One thing I was drawn to throughout the Copeland pieces was how
he talked about artists and composers building on the works of others. Teachers do that in their art as well. Harry Wong is famous for it. The idea is to not “reinvent the wheel.” We take from what others have done before us,
adapt it to our children and reuse it.
Teachers are very good at reusing and recycling. It is important to look back as we look
forward. Dewey is our Tchaikovsky.
Another connection I found in the Copeland piece was about musicians being “restricted by birth to a comparatively limited gamut of inherited sound material” Basically saying that the tools one has to create the art is limited y multiple measures including cultural and societal norms. This is true in education as well. I teach in a small, rural, conservative town. People would not blink an eye if we completed Christmas cards or had a Christmas tree, but if I am apprehensive about what it would be to discuss any non-conservative views. I have used hunting examples multiple times to help my kids learn. This would be less effective if I were to teach somewhere more inner-city, or more liberal where parents may even be offended if I used the examples I use to help students relate and try to make the learning authentic.
I think that is the key to teaching as an art…or really any art. It needs to be authentic. It needs to be real, and mean something not only to the creator of the art but to the audience as well. That is what makes teaching tricky. You have 30 students all of whom you are trying to get to connect to a huge amount of material in an authentic manner in order to make it meaningful. It is no small task…that I can assure you.
Another connection I found in the Copeland piece was about musicians being “restricted by birth to a comparatively limited gamut of inherited sound material” Basically saying that the tools one has to create the art is limited y multiple measures including cultural and societal norms. This is true in education as well. I teach in a small, rural, conservative town. People would not blink an eye if we completed Christmas cards or had a Christmas tree, but if I am apprehensive about what it would be to discuss any non-conservative views. I have used hunting examples multiple times to help my kids learn. This would be less effective if I were to teach somewhere more inner-city, or more liberal where parents may even be offended if I used the examples I use to help students relate and try to make the learning authentic.
I think that is the key to teaching as an art…or really any art. It needs to be authentic. It needs to be real, and mean something not only to the creator of the art but to the audience as well. That is what makes teaching tricky. You have 30 students all of whom you are trying to get to connect to a huge amount of material in an authentic manner in order to make it meaningful. It is no small task…that I can assure you.
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