Abstract - f01.justanswer.comTOC+Doc… · Web viewTeaching Musicianship Skills Using the Lisk “Creative Director” Series and . How the Lisk Approach Facilitates the Development

Running head: TEACHING WITH THE LISK “CREATIVE DIRECTOR” SERIES

Teaching Musicianship Skills Using the Lisk “Creative Director” Series and

How the Lisk Approach Facilitates the Development of 21st Century Learning Skills in

Instrumental Music Students

Thomas E. Reynolds

University of Massachusetts at Amherst

Author Note

Thomas E. Reynolds, student, Department of Music and Dance, University of

Massachusetts at Amherst.

Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Thomas E. Reynolds,

Department of Music and Dance, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Fine Arts Center – 273

East, 151 Presidents Dr., Ofc. 1, Amherst, MA 01003-9330.

E-mail: [email protected]

TEACHING WITH THE LISK “CREATIVE DIRECTOR” SERIES

© Copyright by Thomas E. Reynolds 2017

All Rights Reserved

2


Abstract

The Edward S. Lisk “Creative Director” pedagogical techniques have been found to be

invaluable in the instrumental music classroom for teaching overall musicianship skills. As

school administrators and teachers address the teaching of 21st century learning skills through all

of the academic disciplines, the Lisk techniques for teaching overall musicianship skills are

directly transferable to teaching of 21st century learning skills. Twenty-first century learning

skills help students to go beyond the simple acquisition of knowledge by enabling them to think

critically and creatively about what they have learned, as well as collaborate and communicate

with others. This study examines the role that the teaching of overall musicianship plays in the

development of 21st century learning skills, through the use of these Lisk teaching strategies.

The research question for this study is as follows: What are the pedagogical strategies

used to cultivate overall musicianship in the Lisk “Creative Director” band series and how do

they facilitate the development of 21st century learning skills of instrumental music students? It

also considers the following three sub-questions: 1.) Why do teachers use the Lisk approach

and what do they find most effective about it? 2.) How are 21st century learning skills cultivated

in a Lisk-centered classroom? 3.) What impact do students believe that the Lisk “Creative

Director” series has had on the development of their musicianship skills and their 21st century

learning skills?

The review of literature focuses upon these questions that then guided the researcher in

designing this study of the Lisk techniques and the relationship between overall musicianship

and 21st century learning skills.

Keywords: 21st century learning skills, critical thinking, creative thinking, collaborating,

communicating, overall musicianship, problem-solving

3


Acknowledgements

I would like to thank the wonderful band students at Deer Creek Community High

School, Deering, Indiana; Grand Falls Senior High School, Grand Falls, New York; and Lake

Onondaga High School, Lincolnshire, New York as well as their directors for participating in

this study. The contributions that they made to this study were most valuable, and their

enthusiasm for instrumental music and music education were inspirational.

A very special thanks is in order to my advisor, Dr. Sara K. Jones, at the University of

Massachusetts-Amherst, who stayed with me through thick and thin and provided me with expert

advice, guidance, support, patience and encouragement. Dr. Jones is an Associate Professor of

Music, Music Education section of the Department of Music and Dance, who also served as the

Chair of my Dissertation Committee. A huge thank you is also in order for my other Dissertation

Committee members for their expert advice and guidance including Dr. Lisa J. Lehmberg,

present Chair, Music Education section of Department of Music and Dance, University of

Massachusetts-Amherst; Dr. Sally Campbell Galman, Associate Professor at the School of

Education, University of Massachusetts-Amherst; and Dr. Linda G. Dwight, Superintendent,

Harvard Public Schools, Harvard, Massachusetts.

Others at University of Massachusetts-Amherst who were instrumental in the

development of this study include: Mr. Malcolm W. Rowell, Jr., (ret.) Director of Bands,

Conductor, Music Education, Emeritus; Dr. Benedict Smar, former Chair, Music Education

section of Department of Music and Dance; Dr. Jeff Cox, former Chair, Department of Music

and Dance; Dr. Roberta Montemorra Marvin, present Chair, Department of Music and Dance;

Denise Cuddeback, Administrative Assistant, Department of Music and Dance; and Lance

Lehmberg, Music Education section of Department of Music and Dance.

4


It is said that “it takes a village” to educate a person, and for me, that village was spread

over a wide geographical area. There are many people who I wish to acknowledge, knowing full

well that there surely are others who deserve to be on this list as well who I appreciate very

much.

First, I would like to express my deepest appreciation and love for my two amazing

parents, Thomas L. Reynolds and Claire E. Walker Reynolds, and my grandparents Arthur L.

and Elizabeth Walker and Lester W. and Alice Swift Reynolds who, while all deceased, were

always so supportive of everything in my life and career in the years leading up to the

completion of this dissertation. I was so lucky to have their support, along with support from my

brother John J. Reynolds, and the encouragement from my cousin, Dr. Sandra L. Reynolds,

Emeritus Faculty Professor of Gerontology at the University of South Florida–Tampa, an

accomplished musician in her own right from a very musical family.

Next to my family, it is hard to find the right words to thank one individual who

influenced me so much more than anyone else in my pursuit of a career in music education, Mr.

Frank L. Battisti, retired Faculty Emeritus, Wind Ensemble and Music Education Director at the

New England Conservatory of Music, Boston, Massachusetts. I first met this amazing individual

as a high school sophomore in May 1970, and I have been in constant contact with him and his

wife Charlotte over the years to the present time. My sincere thanks to him for being a seemingly

endless source of inspiration, advice, guidance, and friendship over the years.

Two really amazing teachers of mine in the East Bridgewater, Massachusetts Public

Schools inspired me throughout my career, Mrs. Edna Whitmore at the Central School, East

Bridgewater, and Mr. John Schuller, Band Director and Music Supervisor for the East

Bridgewater Public Schools. I will always be grateful for their support and guidance.

5


I am most humbled to be able to call Mr. Edward S. Lisk a friend and mentor over the

years, after first meeting him through the New York State Band Directors Association in 1982.

Mr. Lisk is the retired Music Department Chair and Wind Ensemble Conductor of the Oswego

High School Music Department in the Oswego City School District, Oswego, New York. This

entire dissertation is an investigation into the approach of the teaching of instrumental music that

he developed, his “Creative Director” series and how this approach facilitates the teaching of

musicianship and extra-musical skills in student musicians.

A number of teachers at The Bromfield School in Harvard, Massachusetts, assisted me

with proofreading many different iterations of this document before it evolved in its final form.

These people include Ms. Karen Bucholc, English Department Chair; Ms. Kathleen Doherty,

Social Studies Department Chair; Dr. Kristen VanderVeen, Chemistry Teacher; Ms. Talia

Mercadante, Choral Director; and Mr. Robert J. Rucinski, Choral Director. Thanks also to my

colleagues Mr. David Gilfix and Ms. Sharon Chandler Correnty of the Hildreth Elementary

School in Harvard, Massachusetts, along with another colleague, Mr. James Buckley and his

wife Jeannette of Gardner, Massachusetts, for their encouragement as well.

Special thanks are also in order to my friends who helped me over the finish line as

almost a second family, the Rev. Dr. Gregory W. Schmidt of the Congregational Church of

Harvard, Massachusetts, his wife Sharon Larsen Schmidt who completed some of the final

proofreading, and sons (both former students of mine) Jonathan O. Schmidt, a music education

major at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst and Matthew L. Schmidt, a computer science

graduate of the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, Georgia. Thanks so much to them for

their inspiration, encouragement, support, patience, and friendship.

- Thomas E. Reynolds, Templeton, Massachusetts

6


Abstract.......................................................................................................................................................................... 3Acknowledgements.................................................................................................................................................. 4Chapter I - Introduction.......................................................................................................................................... 8

Statement of the Problem...............................................................................................................................10References.................................................................................................................................................................. 15

7


Chapter I - Introduction

It wasn’t supposed to happen this way. As a high school student, I was a good student

interested in being an architect, a meteorologist, or a translator for the State Department. I was

attracted to things where I could be creative and where I could make a difference for people. My

career plans did not include anything related to the area of music.

I signed up to be a member of my local high school band when I was in 10th grade. This

band was small in size and limited in terms of playing ability. My participation in the band was

an exercise in community service. I saw it as a way to give back to the school. The band had to

play at football games, Memorial Day activities, graduations, and concerts. Since I always liked

being involved in ceremonies, participation in band seemed to be a good fit for me. An added

benefit to it was that I found it fun to play an instrument in the band. At the time, I did not look

at being in band as a way to “learn” anything particularly worthwhile or practical. I was just

doing someone a favor by signing up for band. After all, I started playing trumpet in fifth grade,

played for two years, and then dropped it because I didn’t like my junior high band experience.

I must have had some aptitude for trumpet, because, despite not having played for almost

three years, my high school band director saw something in me and suggested that I might

consider trying out for a regional honors band. I auditioned for the group, as well as some other

regional district and all-state bands, and much to my amazement, I was accepted into them. My

initial motivation for wanting to be in the groups centered on my belief that it was important to

represent my school at these events. It seemed as if I were participating in another ceremonial

event. I then found myself in a situation where I was with motivated students from other schools

who were interested in being there so they could make music at a high level. I was no longer

8


playing in the band because it seemed to be the right thing to do for God and country and all. I

suddenly found myself starting to love the music I was playing.

I was then accepted to be a member of one of the first Massachusetts Youth Wind

Ensembles (MYWE) conducted by Frank L. Battisti, a prominent wind band conductor from the

New England Conservatory of Music. I was moved by music such as Hindemith’s “Symphony

for Band”, the Vaughan Williams “English Folk Song Suite”, the Bennett “Suite of Old

American Dances” and the Grainger “Lincolnshire Posy”. I encountered aleatoric music by

playing Pennington’s “Apollo” and Childs’s “Six Events for 58 Players”. I was fascinated by

Husa’s “Music for Prague, 1968” as well as Ives’ “Country Band March”. For the first time, I

felt that music spoke to me in a very powerful way. For me, band was no longer just a fun,

ceremonial thing to do. It became an academic subject for me for the first time, and my curiosity

for studying music as a serious subject began to increase exponentially.

After comparing my high school band to what I was experiencing in the MYWE, I was

convinced that the students in my band were missing out on really learning about music. My

career goal immediately shifted to becoming a band director who would expose my students to

music as an academic subject. I became convinced that the main mission of band should not be

to just provide ceremonial or superficial entertainment for the community…that there were

important things to learn about music in order to experience the kind of satisfaction that I

achieved while playing in the MYWE.

As a music education student at the New England Conservatory of Music (NEC), I began

to explore the world of music education and the effects of studying music. During the time that I

was at the Conservatory in the 1970s, there was a real interest among leading educators in

understanding how and why students learn. My teacher at NEC first introduced me to the work

9


of Edward S. Lisk, who was, at the time, the Supervisor of Music for the Oswego, New York

City School District. Lisk was then developing what would become the “Creative Director”

series known as “Alternative Rehearsal Techniques”(Lisk, 1987). This approach, grounded in

research completed by Lisk and others, centered on the teaching of musicianship skills that

empower students to facilitate their own learning. The more that I learned about this approach,

the more I was convinced that it could provide a bridge for all students to learn important things

about music and musicianship while developing important skills in critical thinking, creativity,

collaboration, and communication. I have pursued this study to explore the Lisk “Creative

Director” series in depth and examine the ramifications that this approach can have on student

learning through music.

Statement of the Problem

School administrators and teachers are presently placing a significant amount of attention

on teaching 21st century learning skills. Twenty-first century learning skills are defined as a

group of abilities that students will need to succeed in the present information age including the

following: critical thinking, creative thinking, collaborating, and communicating (Trilling &

Fadel, 2009). Teachers in all disciplines are instructed to show how their work reinforces the

school-wide goal of teaching these 21st century learning skills (Schools, 2006). With the

emphasis now on teaching students “how to critically think and learn on their own”, music

educators are challenged to demonstrate how they contribute to this new teaching expectation

(Oare, 2012, p. 69).

Generally speaking, music educators have been teaching 21st century learning skills for

many years, even before these skills were known collectively with this recent label. Critical

thinking, creative thinking, collaborating and communicating have been linked with overall

10


musicianship skills since the dawn of musical ensembles (Lisk, 1987, 1991). When students

demonstrate overall musicianship skills, they make personal decisions about balance, blend,

intonation, tone quality, rhythm, meter, dynamics, articulation, phrasing, and expression on a

continuous basis as instrumental ensemble musicians, and they use 21st century learning skills to

make spontaneous judgments about musical performance problems. In this way, they are

continuously confronted with a variety of performance challenges and then they problem-solve

on the spot to achieve the desired performance result. The honing of these overall musicianship

skills also simultaneously refines 21st century learning skills.

Lisk created a unique approach to the teaching of instrumental music in his “Creative

Director” series. The goal of the Lisk techniques is to broaden the spectrum of overall

musicianship within instrumental music students that, ultimately, will help them to achieve

success as independent, self-reliant learners (Lisk, 1987, 1991). The Lisk approach, known as

“Alternative Rehearsal Techniques” (ART) is a departure from more conventional methods of

teaching instrumental music. Traditional instrumental methods tend not to utilize connected

learning strategies for comprehension and understanding. Such traditional methods generally

place the primary focus of a student musical ensemble upon teacher-centered rehearsal activities

that lead to a teacher-directed final performance, rather than facilitating a student-centered

learning environment where individual students are equipped with the musical skills, techniques,

and concepts necessary to give a thoughtful, student-centered performance. The Lisk series

presents an overall musicianship approach based upon current research not generally found in

other structured methods for the teaching of instrumental music (Lisk, 1987, 1991; Molnar,

2005). While there are many elements of the musical approaches of Gordon, Froseth, Dalcroze,

Kodály, Orff, and Suzuki, such as the way that listening skills, counting, and note-reading skills

11


are presented (among others) in the Lisk series, the ART approach develops these methods to

another level (Lisk, 1987, 1991). The role of overall musicianship in the development of what

was to become known as 21st century learning skills (critical thinking, creative thinking,

collaborating and communicating) is examined by the researcher, including a variety of

pedagogical techniques, practice skills, reliability and validity of assessments, evaluation

instruments, rubrics, observations, levels of practice enjoyment, teacher, self and peer

assessments, motivation, attitudes, modeling, educational data, and problem-solving strategies

(Younker, 2002).

21st century learning skills and musical independence.

Twenty-first century learning skills have been identified by education and business

leaders as a necessary ingredient for helping students to achieve success, as well as a means by

which to facilitate students’ ownership and responsibility for their education (Oare, 2012). This

ownership and responsibility translates into greater independence and self-reliance as students

progress through their education.

The emphasis on 21st century learning skills has ramifications for music educators in all

levels of education. The pedagogical techniques presented in the Lisk “Creative Director” series

offer instrumental music teachers resources for the cultivation of critical and creative thinking,

collaboration, and communication. It is a method grounded in developing the student’s decision-

making process, so that students are not dependent upon the music director to constantly tell

them what to do. Students become responsible for the quality of their musical performance.

Adler stated, “The primary cause of learning is the activity of the student’s mind. The best that

the best teacher can do is to assist that activity” (Adler & Van Doren, 1990).

12


One major component of 21st century learning skills includes the student’s use of critical

thinking skills when evaluating and reflecting upon his or her own performance through self-

assessment. Within this focus on critical thinking and evaluation, Daniel (2001) described

strategies for developing self-assessment skills so that students will be able to evaluate their own

work effectively. Music educators agree that “devoting time to assessment will eventually save

time in class” (Goolsby, 1999, p. 31). There are a number of 21st century learning skills self-

assessment strategies available to music educators that can ultimately lead to student

improvement in 21st century learning skills, including the development of effective practice

strategies, vocabulary and technique assessments, performance rubrics, and the use of audio and

video recording in self-assessment, among others (Asmus, 1999; Daniel, 2001; Goolsby, 1999).

These strategies all contribute to student independence and student ownership of the learning

process, and music educators have emphasized that “one of the primary goals of music education

in general is musical independence” (Goolsby, 1999, p. 35).

Lisk “Creative Director” series – Alternative Rehearsal Techniques A.R.T. While

the concepts of 21st century learning skills - critical thinking, creative thinking, collaborating and

communicating – were not formally defined as a skill set when Lisk began his teaching career,

he always knew that these concepts were fundamental to all learning. Given the many years of

experience that Lisk spent as a high school band director, he came to the conclusion early in his

career that the teaching of musicianship could be presented in such a way so that students could

be more actively engaged in the process (Molnar, 2005).

A key component of Lisk’s effort was centered around his determination to understand

how people learn and how the human brain functions (Lisk, 1987, 1991). After examining

research on the brain, Lisk concluded that people need to develop mental images of concepts in

13


order to enable and maximize comprehension. Consequently, Lisk developed rehearsal strategies

based on the premise that if students are able to develop mental images about the musicianship

skills that they are being asked to demonstrate, they will learn to understand those skills more

clearly (Lisk, 1987, 1991; Molnar, 2005).

Lisk’s review of a number of studies about the brain and mental imaging convinced him

about the need to consider this research when developing overall rehearsal teaching strategies

(Lisk, 1987, 1991). In studying the coordination of the hand and brain as a gateway to brain

development, noted neurologist Frank R. Wilson reported that playing a musical instrument is a

unique blend of physical and neurological function that leads to a unified physical and mental

state positively affecting brain development and learning (Wilson, 1989). McGill University

Professor David Levitin, stated in his (2006) publication, This Is Your Brain On Music, that the

processes of music listening, performance, and composition utilize almost every identified area

of the brain as well as nearly all neural subsystems.

Lisk was also fascinated by the work of psychologist Peter Russell, author of The Brain

Book, who states that when people are involved in learning, there are four main areas of highest

recall; the beginning, the end, activities that are linked to the beginning and things that are

outstanding (Lisk, 1987, 1991). Memory at the beginning and end of a rehearsal are near perfect.

Learning falls off rapidly after the first ten minutes and then increases significantly near the end

(Lisk, 2010, p. 20). As a result, Lisk determined that the first 10 minutes of any rehearsal is most

critical for the brain to retain information (Lisk, 1987, 1991).

Lisk felt that much could be taught about musicianship through a strategically-planned

daily warm-up process, and that the beginning of every rehearsal associated with the warm-up

was most critical in the development of a fine band program (Lisk, 1987, 1991). He also found

14


that connecting warm-up exercises directly to the pieces in rehearsal that same day was a vital

step for students to apply what they learn (Molnar, 2005, p. 16).

References

Adler, M. J., & Van Doren, G. (1990). Reforming education : the opening of the American mind. New York: Collier Books.

Asmus, E. P. (1999). Music Assessment Concepts. Music Educators Journal, 86(2). Daniel, R. (2001). Self-assessment in performance. British Journal of Music Education, 18(3),

215-226. Goolsby, T. W. (1999). Assessment in Instrumental Music. Music Educators Journal, 86(2). Levitin, D. J. (2006). This is your brain on music : the science of a human obsession. New York,

N.Y.: Dutton.Lisk, E. S. (1987). The creative director : "alternative rehearsal techniques". [Oswego, N.Y.]:

E.S. Lisk.Lisk, E. S. (1991). The creative director : alternative rehearsal techniques (3d ed.). [Ft.

Lauderdale, Fla.: Meredith Music Publications.Lisk, E. S. (2010). The musical mind of the creative director. Galesville, MD: Meredith Music

Publications.Molnar, E. L. (2005). The effects of the rehearsal techniques of Edward S. Lisk on the

musicality of junior high bands' performance. (Master of Arts), Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Indiana, PA.

Oare, S. R. (2012). Decisions Made in the Practice Room: A Qualitative Study of Middle School Students' Thought Processes while Practicing. Update: Applications of Research in Music Education, 30(2), 63-70.

Schools, M. f. P. (2006). Improving Underperforming Schools: A Viable Massachusetts Approach. Retrieved from Boston, MA:

Trilling, B., & Fadel, C. (2009). 21st Century Skills Learning for Life in Our Times. New York: Wiley.

Wilson, F. R. (1989). Acquisition and Loss of Skilled Movement in Musicians. Seminars in Neurology, 9(2), 146-151.

Younker, B. A. (2002). Critical Thinking. In R. Colwell, C. P. Richardson, & M. E. N. C. (US) (Eds.), The new handbook of research on music teaching and learning: a project of the Music Educators National Conference (pp. 162-172). Oxford; New York: Oxford University Press.

15

Documents

Abstract - f01.justanswer.comTOC+Doc… · Web viewTeaching Musicianship Skills Using the Lisk “Creative Director” Series and . How the Lisk Approach Facilitates the Development