Help us make beautiful music together!

Hello parents -

I am Rachel Michelberg, your son or daughter's choir director. Wilkommen, bienvenue, welcome - to my blog (sorry, a little theater humor for you Cabaret fans.) I am excited to be working with your kids toward creating some great music - and hopefully having a lot of fun along the way.

Hopefully by now you've joined the PTA, or are already a member. This year the PTA is working hard to ensure that classrooms are equipped with updated and appropriate technological tools. The music department is definitely no exception!

As the mother of two young teenagers, I struggle daily with balancing tech-related activities (Facebook, video games, Wii, cell phones) and other "healthier" alternatives - getting outdoors, actually spending time with friends, playing sports, even practicing singing or an instrument - imagine that! Sometimes it seems that my kids have forgotten how to do anything that doesn't involve a remote control or a keyboard. Still, I am a firm believer that technology has its place, especially in the classroom.

One of my main goals this year is to improve the students' music reading ability through daily sight-singing exercises. As a choir - a cooperative learning group - we can practice the ability to "hold" our own parts (i.e. bass, tenor, alto, soprano.) This approach - called "constructivist learning theory" (Roeblyer & Doering, 2007, p. 34) is instrumental in developing ensemble, honing listening skills and a myriad of other crucial skills essential for good musicianship. However, independent, instructional based methods - called "objectivist learning theory" (Roeblyer & Doering, 2007, p.34) are extremely useful in reinforcing these skills. To learn more about these theories, a few good websites are:

• www.learning-theories.com
• www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Learning_theory_(education)
• www.funderstanding.com/content/constructivism
  

With your help, there are two technological tools I am hoping to acquire this year:

1. 10 Personal digital recording devices. Students will sing either pre-assigned music or sight sing into the device. Enables teacher assessment and student empowerment through being able to get immediate feedback by listening to the recordings.
   
2. Sibelius software for notation and composition. Imagine your student composing a song for 4-part choir, and seeing that composition beautifully notated! Will be licensed for at-home use. It's a great tool for reinforcing familiarity with the language of music, as well as personal creativity.
   

A donation of $20 from each family will make it possible for me to purchase these tools. I am hoping for 100% participation from all parents - so even if you can't afford the $20 please consider giving something! To quote another musical Please contact me with any questions you may have. I also welcome comments about the usefulness (or not) of this blog.
Looking forward to a great year of music with your kids!
Rachel Michelberg Vocal Music Director

References:

Roeblyer, M.D., & Doering, Aaron H. (5th ed.) (2007). Integrating educational technology into teaching. Pearson Education, Inc.

Disclaimer: This blog is an assignment for an educational technology course at National University. It is not a real fundraising blog.