He credits both for equipping him with the “open-mindedness and tenacity” necessary for getting hired and becoming successful at his job. Student teaching in the Music, Media & Entertainment Technology program at Huntington Beach High School in Orange County, California gave him hands-on experience. The Emerging Methods music education course at Cal State Long Beach provided Phung with popular music pedagogical training. And he’s in charge of the marching, jazz, and pep bands in addition to coordinating the winter percussion ensembles. He currently teaches two string orchestras, two bands, and a percussion class. Nathan Phung, B.M., Music Education & Piano Performance, California State University, Long Beach (’13), is convinced his background and experience in popular music helped him land a high school instrumental teaching job in San Bernardino, California. They also need experiences in facilitating songwriting and other negotiated creative learning environments.” Landing a job
They “need to know how to navigate things like sound systems, recording, technology, iPads, drum sets, drum machines, guitars, and basses. Music educators should be effective in a variety of inclusive contexts, he says. In his research and teaching, Cremata focuses on music technology as a “familiar digital platform” from which children can explore their ideas. “Experience in planning and teaching popular music in collaborative student-led music settings,” is also essential, he says.
As a “teacher of teachers,” he says that prospective music educators need more than traditional conducting and general music in their music education training. Radio Cremata, assistant professor of Music Education at Ithaca College School of Music, is committed to ensuring that music education is universally available. and utilize materials available to them if the resources are not available to support a traditional band.” This training also gives a teacher the option to offer to teach alternate ensembles such as rock, folk, mariachi, steel pan, etc. An example of this would be doing rhythmic warm ups with a classical choir using a cell phone drum machine app that you can easily hook up to classroom speakers. “Even as a teacher of a traditional ensemble such as band, orchestra, or choir, techniques of popular music education can be employed to meet students in a place where they are more comfortable and willing to learn. Dan Zanutto to introduce prospective teachers to popular music styles, instruments, and techniques. “Emerging Methods” is a class she took in college with Dr. “Alternative approaches to teaching music are invaluable for teachers of this generation because we are faced with the task of upholding traditions of music education while at the same time piquing the interest of a new generation of students,” says Kaelynn Newton, B.M., Music Education, Choral-Vocal Music, California State University, Long Beach (’15). For music education to be more accessible to the other 80%, additional strategies are essential. According to Bryan Powell, director of programs at Amp Up NYC (see below), traditional school music programs work for approximately only 20% of K-12 students.