A Broken Record

I think I'm beginning to sound like a broken record or CD or an mp3 file error in my piano lessons. I understand where the students are coming from and am able to recognize some habits in their playing. I wouldn't have thought of making my students play scales but in fact, YES, I am. I'm not being a tyrant about it but I have to be responsible to fix a basic technical problem: not releasing keys. I appreciate that my teachers took the time to fix this problem. There is no way to play with any clarity or speed without this.

I didn't realize how much I can't stand the sound of notes blurring together until I started teaching. I had not realized how sensitive my hearing is towards that. I think my more advanced students are surprised when I ask them to play a pentascale hands separately. One can tell so much about their playing just from that like what they consider to be good tone and good touch.

Besides not releasing keys, most do not play with a nice basic tone. They skim the keys like I used to do. I liken that type of playing to a singer with breathy tone. I don't think I can play like that anymore because it hurts my muscles! It's nostalgic to go down memory lane with my students. :)

I remember one of my teachers saying that taking lessons is narrowing the gap between what you perceive is true/correct to what your teacher hears. I'm noticing this to be true that my students evaluate and grade their playing very differently than I do. It is scary, I'm beginning to sound like my teachers!

Back in the USA

Yes, I've been silent for a long while on the blog. Doesn't mean that nothing is happening in my exciting life. In short, my last two weeks in Beijing were great. I managed to get copies of all the scores I needed, shipped about 40 lbs of books back to the USA and managed to get home in one piece. I came down with the most awful cold before leaving Beijing and was sick through Christmas. I had to pay around 1000 yuan for my excess baggage and I just did it. There was a little surprise on my flight home, as I was upgraded to business class because the flight was overbooked. I guess the money I spent was well-worth it.

I'm working 25% of what I used to last year. I teach "Music in World Cultures" and one private piano student. It is nice to have some time to myself and I am still keeping very busy, but this time on my own terms. I am practicing for my upcoming recital and writing my dissertation. Today the one month countdown to my recital starts. I have just finished the poster and program notes for the recital. Next would be the invitation cards.



I will play the recital on Qing Ming festival. This will be my final doctoral recital and will be part of Asia Interest Week activities. The recital will be featuring some Chinese pieces and will relate music to the history of China. I have five settings of Chinese folksongs, three in miniature forms and the other two in concert etude style. There will be a display in the lobby of scores and concert programs I brought back from Beijing. A photo exhibit preview will be held. A reception will follow the recital, provided by Creative Campus. I'm thankful for all the assistance, because I cannot afford all this this semester.

I am juggling preparing for job applications at the same time while this is going on. I am a little surprised that there is little career guidance or counseling in music schools. I'm wading through the process myself, very likely making mistakes but it's live and learn. There's always something new to find out.

The most exciting thing now is having a new set of friends - my China gang! I've been to the student center more often in the past couple weeks than I have the whole three years. :) I'm still actively dancing with the contra group here and in Birmingham. I may be giving the ballroom club a miss now and then. I've discovered, I just like to waltz and contra. I like the other dances too, but going to ballroom without a partner is a waste of time (I feel) because if I go to a dance, I expect to dance. If I'm not dancing, I'd rather be doing something more productive like practicing, reading or writing. Sleep is getting to be a precious commodity, much harder than the economy in my books.

Alright, back to the 88 keys for now....

Tangent: Random Stuff at UA

1. It's crazy taking 2 history classes and a theory class in one semester. All that on top of a doctoral recital. I just can't keep track of what's due when.
2. Teaching the same two MUS 121 music appreciation sections. Poor kiddos had to deal with faculty changes three times in a matter of 7 days.
3. I didn't know I give killer tests until one test came back with blood on it! Dr. H at WSU would be proud and amused. Less than 10% flunked :)
4. Trying also to get the contra dance group to get off the ground and I will probably invest in dance shoes pretty soon.
5. Learning to sell football tickets and my precious junk by posting flyers. I don't think I've given out my cellphone no so randomly before.
6. There's one more piece of paperwork for me as a teacher this semester. Hopefully this increase is only one a semester.. so I'll look forward to 3 more pieces. What's the redtape all about?
7. Health insurance is paid for starting this year, so that means a pay raise of about $1000.
8. Facebook is like the official unofficial notice board. I hate it!
9. Moving is no fun but a good way to trim junk.
10. I now actually do sleep with my computer and my piano library. They're all in the bedroom... nightmarish huh?

Teaching MUS 121 Intro to Listening .. Things I learned

1. I miss and REALLY miss teaching piano.
2. I'm glad I'm not a musicology major.
3. How come I have not heard these pieces before?
4. Why do I own so few CDs?
5. Why does the UA library have such a small video collection?
6. I am teaching study and test-taking skills more than music itself.
7. Open book tests: give at your own risk! Students don't know how to take them.
8. Attendance: I'm not their mom and I'd rather not have to take note.
9. I want to be out of class just as badly at times ... I'd rather be at home practicing or shopping!
10. What would happen if I overslept the day I'm supposed to give the final? Students would be really happy, that's for sure!
11. So many composers had syphillis, tuberculosis ... it's crazy!
12. I'm really interested in the history of jazz and popular music.
13. I don't know as much about Chinese music as I should and want to.
14. I can handle the media cart. I'm not technologically challenged.
15. Power Point can be your friend.
16. SAVE! backup. SAVE! print! and never lose your USB drive!!

Setting More Tests & Grade Inflation

I have given the third test in my music appreciation classes. I have in fact tested myself on whether I can prepare a test and expect the outcome.

The first test I gave was a multiple choice "killer" in which 10% would earn A, 10% would fail. Indeed the test results came back as I expected. The second test was alright, I wanted to make it easy enough that the majority would fall into the A & B category. I again succeeded. I remembered one of my undergraduate professor that allowed us to bring a 3X5" notecard with anything our handwriting would fit in. I allowed my class to do the same and found many of them do not know how to measure. Have they heard of rulers and that you can cut a 4X6" notecard to a 3X5"?

The third test was planned as a closed book but before I began the test review I chnaged my mind. As I expected, nobody had really read the assigned texts. I gracefully set it as an open book test. On the day of the test, to my horror, some of my students have no test-taking strategies. I had warned them there would not be enough time to look up the answers to every question . Of course, some tried to find them in the order they were presented and ran out of time. They did not scan the whole test paper and answer those that they knew.

Conclusion: they don't know what they are asking for! Perhaps teacher knows best right? I haven't decided what to allow for the final. I wish I wasn't buried in paper and not contributing towards grade inflation. That's for another blog another time. Beethoven class....

Setting My First Test (after taking so many)

Boy, it is hard work setting tests! I spent more time preparing the test questions than the time I usually spend studying for tests. I think deciding which questions to include took sometime and then of course typing them. Since my classroom is really small for the no of students I have, there needs to be multiple versions of the test. So we have the printing and the whole nine yards to finish up tomorrow. Hopefully no one will attempt any academic misconduct, but I know about that all too well. Maybe they will remember that a pencil will be needed.

;) Let's see how things go!

Teaching Music Appreciation

I am now teaching instead of accompanying at the University of Alabama. The news was somewhat expected but I was relieved and overjoyed when it was confirmed. I have two sections of MUS 121 Introduction to Listening with around 130 students in each class. Many of my friends think I'll be less stressed about teaching, but my straightforward answer is no. This is a different kind of stress but it is positive.

I guess I again make the transition to be faculty-in-training from being an accompanist. I have to learn the registration system because of student requests and also I hope to learn to use the web/technology resources available to me. It is definitely going to be a learning experience in handling a lecture-style class and also with so many students.

I am glad I am a somewhat organized person and managed to get my syllabus to the copy center in time. My set of textbook and CDs did not get to me until the day before classes started. My pack rat nature landed me a previous edition of the textbook a few years ago so I am familiar with the material. I look forward to sharing music history, pieces and other tidbits to my students. I'm sure some of them are not as enthusiastic as I am about this course, but I guess they are the ones on the losing end.

Settling into a schedule will be great! I already have to cancel one class because my classroom (the recital hall) will be used for the AMEA conference. I will later have to cancel another class because I have to get to the UK. We will have to see how the first actual day of teaching goes tomorrow. :) I'm excited!

Camp Allegro

Camp Allegro at Prairie Pines, Wichita KS June 20-24

Things I learned at camp:

1. You always need to have more activities than you think! I remember my music ed professor saying that all the time.
2. Kids always love games and stories.. no matter what age.
3. Any variant of tag works great.
4. They will always say they hate theory but then tell their parents it was their favorite class.
5. It is somewhat possible to teach beginning piano to 7-yr-olds and 14-yr-olds in the same class. (Basic Piano Course.. Martha Hilley & Lynn Freeman Olson)
6. It is good to laugh or scream sometimes. :) I've not played games in a long time!
7. It is easier to say goodbye at camp to people I know I won't see for a long time. It's hard to cry when you're taking care of a whole bunch of kids.
8. The combination of sunscreen and bugspray can smell pleasant.
9. It is better to break a tree branch than to keep running into it.. except when the kids don't succeed in breaking it off!
10. If a challenge was involved, kids would memorize Italian terms and even pronouce them correctly.
11. Pencils, stickers and candy always make good bribes ..other people call it rewards.