I sometimes laugh when I write because I think it’s funny stuff. Sometimes when I write, well, okay, I’ve just been in a silly kind of mood lately. The piece I thought to compose has rhythms that spell “epic” in Morse Code. I think of different lyrics for songs I hear and I like to transform the pre-existing to apply to whatever I’m doing of thinking of. Which is fun. Until you are assigned to write a paper for school. A real paper. My attempts at starting my paper where not a college-level quality, so I scratched them. “Come on, Anna, you’ve been doing these for three years now!” Maybe, but I’ve had a summer packed full of more writing than that, my style. You’re curious now, aren’t you? Yeah, I’ll share my attempts with you. I feel like a lot of my inner (nerd) self was revealed here, and I’m okay with that, for now, after getting that out of my system, I can write a real paper!
Anna Olson
Synopsis of Music Education History
Voice. Percussion. Brass. Woodwind. Long ago, the four families lived together in harmony as each evolved to be like the instruments we see today. Then, everything changed when the Americas were discovered and the United States became settled. Music altogether was forgotten about as the people of the new nation had other things to worry about. Only the Avatar, teacher and master of all four instrument groups, could stop this indifference. But when a newly settled country needed him most, he vanished. Though music found its way into churches, its use was limited, and the Voice Group began to rise. Out of the Voice Group came attempts of teaching by Fransiscan Friars who began teaching noted music. Hundreds of years later, a new teacher was born, a non-instrumentalist named John Heinrich Pestalazzi who brought the Rote Method to teach singing. And although the method was good, it didn’t use the affective domain. Sometime later, Lowell Mason came and brought with him the Note Method, which used all three domains, the cognitive, psychomotor, and affective. He brought with him the Utilitarian Philosophy, which serves a function of teaching and believes that performance comes from teaching. Music Education has a long ways to go before it is of a perfected philosophy. But I believe, Music Ed can change the world.
Again!
Let’s start at the very beginning, a very good place to start! When you read you begin with A, B, C, John Tufts began the rule of do, re mi. Moved around by Charles Aiken, do, re, mi.
Again!
Once upon a time there was music being birthed by composers who became great such as Josquin, Palestrina, and Byrd. Meanwhile, America was in the process of being discovered, settled, and explored. Music in America did not have the new birthing that it did in Europe, but was limited in its use, except in churches.
Again!
A long time ago in a galaxy we call home…
Synopsis of Music Education History
Anna Olson
It is a period of limited music use, except in churches. The Franciscan Friars have struck the first note in 1603 by coming up with the first noted use of teaching music against the evil Music Indifference. As a result of a few being taught music in church, the Bay Psalm Book was published, the second book published in the United States. Years later the first Singing School began, followed soon after by Singing Societies. During these developments, two dissident musician teachers brought forth their PHILOSOPHIES AND METHODS, armed with enough vision to teach an entire nation. Pursued by the function of performing, Lowell Mason develops a philosophy in which the performance comes from teaching; the utilitarian philosophy emphasizes teaching as it raises money through performances to save music departments everywhere.
Again!
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of discovery, it was the age of loss, it was the melodious epoch, it was the tuneless epoch, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the harmonious spring, it was the off-key winter, they had everything before them, they had nothing before them. There were the Singing Schools to teach people how to sing; there were the Singing Societies to perform and show off people’s singing. In both cases it was clearer than crystal to the singers and the listeners, that things in general weren’t going as they should. John Heinrich Pestalozzik introduced a key philosophy and method called the Rote Method; Lowell Mason later introduced a key philosophy and method called the Note Method.
Ahh! Well, there you go. It is a far, far better thing that I do to write and submit a real paper; it is a far, far better feeling inside of accomplishment instead of just giggles, I’m sure.
It still makes me smile, Anna 🙂
Anna E. Meyer 