Christopher Fludd

Dr. Cape & Prof. Brashier

Philosophy Paper

I began my last year of elementary school by introducing myself to music. I joined band

and choir, and decided to play the Saxophone. Having those two activities throughout school

were incredible. As time went on, I was introduced to different styles and rhythms, and my skills

sharpened exceedingly. Now in college, when I read a new piece of music, my aural skills along

with my ensemble skills help me tremendously. That being said, I think as a musician, choral

singers who were previously trained or are currently training as instrumentalists, will have great

aural and ensemble skills that will impact your career.

Katherine Wallace from Yong Siew Toh Conservaotry of Music published an article about

her investigation towards the impact of choral music on instrumentalists. Wallace says Learning

to be a musician is always inherently experiential. A person cannot learn to perform music

simply by reading, writing, and thinking about performance, but must actively perform. When

experiential learning comes within a cross-disciplinary environment, however, the rate of

learning intensifies. For an instrumental student, the choral experience is akin to an experiential-

learning practicum that takes engineering or education students out of the classroom and plants

them in the midst of an activity, foreign because of its newness, but intimately related to their

field of study. Also, she mentions the broader the musician’s experiences, the more he or she has

to draw on in the formation of his or her own artistic vision. Unless taking place in a specialty

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choir such as a madrigal group, jazz ensemble or oratorio choir, the choral experience typically

encompasses a wide range of genres, styles, eras, and composers. The students were able to

explain the difference in their musicality and interpretation, theoretical and aural skills, ensemble

skills, etc. Students new to choral singing spoke of being more nervous during the performance

than during a solo or orchestral performance, and of being unsure of the amount of control they

would have over the voice, breath, or body. A student violinist shares that discovering the voice

as an inherent instrument, allowed her to discover instincts and inflections in music. One

response from the students that stood out to me was from a high school student pianist. He says

that singing makes in the choir makes him listen to others around him, not only rhythms, but also

in timbre(Pg.504). I agree with the concluding thoughts that the goal of much experiential

learning is to take students out of their comfort zone in order to present extra challenges that

deliver an opportunity to apply knowledge and skills already acquired. in the classroom; in the

course of the learning process, related knowledge and skills will be relearned, reconstructed,

transformed or enhanced by the experience

As an instrumentalist, I believe there is a uniqueness in how we learn and develop our craft.

It’s very different from experience in choir setting. One thing that makes instrumental learning

unique is that musicality is developed from within, and it feels that in choir it’s usually taught

through shaping and line of the piece the students learn. Woodwind players especially develop

much musicianship and interpretation for music.

Brian Bersh presents an article on how participating in schools can contribute to becoming

musical. He solely focuses on a instrumental approach because of the overwhelming information

that deals with technique of band instruments, along with pressures of perfume expectations. By

adjusting his instruction to promote development of musical students within his classes, along

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with student engagement and ensemble performance, has improved . He mentions that students

may play an instrument, but it won’t help if teachers limit the students capabilities. Engaging

students to discuss musical interpretation grants them ownership over their performance and help

them reflect effectively towards their musical choices. Bersh also has his classes watch and

critique other wind ensembles, the visual cues they share and how that effects their presence on

stage. He concludes that this idea is able to be applied to composition, body language,

instrumental and aural performance, and many other elements.

Lucy Green, I believe, is another great mentor who advocates for students to develop their

own creativity. In her article about ear playing and aural development, she explains results of

examining a control and experimental group of children who have had instrumental experience

and children who were taught by ear. The students were assessed in five different categories:

pitch accuracy, contour accuracy, rhythm and tempo accuracy, and closure. Green concluded this

experiment by mentioning that playing by ear, even over a short period of time, was very

beneficial. Teachers involved in the experiment mentioned that the students have really

developed their listening skills, and that it’s very beneficial to not focus on musical notation and

how free it feels for students to just use their ears instead to create the notation. The students

were able to reflect on their listening skills and pitch memory. One student mentions that after

going through this experiment, their musical memory grew stronger and if possible they could

remember more notes than they could before.

I believe that as teachers, we should incorporate more use of instruments or percussion to

encourage students development and learning. I would also encourage students to try an

Orchestra or Band program sometime through their elementary and secondary years of school.

The great thing about music is that it’s universal. Not all of the students in a choir will have a

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future in music, but it’s amazing how the group will connect for however long they rehearse.

Having a choir of students from different backgrounds and experiences create such a dynamic of

musicianship and teamwork. Students are able to help and share experiences that others can

attain and use to perfect their ensemble skills.

I’ve been grateful to have experienced a variety of encounters with the music field –

learning how to play the piano, learning how to play the saxophone, and joining choir and being

able to combine my all the musical skills I have learned through my life. To conclude, I think as

a musician, choral singers who were previously trained or are currently training as

instrumentalists, will have great aural and ensemble skills that will impact your career. with the

experience of a band or orchestra setting, students are able to develop great aural and ensemble

skills, and musicality.

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