module 20, Post 2

I found that the behaviorist theory is most present in the band classes throughout the previous weeks, even though socio-cultural theory is in a close 2^nd place because it is also frequently used in the band classes. I found that expository teaching would be the most effective for me as an instrumental ensemble teacher/director. This method involves using advance organizers, which is previously learned information that lays a foundation to build upon for new information. I need to teach more basic musical concepts in a piece of music that applies those basic concepts first, before going straight into a harder piece of music where there are musical concepts that the students haven’t been taught before, so they won’t see the relevance or meaning of the new piece of music because they won’t understand what’s going on. This teaching method doesn’t clearly demonstrate the aspects of the behaviorist theory, but it certainly does not contradict them. The aspects of the behaviorist theory, or any of the three learning theories for that matter, could technically be used to help with the hierarchy of learned concepts (expository method) in the band classroom.

In my band class, I would use expository teaching when teaching a new piece of music that maybe has a more complicated form structure with new factors/concepts. I would explain the new concepts that make this form structure so complicated, and use the form structures of previously learned pieces (more fundamental/basic, less complicated) as examples of what more detailed/complicated form structures are fundamentally based. The students would then understand the relevance of the newly learned concepts/aspects of a more complicated form structure. Several other teaching methods are not as applicable to the band classroom because they don’t have as much to do with learning how to apply new musical concepts to new pieces of music. Inquiry learning involves the students researching questions and analyzing data; in the band class, the students learn the material through imitation and lecture. Learning to read music and how to play an instrument is nearly NOT as creative as it sounds to a non-musician.