Erin M. Grady's ePortfolio

Subject Matter Knowledge

The teacher understands the central concepts, tools of inquiry, and structure of the discipline(s) he or she teaches and can create learning experiences that make these aspects of subject matter meaningful for students.

"Those who can, do. Those who can't, teach." Although this is a common adage, I believe that it is impossible to truly teach a subject unless the teacher has a firm grasp on that subject herself. Therefore, it is a music educator's responsibility to become proficient in all aspects of music addressed in the National Standards, and particular experts in their chosen subfields.

It is my goal to become a high school choir director and general music teacher. Toward this end, I have spent over eight years of my life with intense participation in many diverse choral ensembles. Teachers of performance ensembles must be performers themselves, and this is a practice I hope to always maintain. Additionally, I have engaged in study of choral conducting, choral rehearsal techniques, foreign language diction and the IPA, vocal pedagogy, and solo vocal performance. I have taken Choral Methods classes at both Oberlin and Case Western, and have taken Vocal Pedagogy at Case. I try to continuously remain active as a choral conductor. Besides my past experience coordinating a production of Britten's Rejoice in the Lamb, I currently serve as the assistant choir director of the Chancel Choir at the First Unitarian Church of Cleveland and the director of the Case University Singers.

In the field of high school general music, I feel similarly well-prepared. My undergraduate major focused on music history and music theory, and I have also dabbled in the fields of musical acoustics and vocal improvisation, both of which I would love to incorporate into a high school curriculum. During the summer of 2008, I observed a Music Listening course taught by Dr. Rob Dunn and picked up many good methods for teaching students the processes involved in actively listening to music.

While it is not my primary goal to be an elementary school or instrumental music teacher, I nonetheless believe that it is important to have a versatile and thorough knowledge of as many subfields of music education as possible. Keeping this in mind, I have taken classes in Elementary Music Methods, Instrumental Methods, and violin, saxophone, clarinet, guitar, cello, and percussion methods courses. While student teaching, I became familiar with the Kodály philosophy of elementary general music education, which utilizes a sequence of preparation, presentation, and practice of musical concepts.

As teaching of any kind necessarily involves the ability to perform many tasks outside of simply teaching one's subject, I have also engaged in study of related areas of education. I have taken classes in learning theories, curriculum development, developmental psychology, educational philosophy, educational psychology, literacy, and technology.

One major area where I continue to improve my subject matter knowledge is in the area of piano performance. It is a necessary skill to be able to most effectively lead choral rehearsals, and one which needs more developing on my part. In order to accomplish this, I have taken secondary piano lessons at the Cleveland Institute of Music with Sean Schulze and Judson Billings. I have also achieved proficiency in a series of piano checkpoints as a part of my Choral Methods class. Student teaching in the high school choral setting has also helped me to improve in this area od performance. I have led sectionals and whole-group rehearsals using the piano as a tool. Through this course of study, I hope to improve my abilities on this instrument.

Subject Matter Knowledge Artifacts

Justorum Anime (mp3 File)

This recording demonstrating my knowledge and ability as a vocal performer is of a five-person Renaissance vocal ensemble I was a part of. We are performing William Byrd's "Justorum Animae." I am singing the Soprano II part which enters one beat after the rest of the singers, as notated on this score.

Method Book Assessment (PDF File)
This is a handout created by me and my classmate Daniel Heim for a presentation to our Instrumental Music Methods class in the fall of 2006. We reviewed the string method Artistry in Strings and made a presentation regarding its strengths and weaknesses. This handout shows our ability to critically analyze different methods to be used in classrooms, and to determine what positive aspects of the method to incorporate into our own classroom teaching. Furthermore, it illustrates a base knowledge of string pedagogy needed to determine what makes a particular method strong or weak.

Middle English Pronunciation File (mp3 Recording)

Having taken a course in the History of the English Language, I became familiar with the pronunciation used in Middle English, the vernacular when the poem "There Is No Rose" was written in the 14th century. The Case University Singers was performing Britten's setting of this piece in Fall 2006, and I transcribed the piece into authentic Middle English pronunciation for performance. This artifact is a sound file I posted on the course website for students to practice with. Along with Middle English pronunciation, the recording includes historical pronunciation of Latin as it would have been spoken in England in the 1300's.

Music Theory Assignment (PDF File)
This assignment, completed in my Music Theory IV class, shows my ability to analyze non-typical chordal structures in musical literature. This kind of understanding is important in music education for two reasons. First, and most straightforward, if I hope to teach my students comprehensive musicianship, I must understand music theory myself in order to teach it to them effectively. Second, an understanding of music theory helps me be able to effectively prepare my pieces which I will be teaching in performance ensembles.

Orff Instrumental Arrangement of "Underneath my Big Umbrella" (PDF File)
Created for an Elementary General Music class taken in the Fall of 2007, this artifact is an arrangement of the song "Underneath My Big Umbrella" to be played on Orff instruments by a fourth grade ensemble. It is used to introduce crossover mallet technique. This artifact demonstrates my knowledge of the Orff instruments and teaching style, demonstrated through my use of word mnemonics to introduce rhythmic patterns.

Rejoice In the Lamb - Independent Conducting Project (mp3 Recording)

In the fall of 2005, I decided that I wanted a more practical outlet for the conducting classes I had taken. I assembled a chorus of volunteers from the Oberlin community, and spent the semester teaching, rehearsing, and conducting Britten's "Rejoice in the Lamb" choral cantata. This clip is from the concert performance in December 2005. This movement, "For the Instruments are By their Rimes," allowed me to experiment with complex hypermeter conducting while exploring a wide range of expressive capabilities.

The Narrative Structure of Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture (PDF File)
This paper was written as a part of a Music and Narrative music history course taken at Oberlin. Understanding how music can be used as a communication device within and among cultures is important to a music educator. This paper provides an analysis of how Tchaikovsky uses narrative devices to create a sense of nationalism in his piece. This kind of analysis can be valuable for my students as well as myself.

Tonks Hunts a Leprechaun (mp3 Recording)

One of the National Standards for Music Education with which I did not have very much experience prior to my experiences at Case was the standard for composition. This sound file is of a piece I composed using the program GarageBand (part of Apple's iLife suite). It tells the story of my cat, Tonks, unsuccessfully chasing after a leprechaun on St. Patrick's Day. Sequencing programs such as GarageBand can be a great tool to help students enter the world of composition.

A Choral Warm-up (Quicktime Movie File)

This video, from my Choral Methods class taken at Case Western in Spring 2007, shows an excerpt from a choral warm-up I led. It shows examples of specific feedback, sequencing instruction, and basic vocal techniques. Additionally, it gives a good example of where I am in my development as a pianist. Although I am still not completely comfortable behind the piano, I have acquired enough skills to effectively lead a choral warm-up.

A First Cello Lesson (Quicktime Movie File)

This video is a sample "first lesson" on the cello, given to a classmate in my Instrumental Music Methods class taken in the fall of 2006. In this clip, I teach my student about the strings of the cello and how to play them in a pizzicato style. In this clip, I demonstrate how to pluck the cello using modeling, verbal instructions, visual charts, and written notation.