Chapter 8 - Playing Music

Well, we are in the final few days of Black History Month! It is amazing the new facts that I learn every year about the journey of African-Americans. As an information buff, I enjoy watching informative documentaries and I had the opportunity to see one about Virgnia Union University, which is the institution that my father teaches french. The beginning of the documentary started with the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850. One of the integral members of the institution and its founding was captured in Massachusetts and brought to Richmond and jailed. The documentary used a combination of old pictures with music to set the stage to the narration about the story. The music was not overwhelming where it would distract from learning about the material. It is a skill in choosing the appropriate music for any presentation that it would be included. As I had suggested before with regard to humor, music should not be handled by the novice, because it is a fine line to set the mood with music verses being a distraction. In the development of future workshops, I think that music could definitely be used for transition to break the monotony and rev up the crowds emotions. Sing along songs from period music is always a winner, especially if I am singing partial words off tune to make a point on active listening. References Burmark, L. (2011), They Snooze You Lose: The Educator's Guide To Successful Presentations