Workshop
A World of Possibilities: Creativity in the Music Classroom
Course Number: MU ED 597A
Dates: July 7–10, 2010
Times: 9:00 a.m.–noon and 1:00–5:00 p.m., with some evening performances
Credit Students: 2 University credits/60 Act 48 hours
Noncredit Students: 32 Act 48 hours
Location: School of Music
(Registration will be held in the Esber Foyer in Music Building 1.)
Enrollment: Cap of 40 students
Assignment for Credit Students: The credit option grants 2 University graduate-level credits for participation in the workshop and the successful completion of an
assignment that will be distributed and discussed on the first day of the workshop. The assignment is due electronically on Monday, September 6, 2010, by noon. Assignments will
be graded and students will receive a formal letter grade for this course. This class is not pass/fail. The 2 University credits are equivalent to 60 Act 48 hours.
Description
Join Dr. Christopher Azzara of the Eastman School of Music and the Penn State School of Music faculty for a four-day workshop on creativity. Participants will perform, explore, and dialogue for a deeper understanding of creative processes. Through multiple experiences, from in-depth discussion to rehearsals and music making, attendees will develop new models for including creativity in their choral, general, or instrumental classrooms. This workshop coincides with the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts.
An important part of this year's workshop will be participation in a creative ensemble under the direction of Dr. Azzara. Participants are asked to bring their singing voices and their instruments! We will be singing and playing daily.
Required Workshop Materials
The materials that will be used for this ensemble experience come from the textbook entitled Developing Musicianship through Improvisation by Christopher Azzara and Richard Grunow. This text is required for all workshop participants and is available online at GIA Publications, Inc., or through other vendors, such as amazon.com or barnesandnoble.com. The text will also be available on campus at registration or through the Penn State Student Bookstore. The approximate cost of this text is $35, which includes two CDs. The cost of the textbook is not included in the registration fees associated with this workshop.
Faculty
Dr. Christopher Azzara, Eastman School of Music
Author of Developing Musicianship through Improvisation, Christopher Azzara has taught and performed internationally. He has produced and performed on studio and educational recordings. Nationally recognized for research and writings on music education, Dr. Azzara incorporates wisdom and humor into his presentations about music learning. Dr. Azzara is associate professor of music education and affiliate faculty of jazz studies and contemporary media at the Eastman School of Music. Known for innovations in music teaching and learning, Dr. Azzara offers extensive music learning expertise that reflects his academic research and his experience as a father of three children.
Nancy Beitler, Southern Lehigh Valley School District
Nancy Beitler is presently teaching instrumental music at Southern Lehigh Middle School in Center Valley, Pennsylvania. She is a doctoral candidate at Penn State with a focus on her creative activities for middle school instrumental music students and the reflective practices of students and educators.
Dr. Ann Clements, Penn State
Ann C. Clements is associate professor of music education in the Penn State School of Music. An active researcher and clinician, Dr. Clements has directed ensembles and given presentations throughout the United States and in New Zealand, Japan, Australia, and Canada. She has published in the Journal of Research in Music Education (JRME), Journal of Research in the New Zealand Performing Arts, General Music Today, The Mountain Lake Reader, and the International Society for Music Education (ISME) Pacific Region Proceedings.
She is co-author of the textbook A Field Guide to Student Teaching in Music, published by Routledge Press, and is the editor of the book Alternative Approaches in Music Education: Case Studies from the Field, published by Rowman and Littlefield in association with MENC. She is a chapter editor and author to the textbook Multicultural Perspectives in Music Education (eds. Andersen & Campbell), and a contributing author to the Making Music series and The Choral Cookbook, published by Hal Leonard.
Dr. Clements’ primary areas of interest include secondary general music, middle school/junior high choral music, music participation, and ethnomusicology, particularly within the Pacific Rim and Polynesia. She is currently the Culture and Community State Chair, a member of the Pennsylvania Music Educators Conference (PMEA), the state Ethic and Multicultural Chair of the American Choral Directors Association of Pennsylvania (ACDA – PA), and the Education Chair for the Society for Ethnomusicology (SEM).
Dr. Robert Gardner, Penn State
Robert Gardner joined the Penn State faculty in 2003, and is an assistant professor of music education, specializing in stringed instrument playing and teaching, alternative styles for string ensembles, and orchestral conducting.
A double bassist and conductor with experience in a variety of musical genres, he has written articles for the American String Teacher and GIA publications, and has given presentations at conferences and workshops throughout the country. Dr. Gardner's research has focused on the nature of improvisation and composition, as well as the supply and demand of American public school music teachers.
He received his undergraduate degree in music education from the Ohio State University, and his master's and doctorate degrees in music education from the Eastman School of Music. Prior to joining the faculty at Penn State, he served as orchestra director and instructor for public school districts in Ohio and New York. Gardner was also music director for two youth orchestras at the Hochstein School of Music and Dance and has been guest conductor for many honors ensembles. He has designed and directed programs for adult learners and alternative styles for string ensembles.
Dr. Gardner is a member of MENC: The National Association for Music Education, and the American String Teachers Association (ASTA). He is currently serving as president of the PA/DE chapter of ASTA, and was a member of the alternative styles committee for the 2007 ASTA national convention.
Dr. Linda Thornton, Penn State
Linda Thornton is associate professor of music education at Penn State, having previously served in a similar position at the State University of New York, at Fredonia. Her research interests include perception and cognition by elementary and middle school instrumentalists, creativity discovery and development for instrumentalists, and teacher recruitment and training.
Dr. Thornton holds a doctorate and master's degrees from the University of Missouri at Columbia and an undergraduate degree from Northwestern University. Her public school experience includes teaching beginning, middle, and high school instrumental music in Illinois, as well as fourteen years of private saxophone and clarinet lesson instruction.
Currently, Dr. Thornton is an active conductor, clinician, and adjudicator throughout the United States. Her professional affiliations include MENC: The National Association for Music Education, Pennsylvania Music Educators Association (PMEA), College Music Society (CMS), and the International Association of Jazz Education (IAJE).
