Ann Arbor School for the Performing Arts

Biography:
Jessica Getman holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Oboe Performance from California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, and two Master of Music degrees from Boston University in Historical Performance (Baroque oboe) and Musicology. While she is now a film and television music scholar, she has continued her research in eighteenth-century music and performance while pursuing a Ph.D. in Musicology at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor; her dissertation (in progress) considers music and politics in the original run of the Star Trek television series (1966-69). She has publicly presented research on popular music in 18th-century France, the folk music of the 20th- and 21st-century science fiction fan community, and on the use of popular music in the reimagined Battlestar Galactica.  In addition, she is currently fulfilling requirements towards a graduate certificate in Screen Arts & Cultures.  She has taught for two youth symphonies in the past, both of which included Junior High and High School students—the San Luis Obispo Youth Symphonies (Woodwinds Coach), and the Boston Youth Symphony Orchestras (Aural Theory Coach).  She has served as a Graduate Student Instructor (GSI) for non-music-major Music Appreciation courses at the University of Michigan, and as a GSI for the music-major Music History sequence.

Teaching Philosophy:
There are two basic motivations for encouraging the appreciation of music in our society. The first is, of course, to support the making and consumption of music—to provide students with the tools they need to understand music in a way that lets them continue the cycle that keeps music alive in the world. The second reason is to give members of society the tools they need to understand their culture in a better way through music. Music is a product of culture, and as students obtain a better grasp on how to approach music and how to articulate their thoughts about it, they can use these tools to better grasp and articulate their thoughts about society.

One of my underlying motivations as a musician and scholar is to give students the skills necessary to better understand the world’s histories and cultures through music, skills that allow them to effectively listen to, appreciate, and communicate about music. I believe that learners of all ages and backgrounds—children through adults, musicians and non-musicians—should have access to a musical education that fits their needs. I always attempt to teach to a variety of learners: visual learners, auditory learners, and tactile learners, and I strive to keep my teaching engaging and effectual, even when the material is difficult. 

I feel strongly that students should be taught to understand; they should not simply be imparted knowledge. There is an important difference between knowing facts and being able to apply those facts towards new hypotheses in new situations. It’s my hope that my students will encounter music in a creative way, always as creative listeners, and perhaps as creative performers. My courses are meant to encourage them to be innovative as musicians, and as consumers and supporters of musical culture.