Beginning My Project

As I have begun tackling the challenges our music program is currently facing, I have already established my goals and my plan of action. My next task is to get feedback from the music staff, music students, and administration. I have decided to do interviews to organize everybody's thoughts. After the interviews have been conducted I will carefully analyze the results and hopefully begin to identify a common problem. 

So far, I have not experienced any challenges within my project, but I have been working independently. I understand that this isn't always going to be the case. This next week I am going to have to sit back and listen while remaining neutral to the subject until I can collect all of my data. However, I am looking forward to speaking with my teachers and peers and blogging  about my experience.

"Do Schools Kill Creativity?"

Yesterday I watched a video at www.ted.com entitled "Do Schools Kill Creativity?" presented by Ken Robinson. Mr. Robinson stated that, "Creativity should be treated with the same status as intuity." He spoke about intelligence being : Diverse, Dynamic, and Distinct. He believes that schools aren't considering these three distinctions when establishing their goals and expectations for their students, and as he puts it, "we focus on our heads, not our bodies." He goes on to speak about the importance of art, music, and dance in an adolescents life. He believes that we should be focusing on the whole being and making something of that. When we focus just on the end result or, for example, our career, we aren't embracing everything we have to offer. Instead we are limiting our successes to a specific area of focus.

 

I definitely agree with Mr. Robinson. Intelligence is more than a perfect score on the SAT or a 4.0 GPA. It is being educated in a diverse array of subjects, being dynamic in the choices you make, and being distinct in who you are and who you wish to become. We can't mold adolescents into the "ideal student" and expect them to go on and succeed in life the way we view succession. Succeeding is different for everyone and we, as a society, should embrace that.

Mr. Robinson really put into perspective for me the impact that our schools have on us as individuals. We have come to value our education so much that it is the driving force behind everything. I don't necessarily believe that this is a bad thing, but I do believe that education allows for diversity, and it is up to our school systems to acknowledge that. We should be given the opportunity to succeed the way we have been created to succeed, whether this is through academics, art, music, dance, or drama. We still need to value our education, but we need to do so in its entirety not just in its ability to classify us all ass proficient according to state standards.

"If you're not willing to take a chance to be wrong, you will never create anything original." -Ken Robinson

Consistency Vs. Change

Too often do we, as a society, get caught up in consistency. As students, we get up in the morning, take a shower, get something to eat, head off to school, say the pledge of allegiance, listen to teachers' lectures, go to lunch, attend after school practices, come home, do some homework, some get on the computer, and go to bed. We do this so frequently that it becomes almost second nature to us. We no longer think about why we are pledging to our flag, or comprehend what our teachers have to say. Instead, we go about our daily lives without a purpose.

As a student who has come to learn the impact of change, I find myself always needing diversity in my day. I try to make each day a little different by the choices I make and the goals I set for myself. I now find myself looking for something to change, which I know is not always the best approach to something. When we don't change something that needs to be changed, we are in turn creating a bigger problem; but when we change something just for the sake of experiencing change, the result doesn't always turn out as positively.

A problem that I have noticed at my high school is the way our music program fits into our block scheduling. Currently, music takes place 4th period during the Spring semester. Because of the large number of students who take place in music the schedule has to be broken down even further on a day to day basis. An example being, the Women's Chorus and Symphonic Band rehearse Monday's and Thursdays. Anyone not in Women's Chorus or Symphonic Band must attend a study hall during those days. This creates controversy because many students feel that they could better spend their time in an academic class instead of in a study hall. 

After spending four years witnessing the effects of the music program I have come to acknowledge a problem that will continue to be a hindrance on both students and faculty unless something is done to benefit as many people as possible.

"The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens" By: Sean Covey

After reading the 7 Habits book I have acquired a new understanding of what it means to be effective. The book focuses on...

Habit 1: Be Proactive

Habit 2: Begin with the End in Mind

Habit 3: Put First Things First

Habit 4: Think Win-Win

Habit 5: Seek First to Understand then to Be Understood

Habit 6: Synergize

Habit 7: Sharpen the Saw

Of these seven habits I find my strongest to be Habit 2: Begin with the End in Mind. Sean Covey says, "The paths you choose now can affect you forever." Ever since I can remember I have been living by this belief. I have watched people around me go down paths that I know I do not want to find myself on. Whether its my daily routine or my role as a leader I am continuously looking toward the future and basing my decisions off of my personal vision. My strength in this area could be looked at as a downfall in that sometimes I focus too much on the future and not enough on the present. But, overall I feel confident in saying that I am constantly beginning with the end in mind.

The habit that I will openly admit I need to spend more time on improving is Habit 7: Sharpen the Saw. I know that I am not alone because there are many leaders who fall into this category. I am constantly involved with something  and often feel that if I take time for myself I am being unproductive. I also know that the effects are the complete opposite. When I do get the chance to take just a few minutes for myself I become refreshed, rejuvenated, and ultimately perform better.

I find it interesting to look at people and try and pick out which habit they best represent. This has helped me relate to people within my council, within my extracurricular groups and within my school.