Stuff Costs Money! Bumps In The Road to the PhD, Episode 4

So, it would seem that capitalism has gotten the best of me; stuff costs money!  If you have been following my adventures, you know that I have resolved to do more reading.  I figured it was a noble pursuit deserving of a cushy, comfortable, reclining armchair.  If I am going to be doing all that reading, I should have a nice place to do it.  Right?  ... Wrong!  Recliners are expensive!  I spent my whole Thursday shopping for a recliner that I didn't buy.  If anyone hears of a furniture store going out of business, let me know!  Yes, yes, I know I can get some used stuff on Craigslist.  But, I am too paranoid about bringing bedbugs home in the cushions.

This past week in Psychology of Music Learning and Behavior, we touched on an interesting topic I'd never given much thought: cochlear implants.  Truthfully, I didn't really know anything about them other than their ability to provide hearing to the deaf.  It turns out, though, that the sounds the cochlear implants create do not really recreate the way the natural ear hears sound.  She posed an ethical question to us - one for which I have not yet formulated an answer.  She asked us if it is ethical for parents to give their young children cochlear implants, fully understanding that their children's sound experience will not be a natural hearing experience and taking into account how well modern society accommodates the deaf.  (Talk amongst yourselves).

So, I decided to read some research this week regarding cochlear implants.  I found a study which sought to determine the ability of prelingually and congenitally deaf children to recognize popular songs as well as their ability to discriminate pitches.  The performed three experiments involving the cochlear implants.

1) They compared the ability of children with cochlear implants and children with normal hearing to recognize popular music,
2) they compared the ability of children with cochlear implants and children with normal hearing to detect changes in pitch, and
3) they compared the ability of children with cochlear implants and children with normal hearing to identify changes in melodic content.

The study found that, across all the experiments, children with cochlear implants performed worse than children with normal hearing.  The did determine that children with cochlear implants were able to recognize popular music from the commercial recordings and from instrumental tracks of the tunes and that children with cochlear implants were able to detect changes in pitch as minute as half of a semitone.  Children with cochlear implants, however, were not able to detect changes in melodic content in a statistically significant way.


Vongpaisal, T.; Trehub, S. E.; Schellenberg, E. G. (2006).  Song recognition by children and adolescents with cochlear implants.  Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 49, 1092-1103.

The study makes a pretty solid case for the benefits of cochlear implants, as far as pitch recognition goes.  But, as for the ethical question posed above, there remains the question, "so what?"  Yes, cochlear implants allow the user to discern pitches.  But, do children with cochlear implants have affective experiences when exposed to music?  Are they able to experience the musical phenomenon or can they just identify its existence?

I am getting more in the habit of asking that question after reading a study: "so what?"  That is something my professor is really pushing us to do.  Doing so has prompted some interesting research questions of my own.  ( I am keeping a list, but I won't post my ideas here lest one of you try to poach them!)  I have had a few interesting questions come out of my Child and Adolescent Development class.  This week we discussed issues of over scheduling, and unstructured or free play as they pertain to children.  We also talked about multiple intelligences and learning types (auditory, visual, kinesthetic).  It turns out there is research out there that says these things aren't really things.  More to come on this topic.  I plan on reading a lot of this research.

Statistics: there is a test this week.  Pray for me.  Doesn't matter to which god.  I will take help from wherever it happens to come.

I learned something very important this week: when they post a sign on the front door of the school that says, "fire drill at 1:30pm on Wednesday," it might be important to put that in your calendar so you don't end up going to the bathroom and have to run out of the building, mid-number 2.  Just saying.

The Temple Prep Wind Ensemble is going to be an interesting journey.  The problems of my past have followed me to Philly.  The students can't read.  They are motivated to be there and enjoy playing their instruments, but they have no concept of rhythm.  I am trying to figure out how to balance rhythmic instruction with music rehearsal.  How much rote teaching am I willing to do?  How much theoretical work will end up discouraging the students?  I have to keep it fun, but I have to teach them as well.  I will let you know next week how I decide to handle this.

On a completely unrelated note, I made hard cider yesterday.  My roommate and I went apple picking and I bought freshly-pressed cider.  It is happily fermenting in my kitchen.  Look at it:

Watch it ferment:

Every bubble is sugars being digested and turned into alcohol and carbon dioxide by the yeast.  It should be ready by Thanksgiving.  That's right, family, I'm bringing Mitch Cider to Thanksgiving.  My OG (original gravity) reading was 1.074, which should get us somewhere around 9.5% or 10% ABV (alcohol by volume). 

I did not hurt myself playing flag football today.  Yay!  And we won!  Yay!  And the Ravens seem to have stomped on the Panthers!  Yay!  And the Steelers lost!  Yay!  It was a good day for football.

That is all for now.

Future Doctor Mitch, out!

It's Hungry Out: Pursuit of the Ph.D., Week 4

So, you can probably surmise, given that it is already Tuesday night and I am finally having time to write about last week, that it was a busy week!

Probably the most interesting and yet professionally useless thing I learned this week came in Child and Adolescent Development.  We were talking about young children and theory of mind.  Theory of mind, among other things, is a person's ability to distinguish their own thoughts and feelings from those of others and to have a grasp on their own individuality.  Children under the age of 2 have not yet developed theory of mind, so they assume that everyone around them feels what they feel.  As we discussed this topic in class, a thought came to mind that had me laugh out loud.  When children without theory of mind get hungry, they assume that everyone is hungry since they cannot distinguish their feelings as having come from within their own bodies and minds.  Therefore, I reasoned, young children must experience feelings like adults experience the temperature.  Like we would say on a winter's day, "it is cold out," young children with rumbly tummies must think, "it is hungry out!"

Monday was the first rehearsal of the Night Owls Community Band.  I was really good this past week and I went to the gym every day.  The only problem was that Monday afternoon, I tweaked my hamstring (those of you who know me well are probably laughing right now).  So, I was trying to conduct the band while being unable to put a lot of weight on my leg.  I must have looked like I was dancing around the podium like a madman as I shifted my weight from leg to leg as I conducted.  I can only imagine what my adviser must have been thinking as she watched me: "where did we pick up this guy from and why on Earth are we giving him money to be here?"   Don't worry, though. I stretched and I am fine...

... for now.  I decided, in an effort to make new friends, to join coed flag football (those of you who know me well are probably laughing again right now and placing bets on how long it will be before I injure myself).  I will keep a running injury tally for you complete with pictures.

I had a break through in my struggle with statistics this week.  In a last ditch effort to understand statistics concepts, I turned to the internet, the treasure trove of possibly-accurate information that it is.  I encountered a website, seemingly meant for elementary school children, www.mathisfun.com, and I finally understood standard deviation!  Wooo!  And then the next day I read an article which presented standard deviations in a way that took my new-found success and sucker punched it in the nads.  Back to square one.

I have been tasked with instrument repair in the Pet Shop (that's what we call the instrument storage room).  I have been asked to compile a list of the tools and supplies I require to start repairing instruments.  I have been shopping all week and the list gets longer and longer.  But, I am still under the amount it would cost them to replace the broken tenor sax case, which will be my first repair once the supplies come in.

I had a great conversation with my adviser this week.  We talked about getting me ready to present at conferences.  Whether I get to present anything this year will be determined by whether any conferences have any late openings, since the application deadlines have largely already passed.  But, I am working on getting myself on track to have proposals of substance ready for application season in the spring.  My adviser's biggest suggestion to me was to read as much as possible.  So, heeding her advise, I am challenging myself to read at least two music education research articles and one broader education research article above my regular coursework each week.  I will summarize my findings for all of you (I know you are super excited about this!) in my weekly ramblings.  That's right, I am going to make you learn stuff!

That being said, I read a really interesting article this past week.  It was an article about whether personality type plays any part in a person's propensity for regular music playing.  The article sought to challenge the position of many music-related studies in the areas of psychology and neuroscience that playing music makes you smarter.  This study wanted to show that smarter people are more often drawn to music and have a longer duration playing it.  The experiment ended up showing that factors such as age, household income, parents' education level, involvement in non-musical extracurricular activties, IQ, grades in school, openness-to-experience, and conscientiousness are significant determining factors about whether or not someone will gravitate toward music lessons and keep at them.  In the wrong hands, this study could be quite dangerous.  Some would argue that if kids with low IQs, who live in low SES communities, whose parents have not graduated high school do not have the genetic and environmental supports to stick with music, offering music in schools in those communities would be pointless.  But, I argue that these findings make having music as part of the curriculum in all schools even more important.  If certain kids will not gravitate toward music on their own and stick with it by means of intrinsic motivation, the school can act as the support structure those kids need to be involved in musical activities and reap the benefits we know result from musical involvement.

Corricall, K. A.; Schellenberg, E. G.; Misura, N. M. (2013) Music training, cognition, and personality.  Frontiers in Psychology, 4, 1-10.

(Yes, I know the second line in the citation above should be indented.  I can't figure out how to do that on this blog.  So, use your imagination)

Tune in next week for more Tales of Interest!  (Futurama, anyone?)

Future Dr. Mitch, out!

Ph.D. Update, Week 3

I missed last week, so I will bring you all up to speed on weeks 2 and 3.

I am tired! But, in the most amazing kind of way. It has been total immersion into the grad school experience and I have been able to get into my head space and stay there for a while.

During the course of the past two weeks I made a new friend: the school of music copy machine. Tomorrow is the year's first Night Owl Community Band rehearsal. One of the other PhD students and I have been tasked with copying all 15 charts for all 100 members of the band. It was quite the undertaking. But, all the parts have been copies and folders stuffed. Tomorrow night, I take baton in hand and get to work!

While reading an article for my Psychology of Music Learning and Behavior course, I came across an interesting piece of information; brass players have a higher propensity for imbibing alcohol. Challenge accepted...?

I also discovered a new composer. I am still unsure how I feel about his whole body of work. But, I did run across a solid grade 3 piece that is now on my "Must Play" list: The Cave You Fear by Michael Markowski. I am hoping Temple Prep will give me money to buy it so I can do it with the Temple Prep Wind Ensemble.

Speaking of the Temple Prep Wind Ensemble, I had a very disappointing rehearsal yesterday. It was the opening reading session for the year and only 11 students showed up. The program director assured me we will have many more next week. But if it doesn't happen, there will not be enough students to support the performance of wind ensemble music. I am not sure what we will do. I am trying to stay optimistic, though!

Statistics: I might as well be taking Chinese. That is all on that subject.

I have been handed the reigns to the brass methods classes. I am designing and teaching the lessons for 2 sections of Brass I and one section of Brass II. And it is going great! I had a student approach me last week and tell me that she appreciates my approach for the class and that she is learning a lot already. Awesome! I even have office hours. Room 11 in the basement of Presser Hall from 10:00-11:00 am on Friday mornings. Stop by if you are in the area!

This week promises to be another fantastic week. I will let you all know how it goes.

Lastly, I will be in Maryland on Saturday and Sunday. Come hang with me at the Category 5 Wind Ensemble concert on Saturday night at Laurel High School or the Renn Fest on Sunday.

P.S. Go Ravens!

1st Week of Ph.D. School Recap

My life is not my own. I now belong to Temple University. I am a TA for Brass Methods I and II, co-conducting the Night Owls Community Band, directing the Temple Prep Wind Ensemble, and working 5 hours a week in the instrument room.

And then, there are classes. I am taking Psychology of Music Learning and Behavior, Child and Adolescent Development, and Introduction to Research and Statistics.

And then, because I am a glutton for punishment, I decided to take ensemble auditions. And because I am the Turbo Contra (ask Steve Kemp), I was placed in the Wind Symphony and the Symphony Orchestra. They also suggested that as a contrabassoon specialist I might want to connect with the contrabassoonist with the Philadelphia Orchestra - we will see if that turns into lessons with her.

And then I went to happy hour... and spilled salsa on my shorts. You know how outdoor tables are often just metal grilles in fun patterns? Well, that keeps the table largely cleaner because food dropped on the table has a better chance of falling through the holes. The problem is that when the food falls through the holes, it falls on your lap.

It turns out we have have inadvertently adopted pets in our house. There is a colony of angry super kamikaze death flies living with us. Today we bought fly traps. Will update soon. If I disappear, assume the flies won. Or that I am just living my life on campus.

That is all for now.

Future Doctor Mitch, out!