New tune: Edge of Autumn.
Ars moriendi: I. The End of Day
The first motet from an envisioned cycle of eleven has been completed. A Call for Scores by the Wallingford Chorus served as the impetus for this recent work. However, while contemplating inspirations for beginning a new choral work, I did not anticipate becoming compelled to write an entire cycle of motets; nevertheless, upon surfing the internet once re-discovering Ars moriendi along with influential pre- and post Medieval writings about death and dying, one five minute choral work was not going to suffice. Also, I had also decided to utilize text from the poems of W. B. Yeats of which the are a plethora. The End of Day, the fourth of seven sections from Upon a Dying Lady, presented a poignant counterpoint to the Latin text used for the cantus firmus, Cum de praesentis exilii miseria mortis transitus, “which translates, when about with a ready thin, wretched, deadly crossing.” I found myself imagining the position of a medieval person’s perspective of death and heard distinctive passages of sounds imitating the attempted merger of both the magic and fear of human mortality. Hopefully these moods come across in the sounds.
By clicking on this first link, you will be brought to a Sibelius Scorch page; therefore, you will need to download the free program if you have not already done so. It is at this link that the text can be seen along with the musical score; however, the music is in the less pleasant-sounding midi format.
Ars moriendi: I. The End of Day
This link will not provide a score, but the mp3 file, comprised of virtual instrument is a more favorable sample for listening. Unfortunately, speech synthesis has not caught up with studio voice sampling technology; so you have to imagine that the text is sung.
Chronos and Ananke
Chronos and Ananke, a new work for cello and marimba was completed today in time to submit to PASIC for the annual composition competition. The link below will take you to a Sibelius Scorch page, which requires the free download. This option plays back in midi format.
http://www.junderground.com/ChronosandAnanke.htm
For a higher quality virtual instrument mp3 listening go to:
Piano Sonata No. 1: 25th Anniversary
As I was reveling in my disdain for the sloppy phase of the winter, I suddenly realized that it was 25 winters ago that I wrote this Piano Sonata that I subtitled, Winters.
Note: You will have to download the free player, Sibelius Scorch, in order to experience the music.
The Speech
Last night, I advantaged my right to speak at an open Board of Education hearing to defend the music technology program where I teach over 200 student the art of music composition. It was a most difficult task, because while I was there to keep an extraordinary learning opportunity alive for new streams of young people for years to come, so many other concerns were shared by parents and educators who were there to advocate for equally critical situations. Even at this moment, as I listen to the State of the Union and Republican Response Addresses, I realize just how incorrigible it is that any educators should ever have to compete against each other when they have the same children’s best interests in mind. Why in this great country, must towns have to choose between state-of-the-art programs for sciences, arts, , and necessary and reasonable accommodations for challenged students when all needs should be met. Why do we still embrace systems where practitioners leave places like classrooms in order to become too comfortable enjoying higher compensation for making “difficult decisions” that result in trench workers being eliminated and subsequent services obscured from those in need? Why does the gap between the haves and have-nots seem to be widening exponentially? These questions and many more continue to rattle inside my head while I fear that something innovative may be lost for one small town. Nevertheless, I spoke to this board and a small group of community members, and this is what I said:
“I would like to speak on behalf of one third of the student population at our school that would be affected by the elimination of the Music Technology Program. Music Technology for non-performance middle school music students is currently in the sixth year of its existence and it is my distinct impression that not too many community members really know what the students do in this class. I would therefore like to provide a quick history of the class by outlining its achievements, but more importantly defend a rationale for continuing to provide this learning opportunity for our students.
Perhaps it is not common knowledge that this program has very recently received national recognition. I received some fabulous news exactly one week after I was notified about the decision to cut the program, a decision that I truly respect and understand with regard to the difficult job that must be done. In November, while feeling confident that my efforts to elevate this unique program to one of excellence for all to share in the pride of its success, I submitted a grant proposal to the Technology Institute for Music Educators, a national professional organization that announced an opportunity for teachers to receive funding to conduct active research in their classrooms studying ways to implement the use of technology and establish best practices for student learning in music while connecting it to other core classes. I am happy to share the news that I was one of eight teachers selected nationally and the only recipient in the state of Connecticut. I am very proud about the grant, but it is truly not about me.
The Bureau for Accountability and Improvement for the State Department of Education recommends that all students from Kindergarten through 8th Grade receive a general music education and that opportunities for performance be provided additionally. I acknowledge that in the challenges of the current economy that this is an ideal and while many districts have had the luxury of doing better jobs, others may have already made a such a cut as the one being proposed here; so I would remain grateful to work with my students on any level. The number one goal in the Connecticut Arts Curriculum Framework is to “create artworks that express concepts, ideas, and feelings in each art form.” National Standards for Music Education invoke original music composition opportunities for all students and in 1994, The National Association for Music Education released Opportunity To Learn Standards for Music Technology demonstrating a powerful paradigm shift for teaching general music from having students simply listen to music and demonstrate the rote memorization of facts to implementing hands on constructivist pedagogy. It was my understanding that these philosophies guided our school district to embark upon its Music Technology program in the fall of 2003, and the notion that these students would learn to compose original music was always and continues to be my vision. There were of course many hurdles along the way. As I shared with the superintendent last week, upon the first day I walked into the room that was to become the Music Technology Lab, observing an empty room, I saw nothing but potential. At first, I had to create and implement a world-drumming curriculum in order to engage the students while we all awaited the bidding process for the lab’s equipment to run its course. One semester later, after continually answering students’ questions, “when is the technology part of the class going to happen,” the equipment finally arrived. At first we had to merge hand-me-down iMacs from the elementary schools with state-of-the-art synthesizers and software that lead to many bugs in the smooth operation of daily classes. This demanded alternative plans to be prepared by me to be available at any moment. No problem. In early 2007, equipment funds were allocated to put new computers in the lab, which help immensely, but it was not until the new Technology Supervisor addressed networking obstacles later that year that the facilities finally allowed me to take on teaching without daily computer failures interrupting the flow of lessons and learning.
Around this same time, the Professional Learning Community Initiative began with its philosophy of increasing rigor and effort at its cornerstone. This movement enticed me to challenge myself to realize the vision for students to compose original music by seeking opportunities to participate in professional development opportunities relevant to this cause while focusing on the principles of learning. It was at this time that I joined an arts teaching coalition that was developing and piloting common assessments for music composition by middle school students. The task we are piloting incorporates a meta-cognitive writing component that requires students to reflect upon their compositions and write about their problem solving experiences during the course of the learning unit. Data representing the students’ compositions and written reflections aligned with other assessment task results are about to become benchmarks for arts educators across the entire state and nation-wide. This focus on learning has lead to remarkable results. On task behavior has skyrocketed. Pride and excitement is normal. Students now ask if they can come to the lab on their own time, and I am plan to facilitate that hunger to the best of my ability.
This work is not done. Music educators are relying on brain research studies that correlate music composition thinking with basic problem solving skills. Being a self-proclaimed renaissance person, I am passionate about connecting music to mathematics, writing, science, history, and of course other arts. That is easy and what I try to do each and every day. As for my action research, I will be studying, “What technological resources would best enrich general music student learning about the elements of music and increase the effectiveness of music compositions and student understanding as evidenced by self-evaluation?” What I envision is that with each semester, student compositions will become more effective and sophisticated and that the difficult task of self-reflection, a request that even some adults find obtrusive, will become easier and more introspective. It is well documented that this ability to think and solve problems is what tomorrow’s employers will want from these children.
Before I leave you, I want to describe the typical demeanor of an entry-level music technology student, perhaps awkward and shy about how to use software that allows them to simply drag musical notes onto a staff appearing on the computer screen. They display discomfort about not knowing how to do anything other than randomly putting sounds together, and I can sense that they wonder how they are supposed to turn that into music. By providing appropriate mini-lessons, best practices for differentiated instruction and student-centered learning, and encouraging the students to engage in collaborative discussions while sharing their works-in-progress, each and every student has ultimately shown their light bulb going off.”
So I gave it my best shot. I then played an example of a student composition, one of dozens and dozens. Once I obtain the appropriate permissions, I will find a way to share some here. You would be amazed.
Where I’ve Been
Eight days ago, I was informed that my composition-based music technology program was going to be eliminated in order that the school district could pass a budget. Now, this is not news that impacts my employment. Fortunately, I have done my time and have enough seniority to be able to continue to provide sustenance for my family – no worries there. Yet, this IS the same program that was just about to peak after nearly six years of development, at times using, as Mr. Spock would say, stone knives and bear skins. This IS the same program where over 200 students, non-performance students, compose original music. This IS the program where I see light bulbs illuminate in the minds of adolescents every day. Eighteen hours ago, this program became the only Connecticut music program to receive a grant from TI:ME funded by NAMM to conduct an active research study about ways to increase and maximize student achievement in music composition. Only eight projects were funded.
Over the next few days, I will be preparing myself for an open hearing presentation in order to validate my endeavor to continue this innovative program for middle school students. Wherever you are, I hope that you all can take time to fight with the good fights in your neighborhoods. The “they” often suck the life out of contributory citizens; however, if we as citizens fought back when systems overwhelm people with the same vigor “difficult decisions”-makers demonstrate, meaningful reform could happen. People must reform, not governments and municipalities.
So yes, I am fighting. I am fighting to be able to continue to teach over 200 students how to compose music and why that’s a good thing. I would fight to do this every year. But this struggle is even more than about music or teaching or young people isn’t it? So rally yours as I will mine, so maybe…maybe.
Breaking News
Breaking News: I am very pleased to announce that my proposal for a TI:ME Action Research grant has been selected for funding. It was one of eight awards distributed nationally. TI:ME (Technology Institute for Music Educators) assists music educators in applying technology to improve teaching and learning in music. …My project will investigate which technological
resources best enrich general music student learning about the elements
of music (pitch, harmony, timbre, rhythm, texture, and dynamics) and increase the effectiveness of music
compositions and student understanding as evidenced by self-evaluation. This work will be carried out in the Music Technology Lab at E.C. Adams Middle School in Guilford, Connecticut where I have enjoyed working with young people for almost six years since the program’s implementation. The announcement of the award could not come at a more critical “time.” Stay tuned for details.
Scorch #1: The Rogue Cavalryman
A new work for Soprano and Alto Recorder.
Note: You will have to download the free player, Sibelius Scorch, in order to experience the music.
Scorch Files
I compose many of my works with the extraordinary program, Sibelius, which features a web component application called Scorch. If you are interested in listening to subsequent Scorch links that will appear on this page, you will need to download the free program. You will be able to interact with the score and even play along.
