To Video or Not To Video

First, apologies for not posting.  As the song lyrics say, "life happened."

As we head into the spring season (in Texas, that means one thing - testing time!) and other distractions like the end of the school year, the "videos in the music class" topic rears its ugly head.  I say "ugly" head because it all depends on how you use them and how others see you using them.  For me personally, the concept of a video in the music room has traditionally been taboo, a big "no-no" if you will.  I certainly don't want my colleagues spreading information that "all he does in there is show them videos..."  Rest assured, in Mr. Sands' class, we are DOING 95% of the time.

Now, there are exceptions.  First, there are things that are available on video that I simply cannot impart to my students without the aid of video (or at least a still picture).  I just don't have the funds or the storage space for a full set of orchestral instruments in my music room.  Here, a video clip of a professional playing the double bass or bassoon is a must.  How can a student truly grasp the concept of the size and the sound by looking at a picture in a book?  How can they truly see "vibrato" in action from a sting player without video?

Video has its value as a learning tool.  How many things have I personally become stumped about, gone to YouTube and searched out the topic, and BAM there I have someone showing me exactly what I needed to know how to do?  Learning at its finest level.

There are new supplementary materials that use video exactly as I would use them - short clips (no longer than 10-15 minutes maximum).  I once attended a two-day seminar on making use of Gardner's seven intelligences and the leader of that seminar suggested having students (high school students) present the one 5-minute clip from a movie that encapsulates the movie's message and be able to explain it.  I think we can all agree, THAT takes some thinking!  Not just passive watching.  If you are preparing to show a video in your class, I suggest you take this concept to heart.  Find that one clip from the video that captures the essence of what you want your students to gain from it, then move on to something non-video.  Ask yourself these questions:  Why am I showing this video?  Does it have true educational/artistic value?  Am I advancing my students' musical knowledge by showing it?  Or am I simply avoiding having to deal with antsy children?

Yes, there are video performances of musicals and other performances that our students would otherwise not know of, this is absolutely true.  However, given the age of the students we are servicing (elementary) is it necessary or even appropriate to show a movie musical in its entirety?  Yes, you can create worksheets that help guide their watching (and that's certainly better than just popping in a video and letting it go at that) but...consider using a clip to stretch students' thinking rather than showing a video for the sake of entertainment or "infotainment."  How 'bout briefly discussing the storyline of a musical, comparing it to present-day productions to find similarities in plot, then showing one song/dance number from the video of each example and then asking "What part of the story do you think that was from?  Why do you think the composer chose the style/instrumentation/tempo/etc. to express this part of the story?"  Then, perhaps parlay that into a student creation of a way to tell a similar story.

Of course, this post regarding video use in the music class is strictly related to elementary music professionals.  I am fully aware of the substitute music teacher situation and, sometimes, showing a video is the best we can leave with what we are given.  I am fortunate in my current situation.  When I am absent for any reason, music is simply cancelled and there is no substitute called (after all, there really IS no substitute for ME, right?  LOL). 

Another good use of video is to take advantage of the many electronic devices at our disposal.  Try creating a center using a tablet device.  Take a short video of YOU explaining something.  I have done this for review purposes on the class page of my own school's website.  I took a few moments to walk my fourth grade classes through the navigation to the video then showed it (about 3 minutes).  The video was a brief review of reading and fingering the left hand notes of the recorder.  I was amazed...it was still me, still saying the same things I had been saying, but because it was on a screen, they were mesmerized! 

Until the next post...(see how I learned not to say "next week?")