Krystal Prime Banfield grew up in Detroit in the golden age of Motown, but she says there was a distinct difference between \u201cschool\u201d music and \u201coutside of school\u201d music.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI had young parents who lived through the US civil rights movement and their music was very uplifting and inspiring,\u201d she says, \u201cbut this cultural phenomenon was not a part of my educational experience.\u201d
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dr. Banfield is the vice president of education outreach and social entrepreneurship at Berklee College of Music, and one of Berklee Online\u2019s newest course authors, with her massive open online course, Teaching Popular Music in the Classroom<\/em>. Dr. Banfield doesn\u2019t just want to teach popular music, she wants to inspire others to teach it as well. She says that by choosing to leave out contemporary music from music education, teachers are disregarding the experiences of their students. \u201cIf you don\u2019t validate or recognize a person\u2019s history, then you are treating them as if they are not as relevant,\u201d she says. As the overseer of Berklee\u2019s City Music program, Dr. Banfield is immersed in current musical expression of all varieties. The program focuses on creative youth development in contemporary music, dance, musical theater, entrepreneurship, and music production. Through City Music, she has also helped create a large network of contemporary music partnerships across the globe, which\u2014like the teaching of popular music\u2014is designed to keep kids engaged with what they\u2019re learning, and to help them feel supported. \u201cWe found that the schools that partner with the programs in a way where they come up with smart goals and expectations, they develop a concentric circle for the child that allows them to flourish,\u201d she says. What is the circle Dr. Banfield is talking about? \u201cIt\u2019s like having a support system where the school can\u2019t always do everything, the parent can\u2019t always do everything, but together they can speak to how they can support the child,\u201d she says. \u201cIf you can\u2019t find the time, find the partnerships.\u201d As you progress through the Teaching Popular Music <\/em>course, Dr. Banfield and her colleague David Alexis discuss how you, as an educator, can start to build a contemporary music ensemble in your classroom and impart the fundamentals to students through newer music. Each lesson challenges you to rethink preconceived ideas about contemporary music and instead focus on how this type of music is shaping the lives of you and your students. \u201cThere are so many opportunities to enliven music education and I hope that the teachers are inspired by the conversations that David and I are having,\u201d she says. \u201cWhat\u2019s important is that you know your students, the classroom makeup, and allow the students the opportunity to be expressive in the music they make.\u201d
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n