Assignments/Readings
The following is my narrative of the article above:
I found the whole article to be very interesting. From what is an ‘invisible student’ to how to work with them. I enjoyed that the article was a similar to a how-to guide for music teachers (or teachers in general) how to deal with ‘outsiders’ and bring them from outside the circle to within. At first I was shocked that invisible students exist, because I have never seen them. In my personal experience, band was a reunion of sorts, where different social groups or friend circles are reunited through one big thing: music. The further I went through the article I remembered how through my four years of band, there were ‘invisible students’(students who are challenged socially within music programs and have become overlooked in daily classes and rehearsals). However, they soon became visible through our band director’s idea that band is one collective community. Breathe together, play together! The author mentions that the majority of interactions with ‘normal’ and ‘invisible’ students tend to be awkward, short, and often don’t occur again. Furthermore,the article mentions that teens tend to separate themselves from those who are different. Which, in my opinion, is similar to how animals separate or leave weaker members behind. Are people who are different weaker than ‘us’? Are ‘we’ the strong ones? I don’t think society is open minded enough to see past the barrier which visible and invisible individuals are separated. This disappoints me because we, as humans, should know better! Unfortunately, I believe this is due to the normalcy created by our ever changing society. I understand that possibly the biggest reason this article was written is because ‘invisible students’ actually exist somewhere and the fact that they might never enjoy band as much as I do frustrates me. I believe that band was had one of the biggest and most positive impact on me as a being and without it I wouldn’t be the man I am today. The author even says “Music is an interactive, social experience for many who participate. Many make relationships that last a lifetime.”(Hourigan, page 35). This is a fact! I to this day, am in contact with possibly my best friends for life that I would probably have never met if it weren’t for band! I would like to thank this author for writing this article as it can open doors for not only educators but individuals in general. Also, if the author isn’t doing this already, I think it would be a great idea to present their thoughts to others through workshops, or making it to a school and teaching a class or to with the educator that is already there. Hourigan, R. M. (2009). The invisible student: Understanding social identity construction within performing ensembles. Music Educators Journal, 34-38.
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