html

A Latter Day Liszt

Last night I attended what I consider to be one of a handful of performances that were breath taking and exhilarating musical events.

We often showcase those with exceptional talent as a way to motivate others to practice hard."One day, if you practice hard each day, you'll be as good as her."


The truth of the matter is that we really don't know for certain if this is true. Some people develop their "chops" with minimal practice, for others, it requires that magical 10,000 hours of practice.


However, sooner or later most children and adolescents realize that they don't have what it takes mentally or physically to achieve technical greatness on an instrument or with their voice. So what do most do? Quit.


Question: Are we shooting ourselves in the proverbial foot when we hold up exceptional talent as the goal to which children should aspire? After all, most weren't born with that talent.


Think about this in terms of writing. If everyone aspired to become William Faulkner or Tennessee Williams or bust, we would have a country of broken people. However, the idea is that you can enjoy creative writing regardless of your skill set. Is the point that language arts teachers try to instill in their students that they can become the next Walt Whitman or Mya Angelou? No way. It's that they can ENJOY the creative act of writing poetry for the rest of their lives.


Do most children and adolescents imagine that they will be world class performers someday? Probably not. Are most children and adolescents in musical ensembles for the music? No. They are in them to be with their friends and to enjoy doing something with them.


For the vast majority of people, music is a social activity that is much less tiring and much more enjoyable than running a marathon. Some may disagree. And yet, it's when we are in the company of others engaging in a common hobby or activity that we find joy in our daily lives.


If this is reality, as I suggest it is, might we modify our educational agenda to feature less "tour de force" performances and more communal music making? After all, most of us are average, right?


If this idea somehow gets stuck in your craw, chew on it awhile. 

When Excellence is Average

Last week I was walking my dog around our neighborhood and happened to pass our local high school's marquee.  The sign is fairly standard one with flashing, multicolored words and images, announcing the next ballgame or students' accomplishments or the teacher of the week.

What caught my eye was the announcement that one of the music ensembles received an "Excellent" contest rating and that this meant that it had risen to the distinction of earning "Sweepstakes." Being awarded Sweepstakes is a big deal in Texas. As I stopped to read through the several images that contained the announcement I thought to myself "Well done. Good job. You see, hard work and perseverance do pay off." This feeling of pride for the students and their directors was muted a bit as I read the last statement of the announcement "...37 years in a row!"


Question: After 37 years, might we assume that the band will receive Sweepstakes next year and the year after and the year after ...? So, logically speaking, if we can predict with almost certainty that this band will achieve the highest rating in the state and nothing higher because there isn't anything higher, then can we make a case for advertising that the band had an average year next year? After all, isn't average what you do most of the time? AND, if average is all this band will ever hope to be in the future, can't we think of something more productive to do with their time?


Just some thoughts.