Teaching Philosophy
When people ask me what I teach, I used to have trouble coming up with a succinct answer because I taught for many years in a general education program that incorporates professional development and applied learning. Some semesters I taught Humanities, Professional Development, Freshman writing, and Internship reflection. Now I teach music courses in the Department of Theatre and Music Studies. But wherever I am, I think of teaching as conversations, not just between me and the students but also among the students themselves. While my goals are for the students to develop skills that they should use in later classes and ideally the rest of their lives, I also help them find ways to apply what they're learning. I am always learning along with my students, deepening my understanding of whatever the course is about through our conversations.
Fall 2020 Courses
Introduction to Music teaches students how to read music and play the recorder at a basic level. It is required for Arts for Children Majors at Brockport and a prerequisite for Music Minors. It fulfills the General Education requirements for Fine Arts with Performance. And yes, I am teaching people how to play the recorder in an online course.
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World Music explores music from around the world from the perspective of listening. We tour the world through music and the cultures that produce it. We begin in Europe end in China and Japan, and touch many other cultures in between. This course fulfills the General Education requirements for Fine Arts without Performance and World Civilizations. I'm teaching two sections online.
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Music Appreciation explores the history of western classical music through listening to and analyzing examples that form part of the canon (ooh, a bad word). We examine not just what the music sounds like, but also the contexts in which it was and is currently performed. This course fulfills the General Education requirement for Fine Arts without Performance. I am teaching this course online.
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Spring 2019 Courses
In Delta I'm teaching Aesthetic Expression. This course introduces students to the arts in western and other cultures. Our main question for the semester will be: Is it art? And if it’s art, is it any good? We may disagree on both points. The art theory book will give us some guidance on how people in the past have evaluated things. What kinds of things? Images of western art found in museums; things you normally think of as art. But then we will delve into how other
cultures produce and evaluate art. We'll also produce some art on our own and go on field trips to see art in Brockport. The students present their creative endeavors at the Delta World Conference on April 27. Here is the syllabus.
In Delta I'm also teaching Human Heritage 2. This course introduces students to the arts and humanities primarily in Western Culture. This semester we're exploring Fairy Tales. The stories told to us and the stories we tell to ourselves. We will apply different critical frameworks to fairy tales, then use them as the basis for creating new works. The students present their creative endeavors at the Delta World Conference on April 27. Here is the syllabus.
World Music is a course in Theatre and Music Studies. In this class we are touring the world through music and the cultures that produce it. We begin in Europe end in China and Japan, and touch many other cultures in between. Here is the syllabus for the course.
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Fall 2018 Courses
Arts in Society is a course in Delta College that helps students understand how the arts (broadly defined) function in the United States. We're focusing on the visual arts in this section. We're surveying the Isms of the 20th century, then moving into all kinds of contemporary art. We not only analyze art works, but also make some of our own. These will be displayed at the fall symposium on December 2. Here is the syllabus.
Interdisciplinary Studies Seminar is another Delta Course, this time all about MUSIC. This semester we're investigating music from the scientific, aesthetic, and even historic perspectives. Our goal is to find our own answers to the question--is music essential or just a frill?
World Music is a course in Theatre and Music Studies. In this class we are touring the world through music and the cultures that produce it. We begin in Europe end in China and Japan, and touch many other cultures in between. I'm teaching it both online and in person. Here is the syllabus for the course.
Spring 2018 Courses
In Delta I'm teaching Aesthetic Expression. This course introduces students to the arts in western and other cultures. Our main question for the semester will be: Is it art? And if it’s art, is it any good? We may disagree on both points. The art theory book will give us some guidance on how people in the past have evaluated things. What kinds of things? Images of western art found in museums; things you normally think of as art. But then we will delve into how other
cultures produce and evaluate art. We'll also produce some art on our own and go on field trips to see art in Brockport. The students present their creative endeavors at the Delta World Conference on April 28. Here is the syllabus.
In Delta I'm also teaching Human Heritage 2. This course introduces students to the arts and humanities primarily in Western Culture. We begin with learning how things mean in our culture, using the techniques of semiotics. What kinds of things? Naturally, art, music, dance, and literature (what you expected), but also clothing, buildings, personal space, popular culture. We explore these ideas using a variety of means, including reading source materials, examining works from different cultures, and making our own art. The students present their creative endeavors at the Delta World Conference on April 28. Here is the syllabus.
World Music is a course in Theatre and Music Studies. In this class we are touring the world through music and the cultures that produce it. We begin in Europe end in China and Japan, and touch many other cultures in between. Here is the syllabus for the course.
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Fall 2017 Courses
Arts in Society is a course in Delta College that helps students understand how the arts (broadly defined) function in the United States. We're focusing on the visual arts in this section. We're surveying the Isms of the 20th century, then moving into all kinds of contemporary art. We not only analyze art works, but also make some of our own. These will be displayed at the fall symposium on December 2. Here is the syllabus.
World Music is a course in Theatre and Music Studies. In this class we are touring the world through music and the cultures that produce it. We begin in Australia, end in the United States, and touch many other cultures in between. Here is the syllabus for the course.
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I am also mentoring the Delta Capstones this semester.
Spring 2017 Courses
This semester I'm teaching only Aesthetic Expression. This course introduces students to the arts in western and other cultures. We begin with learning how things mean in our culture, using the techniques of semiotics. What kinds of things? Naturally, art, music, dance, and literature (what you expected), but also clothing, buildings, personal space, popular culture. We explore these ideas using a variety of means, including reading source materials, examining works from different cultures, and making our own art. The students present their creative endeavors at the Delta World Conference on April 22. Here is the syllabus.
Society & Culture introduces Delta's first year students to the social sciences as they can be applied to the ancient world. It ties in nicely with what they do in Human Heritage 1. This semester we will focus on how people lived in ancient cities. The semester culminates in a group project presented at the Fall Symposium on December 3.
Fall 2016 Courses
Arts in Society examines the interrelationships between the arts and the society that produces them. We begin with the artistic movements of the 20th century, seeking to be able to identify their unique characteristics in the visual arts, music, theatre, and literature. Some days we discuss and analyze works, other days we create our own.
Interdisciplinary Studies Seminar is once again all about MUSIC. This semester we're investigating music from the scientific, aesthetic, and even historic perspectives. Our goal is to find our own answers to the question--is music essential or just a frill?