Listening to music plays a big part in learning music. Before the internet the best ways to play musical examples to a class might have been a CD, cassette, or even vinyl record. With these technologies the teacher would need to have a specific musical example in mind and play the audio for the class. If they didn’t own a copy they might have to buy it at a music shop or rent it from a library. Today we have the internet where endless audio of music exists in many different forms. Perhaps one of the greatest tools that exists in the form of a website, for teachers and students, is Youtube.
Youtube is a resource full of information that can be used for learning and demonstrating. This is probably true for every subject area, but in music, seeing performers from many backgrounds can create a cultural experience in the classroom for the students. Instead of being limited to audio from a recording Youtube adds the visual element to the music, whether it be the performers themselves or a home made video that goes along with the music. Everyone is familiar with youtube and it’s vast library of videos, but not everyone knows how to navigate it to achieve musical growth.
An example of demonstrating with Youtube in an orchestra class could be playing a famous orchestra’s version of the piece they plan to perform in an upcoming concert. Seeing the emotion from the performers and audience might suggest a new approach to a specific playing style, or clear up some confusion about a difficult part. Comparing the video to other well-known or student orchestras can engage students in an analytical thinking process as well creating room for new understandings. There are many tutorial videos as well ranging from actual instrumental lessons to advanced techniques and specific performances of parts. These can be used for student development at home outside of class or as a supplement to the teachings. One of my favorite things youtube does is suggest other links at the end of a video that are similar to what you just viewed. I have discovered many new artists, songs, and great versions of music from the suggestions that I would have never known about otherwise.
Jason, I also agree that Youtube has transformed how musicians learn and appreciate music. It's great having the visual representation of a performance, especially when it involves professional ensembles, because we can see and feel the emotions of the music through how the musicians perform it. Emotions might not have been as easily captured with a CD, cassette, or other recorded form without a visual to go along with them. It's my "go-to" to listen to pieces I need to learn!
ReplyDeleteYoutube is a fascinating topic and actually most of the music students in this class mentioned it in their blogs. There is a reason for that. Youtube is a free website where we can listen to so much music and performed by different people. The fact that we can listen to an interpretation from a virtuoso in brazil to one in china is amazing. I mean talk about the different aspects we have to discuss. There has even been music created through youtube interaction. I know my students and I use youtube. This is a almost a default for favorite apps for musicians
ReplyDeleteI found your reflection on using Youtube in the classroom interesting. I wrote a post regarding Youtube in the classroom as well and I think we share the same opinion, that it is a great resource to use in the classroom. The only thing that a teacher would have to look out for is finding appropriate material for the students, which isn't that big of a deal. My hesitancy lies in the fact that we are working with the assumption that you will have an easy way to show the videos to the class and that the school has a good internet connection. I remember trying to find videos on the High School computers and it was absolutely terrible. With that said, it might be necessary to rely on just audio file, or to somehow download the video. But, what it comes down to is, if the resources are there, this would be a fantastic resource.
ReplyDeleteYoutube is a great topic for this blog. It is a great place to go for anything, especially music. You can hear almost anything on youtube. And I love that its possible to hear more than one version. Its a very diverse environment. I feel like its a very important tool for teaching.
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