Greetings,
My name is Ron Malanga and I'm in my 31st year of teaching music (4 in Orlando, 23 in Dubai & now 3 here in KC). I'm interested in dialogue on how we initiate, develop, and evaluate musicianship in ourselves and our students.
My perspectives have been derived from my experiences and understandings of the work of Gordon, Patel, Pinker, Englemann, Dweck, Limb, Kodaly, Madsen, Becker, Laban, Orff, Andreas, Dalcroze, Suzuki, Deutsch, Feierabend, et al.
My name is Ron Malanga and I'm in my 31st year of teaching music (4 in Orlando, 23 in Dubai & now 3 here in KC). I'm interested in dialogue on how we initiate, develop, and evaluate musicianship in ourselves and our students.
My perspectives have been derived from my experiences and understandings of the work of Gordon, Patel, Pinker, Englemann, Dweck, Limb, Kodaly, Madsen, Becker, Laban, Orff, Andreas, Dalcroze, Suzuki, Deutsch, Feierabend, et al.
More to the point, Dr. Edwin E. Gordon's work is paramount in my thinking when it comes to developing musicians. Dr Anirudh Patel's work as regards the neuroscience of music, and Dr. Sigfried Englemann's work in instructional design principles.
Open, honest collaboration benefits everyone. So what do you want to talk about? My list includes what talent is and isn't. That post is Talent: Deconstructed plus:
So what's on your mind? Stylistic sensitivity? Sightreading? Writing? Transcribing? I want to learn from you! And if there is a subject you'd like me to try to tackle, just ask. I try my best to be useful.
Finally, if you know any interested teachers and learners, please direct them towards this site as well.
Cheers,
:-)
Ron
Open, honest collaboration benefits everyone. So what do you want to talk about? My list includes what talent is and isn't. That post is Talent: Deconstructed plus:
- Developing musical thought: Developing Musicianship and A Great Start to Each Class
- Towards curricular merit: What Kids Need vs. What Kids Get and Gordon's Keyboard Keynote
- Physical Technique: Making Muscles Mirror Thoughts and Tips on Technique
- Rhythmic Precision: How Rhythm Really Works
- Intonation Accuracy: How Tone Really Works
- How Reading Really Works ('icons that sing'): Reading Readiness Readdressed
- Biological Bases: The Foundations of Musicianship
- Aural Comprehension: Contexts are Crucial
- Early Childhood Music: Early Childhood Essentials
- Learning to Improvise: Improvisation--The Master Skill
- Achievement Research: How DAA-gr.5 beat JC-gr.11 and Researching New Approaches
- plus some more personal musings: Music Reveals Our Reality and Notable Quotes
- And the one that gets me in trouble: There's um, nothing to...um...see here. Move along.
So what's on your mind? Stylistic sensitivity? Sightreading? Writing? Transcribing? I want to learn from you! And if there is a subject you'd like me to try to tackle, just ask. I try my best to be useful.
Finally, if you know any interested teachers and learners, please direct them towards this site as well.
Cheers,
:-)
Ron
Personal Note: Gordon’s Music Learning Theory provides the basis for most of this blog. I urge everyone to discover the efficacy of MLT. www.giml.org is a great place to start.
Great Blog....am hooked! :o)
ReplyDelete:-)
DeleteMiss seeing your regular blogs and messages:-)
DeleteHi this is Tabitha from DAA. Do you remember me?
ReplyDeleteYou know, the gawky little asian girl. You called me a cheeseball.
I'm a freshman and I have a grade 8 in piano now :D still working on violin -_-
So when you left DAA, no one told me what happened to you! And then you were replaced by Ms. Lavelle who forced me to sing songs I didn't like all the time :(
Can you tell me why you left school? Or is it insensitive to ask? According to google you're still in Dubai...
Tabitha
Hi Tabitha!! Of course I remember you! But not as gawky, and not as cheeseball, but rather as ball of cheese!!! Just kidding. I don't mind the question; it was just time to move on to a school that was willing to support this way of teaching fully. DAA wasn't that school, unfortunately. I wish you all the best, and please keep in touch.
ReplyDeleteHi! My two girls are pretty much your fans. Big Z (they are known as Z-Sisters in my blog) is very keen to pursue Music and we try to support her as much as we can. It will be good to read your thoughts here. Regards:)
ReplyDeleteThanks for the kind words, and happy reading! Your blog is lovely! I've been in Dubai for 15 years and still feel a bit touristy, so I'll have lots to glean from you too, Ishita!!!
DeleteHI Ron,
ReplyDeleteKaramah Aweidah suggested you as a good person to contact as she knew you a few years back in Dubai. I am working in Jordan and I've just started teaching IB Music and supervising the Extended Essay for IB. As far as I know I'm the only one in the country running this subject. I could really do with asking a couple of questions to help me with it. Would you mind me asking you a couple of questions? Karamah said you had experience in teaching IB Music. My email is rgardner@abs.edu.jo and I'm teaching at Amman Baccalaureate School. If you're happy to help could you drop me an email? Many thanks :-)
Will do what I can!
ReplyDeletehi mr malanga it fay from horizon in yr 6 last year. i was wondering how you sing high notes without straining my voice because i really want to sing this song which has a high note and it hurts my voice. could u help me?
ReplyDeleteLife is good in my new school but our new music teacher doesnt really train us in music and she makes us learn about music like authors and all that. Really miss u and your teaching mr malanga. pls keep in touch!
ReplyDeleteHi Fay,
DeleteMiss you too, kiddo!! What's the song, because some songs, like Ariana Grande's "One Less Problem Without You" take a HUGE chest register.
Hi Mr Malanga, the song is chandelier by sia. i cant seem to hit the note in the chorus. Yeah i really like one less problem without you. the songs awesome!
ReplyDeleteHope to see lots of Blogging over the Summer months...
ReplyDelete:o)
Hi Mr Malanga. It's Fay. And I recently wrote lyrics to a song. I want to you to help me use the piano to make a melody along with it. I really need assistance and I'm new to this song writing. If you could help me that would be great. I want to write this song before December this year. I am coming back one week before school starts. If it's okay with your permission could i pop in and you have a look at this song? This is my dream. It would be an HONOUR for you to help. Thanks
ReplyDeleteHi Mr.Malanga!
ReplyDeleteI'd like to know more about Early Childhood Classes @Horizon!
If you could plz mention the days and time these classes are run and whether they are free / if not ,the cost! Regards
Hi Ron. We just talked on Facebook Messager :) Great blog! One thing I haven't been able to find while researching MLT is much video on the process. Any chance you could post a video and commentary of your kids learning a new wordless song? From introducing it to having them move with flow to doing macro/micro beats to having them sing it. That's all in one lesson usually, right? I've searched Youtube and there are hardly any classroom videos from MLT teachers. If you have the time to post this, I'd greatly appreciate it. I'm sure others would, too...
ReplyDeleteHi Mr. Malanga,
ReplyDeleteI just wanted to know if you are the same Mr. Malanga who used to teach passionately about music to a bunch of delinquents in Sharjah American International School back in the late 90's. (if you were that same teacher then I was one of those delinquents who pretended to hate music just to fit in with the cool local kids and oh boy was I wrong. If you are that Mr. Malanga then you might not remember me cause it was a really long time ago, around 20 years ago)
Your ex-student (or not depending on how you answer this post) Mohammed Alserkal
ps.
If you decide to google me to find out how I look like I'll save you the trouble and link you my facebook page https://www.facebook.com/mohammed.serkal
Yes, Mohammed; it's me. So nice to get reacquainted with you. SAIS students weren't delinquent, merely...boisterous! :-) Please keep in touch!
DeleteHello Mr. Malanga! I hope you still remember me from KHDA's What Works! I attended your workshop and was fascinated by your talk. We are organizing this series of talks which will take place in our office in DIFC, and as a passionate amateur musician I would really like for you to join as a speaker. Let me know if you are interested, and I can provide more info! My email is alrox71@gmail.com. Looking forward to hearing back!
ReplyDeleteAnnie,
ReplyDeleteYes, I remember you. Thank you for the kind words about my presentation. I am always interested to share. Feel free to email me or call me with more details.
Kind regards,
Ron Malanga
0506965767
Hi mr malanga,
ReplyDeleteI don’t know if you remember me (it’s been a long time now) ;) but you taught me in horizon. As you probably knew I wasn’t very happy and I moved schools because of this. You were one of the best teachers I’ve ever had and I still remember to this day when you helped me in progressing in the choir you put together at lunch. As you may of seen I’ve been very busy musically and I’ve learnt guitar. This would not have been made possible without your massive help and absolutely brilliant guidance and I just want to thank you for everything you did for me while I was in horizon. You always made coming to school, music class and even giving up my lunch for choir fun and I always was soooo excited for my next music class! You helped me through some really tough times and the day I left the school the only reason I was crying was because I’d miss you. Through all the ups and downs you always seemed to find away to make me smile and make me laugh and have fun. And for that I really do thank you,
Kai
Woohoo!! Did I just get a shout-out FROM Kai-TheMusicGuy!?! I am, like your biggest fan!! :-)
DeleteIn all seriousness, thank you for the kind words. I couldn't be more pleased for whatever small role I played in your wonderful success. I played your video (MUN opening) to my students. Needless to say, you have a fan base growing back at Horizon!!
This is amazing. How did I never hear of MLT before?
ReplyDelete