Connecting with the Athletes in Your Secondary General
Music Education Classes
Presented by Rochelle R. Goldberg, Union-Endicott CSD.
There are two types of
people that could fill Yankee
Stadium:
Ball Players and Musicians.
“The languages of baseball and music are
interchangeable. Musicians on the stage
and teams on the field are called by the
same name-players. The most common
terms on both fields are identical. Think
rhythm, pitch, tempo, time.”
The Starting Line-up
 First years teaching
 The apples don’t fall far from the tree,
parents and sports analogies.
 Coaches, Chorus and Conflict
 Shifting perspective, from ‘Leftovers’ to
‘Last Bastion’
 Getting the book!
Every child needs a champion!
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SFnMTHhKdkw
Scoring points with your V.I.P’s
(Very Important Pupils)
 Know the latest sports headlines
 Have something sports/team related in your classroom
 Inquire about/wish the kiddo’s luck on their
upcoming games
 Be visible at a school sporting event
Bernie Williams
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xxqo3EmR4Sg
 Grew up in Puerto Rico with a love of both baseball and music
 Father a musician, brother is a Classical Cellist
 Decided to pursue baseball, but his love of music never wavered
and was an integral part of his performance on the field.
 New York Yankees, five-time All-Star, Four time world Series
Champion, multitude of accolades.
 Critically acclaimed musician: Jazz Guitarist.
 Influenced by jazz, classical, pop, Brazilian and Latin Styles.
“Rhythm was part of my childhoodand whether I was playing music or
baseball-it all flowed from the
same deep well called rhythm. It
didn’t seem very different to me
whether I had a guitar in my hand
or a bat: the rhythms were the
same.”
Music in Sports in Fairest Proportion!
 History of Music and Sports: In Greek Civilizations
music and sport were viewed as synonymous,
complimentary and above all BOTH necessary for a
person’s full development and education.
 Plato: Mingle music with sport in the fairest of
proportions! Sports and music go together, their sum
greater than their parts.
Music’s Role in Modern Day Sports
Psychology
Intimidation
Entertainment
Energizing the Fans
Music in Modern Day Sports
Entrance Music
Team Theme
Superbowl Halftime Show
Big Business
The Value of Music for Athletes
 The skill set required to be a great musician is very
similar to what’s required to play major league ball at
a high level.
 Study’s show that music increases peak-level
performance and endurance in athletes.
 Baseball is indisputably the most musically rhythmic
and complex sport invented, full of rhythms and
timing. If a batter understand their pitchers
musically, the probability of being in sync with that
pitch as you start your swing will be all that much
higher.
 Fastball, slider, curve, change-up, sinker, cutter, all
have a distinct ‘tempo’.
The Singing Bat: The home-run CRACK!!
 Every bat is like a musical instrument
that when hit with a ball, sings in a
different way. If a fielder has develop
his auditory cortex through musical
training, he should be better at using
the different (bat) barrel sounds to
assess where the ball is likely to go, he
will get a good jump on the ball and be
more likely to make the play.
Teaching in a Field of Dreams
 Your Packet
 Practice
 Rhythm Baseball, Basketball
 Rhythms of the Game in the Classroom.
 Music Trivia, kickball?
 Stomp
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nI5vWIcFxvw
Teaching in a Field of Dreams
 Literacy
 Your entrance theme and why?
 Pedro Martinez (Red Sox Pitcher)
Pedro Martinez (Cuban Drummer/Percussionist)
 Stadiums and Theatres, Acoustics
 Suzyn Waldman: Radio Broadcaster NY
Yankees and former Broadway musical actress.
 WWII: Female Baseball League & ‘The
International Sweethearts of Rhythm.”