Check out this slideshow of the main points covered in my insightful discussion with my grades' 9-12 instrumental music teacher and conductor, Mr. Beaudoin!
~Braeden Riemer~
Reflection
I really enjoyed hearing Braeden’s experiences of what music education has meant to him over the years. Braeden and I have known each other for just over a year now. We met in February 2016, at HB Beal Secondary School, when he was in his grade eleventh year and I had just changed schools for a victory lap. In the second semester, we were enrolled in the same guitar and recording class, and shared similar experiences in those classes together.
Braeden began playing guitar in his grade tenth year of high school – he explained that he saw the class as “an opportunity to learn a new instrument and get onto something.” The performances he participated in at Beal were some of his first, and he greatly enjoyed that new opportunity to perform, being able to demonstrate what he had already learned in class, as well as gaining a new learning experience in a performance setting.
Theory, as well as the application of theory knowledge to improve his guitar technique, was something that Braeden expressed struggling with at first. He said that the craft requires great discipline, and he practices most evenings as well as throughout the summer to continue pushing himself forward. Braeden will be completing the gr12 guitar course in his victory lap next year. He is always curious and eager to learn new techniques, and teaches himself many new concepts on his own time, through his discipline and love of learning classical guitar.
One point that Braeden continued to bring up throughout our discussion, was the drastic difference that his high school music experience is, compared to his past elementary school experiences. In elementary school, Braeden remembers a more rigid program with little room for self-expression. I speculate that the teacher and/or the instrument he was then required to play had to do with his lack of interest in music education at the time. But Braeden is thankful that Beal’s program is much more open-ended, and that he is able to work at his own pace and make many of his own musical decisions about expression while playing.
Braeden also commented how much he enjoyed learning the connections between the popular music he loved playing on guitar, and the theoretical explanations of what was going on in those pieces. He also loved making connections between the guitar fret-board and a piano – this helped him visually to understand semitones and gave him the ability to identify notes quicker at random places of the fret-board or keys. In Braeden’s words, “I want to wow myself. I mean, I already am, but I want to go even further than what I initially thought was possible.”
Such connections, I believe to be very useful and rewarding when learning music, and if I find myself in a teaching position someday, my goal would be to give students multiple opportunities for that “light-bulb” moment to happen, yet while still maintaining a positive, creative environment that lets them explore what their true interests are and expand on their horizons.
Thanks Braeden, for your insightful answers and inspiring stories - good luck in all your future aspirations!
~Patrick Martin~
Reflection
Patrick and I have known each other for many years, and have many things in common, particularly to do with music. We met at Mosa Central Public School, where we both got involved in the Baker's Dozen singing choir, Chime Choir, Band, and many musical productions. We began the instrumental music program in grade 6, when Patrick started learning the trumpet, and I the clarinet. We continued on these instruments in the high school band as well as four years of instrumental music class together. Outside of school, Patrick was involved in the Amabile Choirs of London for several years. He has taken piano lessons since childhood, and both of us took vocal lessons from the same studio in preparation for our university auditions. It was great to hear his take on the many musical experiences he's had thus far, and exciting to hear about his future musical aspirations!
One of the first things Patrick mentions to do with his choir experience, is the importance of comradery within the group. A sense of community is key, so that when it was time to grow and "make music together, it became that much easier."
When asking Patrick how he found the transition to be from a very small high school music program into a university music setting, Patrick said he is lucky that the music department at Laurier is one of the smaller populated ones in the province, and again, the community is strong. Also, Patrick commented that he learned many valuable skills in a small school that helped with his transition, such as knowing how to connect with other people. Patrick describes the attitude as being very friendly and supportive: “We’re all going through the same thing and we’re all trying to reach the same goal, so let’s help each other along the way.”
In terms of learning new instruments, Patrick’s advice would be that “in order to play expressively […] you need to know your medium well.” Patrick admits that for him, the transition from the “punching out the notes” phase into expressive playing is a challenging one, and he sometimes struggles to fully express the message he wants to get across.
When it comes to singing technique, Patrick finds it challenging to remember exactly how he achieves specific skills, timbres, resonance levels, colouring, etc from day to day – and I can sympathize with this whole-heartedly. As Patrick reminds us, the voice is a tricky instrument to understand at first, because what we as vocalists hear in our heads when we are singing can be very different from what everyone else is hearing. For example, a singer might think that they have a full, resonant sound, however depending on their placement, the sound might not be forward, and if so, will not ring for the audience in the same way that they may hear it themselves. As a potential teacher, it is key to remember little details like this and be under careful watch to make sure that your young students aren’t “over-singing” or straining their voices in any way, just trying to match what they hear as being the perfect timbre or colour. As Patrick’s choir conductor constantly reminds them, “if it hurts, don’t do it.”
Reflecting on these ideas, I think that we can marry the concepts of building a strong community with strong musical techniques. As Patrick mentioned, it is true that in some high-competition arts schools or studios, there can be a lot of pressure to do well and achieve high results. Often times however, when there is more focus on winning than on music making, or even deeper – the reason for music making – then it can be easy to get so caught up in the competition and pressure that healthy technique may get over-looked. Not only that, but the community atmosphere suffers as well.
On the contrary, in my classroom, I wish to build a strong, healthy community of friends that can feel comfortable making mistakes in front of one another, and are willing to help each other achieve. I would want my students to also feel comfortable speaking with me, and to consistently reflect on how they feel while playing/singing, to make sure they are not straining themselves or adding tension to their efforts. I hope they never forget why they started, and are constantly reminded of how joyful music-making can be.
Thank you Patrick for a very thought-provoking interview! Best of luck in all your future endeavours!