Wk 3 Comments to Michael Wood's Reading Response

Michael Woods reading reflection:

Teachers as conductors.  My top 5 ideas.

1.    Being a director also inherits my limitations.

2.    ..so pass the baton to students whenever possible.

3.    Serious notes are heard louder when I add humor.

4.    Play the whole song (unit), not just the notes (lessons).

5.    Student work is a reflection of their passion for it.

As a reaction to my readings from 'The Art of Possibility" I made a SlideRocket show with some of the ideas I will use in my own teaching.  It may not look like much, but putting all my thoughts into a few concise ideas certainly took a lot of digestion of the material!  I hope you enjoy it.  By the way, SlideRocket was introduced to me by a student. It's definitely worth your time to check it out.

As a side note, I thought I would mention to my readers that purchasing the audio book was very fulfilling. The book is read by Rosamund and Benjamin Zander themselves.  It also has the classical works Benjamin is speaking within the context of the chapters, so you can really hear, musically, the principles he is speaking of. I think listening to these orchestral pieces is vital in your understanding of the text.  I got mine with a $7.49 monthly membership from Audible.com.  I downloaded to both my Droid and iPhone.  I highly recommend it!

My response to Michael’s post:

I love following your blog because you are always creatively expressing your thoughts and views through different types of media.  With that being said, I found your 5 ideas to be direct and to the point.  Your interpretation of the conductor and music through all of the different chapters ideas shows your ability to connect all the information into a bigger broader spectrum.  I love how you connected musical concepts like songs and notes into units and lessons.  I teach music so it relates to everything that I deal with on a daily basis but it is nice to see how the message converts into other school subjects.

I like the SlideRocket!  I have never heard of that site before, so I will have to check it out.  I am also interested in buying the audio book now so that I can hear the music and listen to how it is related to the messages that he is talking about.  I am sure that the message is heightened through the use of the music.  Nice work on a creative spin on the reading!  I am looking forward to seeing what you create next!