“Who Am I” Email Conversation with Kathleen Mukhtarian
My Questions to Katie:
Hello Katie,
Your “Who Am I” video was very inspiring and pleasing to watch, so thank you for that. Here are some questions I have for you regarding your video, as well as your musical journey:
1. Was there someone and/or something that influenced you to embark on your musical journey? If yes, how did they do so? 2. What is your favourite musical memory and/or experience from Wexford Collegiate School for the Arts and why? 3. In what way did the teacher who taught this grade nine vocal class impact you? Looking forward to reading your replies!
Thank you, Marija Ristic
Katie’s Answers:
Hi Marija,
Thank you for your thoughtful questions. I am looking forward to watching your video and asking you questions as well. Here are my thoughts on the questions you have asked me:
1. I was raised in an environment where music was always playing, people were always singing, and where music made everything more fun. For my entire childhood, I was surrounded by music, so my musical journey started from a very young age, without me even noticing. Since I was such a shy kid, a lot of my musical journey was private. I sang every day, but not in front of people. I always knew that I wanted to go further with my singing, but I was scared to. Once I became more comfortable sharing my musical experiences with others, I knew that I wanted to continue down the path of music. After attending a performing arts high school, I realized that music was my passion. I knew that I wanted to pursue music, but I was scared to because I didn’t know if I was talented enough. The person who convinced me to go with my gut was my music teacher Jeffrey Newberry.
2. My favourite musical memory from my high school is when I watched the final performances put on by the grade 9 class that I helped with. This is my favourite memory because I felt like I impacted those students. After working with them for months, it was an amazing feeling to see how much they had improved, and to know that I was someone who helped them get there. This is a huge reason why I want to become a teacher.
3. My teacher impacted me in many ways. He is the first teacher I had who worked hard to connect with each of his students. He is also one of the most encouraging teachers that I ever had, which made me feel motivated about music. He is also the only teacher who made his classroom environment extremely fun and connected. He continuously encouraged me to consider being a teacher because of the way I connected with his students. He never gives up on his students, and this makes his students not want to give up. If it weren’t for him, I would not have pursued music, and I would not have known that I want to become a teacher.
Thank you for your questions! Katie Mukhtarian
My Response to Katie’s Answers:
Hi Katie,
Thank you so much for those thoughtful and genuine responses! It is wonderful how one teacher had the ability to make such a positive impact on you and your musical journey.
Look forward to answering your questions! Marija Ristic
“Who Am I” Email Conversation with Haley Fine
My Questions to Haley:
Hello Haley,
Thank you so much for your wonderful video, it was a thrill to watch! Some questions I have for you regarding your musical life are:
1. In what way(s) did you grade six teacher inspire you? 2. Do you believe that your band experience helped you grow as a musician? If yes, how? 3. What teaching styles from your previous teacher(s) would you like to incorporate into your own teaching methods?
Look forward to hearing from you soon, thank you! Marija Ristic
Haley’s Answers:
Hey Marija,
I am glad you had enjoyed my Who Am I Video.
1 In what way(s) did you grade six teacher inspire you?
The way my grade 6 teacher inspired me would be the fact that she had shown me my love for music again. In grade 5 I had a music teacher that had what I though to have ruined music for me but when I had entered grade 6 this teacher (Mrs. Silver) she had shown me that there is much more to music then what I had thought.
2 Do you believe that your band experience helped you grow as a musician? If yes, how?
I definitely think that my band experience helped me grow as a musician because if I had not done the bands that I did or the amount of bands, I do not think I would have had the variety of music that I did which in turn would not have allowed me to figure out the type of music that I love to play. (JAZZ)
3 What teaching styles from your previous teacher(s) would you like to incorporate into your own teaching methods?
Well there are different styles from each one that I would like to incorporate. From Mr. Hudspith his dedication to the technique of a piece, where as for Ms. Cher Alexander I would definitely want to include the way she had been able to make her express the music the way they had. She was always able to make you feel the meaning of the piece which had aloud us to express the piece much better.
Haley Fine 250911083
My Response to Haley’s Answers:
Hello Haley,
Thank you for all of your thoughtful answers. It is wonderful to hear that your educators made such an outstanding and positive impact on your musical life! What you said about incorporating various teaching styles from different teachers into your own teaching methods was great to hear, and I hope you do so in the years to come! Thank you, Marija Ristic
THINK about how you might bring what we did in class today into your own future context. What if you have an orchestra, or a band - or choir, any context. What might you do to ask the students to cover or remix, or create a parody, etc - any of those ways Tobias highlights in his article - Write a short description of what you would do
Response:
If I was present in a class environment where the students were given the task to recreate a personalized version of an already existing piece of music, I would approach this situation by creating an interactive environment for the students. It is immensely important for the students to be introduced to multiple versions of an individual piece, in order to acquire a greater understanding regarding the piece they are musically altering. Once the students familiarize themselves with the piece, I would set up four different stations around the classroom. Each station would be given the task to recreate the piece in a different style. For example, station one would solely use instruments in their music making, station two would create an a cappella piece, station three would alter their piece in a jazz style, and station four would modify their piece in chorale style. Each group would be given 10-15 minutes to recreate a small section, of their choice, of the piece they were given and present it in front of the classroom. Additionally, all groups will switch stations once they have performed their creation in front of the class. By the end, each group will have been given the opportunity to perform in front of the class four times, utilizing all four different styles. This way, all students interact and engage with various musical styles.