Michael Ippolito
Dr. Veblen
Introduction to Music Ed
November 20, 2016
Guest Reflection: Dr. Karas
Dr. Karas was a high school teacher who now teaches grade 7’s and 8’s in elementary school. This was a very interesting guest speaking for me. He talked about a lot of different things regarding teaching music that interested me. However, the one that stuck out the most was when he talked about the person who told his class “you all teach poorly.” The next thing he said was “you teach the way you are taught.” These really stuck with me seeing as though as a musician, you expect someone to criticize your playing, not your teaching. As someone who wants to become a music teacher, I never put much thought into how I might poorly teach students. What he said really got me thinking about this. I started to think about how I would keep myself in check and make sure my teaching remained proper. I thought about the saying “you teach the way you are taught.” This made me think about how I’ve been taught. I remembered the good teachers I had and how if I followed their teaching style I am sure I would do well. I also, thought about the bad teacher I have had over the years and wondered how well I would be able to ignore their influence and I would be able to learn from their teaching. If anything, I could use them as examples in my mind of what I shouldn’t do. I also really enjoyed some of the singing exercises he had us do. It was a fun way to get everyone involved and some people had to get out of their comfort zone a bit. However, those things he said at the beginning were the most important part to me. That is what stuck with me the most and that is what really made me think. If I could ask him one question now I would ask “how would one move away from teaching the way they are taught and instead move towards teaching the way they want to teach or should teach?” This is how I felt about this guest speaker.
Dr. Veblen
Introduction to Music Ed
November 20, 2016
Guest Reflection: Dr. Karas
Dr. Karas was a high school teacher who now teaches grade 7’s and 8’s in elementary school. This was a very interesting guest speaking for me. He talked about a lot of different things regarding teaching music that interested me. However, the one that stuck out the most was when he talked about the person who told his class “you all teach poorly.” The next thing he said was “you teach the way you are taught.” These really stuck with me seeing as though as a musician, you expect someone to criticize your playing, not your teaching. As someone who wants to become a music teacher, I never put much thought into how I might poorly teach students. What he said really got me thinking about this. I started to think about how I would keep myself in check and make sure my teaching remained proper. I thought about the saying “you teach the way you are taught.” This made me think about how I’ve been taught. I remembered the good teachers I had and how if I followed their teaching style I am sure I would do well. I also, thought about the bad teacher I have had over the years and wondered how well I would be able to ignore their influence and I would be able to learn from their teaching. If anything, I could use them as examples in my mind of what I shouldn’t do. I also really enjoyed some of the singing exercises he had us do. It was a fun way to get everyone involved and some people had to get out of their comfort zone a bit. However, those things he said at the beginning were the most important part to me. That is what stuck with me the most and that is what really made me think. If I could ask him one question now I would ask “how would one move away from teaching the way they are taught and instead move towards teaching the way they want to teach or should teach?” This is how I felt about this guest speaker.