The video below shows a peak into one of our first explorations of using ‘Multiple Representations’ to teach musical concepts at the YMCA in Chinatown. The video shows intern, Pui, taking the lead in demonstrating rhythmic concepts, numeric pitch identification and solfege using Lego blocks that we found in the classroom at the YMCA. The students were surprised by this use of the Lego blocks initially, but caught on quickly.

At the beginning of the video is the initial introduction of rhythmic concepts. One sees intern MusicLaunch intern, Pui, pointing to a block and together with intern Devin Ulibarri demonstrating the desired action – in this case, clapping according to the size of the blocks. The clapping patterns were introduced separately (1,2 and 3 beats), but were combined to create an 8 beat pattern consisting of three of the smaller patterns. The students were then asked to manipulate the blocks in order to come up with their own structures. For example at 0’53” in the video, one observes Kayla’s pattern (2+1+3) and then her brother changing the pattern (2+3+1). This moment is important because it empowers the student and demonstrates that musical concepts can be mastered and manipulated – it develops their creativity.

At 4’22” into the video, one can see the culmination of the entire lesson. In this final review, Pui asks students to identify the solfege names of the notes by hinting at the numeric name. Pui asks the class what the second pitch in the scale is to which a student answers, “Re”. Pui then asks the class to answer using pitch to which the class accurately sings the intended pitches that she is identifying using her fingers (numeric name). At the end of the review, Pui tests the students mastery by asking them to skip “Re” and accurately sing “Mi” from “Do” – the students have some difficulty doing this, but this is their first time and subsequent videos will reveal their progress.

The video ends with quick demonstrations of other types of multiple representations that we have used in the break off sections of MusicLaunch. Future blog posts will keep you posted on the significance of these other forms of multiple representations and how they have helped the development of the students in MusicLaunch at the YMCA in Chinatown.

Editor’s Note: This post is in a series of several by undergraduate composition major Juhye Lee. Read Juhye’s previous MusicLaunch posts here. Or you can also see the whole MusicLaunch blog archive.

11/19
The kids got to learn the two notes of ‘Do’ and ‘Sol’ on the staff and they also get to learn the solfege. It was interesting that learning the notes on the staff required three actions. The things would be seeing, hearing and memorizing. Kids got to see the notes that’s on either line or space. They will determine the notes according to which line or space. Then they will be introduced what it’s sounding. Once they get to know the notes, they will think about the pitch. Based on the two things, they would memorize them. Each kids would have different pace to absorb the teaching. I though their acquire ability might be related to agility. Depending on how fast they can connet the three actions, they will get it fast or slow. For some kids, the things would be easy to learn but for others, it would be a hard task that’s hard to get.

Editor’s Note: This post is in a series of several by undergraduate composition major Juhye Lee. Read Juhye’s previous MusicLaunch posts here. Or you can also see the whole MusicLaunch blog archive.

11/12
I got to meet Andrew for the first time at the meeting on Thursday and today I got to watch his teaching for the first time. It was interesting that he brought some real fruits for the class. The concept of it was similar to the last week’s singing block things. He used the rhythm/syllables of Le(1)-mon(2), Lime(1-2). I think It’s the way to teach them duration. Both words are saying in 2 beats but for Lemon, there are two saperated beats in Le and Mon. For Lime one should hold the word to be connected, so the word Lime is like a half notes duration while Le-Mon is like having two quarter notes in two. Even though I’m not a native speaker, I could clearly feel the duration and rhythm and could get to understand the concept. It was like a finding music elements in our actually life.

Editor’s Note: This post is in a series of several by undergraduate composition major Juhye Lee. Read Juhye’s previous MusicLaunch posts here. Or you can also see the whole MusicLaunch blog archive.

Today Devin and Pui tried to teach the rhythms and pitches with the blocks. They started to clap according to the blocks. For instance one block means clap once (which could be quarter note) and the longer block of the two is followed by clapping twice(which could be two eighth notes in quarter note). Singing the pitches were followed by the rhythms. Singing One-Two-Three (which is Do-Re-Mi) was added to the rhythms they were clapping. Do (in a quarter note), Do-re( in a quarter note, so there would be two divided notes of quarter notes, which are two eighth notes), Do-re-mi(Each do-re-mi is an eighth note singing in two quarter notes as (8th rest)-do-re-mi). I was curious when they sing do, do-re, (rest)-do-re-mi, The do-re and (rest)-do-re-mi has eighth notes in each, not a quarter note as the first Do. The next step would be building a harmony on Do-re-mi as singing the thrid above them(Which is mi-fa-sol). The kids will naturally learn about the sounds of thrid intervals.

In Pui’s Class, most of them were beginner and I could see that every kid’s ability (understanding, time that take them to get Pui’s teaching) was different even though they all are in the same situation.

About a year and a half ago, I was given the opportunity to initiate an education-based Community Engagement program under the auspices of NEC’s Preparatory/Continuing Education division, led by Leslie Foley, the (then) newly-appointed Dean & Executive Director of NEC’s Preparatory/Continuing Education division. At the time, I had been working with the Music-in-Education National Consortium, managing its FIPSE grant and consulting on documentation & portfolio assessment practices for its teacher professional development (“PD”)-driven elementary music programs.

Throughout my time with the MIENC (roughly 2004-2011), teacher and teaching artist training became an increasingly large part of how the programs were designed and implemented. I would travel with a small team of other experts and give PD sessions on a regular basis at each school; sometimes at many schools within a district, or at a district/region-wide teacher conference. While the other experts usually focused on standards-based curriculum design and teaching methods, my area of specialty was classroom documentation. I’d observe individual classes, meet with the teachers one-on-one, and offer advice on how to document and exhibit their work (in school community spaces; in online digital portfolios; on blogs, etc.) so as to simultaneously showcase their curricula, teaching style, student learning outcomes, answer project inquiry questions, and how their classrooms meet‐and often exemplify— inquiry questions and content/subject area/grade-level standards. We’d also look at how to design student assessments so that they could easily be used in those kinds of ways. Teachers loved the opportunity to demonstrate the artistry of their teaching, side-by-side with the development of their students’ scholarship.

Towards the later part of my MIENC tenure, I began freelancing as an educational researcher with Larry Scripp and served with him as a consultant for the PAIR Program (Partnerships in Arts Integrated Research), led by the Chicago Arts Partnerships in Education organization. In that project, math & social studies classrooms (3rd-5th graders) were paired with music, drama, sculpture, and painting teaching artists, and we were charged with designing a portfolio program to document and assess those outcomes, as well as collect reflections by students, teachers, and teaching artists. Many of the participants (kids and adults alike) had never participated in a program where portfolio documentation was central to the curricula, and in the beginning, we had to do a lot of teacher training to setup the structure for collecting rich documentation, particularly when it came to eliciting student responses. Part of the challenge was finding a way to exhibit this data in ways that were rich, conversational, and authentic to both the kids and the teachers/teaching artists.

We eventually devised an interview protocol that put 2-3 kids at the same table as their classroom teacher and teaching artists, in which they had the chance to reflect on they learned (individually and from each other) throughout the semester; and perform or demonstrate their composition (music or play). Most students relished the chance to ‘show off’ for their teachers in a non-classroom setting, which was pleasantly met by their teachers’ candor. Unsurprisingly, this type of exchange boosted camaraderie back in the classroom, raised students’ self-esteem, and provided a rising platform for quality student participation.

From these two particular experiences, I saw first-hand the positive benefits of having a strong documentation component in music-integrated programs, and it’s from that vantage point that MusicLaunch was born. Like the MIENC initiatives and the PAIR program, MusicLaunch combines the two worlds of teacher professional development and demonstrating student understanding:

• MusicLaunch teachers and interns both have a hand in documenting the student experience, and in fact, kids do too. (Kids love taking video of themselves and each other!) A frequent activity is watching the videos together and reflecting on what the camera captured.
• From the ‘moments of learning,’ ‘aha! stories,’ and similar vignettes captured by documentation, we can look across them for meta-themes and overarching inquiry questions. What questions does this kind of anecdotal evidence answer, and to what degree are those questions different from the ones we set out to answer?
• Each week begins, and ends, with collaborative sessions with all students talking and sharing in the same room, in a structured reflection session facilitated by ML staff. Children are encouraged to demonstrate what they learned and—regardless of their age group, chosen instrument, or skill level—teach it to their peers. (We believe this to be a crucial first step in developing children’s musical and cognitive self-awareness!)
• All documentation is collected and organized by ML interns, and will be assembled into an evolving digital portfolio, to be shared and discussed with parents at designated times throughout the year.

Stay tuned for more posts as MusicLaunch grows and blooms this year, particularly from our interns and teaching staff!

Hey MIE Blog readers! Got some great news for you. We have finally given a name to the music program we started last year in Chinatown. We’re calling it MusicLaunch, and it’s going to be an amazing opportunity for both our MIE interns and for community youth.

NEC’s MusicLaunch was founded in 2010 in partnership with the Wang YMCA of Chinatown (Boston). MusicLaunch is an innovative community-minded music education lab, where programs and curricula are driven by the dynamic, multi-faceted, and versatile faculty of NEC’s Continuing Ed Music-in-Education Certificate Program. It follows the YMCA’s commitment to “developing the potential of every child” with its open enrollment (no audition) policy and classes that encourage music literacy from the ground up, starting with parent/child music circles (ages 2-5). Small-group lessons in guitar, band instruments, and recorder are also offered.

Like the YMCA, MusicLaunch is committed to promoting social responsibility, critical thinking, and socio-emotional development. While many arts organizations focus on free performances as their way of giving back, MusicLaunch instead puts experiential, hands-on learning and multi-level (sometimes, multi-generational) instruction at its core. Youth are guided, mentored, and instructed by experienced teaching artists from NEC’s Continuing Ed faculty, as well as by adult intern volunteers from the MIE Certificate Program.

Here are some posts from Devin U, who started out the MusicLaunch guitar program last year.

Editor’s Note: This post is the fourteenth in a series by MIE guided intern Devin Ulibarri. Devin is a first year graduate student of Eliot Fisk. His internship at the Wang YMCA is supported both by the MIE department and NEC Prep’s Community Engagement program. Read others in the series here.

Both Janea and Jason have put in good work and displayed performances the reflect their progress!