TN Musician Vol. 71 No. 4

INCLUDING
LITERACY IN YOUR
REHEARSALS
Marcia Neel
L
iteracy can signify a diverse intention,
and, in fact, our rehearsals can provide
us with opportunities to teach literacy
in every sense of the word. For purposes
of this article however, literacy will
refer to “artistic literacy” rather than
literacy in the other academic areas.
Created by the National Coalition for
Core Arts Standards and released in
2014, the National Core Arts Standards
(NCAS) cultivate a student’s ability to
carry out the four (4) Artistic Processes
of Creating, Performing, Responding
and Connecting.
If we think back about our most
rewarding musical experiences, many of
us would be able to clearly articulate the
specifics about the piece, the conductor,
the location of the performance and
where we were in our lives at that time
in general terms. In fact, a question
that I used to ask prospective music
educators in the interview was, “tell me
about the most rewarding performance
experience you ever had.” The reason
for this inquiry was to ensure that
the candidate could specifically
communicate what it takes to provide
this type of experience for others. In
almost every case, interviewees would
respond that the reason they had this
significant “experience” was because
they were thoroughly prepared musically
and also possessed a deep understanding
of the work being performed. Think
about it —shouldn’t every rehearsal lead
to a performance where all of the musicmakers
are confidently prepared both
musically and intellectually?
Yes, but the concern often arises that
directors just don’t have the time to work
with those “other” processes. Performing
is what comes easiest however it also
goes without saying that high-quality
performances come about as a result
of in-depth study and preparation. The
Teaching Music Through Performance
series published by GIA has provided a
model to emulate. Each work presented
provides a Teacher Resource Guide made
up of specific units as follows:
Unit 1: Composer
Unit 2: Composition
Unit 3: Historical Perspective
Unit 4: Technical Considerations
Unit 5: Stylistic Considerations
Unit 6: Musical Elements
Unit 7: Form and Structure
Unit 8: Suggested Listening
Unit 9: Additional References
and Resources
Having this type of comprehensive
information at our fingertips provides
us with the depth of knowledge required
to fully prepare our students for
studying, and eventually performing, a
specific work.
But what about Creating, Responding
and Connecting? (The music standards
consider Connecting to be embedded in
the processes of Creating, Performing,
and Responding) The ideas provided
below are from directors who have
found a way to incorporate these Artistic
Processes into their curriculum.
CREATING. Today’s young people are
1 creating their own music more than
ever and the vast majority of them are
not in our ensemble classes! What is it
about creating that leads so many young
22 | TENNESSEE MUSICIAN | 2019 | Volume 71, No. 4