A1 Baroque Phrasing Excerpts

Name: Charles Moe

Competency: A1

Artifact Title: Baroque Phrasing Excerpts

Artifact Type: Excerpts from text on Baroque music phrasing by Weston H. Noble, professor emeritus at Luther College, Decorah, Iowa

Rationale for Inclusion: By reading these excerpts I have gained a better ability to identify and analyze representative musical forms, style and performance contexts, performance media and composers and compositions of western music. Musical performance practices differ depending on the period in which the music was written. These excerpts present just a few rules to be followed when performing music written during the Baroque period. Because so much choral music was written during this period it is inevitable that as a vocal music teacher I will be performing some of this music with my choir. Therefore it is important that the music be performed in the most accurate style possible. Not only that but the passing along of this information may prove useful to any of my students who plan on studying music in the future. This information can also be found in the book, Creating the Special World: A Collection of Lectures by Weston H. Noble edited by Steven M. Demorest and published by GIA publications Inc of Chicago.

A1 Music History Transcript

Name: Charles Moe

Competency: A1

Artifact Title: Music History Transcript

Artifact Type: Official College Transcript proving experience in the subject of Music History.

Rationale for Inclusion: This transcript documents my ability to identify and analyze representative musical forms, styles, performance contexts, performance media, and composers and compositions of western music, and describe the musical traditions, contexts and characteristics of diverse and representative world cultures.
During my time as an Undergrad at Luther College in Decorah, Iowa, I was required to attend classes in Music History. These classes covered the periods of Antiquity to 1750 (this included the Baroque Period), the Classical Period, the Romantic Period, and the Contemporary Period. Antiquity, Classical, and Romantic primarily covered the history of Western classical music. However, Contemporary expanded that spectrum to include modern avant garde music, rock music, as well as music from other world cultures. It is my hope that I can use the knowledge gained in these classes to enrich my own methods of teaching in order to provide my students with a more meaningful and in depth musical experience.

A2 Vocal Production Quiz

Name: Charles Moe

Competency: A2

Artifact Title: Vocal Production Quiz

Artifact Type: A multiple-choice quiz on the Vocal Production Unit

Rationale for Inclusion: This quiz demonstrates a basic knowledge of vocal development and production. this quiz on the Vocal Production Unit sets up students for success by offering the multiple-choice format. Many of the questions avoid "tricking" the student. I like this because my goal as a teacher is to make sure that the students gain the knowledge that will help them in their further study, not to fool them. However that does not mean that the questions are all "easy." some of the answers while incorrect for this unit, may pertain to instruction they have received from other places. "Sit up straight" for example is a direction that is taught in a different way in this particular unit. Therefore it is still important that the students pay attention during the lectures.

A2 Vocal Production Unit

Name: Charles Moe

Competency: A2

Artifact Title: Vocal Production Unit

Artifact Type: A classroom unit on Vocal Production that I taught during my secondary level student teaching placement at Cambridge-Isanti High School in Cambridge, MN.

Rationale for Inclusion: This unit demonstrates a basic knowledge of vocal development and production. During the period of my student teaching at Cambridge-Isanti High School, I used a week to teach this unit to the Varsity Choir (this was the ensemble I worked with primarily). This unit gives an overview of the physical parts of the body that make up the human voice, how the whole body is connected as one coordinated system, and proper breathing. These techniques are extremely important to the practice of successful singing but are rarely touched upon so directly. This unit is definitely something I will use in my own classroom.

A4 Recorder Transcript

Name: Charles Moe

Competency: A4

Artifact Title: Recorder Transcript

Artifact Type: An official college transcript highlighting Private Instruction in Recorder

Rationale for Inclusion: This transcript demonstrates that I hold the basic skills for playing typical classroom instruments including recorder or fretted instruments. As this transcript shows I studied recorder privately during the Spring Semester of 2005. During these lessons I studied the proper technique for fingering, tonguing, and playing the recorder. I also participated as a recorder player in a renaissance musical ensemble called "Collegium Musicum." I also twice appeared as a recorder soloist with the men's choir "Norsemen" at Luther College.

A7 Ear Training Transcript

Name: Charles Moe

Competency: A7

Artifact Title Ear Training Transcript

Artifact Type: Official College Transcript Highlighting Ear Training

Rationale for Inclusion: Competency A7 requires that a teacher of vocal and classroom music be able to identify and reproduce intervals, scales, and chord structures. This college transcript displays that I enrolled in Ear Training I, II, III, and IV during my first 4 semesters respectfully at Luther College in Decorah, Iowa. As a student in this class I was required to be able to read music based on solfege and be able to recognize the modes of scales, and the degree of intervals based solely upon hearing them. As my grades show, I completed these tasks successfully.

A8 Difficult Literature

Name: Charles Moe

Competency: A8

Artifact Title: Difficult Literature

Artifact Type: "O Gladsome Light" by Gretchaninoff, and example of choral literature at the difficult level.

Rationale for Inclusion: Standard A8 requires that a teacher of vocal music be able to demonstrate a basic knowledge of approaches to general music instruction materials, and literature for students of varying abilities. This selection, "O Gladsome Light" by Alexander Gretchaninoff, is an example of literature at the "Difficult Level" and it would therefore be best suited for a choir with singers of a more advanced musical ability. There are several factors that make this piece "difficult;" first of all it is 8 part SSAATTBB music meaning that to even attempt such a piece a choir must be large enough to accommodate all 8 parts and must have singers with enough ability to hold those parts with confidence and clarity. Another factor that contributes to the difficulty of the piece is the range. The lows for the basses and the highs for the sopranos can be quite extreme at times. By being able to recognize these factors and realize that this music is for students of a more advanced level of ability, I have shown that I fulfill the requirement of competency A8.

A8 Easy Literature

Name: Charles Moe

Competency: A8

Artifact Title: Easy Literature

Artifact Type: "In the Bleak Midwinter" arr. by Brad Printz. This is an example of choral literature at the Easy Level.

Rationale for Inclusion: Competency A8 requires that a teacher of vocal music be able to demonstrate a basic knowledge of approaches to general music instruction, materials, and literature for students of varying abilities. This selection, "In the Bleak Midwinter" arr. by Brad Printz, is an example of literature at the "Easy Level." Music at this level would generally be suited for a choir that is young, very small, or of limited musical ability. There are several reasons why this music is considered to be "easy." First of all, it is only 2-Parts, because of the cleffs we assume that these parts are Women on Part I and Men on Part II. Songs like this generally rely on accompaniments with a lot going on to make the song more interesting. We see that in this case with the piano and handbell parts. On the other hand such songs can be charming in their simplicity. We can also see that the vocal ranges do not venture far into the extremes as they do in the Difficult Literature selection for example. This is also a fairly familiar tune in the world of western music; this is yet another factor that contributes to the song's ease. The easiness of this song helps to ensure the success of the students even if they are not members of the most advanced choral ensemble. By being able to recognize these factors and realize that this music is well suited for students of more limited musical ability, I have fulfilled competency A8.

A8 Intermediate Literature

Name: Charles Moe

Competency: A8

Artifact Title: Intermediate Literature

Artifact Type: "Little David Play On Your Harp" arr. by Paul J. Christiansen, an example of choral literature at the intermediate level.

Rationale for Inclusion: Competency A8 requires that a teacher of vocal music be able to demonstrate a basic knowledge of approaches to general music instruction, materials, and literature for students of varying ability. This selection, "Little David Play On Your Harp" arr. by Paul J. Christiansen, is an example of literature at the "Intermediate Level" and it would be well suited for a choir containing singers of an intermediate musical ability. As it can be seen, the technical and musical demands are somewhere between the easy and the difficult levels. For example, there is an option of doing the song a cappella or with piano accompaniment. It can also be seen that the vocal ranges do not go too far to the extreme on either the high or the low end. Not only that but the song rarely leaves the confines of four parts. By being able to recognize these factors and realize that this music is for students of at least an intermediate ability, I have shown that I fulfill the requirement of competency A8.

A8 Kodaly 1st Grade

Name: Charles Moe

Competency: A8

Artifact Title: Kodaly 1st Grade

Artifact Type: Monthly melodic and rhythmic Kodaly teaching subjects for 1st graders

Rationale for Inclusion: Competency A8 requires that a teacher be able to demonstrate a basic knowledge of approaches to general music instruction, materials, and literature for students of varying abilities. The attached pages are a teacher's guide to educational methods for teaching rhythmic and melodic concepts to 1st grade music students. Each concept is split up on a monthly basis and the headings of "Prepare the new learning," "Make the children consciously aware of the new learning," and "Reinforce the new learning through practice" aid the teacher in relaying the new material to the students. At this level the students begin to learn simple melodic and rhythmic concepts. During my student teaching at the elementary level (Kindergarten through 2nd grade) I concentrated on the solfege pitches of Sol, La, and Mi and concentrated on quarter and eighth notes with the occasional quarter rest.

A8 Kodaly 2nd Grade

Name: Charles Moe

Competency: A8

Artifact Title: Kodaly 2nd Grade

Artifact Type: A monthly teacher's guide to teaching melodic and rhythmic concepts through the Kodaly method for 2nd grade

Rationale for Inclusion: Competency A8 requires that a teacher be able to demonstrate a basic knowledge of approaches to general music instruction, materials, and literature for students of varying abilities. What we see here is a monthly guide to aid teachers in using the Kodaly approach to music education. This particular guide is designed to fit into the 2nd grade musical curriculum. During my time student teaching I focused on the Half note as it appears in the 4/4 time signature. This can be found highlighted in the September section of Rhythmic learning. I also focused on using the pitches of Do and Re along with the pitches of La, Mi, and Sol that were learned in first grade. This can be found in the September and October sections of Melodic learning. Once again these concepts were my primary focus for 2nd grade during my elementary placement.

A8 Kodaly 3rd Grade

Name: Charles Moe

Competency: A8

Artifact Title: Kodaly 3rd Grade

Artifact Type: A monthly teacher's guide to teaching melodic and rhythmic concepts through the Kodaly method for 3rd grade

Rationale for Inclusion: Competency A8 requires that a teacher be able to demonstrate a basic knowledge of approaches to general music instruction, materials, and literature for students of varying abilities. What we see here is a monthly guide to aid teachers in using the Kodaly approach to music education. This particular guide is designed to fit into the 3rd grade musical curriculum. As it can be seen this guide looks a little more sophisticated than its 1st and 2nd grade counterparts. Instead of graphics such as hearts or stems without note-heads we start to see actual notes. More complex ideas such as syncopation are also introduced. After teaching 1st and 2nd grade students in this fashion I would not hesitate to use this method for teaching 3rd graders as well.

A8 Kodaly 5th Grade

Name: Charles Moe

Competency: A8

Artifact Title: Kodaly 5th Grade

Artifact Type: A monthly teacher's guide to teaching melodic and rhythmic concepts through the Kodaly method for 5th grade.

Rationale for Inclusion: Competency A8 requires that a teacher be able to demonstrate a basic knowledge of approaches to general music instruction, materials, and literature for students of varying abilities. What we see here is a monthly guide to aid teachers in using the Kodaly approach to music education. This particular guide is designed to fit into the 5th grade musical curriculum. As it can be seen, the 5th grade guide has some major changes. No longer are we dealing simply with the broad spectrum of "Rhythmic and Melodic" ideas but rather we now see the concepts of "Rhythm and Meter" along with "Melody, Theory, and Harmony." We also begin to see more complicated rhythms, such as dotted 8th 16th rhythms. After teaching 1st and 2nd grade students in this fashion I would not hesitate to use this method for teaching 5th graders as well.

A9 Sight-singing Sheet

Name: Charles Moe

Competency: A9

Artifact Title: Sight-singing Sheet

Artifact Type: An example of Sight-singing exercises used during my secondary placement at Cambridge-Isanti High School in Cambridge, MN.

Rationale for Inclusion: While I was student teaching at Cambridge-Isanti High School sight-singing was typically a daily occurrence. Many teachers use pre-published sight-singing exercises, but it was found that those exercises did not meet the needs of the students at Cambridge-Isanti High School. Therefore a series of new exercises was created. The creation and presentation of these exercises relied heavily upon technology. First of all these exercises were created using Finale® music notation computer software. The exercises were then printed off and made into plastic transparencies. Each day a transparency was projected onto a screen using an overhead projector and the students worked on each exercise as a group. By including this I have demonstrated the understandings and skills necessary to choose appropriate current technology and integrate its use into instruction for music classroom and ensemble settings in kindergarten through grade 12.

A9 Whiteboard Rhythms

Name: Charles Moe

Competency: A9

Artifact Title: Whiteboard Rhythms

Artifact Type: These are reproductions of rhythms written on the board for songs that were taught in 1st and 2nd grade.

Rationale for Inclusion: Once piece of technology that we tend to overlook is the whiteboard. While we often take this tool for granted it has proven time and time again to be an invaluable piece of classroom technology. While I was at my elementary student teaching placement at South Elementary in Princeton, MN, I made sure that the students had a firm grasp of the rhythm of a song before we started to learn the pitches. I found that the whiteboard was very helpful in providing a visual aspect to these rhythms. The two examples presented here are reproductions of rhythms that were actually taught in class. The first, "Bow, wow, wow" was for 1st grade students; the second, "The Harvest Song" was for 2nd grade students. I firmly believe that without these helpful visuals it would have taken students a longer period of time to learn these rhythms. By providing these examples I have demonstrated the understandings and skills necessary to choose appropriate current technology and integrate its use into instruction for music classroom and ensemble settings in kindergarten through grade 12.

A10 Continent Song

Name: Charles Moe

Competency: A10

Artifact Title: Continent Song

Artifact Type: A song written to help students memorize the names of all 7 continents

Rationale for Inclusion: Competency A10 requires that a teacher of vocal music be able to demonstrate a basic knowledge of the interrelationship of music with other art forms and disciplines. The "Continent Song" is designed to aid in teaching the discipline of geography. Songs like this can be very helpful when it comes to memorizing information.

B1 Nordic Program

Name: Charles Moe

Competency: B1

Artifact Title: Nordic Program

Artifact Type: Program for the 2008 Nordic Choir Winter Concert Tour

Rationale for Inclusion: Competency B1 states that a teacher of vocal music must be able to demonstrate advanced vocal ensemble performance. This program documents that I was indeed part of such a group. For over 60 years the Nordic Choir has been the preeminent touring ensemble of Luther College. The choir specializes in a cappella music from the Baroque through the Contemporary period. The choir tours nationally on an annual basis and internationally every three years. This program, from the 2008 national winter concert tour, displays the repertoire done that year as well as a list of personnel. My name can be found on page 8 under the heading of "Tenor II." By singing in the Nordic Choir for three years I have participated in an advanced vocal ensemble.

B3 Conducting Transcript

Name: Charles Moe

Competency: B3

Artifact Title: Conducting Transcript

Artifact Type: Official college transcript highlighting Conducing classes

Rationale for Inclusion: Competency B3 requires that a teacher of vocal music must be able to interpret choral scores with an understanding of range, tessitura, phrasing, diction, and articulation. This is an image of an official college transcript from Luther College in Decorah, Iowa. It can be seen that I took two conducting classes during the 2006-2007 academic year. In fall of 2006 I took "Intro to Conducting" and during the spring of 2007 I took "Conducting: Choral." This was an advanced conducting course specializing in the field of choral music. Both classes were taught by Dr. Craig Arnold, director of choral activities, and thus had a heavy emphasis on choral music. This means that while I was enrolled in this class I read choral scores almost exclusively. Not only that but I had to conduct several scores in class all the while being conscious of elements such as range, tessitura, phrasing, diction, and articulation.

B3 Difficult Literature

Name: Charles Moe

Competency B3

Artifact Title: Difficult Literature

Artifact Type: "O Gladsome Light" by A. Gretchaninoff, this piece qualifies as "difficult literature."

Rationale for Inclusion: Competency B3 requires that a teacher of vocal music be able to interpret choral music scores with an understanding of range, tessitura, phrasing, diction and articulation. A piece such as "O Gladsome Light" is full of such factors for which to watch. First of all the piece is in English (translated) and it is very important that the language be pronounced clearly because since this is primarily an English speaking country it is important that the audience be able to understand the text. It is also important that all the vowels be unified from person to person; this will help with keeping the song in tune. there are also great extremes in the high and low ranges. Before choosing to perform a piece like this you must make sure that you have singers that have the ability to sing the notes. The score is filled with all sorts of written instruction to indicate how the piece should be phrased . These directions typically take form in the shape of dynamic markings. However the conductor must constantly be aware of which words are important and where the strong beats are. This awareness will help the musical phrasing immensely.