band is lit

Band is LIT:Incorporating Literacy Instruction into the Secondary Ensemble RehearsalAshley Smith | West Liberty High School

Introduction - Ashley Smith

Syracuse University, B.M. Music Education 2011

University of Northern Iowa, M.A. Music (Wind Conducting) 2013

West Liberty High School

● Grades 5 and 9-12 (2013-2014)

● Grades 9-12 (2014-present)

Director of Bands, Model Teacher (Iowa Teacher Leadership & Compensation program)

Introduction - West Liberty Community Schools

Located on US highway 6 about 10 miles south of I-80 in eastern

Iowa.

In the most recent census, we were identified as the first Hispanic

majority community in Iowa.

Total Enrollment: Approx. 1,375 students

Low-SES 60.6%

ELL 20.5%

Objectives for today’s clinic

CONTENT OBJECTIVE

I have one new idea about how to incorporate literacy instruction into my own curriculum next year.

LANGUAGE OBJECTIVE

I can explain, in my own words, why literacy instruction is important to include in band rehearsals.

Incorporating English language literacy instruction into band rehearsal can be a challenge.So why even bother?

I don’t have time - we have so much music to learn before the concert.

I don’t know how to teach grammar and spelling! My degree is in music, not English!

English teachers don’t teach music in their class; why should I teach English in mine?

I already teach students how to read and write … music!

Research shows English language learners are the fastest growing group of students in U.S. schools.

According to the National Center for

Educational Statistics…

In 2014-15, nearly 10% of students in US

schools were English learners.

According to the 2013 American

Community Survey…

Within the US population of all people age

5 and older, 21% spoke a language other

than English at home.

Echevarria, J., Vogt, M., & Short, D. J. (2017). Making Content Comprehensible for English Learners: The SIOP Model (5th ed.). Pearson.

Research shows English language learners are the fastest growing group of students in U.S. schools.

“English learners have to do double the work in schools: they must learn English and learn content, but they

are not given double the time. . . English learners are evaluated with the same tests as their native

English-speaking classmates, no matter what their English proficiency is. That is why it is imperative for all

teachers to help English learners both acquire English and learn content.”

Short, D. J., & Echevarria, J. (2016). Developing Academic Language with The SIOP Model. Pearson.

Academic language is a second language for all learners in school.

“We know that conversational fluency

(also known as basic interpersonal

communicative skills, BICS) develops inside

and outside of the classroom and can be

attained in 1 to 3 years.”

“The language that is critical for

educational success — academic language

(or cognitive/academic language

proficiency, CALP) — is more complex and

develops more slowly and systematically. . .

it may take students from 4 to 7 years of

study.”

Short, D. J., & Echevarria, J. (2016). Developing Academic Language with The SIOP Model. Pearson.

Academic language is a second language for all learners in school.

“Even native-English speaking students do not enter kindergarten or first grade classrooms using embedded

clauses and long, modified noun phrases in their conversations, nor do they analyze text for an author’s use

of imagery or write problem-solution essays about local issues.”

Echevarria, J., Vogt, M., & Short, D. J. (2017). Making Content Comprehensible for English Learners: The SIOP Model (5th ed.). Pearson.

There are four modalities of language...

… and you likely already incorporate speaking, reading, writing or listening into your daily rehearsals in order to meet guidelines set by the Iowa Core.

State of Iowa Department of Education. (2013). Fine Arts Alignment with Iowa Core Universal Constructs: Instrumental Music and Vocal Music Grades 5 - 12. Retrieved from https://www.educateiowa.gov/pk-12/content-areas/fine-arts

Sample Activity

Building Background

Academic Vocabulary:

PREDICTEVIDENCESUPPORT

Listen to this excerpt of music. On your exit ticket,

complete the following sentence frame.

“I predict that this piece is about ____ because ____.”

● Use evidence to support your “because” statement.

● Consider:○ Dynamics ○ Articulation○ Texture ○ Style, mood or emotion

Building Background


PREDICTEVIDENCESUPPORTELEGYSYNONYM

The title of this piece is Elegy for a Young American. It was

composed by Ronald Lo Presti in 1964.

Elegy:

A poem of serious reflection, typically a lament for the dead.Synonyms: lament, requiem

Building Background


PREDICTEVIDENCESUPPORTELEGYSYNONYMPROGRAMMATIC

Elegy For A Young American is programmatic. It was written about something very specific. Listen to this excerpt of music

again. On your exit ticket, complete the following sentence

frame.

“I predict that this piece is about ____ because ____.”Building Background


PREDICTEVIDENCESUPPORTELEGYSYNONYMPROGRAMMATIC

Elegy For A Young American is programmatic. It was written about something very specific. Listen to this excerpt of music

again. On your exit ticket, complete the following sentence

frame.

My second prediction is the same as my initial prediction because ______.

OR

My second prediction is different from my initial prediction because ____.

Interaction

☑ Listening

☑ Reading

☑ Writing

☑ Speaking

Find a neighbor near you. Use the following conversation frame to discuss your predictions.

Partner A: “When I first heard Elegy for a Young American, I

thought it was about ___ because ____.

After I learned what “elegy” meant, my prediction [changed or

stayed the same] because ____.”

Partner B: “When I first heard Elegy for a Young American, I

thought it was about ___ because ____.

After I learned what “elegy” meant, my prediction [changed or

stayed the same] because ____.”

Opportunity for extension

Extended learningWe listened to another piece of music in the same style: Elegy, composed by John Barnes Chance in the 1970s.

Students listened to an excerpt of the work and wrote down three emotions they heard represented in the music. I collected these words and generated a Word Cloud.

The next day, students used partner discussion to compare and contrast emotions that were similar to those found in Elegy for A Young American. Partners then shared their observations with the class.

Higher OrderThinking Skills


Broadening knowledge

Teaching skills forcritical thinking

A few other ideas for literacy instruction

Marching BandIHSMA rubricsLearning the “vocabulary” in each area of adjudication

● As a class, play examples and non-examples

● List synonyms

● Find an example in your music

● Describe out loud in your own words

Marching BandIHSMA rubricsExecution vs. General Effect

Marching vs. Music

Percussion

Color Guard

Listen and watch a video of our performance

Write an observation on a Post-It Note

Find the correctly titled poster and stick your observation to it

Marching BandIHSMA rubrics

Listen to our adjudicators’ recordings

Compare and contrast our observations to their feedback

Marching BandIHSMA rubrics


Depth of knowledge

Kentucky 1800Folk Song Presentations

● Divided students into heterogeneous groups by

instrument and age

● Each group received a one-page “score”○ 1 Major Scale○ 1 Relative Minor Scale○ 1 folk song melody from Kentucky 1800


● Rehearse and perform major and relative minor

scale

● Rehearse and perform melody

● Answer the following questions:○ Which scale does your melody use? Why do you think so?

○ What are some things you observed about your melody? What

makes it unique?

○ Look through the piece Kentucky 1800. At which Rehearsal

Letter does your melody begin?

○ Which instruments play your melody in Kentucky 1800? Do the

melody instruments stay the same, or does the melody get

passed to another group of instruments?

○ What is the tempo or style of your melody in Kentucky 1800? (examples: flowing, marcato, cantabile, rhythmic, broadly, etc).


● Rehearse and perform major and relative minor

scale

● Rehearse and perform melody

● Answer the following questions:○ What is the name of the folk song that is used to create your

melody?

○ Read the lyrics of your folk song out loud with your group.

What kind of character would be singing these words? What is

he or she singing about? How does he or she feel?


● Presentations must include:○ A performance of your melody○ Answers to all questions○ Some kind of visual aid○ All members of your group must be involved in your

presentation in some way

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3G5GFZs7eEU

Recruitment & RetentionWrite a letter to grade ⅞ Band

● Expectations○ Paragraph is 3 to 5 sentences○ Complete sentences required○ Neat handwriting or type-and-print

● Review parts of a letter

Some closing thoughts

Ask yourself... ● In regard to this piece, what do I want

my students to know more about?○ Genre?○ Form?○ Composer?○ Historical importance?○ Specific melodic, harmonic or

rhythmic concepts?

Ask yourself... ● How can an activity using reading,

writing, speaking or listening enhance

my students’ connection and

understanding to this piece?

Ask yourself... ● Aim for authentic, not artificial

● Look ahead to future programming

for connections

Questions &FeedbackContact information:

Ashley Smith

West Liberty High School

[email protected]

asmith.iowaeducators.com

WLHSCometBand.com

facebook.com/WLHSCometBand

twitter.com/WLHSCometBand

mailto:[email protected]

band is lit

Documents