nafmeadmin.
nafmeadminI just had a new student enter my band class as a percussionist. He apparently had some musical training before coming to the US but not very much. He seems very talented and picks up rhythms very quickly but we have a severe language barrier. He speaks almost no English and even though he is getting ESL services it is very slow going. My question is if anyone knows any resources I might be able to use to get him and I go a little faster with music terminology. For example, the words quarter note or crochet do not seem to hold any significance to him. I know this will come along in time but just wondering if there is a specific system or terminology they use there that would help me communicate a little better?
Thank you for any help you might be able to provide.
Chad Criswell
nafmeadminDear Mr. Criswell,
There are a number of very good Tagalog (the most widely distributed Philippine language) on the internet. I am sure that a few musical terms wold be easy enough to use and apply with him, especially if you have the chance to meet with him one-on-one from time to time. Many people in the Philippines also have a basic Spanish vocabulary, too. Did he study formally in the Philippines, or did he participate in one of the many folk ensembles that they have there? Philippine kids often have very rich musical backgrounds, and they do exceedingly well in rote learning situations. The complexity of some of the forms and rhythms from that part of the world are simply incredible, but notation is often not the way that they have learned. The other thing that comes to mind is if the other kids are receiving him well. If he has a friend in the section who can reinforce the ideas you are trying to teach him, he will come along much quicker. Linguistically, a youngster put in a situation where they must learn an entirely new tongue will undergo a period known as the “silent period” in which they will verbally withdraw while their brain process all the new information. Musical study is one of the places in which youngsters undergoing this phenomenon tend to feel the best. I would suggest emphasizing the symbol rather than the term for a while and see if this helps. Please let us know about the progress of your percussionist!
John Truitt
Christopher M. Johnson, Professor of Music Education and Music Therapy, is currently the Chair of the Music Education and Music Therapy Department and Director of the Music Research Institute at the University of Kansas. Johnson earned his Ph.D. from the Florida State University.
Since his arrival at The University of Kansas, Johnson has taught courses in Instrumental Conducting, Teaching Instrumental Music, Managing Behaviors in the Music Environment, Psychology and Acoustics of Music, and Research Methods in Music Education and Music Therapy. Johnson served two terms as the editor of the International Journal of Music Education: Research, the research publication of the International Society for Music Education. He is currently serving his second term on the National Association for Music Educations Executive Committee of the Society for Research in Music Education. He also served on the editorial board of the Journal of Research in Music Education, and one earlier term as the Chair for the MENC Executive Committee of the Society for Research in Music Education. Johnson also served as the Chair for the Research Commission of the International Society for Music Education.
Johnson’s research interests include applied research in music education, and basic research in all aspects of the psychology of music. He has published articles in many journals including the Journal of Research in Music Education, the International Journal of Music Education, the Journal of Music Therapy, Journal of Band Research, Contributions to Music Education, and the Bulletin of the Council for Research in Music Education, among others. Johnson has also been an active member and contributor to the Research Seminar of the International Society for Music Education and World Alliance for Arts Education.
Johnson received a university teaching award – the Ned N. Fleming Award for Excellence in Teaching and received the recognition for Graduate Teaching Achievement from the Center for Teaching Excellence. Johnson was also awarded a lecturing & research award as a J. William Fulbright Scholar and recently received the Ella Scoble Opperman Citation for Distinguished Achievement from the Florida State University College of Music.
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