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 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.

Blog 9: EQ

1.   I reviewed the rule of three for writing an EQ.

2.
 a.  What is the most important factor in healthy weight loss?
Yes, it has a framework and can have a lot of research to different ways it can be done. You could argue a point either way, and the wording makes sense.
 b.  What is most important to securing a conviction in a criminal investigation?
Yes, the answer can be answered in different categories
 c.  What is most important in creating a hairstyle that best satisfies a customer?
No, because this doesn't take a stance, and you can't argue a point of personal opinion to each person.
 d.  How can an Anesthesiologist best treat chronic pain?
No, because it doesn't follow the second rule. It simply calls for a short brief answer, and could only be answered in the same type of way each time. Also the wording may be wrong, I associate Anesthesiologists with a different area of expertise.

3. How can music instruction help increase a child's personal potential into adulthood?

Blog 8: Research and Working EQ

1. My working EQ is how can music instruction best be used to increase personal potential into adulthood?

2. Teachers who use positive reinforcement, but always making the children feel like they can do better will have the best outcome not only in their classes but also in the child's future. 

3. The best source for my working EQ answer has been watching the children myself but also from the book "Your Child's Strengths: Discover Them, Develop Them, Use Them" by Jenifer M. Fox. She talks about the reverse power of praise, what works and what doesn't when praising a child when their good at something.

4. I'm working with young kids from age 5 to 14 and this helps me answer my EQ by seeing them flourish in their singing classes, in their personal encounters, and how they feel about themselves as they become better or have difficulties with solo and choir songs. 

Blog 5: Project Reflection and Working EQ

The Pentagon:

1. A positive outcome from what I have done so far for my senior project is the closer relationship I have made with my mentor, like how open he was speaking to me and helping me get many more people to talk to and experiences I wouldn't have even thought about being beneficial for my project (like going to choir rehearsals and recording studios). Also the things I have learned from my research, some things I knew before but others have enlightened me, such as how many damaging techniques there are and how easy it is to fall into them. 

2. My interview helped me realize how important the arts, singing specifically, are in a persons life and how uplifting it can be, the research also backed this up by saying how important choir and working in groups is for young children to build up confidence, the ability to open to different people, and to speak publicly comfortably.

3. My mentorship has really worked well for me in the senior project, I feel like I have a solid mentor who is capable of helping me out a lot with this whole project; he also understands it's school related, and because he is a principal, he is taking my questions and my need for help very seriously which I am so thankful for.

4. The research has worked but it's been one of the harder things for me, because finding credible sources and good information has been hard, but hopefully I will get better.

5. The potential questions I want to study is, Is singing important for a child's development and does it work into adulthood? 

For my mentorship I am going to attend choir and solo voice classes at Creative Planet School of the Arts and in the end if my mentor thinks I have learned enough he plans on letting me teach a class possibly.