Pop-Culture Pedagogy in the Music Classroom by unknow

Author:unknow
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Scarecrow Press
Published: 2013-08-15T00:00:00+00:00

Figure 9.3. Schematic of a DDR lab station, indicating proper placement of AV cart, television, dance pads, and wireless sound equipment

It is important to remember that DDR is a physical activity, although a low-impact one. To counteract the additive effects of body heat, the lab room should be kept cool and dry through proper ventilation. Yet even if care is taken in this regard, a good number of students will perspire within minutes of starting their dance session. The syllabus is a good place to make students aware of this possibility and remind them to hydrate properly before and after they practice. If a student needs to dress well on a particular day for a recital, he or she should be encouraged to change clothes or to attend the lab on an alternate day.

4. The instructor should remain flexible

The initial installment of a DDR curriculum will create a number of new stresses for instructors and class members. As long as the equipment is maintained, the requirements are fair, and everyone is willing to work together, however, there is no reason for any of these stresses to become unmanageable. Students, for their part, must be open to trying something new. Most will begin the semester in this frame of mind, quite willing at first to sacrifice more time and dignity to the pursuit of aural skills than they originally anticipated. To help preserve this delicate condition, instructors must do all they can to make clear their good faith and intentions regarding this new class requirement.

Previous discussion touched on some in-class ideas for convincing students of the value of DDR practice. Equally important is that the students feel that the demands concerning this course element are fair. To maintain this perception, it may be necessary for instructors to employ greater flexibility than they customarily would. As a result of unexpected lab closures, students should be allowed to make up missed work. Students should be granted at least one or two chances to make up lab absences. By the end of the semester, more than half of the class will need it, and all will appreciate it.

The above four considerations represent a mixture of policies that actually were implemented and policies that we wish had been implemented in our one-semester classroom trial of DDR. We have repeatedly reported a positive response to the program; this, we feel, had much to do with our ability to anticipate many of the issues listed above. Where student resistance and dissatisfaction were encountered, it resulted more often from philosophical shortcomings—specifically, the students’ lack of faith in the pedagogy—than from glitches in delivery. In making plans to reinstate DDR as an element of aural skills, we intend to follow all of our own advice printed above. Special care will be taken to follow the recommendations of heading 2, as that is the area that originally proved least successful.

At the same time, it is important that we not overlook some further ramifications brought up by consideration 4, concerning flexibility. Simply invoking this topic offers a most fitting way to conclude the first part of this essay.

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