Michael Ippolito
Dr. Veblen
Introduction to Music Ed
October 30, 2016
Student Interview Reflection
Q: I know you do not plan on going into music as a career choice but I know you have had some involvement with music throughout your life. So exactly how involved with music have you been in life?
A: The first bit of involvement with music started with piano lessons from grade 3 to 6. In grades 8 and 9 I played flute in my high school band. I have been in the school choir since grade 8 and I am still in it. I have also been in the musical for grades 9 and 10. I was in the ensemble in grade 9 and I have a more important role in grade 10.
Q: How much of an impact have these musical experiences had in your life?
A: I was not too big a fan of piano lessons. I was always reluctant to go to my lessons. My teacher was nice but piano was not for me. I was quite fond of theory however, as weird as that might be. I enjoyed band at first but over time I realized it wasn’t for me. Choir is fun. Especially because during a mass you get to stand above everyone and feel superior. I do enjoy the singing in choir though all joking aside. The musical is my favorite. The singing and dancing aspect of it have been the most fun for me.
Q: Do you hope to continue with musical theatre even though you are not going into a career that involves music?
A: I will always have the interest in musicals after high school but I don’t know. In regards to partaking in musical I may not have the time. If I end up going to U of T with my brother Gianni and he directs musicals I might partake in one but as of now I cannot decide.
Q: As a younger person, what kind of music do you find yourself most fond of?
A: The first band I got into was the Beatles. I am also quite into the Beach Boys and David Bowie. I have always had an affinity for music from the sixties but obviously, I enjoy music from beyond the sixties as well.
Q: What is your opinion on music as a career path and as a University major? Seeing as though you are not going into music.
A: I always thought that music would make an interesting career choice. It is a very interesting subject of study seeing as though everyone is connected to music in some way. I have always respected music as a career choice and have respected people who can go into something like music because they love it even though it is not considered the most normal or viable career path.
Q: What did you mean when you said everyone is connected to music in some way?
A: I do not think I have ever met a person who has not said they do not like music. Everyone has a favorite band or artist and people also like to take up an instrument as a hobby. Parents also like to get their children into music as well even though it doesn’t always work out. Like me with piano lessons. Everyone is affected by music differently and therefore; everyone is also connected to it in some way.
Q: How do you think your life would have been different should you have never gotten involved with these different forms of music?
A: It would be a lot less interesting. I made a lot of my friends through these musical experiences. It would be a lot less enriched in that aspect. I would also be less appreciative of things life musicals and performances. Even though I just have this experience at an amateur level, I can get a feel for how much work is put into these performances and I can gain a better understanding and appreciation for them. Being part of performance is also a great way to meet new people and I would have missed out on a lot of encounters I have had in my life.
Q: As someone who is not going into music, what does music mean to you?
A: Music to me is the form of art that is the most widely accepted and influential. You will have people who are not fans of certain forms of art but music is universal. It is an art form that everyone can relate to and can connect to. It is an art form where no matter where you are or what culture you are a part of, you can all get together and make some nice groovy sounds.
For this assignment, I interviewed my cousin Davide Sallese. For the last interview with my teacher I interviewed someone who chose music as a career path. This time, I decided to get a different perspective. Davide has still been involved with music throughout his life. However, he has decided that even though he does not know what he wants to get into just yet, he will not be getting into music as a career path. Davide (or as we affectionately refer to him: Davs) has been involved in a lot of things musically throughout his life. He started with piano lessons but did not enjoy those too much. So, he started off with music on a bad note (no pun intended). I know many people who have given up after being introduced to music with bad music lessons. Davs however, ended up getting involved with music in different ways in high school. He didn’t let this one bad experience ruin his impression on what getting involved with music is like. He ended up finding different things to do with regards to music that suited him much better. He got involved with the wind ensemble for a bit. He sung in choir as well. His favorite thing to do though were the musicals. Musical theatre has always been something that their family has had a strong affinity for so I am not surprised that Davs has gotten involved with musical theatre at his school. This was a very enlightening conversation for me as I could get a different perspective on how people not going into music view people who are majoring in music. Obviously, my music teacher fully approved of me majoring in music but I was curious to see what Davs would think of my decision to major in music. Many people are quick to discount music as a major and I wanted to see if Davs was going to be the same way. Now I had a pretty good idea of what his answer would be already seeing as though I know Davs quite well. I was happy to find out that his answer was what I thought it would be and what I had hoped for. He said it better than I ever could. Music is not the most common career path and it may also not be the most reliable. People are scared to go into it because of how hard it can be to make a career out of it. Due to this, Davs has always had a great respect for people who can make something like music their major. He respects the fact that people can choose something like music even though it is not the easiest thing to get into solely based off the fact that they love it and it is what they want to do with their life. He respects that drive that musicians have that pushes them to keep following their dream of studying and working with music no matter how difficult the journey there may be. Two of his answers that I got a lot out of as well were his answers to the questions “How would your life be different without these musical experiences?” and “What does music mean to you?” He mentioned that he met a lot of people through these musical experiences and that he would not have a lot of the friends he has now if he had never gotten into music in this way. This just shows how music can bring people together that otherwise would not have met. Is other answer to what music means to him had one specific thing he said that stuck with me. Music is the only art form that everyone can connect and relate to. Every culture, religion, etc. has something that separates them and makes them different. Music however, is universal. No one can lay claim to music. Everyone has it and it is shared by everyone. Everyone is connected to it in some way. So all in all, this was a very enlightening conversation and I would just like to thank Davs for taking the time to have this interview with me.
Dr. Veblen
Introduction to Music Ed
October 30, 2016
Student Interview Reflection
Q: I know you do not plan on going into music as a career choice but I know you have had some involvement with music throughout your life. So exactly how involved with music have you been in life?
A: The first bit of involvement with music started with piano lessons from grade 3 to 6. In grades 8 and 9 I played flute in my high school band. I have been in the school choir since grade 8 and I am still in it. I have also been in the musical for grades 9 and 10. I was in the ensemble in grade 9 and I have a more important role in grade 10.
Q: How much of an impact have these musical experiences had in your life?
A: I was not too big a fan of piano lessons. I was always reluctant to go to my lessons. My teacher was nice but piano was not for me. I was quite fond of theory however, as weird as that might be. I enjoyed band at first but over time I realized it wasn’t for me. Choir is fun. Especially because during a mass you get to stand above everyone and feel superior. I do enjoy the singing in choir though all joking aside. The musical is my favorite. The singing and dancing aspect of it have been the most fun for me.
Q: Do you hope to continue with musical theatre even though you are not going into a career that involves music?
A: I will always have the interest in musicals after high school but I don’t know. In regards to partaking in musical I may not have the time. If I end up going to U of T with my brother Gianni and he directs musicals I might partake in one but as of now I cannot decide.
Q: As a younger person, what kind of music do you find yourself most fond of?
A: The first band I got into was the Beatles. I am also quite into the Beach Boys and David Bowie. I have always had an affinity for music from the sixties but obviously, I enjoy music from beyond the sixties as well.
Q: What is your opinion on music as a career path and as a University major? Seeing as though you are not going into music.
A: I always thought that music would make an interesting career choice. It is a very interesting subject of study seeing as though everyone is connected to music in some way. I have always respected music as a career choice and have respected people who can go into something like music because they love it even though it is not considered the most normal or viable career path.
Q: What did you mean when you said everyone is connected to music in some way?
A: I do not think I have ever met a person who has not said they do not like music. Everyone has a favorite band or artist and people also like to take up an instrument as a hobby. Parents also like to get their children into music as well even though it doesn’t always work out. Like me with piano lessons. Everyone is affected by music differently and therefore; everyone is also connected to it in some way.
Q: How do you think your life would have been different should you have never gotten involved with these different forms of music?
A: It would be a lot less interesting. I made a lot of my friends through these musical experiences. It would be a lot less enriched in that aspect. I would also be less appreciative of things life musicals and performances. Even though I just have this experience at an amateur level, I can get a feel for how much work is put into these performances and I can gain a better understanding and appreciation for them. Being part of performance is also a great way to meet new people and I would have missed out on a lot of encounters I have had in my life.
Q: As someone who is not going into music, what does music mean to you?
A: Music to me is the form of art that is the most widely accepted and influential. You will have people who are not fans of certain forms of art but music is universal. It is an art form that everyone can relate to and can connect to. It is an art form where no matter where you are or what culture you are a part of, you can all get together and make some nice groovy sounds.
For this assignment, I interviewed my cousin Davide Sallese. For the last interview with my teacher I interviewed someone who chose music as a career path. This time, I decided to get a different perspective. Davide has still been involved with music throughout his life. However, he has decided that even though he does not know what he wants to get into just yet, he will not be getting into music as a career path. Davide (or as we affectionately refer to him: Davs) has been involved in a lot of things musically throughout his life. He started with piano lessons but did not enjoy those too much. So, he started off with music on a bad note (no pun intended). I know many people who have given up after being introduced to music with bad music lessons. Davs however, ended up getting involved with music in different ways in high school. He didn’t let this one bad experience ruin his impression on what getting involved with music is like. He ended up finding different things to do with regards to music that suited him much better. He got involved with the wind ensemble for a bit. He sung in choir as well. His favorite thing to do though were the musicals. Musical theatre has always been something that their family has had a strong affinity for so I am not surprised that Davs has gotten involved with musical theatre at his school. This was a very enlightening conversation for me as I could get a different perspective on how people not going into music view people who are majoring in music. Obviously, my music teacher fully approved of me majoring in music but I was curious to see what Davs would think of my decision to major in music. Many people are quick to discount music as a major and I wanted to see if Davs was going to be the same way. Now I had a pretty good idea of what his answer would be already seeing as though I know Davs quite well. I was happy to find out that his answer was what I thought it would be and what I had hoped for. He said it better than I ever could. Music is not the most common career path and it may also not be the most reliable. People are scared to go into it because of how hard it can be to make a career out of it. Due to this, Davs has always had a great respect for people who can make something like music their major. He respects the fact that people can choose something like music even though it is not the easiest thing to get into solely based off the fact that they love it and it is what they want to do with their life. He respects that drive that musicians have that pushes them to keep following their dream of studying and working with music no matter how difficult the journey there may be. Two of his answers that I got a lot out of as well were his answers to the questions “How would your life be different without these musical experiences?” and “What does music mean to you?” He mentioned that he met a lot of people through these musical experiences and that he would not have a lot of the friends he has now if he had never gotten into music in this way. This just shows how music can bring people together that otherwise would not have met. Is other answer to what music means to him had one specific thing he said that stuck with me. Music is the only art form that everyone can connect and relate to. Every culture, religion, etc. has something that separates them and makes them different. Music however, is universal. No one can lay claim to music. Everyone has it and it is shared by everyone. Everyone is connected to it in some way. So all in all, this was a very enlightening conversation and I would just like to thank Davs for taking the time to have this interview with me.