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Janelle Harris attended James Madison University where she received a Bachelor of Music in education. Janelle was born in Ogden, Utah but grew up in Waynesboro, VA. She first began her studies at the age of seven on the violin, and picked up her current primary instrument, the clarinet, in 6th grade beginning band. She has had extensive volunteer experience in regards of teaching and working with students. To name a few she has worked as a sectional teacher at a local middle school, facilitated JMUke events in the community, and co-organized a ukulele building club at a local elementary school. She has performed with JMU's ensembles such as Wind Symphony, Symphonic Band, Concert Band, Chamber Orchestra, Treble Chamber Choir on voice, the Marching Royal Dukes on trombone, Harmoniemusik, and Jazz Ensemble. |
In this program, I will be relaying information on topics involving music in the form of leadership, musicianship, scholarship, and engagement. As I continue my studies towards a music education degree, I will explore and bring out different views and ideas of music in our modern and growing society. This program will extend a hand to the community and help others recognize the importance music has on touching every day lives.
Vision Statement
The vision for my future classroom is to provide endless opportunities for my students. I hope that through my education here at JMU, I will become more well-rounded in my musicianship so that whatever music program I find myself teaching, I can give those students the education they deserve.
The standards I want to include in my classroom are music literacy and aural skills, basic knowledge in theory, composition, songwriting, improvisation, performance experiences, exposing students to different musical cultures and genres, and being able to build emotional connections with the music we create. As the Music Standards of Learning for Virginia Public Schools state as one of their goals, and is something that I choose to live by, our classroom will be able to "[n]urture a lifelong appreciation for music as an integral component of an educated, cultured society."
I want my students involved in the community through musical activities. Not only hold our own events, but attend local events which support the arts. My vision for my classroom is to create an environment in which my students can experiment and engage with the community with the music they create.
For more: See Philosophy of Music Education
The standards I want to include in my classroom are music literacy and aural skills, basic knowledge in theory, composition, songwriting, improvisation, performance experiences, exposing students to different musical cultures and genres, and being able to build emotional connections with the music we create. As the Music Standards of Learning for Virginia Public Schools state as one of their goals, and is something that I choose to live by, our classroom will be able to "[n]urture a lifelong appreciation for music as an integral component of an educated, cultured society."
I want my students involved in the community through musical activities. Not only hold our own events, but attend local events which support the arts. My vision for my classroom is to create an environment in which my students can experiment and engage with the community with the music they create.
For more: See Philosophy of Music Education
Professional Reflection
I am a completely different person now than I was coming in as a freshman. Not in just in terms of teaching, but in philosophy and maturity. There were many times in this program where I did not understand the importance of doing certain projects, but now that I am at the end of my music course load, I understand why we did things the way we did. I still find myself conflicted on certain opinions, but I hope that student teaching will continue to shape those philosophies for me. We came into school with a very narrow view of what music education is supposed to be, but our professors did a great job of destroying those norms and having us rebuild our ideologies. This means that when we enter the field, whatever program we decide to take on, we can make that program truly our own and the best for our students, whatever that means to them.
College consists of taking puzzle pieces you already have, finding new ones, and then piecing it all together. Sometimes, we see performance and education as two separate things, but in reality they are very closely aligned. Some might say, and even I have once said, “I’m an education major, I don’t need to practice my instrument,” when that is a completely false notion. Personal practice is an opportunity for us to apply our educational ideologies on ourselves. The JMU music education program forces us to research and even brainstorm numerous teaching ideas. However, if these are concepts I’ve never tried for myself, how can I expect my students to execute these concepts? We are so used to receiving instruction and following directions, we are finally at the point in our music careers where we have to start guiding ourselves. Guiding ourselves does not have to be different than how we would guide our students. Through this, I have not only grown an even greater appreciation for my primary instrument, but for my personal practice as well.
Instead of not wanting to play your primary instrument, some might say “I like playing my instrument, but I don’t understand why I have to learn general music, music technology, ukulele, etc. when I all I want to do is teach band.” My favorite thing about the JMU music education program is its ability to provide opportunities to shape our own visions. Many of my colleagues, including myself, have come into this program expecting very different instruction than what we received. It seems that through this progression, we have a broader understanding of what the potential of music education can be. It’s not about teaching a specific ensemble, but creating lifelong music experiences through meaningful forms of music-making. If it so happens that it’s through teaching band, then make it yours, make it meaningful, and make it about your students.
Another example of piecing the puzzle together, I have learned an extreme amount about playing or teaching through conducting. Before, I could not imagine what a conducting class could teach me that was more than waving my arms around in a different pattern. There is so much influence your conducting can have on an ensemble. Concepts such as articulation, style, breathing, eye contact, and so forth align perfectly with playing and teaching. If I were to ask the group to play more staccato, then I also have to conduct more staccato. If I were to ask the group to play with more conviction, I would then have to conduct with more conviction. Because I had begun to notice details like this, in ensembles or other performing groups, I had more respect and appreciation for whoever was on the podium, because I had much to learn from them. I also began to notice how difficult it can be to have so much influence on a group, and for the players to not always be conscious of it. I began to think back to times previous music directors would get on our case about playing too long or too soft, and I realized as teachers it is easy for us to blame our students than to realize we may also be contributing to the problem.
I could name numerous examples of where concepts clicked for me in the classroom, where I made connections and suddenly everything made more sense. But the most significant discovery for me is how much we make the job about our students; that's what I believe truly separates good teachers from the best ones. When I feel the students are contributing more than me, participating more than me, making more decisions than I am, doing more than I am, in the short increment hour that is our time together, that's when I feel I'm doing my job. If I can honestly say that they've learned a skill and made a connection they can take with them outside of class and even after grade school, that's when I feel I've done my job.
In conclusion, I came into this semester absolutely terrified about teaching in a real classroom. Of course, there is only so much this university can teach me, and the bulk of my growth and development will come through practice and experience. But now that I’m close to the end, I feel much more prepared and excited about teaching in a real classroom. Sometimes I forget how much I have learned throughout the past few years. During the latter half of college, I have had a lot of self doubt in my abilities to play, perform, and teach. However, my experience at JMU has offered me so many instances where I realized that although I am young and still learning, I have a lot to offer. I am qualified and prepared to teach, even if it means not being perfect. I have failed many times in this program, but I have grown and learned through every single experience.
College consists of taking puzzle pieces you already have, finding new ones, and then piecing it all together. Sometimes, we see performance and education as two separate things, but in reality they are very closely aligned. Some might say, and even I have once said, “I’m an education major, I don’t need to practice my instrument,” when that is a completely false notion. Personal practice is an opportunity for us to apply our educational ideologies on ourselves. The JMU music education program forces us to research and even brainstorm numerous teaching ideas. However, if these are concepts I’ve never tried for myself, how can I expect my students to execute these concepts? We are so used to receiving instruction and following directions, we are finally at the point in our music careers where we have to start guiding ourselves. Guiding ourselves does not have to be different than how we would guide our students. Through this, I have not only grown an even greater appreciation for my primary instrument, but for my personal practice as well.
Instead of not wanting to play your primary instrument, some might say “I like playing my instrument, but I don’t understand why I have to learn general music, music technology, ukulele, etc. when I all I want to do is teach band.” My favorite thing about the JMU music education program is its ability to provide opportunities to shape our own visions. Many of my colleagues, including myself, have come into this program expecting very different instruction than what we received. It seems that through this progression, we have a broader understanding of what the potential of music education can be. It’s not about teaching a specific ensemble, but creating lifelong music experiences through meaningful forms of music-making. If it so happens that it’s through teaching band, then make it yours, make it meaningful, and make it about your students.
Another example of piecing the puzzle together, I have learned an extreme amount about playing or teaching through conducting. Before, I could not imagine what a conducting class could teach me that was more than waving my arms around in a different pattern. There is so much influence your conducting can have on an ensemble. Concepts such as articulation, style, breathing, eye contact, and so forth align perfectly with playing and teaching. If I were to ask the group to play more staccato, then I also have to conduct more staccato. If I were to ask the group to play with more conviction, I would then have to conduct with more conviction. Because I had begun to notice details like this, in ensembles or other performing groups, I had more respect and appreciation for whoever was on the podium, because I had much to learn from them. I also began to notice how difficult it can be to have so much influence on a group, and for the players to not always be conscious of it. I began to think back to times previous music directors would get on our case about playing too long or too soft, and I realized as teachers it is easy for us to blame our students than to realize we may also be contributing to the problem.
I could name numerous examples of where concepts clicked for me in the classroom, where I made connections and suddenly everything made more sense. But the most significant discovery for me is how much we make the job about our students; that's what I believe truly separates good teachers from the best ones. When I feel the students are contributing more than me, participating more than me, making more decisions than I am, doing more than I am, in the short increment hour that is our time together, that's when I feel I'm doing my job. If I can honestly say that they've learned a skill and made a connection they can take with them outside of class and even after grade school, that's when I feel I've done my job.
In conclusion, I came into this semester absolutely terrified about teaching in a real classroom. Of course, there is only so much this university can teach me, and the bulk of my growth and development will come through practice and experience. But now that I’m close to the end, I feel much more prepared and excited about teaching in a real classroom. Sometimes I forget how much I have learned throughout the past few years. During the latter half of college, I have had a lot of self doubt in my abilities to play, perform, and teach. However, my experience at JMU has offered me so many instances where I realized that although I am young and still learning, I have a lot to offer. I am qualified and prepared to teach, even if it means not being perfect. I have failed many times in this program, but I have grown and learned through every single experience.
