But... I hate to practice!
... And I'm not just quoting my students! Practicing has never been fun for me. Bauer (2014) speaks to the intrinsic and extrinsic motivators for students to practice. Not one to ever be motivated by stickers, or an "Atta girl!" or the lure of a classroom pizza party, my desire to do anything other than practice was far stronger than any extrinsic motivators my teachers could come up with. Bauer says, "When people have a high degree of self-efficacy - the belief that they can be successful and achieve at an activity - they are more likely to be intrinsically motivated" (p. 82). HA! I laugh in the face of your research, Mr, Bauer! I knew that I could do it, and I knew that practice would help make me better and I would still rather stare at a blank wall in a practice room than actually accomplish anything. So when my students tell me that they "just didn't have the time" to practice, I can't blame them! I vividly recall spending endless hours in college (where I was a voice major) in the practice rooms and never once opening my mouth to sing. Still, I knew that practice could improve my skills... I just didn't have any motivation to do it.
Enter technology to save the day once again! While I am apparently completely unmotivatable in the practice department, I am extremely competitive, even against just myself. Give me the ability to chart my progress in a concrete way and I'm golden... give me a way to compete against my friends - even better... and if you can somehow make it a game where I can earn points and compete against my friends - I'm sold! SmartMusic, while I have just begun to scratch the surface of its capabilities, seems to scratch that game-like, musically competitive sight singing itch I have and that I want my students to be able to experience. More on that later this weekend.
Other services, such as Sight Reading Factory, which creates unique sight reading exercises that are customizable to your needs (ability level, voicings, rhythmic components, ranges... etc.) will be excellent to use in the classroom where I am there to guide my students, but don't offer feedback like SmartMusic does, so may not be as useful to my students at home.
One of my favorite apps on my iPad cart is Rhythm Sight Reading Trainer. While it doesn't offer melodic options, the rhythmic options (and complexity) is nearly endless, challenging even the most accomplished of musicians. With instant feedback, practice and testing modes, on-demand generated examples so they never get stale, multiple attempts to hone your skills and prove accuracy over time... it's the real deal. I think that singers especially often disregard the importance of rhythmic accuracy, and this app is a real gem in terms of improving rhythmic reading. My students can work independently with the program which means they can be at whatever level is most appropriate for them at this moment without being embarrassed that they might struggle with something their friends might find easier.
For the typically motivated student, there are a whole host of technology assisted practice methods to make the job easier. From YouTube videos of performances of the works, to MIDI produced Music Minus One tracks. With all the supports available, I am looking forward to the fall for my next big step to be implementing home practice requirements for my choir students. Perhaps with a little technology aided practice (and motivation) my choir kids could go from this:
... to this:
References:
Bauer, W. I. (2014). Music learning today: Digital pedagogy for creating, performing, and responding to music. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
I love your post! I have similar feelings on practicing, although I have gotten much better. I did just enough to get by and make my teachers happy, but I know I could have done more. I remember an orchestra teacher telling me, "you could be one of the best!" but I did not push myself because I was a singer. I am at the point in my life where I finally enjoy practicing, but maybe it is because I barely have time to fit it in anymore. After being one of those kids and understanding the practicing struggle, I am trying to make practicing fun for my students. Through Chromatik and SmartMusic, making practicing fun does not seem as hard of a task.
ReplyDeleteI too sat in practice rooms for hours without doing anything! Or, more likely, heard friends in the music lounge and skipped the practice room altogether. As a flute major (and voice minor) I had many times where I wanted to throw my flute through a wall!! Unfortunately, I never got over it with my flute, although, I think if I had had SmartMusic as an option in high school, it may have gone differently. (Yeah, even as I type that, I don't know that that is true. I never minded practicing in high school, it was college that got me). But I do think that I would have pushed myself even more in high school had I had something like SmartMusic or Chromatik and then maybe college wouldn't have been so rough.... :)
ReplyDeleteHi Amanda,
ReplyDeleteGreat point, that I didn't think about myself, about how technology could help students become more competitive in their practice...but in a positive way! I know that this would be an angle that would totally motivate my students because my school is extremely competitive in student achievement, but in AP classes. I her the excuse "I didn't have time" more than I care to remember, but like you said a lot of the times they don't, especially with a rigorous academic load.
And then there's sightreading, I love to do it with my students, but they absolutely loathe it. Although I can say it has gotten better over the years, so thank you for including some resources to aid in that!
-Melissa