Last Show Rehearsals

Even though  don't have mentorship any longer I still have a persona commitment to the school and the kids to help out, which I've been doing since freshman year.

The final show is coming up and it is making me reminisce of my last show! All the eighth graders are preparing for high school as I'm preparing for college, making me feel old!

So I am currently watching over them and helping with rehearsals as they prepare to end the year with a bang. 

Blog 22: Senior Project Reflection

(1) Positive Statement

What are you most proud of in your Block Presentation and/or your senior project? Why?
I'm most proud of my use of sources through out my presentation. The information I provided in each of my answers is based on my sources of course, but the in depth details that I gave in all my sources made me really proud.

(2) Questions to Consider

a.     What assessment would you give yourself on your Block Presentation (self-assessment)?
P+

b.     What assessment would you give yourself on your overall senior project (self-assessment)?
P +

(3) What worked for you in your senior project?
I feel the mentorship hours and independent components really worked for my senior project. Without them I would have no answers and foundation to base my answers on. The real life examples it gave me fed my answers.

(4) (What didn't work) If you had a time machine, what would have you done differently to improve your senior project if you could go back in time?
I would have prepared a better activity that went more with my answer and was more thought out and planned.

(5) Finding Value

How has the senior project been helpful to you in your future endeavors?   Be specific and use examples.
I have learned how to gain patience with children and adults in the like. I learned how to play a teacher role and take authority as well as go in depth into a topic and really understand it.

Blog 21: Mentorship

Literal:
- Mentorship Log
- Billy Rugh, Creative Planet School of the Arts

Interpretive:
- What is the important thing you gained from this experience? Why?
- An important thing I gained from the experience is first hand application of the things I read about. I got to see how the students reacted to the music education and the progress even if it was minimal. I worked with different age groups so each responded differently and was taught different. It was a lot of information at one time but very helpful to senior project, I got all my answers from simply watching the kids work. I did research along with my mentorship but there is no way this project would have worked without the help of mentorship.

Applied:

- Working at my mentorship has given me hands on experience to answering how music instruction influences a child's ability to perform. Without my mentorship at CPSOA I don't think I would have been able to come up with any of my answers. Working directly with the students and their primary teacher's solidified my own experiences pertaining to my answers. I was given so much from my mentor Billy Rugh, he allowed me to be involved in the classes as much as possible and was willing to answer any of my questions. He helped me answer my essential question and truly believe in music instructions helpfulness in a child's life.

2014 Piano Recital and GALA Art Show

Every year CPSOA has a piano recital and an art show to show what the kids have been working on all year. This is part of what we have been preparing for in mentorship. Here are a few pictures of the students I have been working with this year performing their end of the year piano and violin pieces, as well as a few pictures of the art they very proudly showcased last Sunday. 

This is one of the 8th graders, Alexis. She had one of the most difficult pieces, and performed it flawlessly.

One of the art walls; this was the Africa themed area. Each year CPSOA dedicates time and classes to educating the kids on different cultures around the world. 

These are a few of the violinists at CPSOA, note the posture. That was very hard to work on.

Another wall at the art show, this was taking pieces of the school's logo and showing how they are pieces of the school, could be small or big but nevertheless important.

Purple Group Pianists (8th through 6th graders)

Blue Group Pianists (5th through 3rd) 

Purple Group Pianists (3rd through Kindergarten) 

Blog 20: Exit Interview

1. How can music instruction most influence a child's ability to perform publicly?

Music Instruction can most influence a child's ability to perform by teaching them how to collaborate. Music Instruction can most influence a child's ability to perform publicly by instilling discipline both on and off the stage. By instilling confidence in a child music instruction can most influence their ability to perform publicly. My best answer would have to be, then my best answer is music instruction can most influence a child's ability to perform by teaching them how to collaborate, because in the Chorus Impact Study, Chorus America reported that 71% of parents stated their child who was currently in choir is a strong contributor to group activities.

2. This was my first answer and it was easy to see from the beginning of my mentorship. I got to watch all the kids work together well doing the show and also got to see them in their classes. It was obvious that collaboration was necessary and taught in each class and through music in general.

3. The biggest problem was finding reliable research that supported my answers. A lot of articles could be viewed as biased because of their writer's or the fact that it was opinion and not facts. This just made research harder to find and meant more searching; I used a lot of published writings and studies to come to my answers. They are much harder, and longer, to read and find but gave me important information and reliable information to use for my final answers.

4. Two most significant sources that helped me answer my essential question were my mentor Mr. Billy in our conversations and interviews as well as NurtureShock by Po Bronson. Mr. Billy constantly showed me and helped me come up with answers as well as explain them in a personal context and a teaching aspect through the classes in my mentorship. NurtureShock was one of the first books I read in research checks and it really started my essential question, there were a lot of ways to look at music instruction and different paths I could have chosen but NurtureShock made me want to go toward the psychological and cognitive skills music instruction imparts on a child.

Blog 19: Independent Component 2

LITERAL

(a) Samantha Torres, affirm that I completed my independent component which represents 30 hours of work.
(b) Billy Rugh at Creative Planet School of the Arts 
(c) Independent Component 2 Log
(d) I completed more of my mentorship being able to work closer with the kids and to the teachers I work with. I got to observe the students further, see their progress as well as how they work with each other through different conflicts. 

INTERPRETIVE 

I sat in on a lot of recorder classes, where students worked with each other, alone, and with the teacher to complete the songs they are working on. Since everyone is on different levels sometimes the class would split and I would work with half well the primary teacher worked with the other.

This is an example of the type of songs the smaller children learned first and worked on for a very long time before being able to move on. Regardless everyone has improved since the beginning of my component.

This is the teacher (Mr. Arafiles) I worked with most during this component as well as a student during a drum circle that happened during spirit week. 

This is the type of vibrant and energetic environment the students are constantly in, there is little time to be complacent in a class like this where everyone's attention is needed. Especially when working individually, or performing.

APPLIED
 This really helped me dig deeper into understanding my essential question; it showed me how diverse music instruction is and how each child could be affected by its teachings. The answers I have so far answer have been clearly demonstrated by the classes I have simply watched. 

Extra Post: Perspective

I have been looking into studies and deeper research obviously since the senior project is starting to wrap up, but when I can no longer find anything and I feel like I have lost my focus I always turn back to the site I first found.

This site always brings up my spirits when I feel down about my subject, The stories I read and the videos I watch always encourage me and show me how important the arts are not only to child but to the world. It makes my work with my mentor and my personal life experiences just that much more important to me; I never understood how privileged I was, but after reading the struggles or how simply watching a choir made a person feel or change it makes me so thankful for all I have been offered. It also puts the work at my mentorship into perspective, sometimes I don't feel useful but then I know that simply being there and encouraging them I'm helping the kids life even if it is in the smallest way.

Blog 18: Third Answer

How can music instruction most influence a child’s ability to perform publicly?

By instilling confidence in a child music instruction can most influence their ability to perform publicly.

-Many teachers are unaware of the humanizing influences that an active arts program can give to not only a child, but to a school. they engage the student directly and in group settings leaving it open to be free from judgment and enabling a child to feel better and more confident in themselves.

- Amy Rodriguez told me of a student who she worked with and whom I have now met in an older age, who had a stutter that held her back in her academic education, but with the help of music(playing an instrument, singing in a choir, and extra singing drills) she is now able to speak with any interruption. I can vouch on this case specifically because I have worked with her and have gone to school with her; music gave her the confidence to be able to mess up her words publicly and not worry about judgment from the other students.
- Also children who do not speak English as a first language are sometimes given arts classes (singing, music, and acting) in order to correlate words with actions or to portray happiness within the music instead of words. They do learn English inevitably, but the music is said to speed up and enable the child, with less stress, in the process.

My main research source would be from my mentorship and also my third interview with Amy Rodriguez, the music teacher at my mentorship who has been working with small children for a long time. Brouillette and Jennings in Helping Children cross cultural boundaries in the borderands talk about how the performing arts help children to learn languages and express themselves with language barriers in better ways, more suited to the child's need. Also Liane Brouillette speaks about the comfort and confidence a child receives when they have an artistic background in How the Arts help children to create healthy social scripts: Exploring the perceptions of elementary teachers.

I believe music instruction gives a child a sense of confidence even if they are confident to begin with. A shy child is just as susceptible to positive feedback as a child with confidence.

Blog 17: Fourth Interview

1. How do you feel children react to music instruction?
2. What qualities does music instruction bring out in children? 
3. How do you handle an unruly music/voice class?
4. What does performing mean to you?
5. What does a person need to gain from a choir experience to be able to perform?
6. Performing publicly isn't for everyone, but can music instruction help this? 
7. What experience do you personally have in choir and/or solo voice?
8. What is the most important part of a vocal class or music class?
9. In an academic classroom setting how does music instruction influence your classes?
10. What does performing teach students?
11. What is the atmosphere of your arts classes?
12. What is the difference between the impact of music in childhood and in adulthood?
13. How are the students set up to rely on each other as a group?
14. What are some changes you've seen in your students this year?
15. When teaching a class what are some noticeable things(actions, feelings, attitudes, etc) you see in the students as they sing or do their work? 
16. Some children are more keen to music than others, how does this effect the teaching process?
17. The end goal of taking music classes is to eventually perform, how do music classes get you to this point?
18. From personal experience, how has music instruction effected you?
19. What aspects in a child's everyday life does performing effect?
20. Are there any experiences with students that specifically stand out to you as they have seemed to develop a skill needed for the future? 

Little Drummer Boy/Peace On Earth

http://youtu.be/VTRHuNjQwx8

This is the video of the kids of Creative Planet School of the Arts singing. This is the entire school which consists of about 80 kids in all ranging from kindergarten to eighth grade. 

Blog 16: Advisory Meeting #2

How can music instruction most influence a child's ability to perform publicly?

Music instruction can most influence a child's ability to perform publicly by teaching them discipline on and off the stage. 

Positive reinforcement is one of the ways to teach a child discipline and is most applicable when teaching music in any form. There are always rehearsals where you can enforce a positive train of thought even when a rehearsal doesn't go well, but when speaking on performances this is different. Each performance is a stepping stone to another performance, so there is always room for improvement. There are going to be problems in a performance,but the way you word a negative statement can be positive to a child such as, " You didn't hit that high C at the end of the chorus, but I'm sure with more practice at the next performance you will be able to hit it perfectly!".
Also helping a child be a part of their learning of discipline as well as their peers keeps a child focused on the goal at the end, performing publicly. A child's mind in mold-able in their young age so anything said to them or taught to them is much easier for them to retain and reuse. Simply teaching them things isn't as useful; they need to be involved in their learning so helping a child develop their mind, to discipline themselves and help keep others on task is a way that music instruction can help a child.
To help teach arts related discipline more thoroughly also is something that isn't used a lot or required for every teacher but should be, which is the ITA Program. (Integrated Teaching Through Arts Program) Its the teaching of teachers how to integrate arts into their everyday courses and all activities. This disciplines the children to know that their teacher, the adult, and themselves use the arts in all situations of learning. 

Teaching Choral Music in the 21st century, my third interview with Amy Rodriguez and my first independent component, " Your Child's Strengths", "Voices from the Field", and several sources from Chorus America including "The Chorus Impact Study" helped me form my second answer. 

The discipline of a child can be given in any type of situation, but in an art motivated environment the teaching may be easier and more efficient for the child.The positive enforcement that an arts related environment surrounds a child with makes it longer lasting and more enriching to the child. It also gives the child the ability to learn with their peers or from their own experiences, which makes them a part of their everyday learning. 

Blog 15: Independent Component 2 Approval

1. I plan to work the 30 hours at my mentorship. I plan to work under
my mentor Mr.Billy, the music teacher Mr. Arafiles, Mrs. Rodriguez 
the piano teacher, and Ms. Hope the solo voice teacher. I plan to
watch classes, and help when necessary. Also I will substitute when 
I am approved and will work along with the kids when I can.
2. I will work at my mentorship which I attend twice a week or 
more and will be more than enough to to cover the 30 hours I need to
finish this component and the remaining of my 50 for mentorship.
3. I will be working closer with my mentor and with people who work
in jobs like my mentors so I will be getting deeper and better ways
to answer my essential question. I will now have different point of
views and more people to interview. 

Blog 13: Lesson 2 Reflection

1. 

I'm most proud of my sources cited and mentorship part of my lesson. I feel as though I went very in depth and correlated the two together. I feel in my sources cited I brought out a lot of good information from several different sources showing that I really did well in the research component of senior project. Also I feel my stories and documentation from mentorship shows how closely I work with not only my mentor, but also the place I work with. 

2.
       a. I would give myself a P, since I feel I met all the requirements.

       b. I feel I deserve a P on my Lesson 2 component because I put a lot into the presentation and talked for more than the 10 minute requirement. I also feel that my interactive activity and sponge activity worked well and kept the audience captivated. My information was in depth, and really thought out, though I did stumble whens peaking at times it was because of nerves of speaking in front of the class about a topic I enjoy so much. 

3. 

The lesson template really worked for me by giving me a way to organize my information better than I would have had I not had the template. Also it showed me where I should put things in order for my presentation to make sense.

4.

I would improve my power point if I wanted to improve my Lesson 2 presentation. After presenting I felt I needed more slides and more spacing on my current slides to make the presentation as easy to understand and flow better.

5.

I think my answer two will be something along the lines of, Music instruction most influences a child's ability to perform publicly by teaching a child the values of discipline. 

Blog 14: Independent Component One

Literal:
(a) I, Samantha Torres, affirm that I completed my independent component which represents 30 hours of work.
(b) Billy Rugh at Creative Planet School of the Arts
(c) linked on the side under Independent Component Log
(d) I used my mentorship as my independent component so I worked with kids from Creative Planet of the ages 5 to 14 as they prepared for the annual winter show. I got to look in on classes as well as watching over and helping with rehearsals.

Interpretive:
My Independent Component helped me look deeper into my topic and spend more time with my mentor. I got to watch rehearsals and work with the choir and soloists as they prepared for their show.

I watched the whole show being performed full out without costumes, I got to help with the numbers that weren't completed at the time and prepare the soloists as they were about to perform. 

This was a view I often saw, I sat in the back of the class so I didn't distract or with the class occasionally as they rehearsed for the show. I also got to sit in on classes where it was simply music being taught or practiced.

This was a music class I assisted, they are in groups to start practicing the recorder and learning new songs from the workbooks in front of them.

Applied:
This helped me understand the foundation of Music Instruction because I got to witness first hand what it takes to teach every type and grade level of a child. No one class is the same every class has their ups and downs but the teacher is what keeps it together. For example in the Music I class there are a lot of pictures, and games to keep the kids attention since they are the younger of the school, where as in a Music II class the children are expected to be able to do work from a book and practice among each other. they work as teams to achieve the next song or next level of difficult in the piano books it just depends on the class.

Blog 12: Third Interview Questions

1. How can music instruction most influence a child’s ability to perform publicly?

2. What does a person need to gain from a choir experience to be able to perform?

3. How can a teacher best aid a person in developing skills to be able to perform publicly?

4. What is necessary in a teacher or a teacher’s instruction to help a person perform?

5. Do you feel or have examples of an experience where music instruction has been able to help in other aspects than just performing (public speaking etc.)?

6. How does music instruction help in other aspects along with increasing a person’s ability to perform?

7. Since you work with children, where do you see the benefits of music instruction in your kindergarten classes and your performing art classes?

8. Performing publicly isn't for everyone, but can music instruction help this? 

9. How does early music instruction help a child opposed to instruction at adulthood?

10. What does music instruction mean to you?

Frozen: Let It Go!

I told a few people I would post a clip from one of the numbers "Let It Go" so here it is.

This is from the rehearsal! 

Show days!

Lasst weekend Friday and Saturday were the show days, and boy what a weekend it was! Being a teacher's assistant/ teacher to the students is very tasking ( props to all teachers out there ) it seemed like such a long weekend, but it felt so amazing to see the kids so happy and joyful at the end... Even if the road there was extremely stressful!

These are from the rehearsals on Monday the 6th they had the set for the play set up in the fellowship hall so the kids could practice on.

This is a picture of the set, which is always amazing! There is more to it, like the floats on the right had side and other windows and signs that are able to be seen because they can only work in the theater itself.

This is a video of the boomwhacker number. (not the full thing of course) 

This is one of the rehearsal pictures when we were at the Baldwin Park Performing Arts Center, Mr. Billy is in the middle directing the kids as the three "Divas" sing "Let It Snow" on the floats (a part I once did *tears*) and the younger kids dance in front of them.

Rehearsal is an important aspect of performing, especially when working with younger children,  so there was a lot of it! Sadly I had to work backstage helping the kindergarten through second graders change and get on stage for their numbers, the teachers really needed help and they were thankful for me, so I wasn't able to see the show or get good video of it but I did ask a friend in the audience to get some clips so I'll be posting those shortly!

 

These are the kids I helped backstage; they are in their bird costumes,which they couldn't hang or put on for themselves, but how could you not help those faces. They opened the show! 

Blog 11: Mentorship 10 Hours

1. Creative Planet School of the Arts

2. Billy Rugh
3. 10 Hours
4. I worked closely with the students of Creative Planet and my mentor Mr Billy. I assisted and also participated in choir, solo voice, and music/musical instrument classes. I helped answer questions as an assistant and ran warm up exercises for choir classes; as well as warmed up, sang songs, and filled out worksheets as a "student" or observer in the classes. 

Blog 10: Senior Project: The Holiday

1. Over break I wasn't able to work directly with my mentor or at my mentorship because they were on break as well since its a school but I finished completely reading a book I use for my research called "Nurture Shock".
2.  I simply re-read the chapters I had already read and I read the chapters I didn't use in my research. "Nurture Shock" is about child development and gives pointers on teaching and parenting.It teaches about the negative power of praise, why children feel the need to lie, why some kids don't get along and how to make it easier for them, and other small things that teachers and parents should not do in order to better a child.I had already absorbed the knowledge from doing my research, but re-reading it made it clearer.

3.  If I was going to do a 10 question interview on questions related to my EQ answer I would talk to the principle of my middle school and mentor Mr. Billy because he has worked with children for so long and has seen them transform and grow over the years. I could also interview my middle school music teacher Mrs. Amy Rodriguez because she has also been there for children from young ages teaching them music, instruments, and even facilitating in teaching some kids voice. Either of them would be very helpful in answering my EQ.