Stella dayrit roden
TEACHING
DEMOS - PHILOSOPHY - DIVERSITY STATEMENT
Dr. Roden's studio consists of students of various ages from high school to college. Her college students represent various degree paths which include Music Education, Musical Theatre, Music Technology, Theatre Education, and Vocal Performance.
TEACHING DEMOS
GENERAL
TEACHING
PHILOSOPHY
As teachers, we are change agents. The ultimate goal of teaching is transformation beyond the local classroom and developing a shared vision. When we inspire students to excel, we inevitably affect peer teachers, administrators, parents, general stakeholders in our educational institutions, and, potentially, policymakers. Equitable access is a vital component of positive change. It requires us to meet the needs of all learners regardless of their ability, gender, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, language, or physical needs. Creating an open and positive culture between teachers, students, and educational stakeholders is essential to developing a shared vision and common purpose in teaching. Part of that culture includes showcasing the efforts of our students and fellow educators and employing the learning science and research within. Additionally, a change agent actively connects students and fellow educators to support resources and other experts in the field.
To facilitate learning, we must remain conscious of a student's needs, background, and how group dynamics affect the learner. We must identify the quality of education, what will be needed to accomplish it, and evaluate a learner's feedback to advance teaching. Building capacity includes trying out new theories or practices to see if they work, for example, authentic or simulated learning activities or design challenges, and offering meaningful feedback. Evaluating and collecting input from all learner participants helps to inform the larger institutional vision.
Building capacity and developing a shared vision happens when students link what they learn to its meaningful impact on their lives. The skilled change agent demonstrates social-emotional awareness, self-awareness, integrity, active listening, and communication. These qualities will assist in building the respect and trust needed to explore emerging instructional strategies. Identifying and employing relevant content for all our students creates meaning within our educational systems and its population with its diverse backgrounds and learning styles.
VOICE
TEACHING
PHILOSOPHY
The success of a teacher is often measured by their students’ accolades and activity as a performer. Though we depend upon our students’ output to prove our pedagogical skill, authentic success in teaching begins with the brief moments of each lesson or simple tasks when the teacher and student arrive at a conceptual agreement. The multiplicity of these moments of agreement means that the student’s conceptual image of their sound, postural self-visualization, or kinesthetic awareness more closely aligns with the teacher’s image of the student and their voice. Once students see their voice from a new perspective, they can better make the desired production. Rather than endorse the idea that students should mimic or imitate their teacher by sound, stance, musical choices, or share the same likes and dislikes, it speaks to the importance of clear communication in a field that relies heavily on abstract ideas and without the luxury of pulling our voices out to ‘take a peek’.
Trust between student and teacher is requisite for clear communication and conceptual agreement. Initially, the teacher must create an atmosphere where the students can experiment to create a spectrum of possibilities easily shared in the studio teaching space. The spectrum relates to everything from vocal sound, body movement, physiological feedback, verbalization of feedback, and any other activity requiring distinction between opposing or similar qualities. In essence, a student who makes choices from a diverse offering rather than judgment, a yes or no attitude, has a greater chance of making fine adjustments. For example, students with regional accents might be unable to ‘hear’ the nuanced differences in their speech. If the student’s first notion is to feel judged as less worthy for their accent, they, perhaps, become inhibited with tasks related to exploring speech, unable to manipulate speech sounds fully. If the teacher incorporates a continual pattern of noticing and choosing, positive change by the student is more likely. A more productive lesson includes the teacher and student who ‘play’ with sounds, perhaps trusting one another enough to converse in other accents such as British, German, French, Italian, Spanish, or even gibberish.
While trust and clear communication are the building blocks to reaching a conceptual agreement in vocalism, the teacher should strive for honest student assessment, balancing evaluation with mentorship. The teacher must possess expertise in their field and guide their students along a direct path based on sound pedagogical research and practice. Voice teachers must know how the voice works to avoid the risk of injury to their students, but more importantly, to offer students practical solutions. Only with sound knowledge and expertise in the craft may we begin to motivate and inspire our students to fruitful lives as singing artists.
DIVERSITY
STATEMENT
As someone deeply committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion, I strive to foster an environment where everyone can feel seen, valued, and empowered to reach their potential. My history as a child of immigrants plays a central role in this commitment.
In 1957, my father joined the US Navy through the Philippines Enlistment Program established by the Republic of the Philippines-United States Military Bases Agreement of 1947. My father was born in an economically depressed area in the Philippines. He worked his family’s farm and was a horse and buggy driver to make ends meet. Joining the Phillippine Navy and eventually the US Navy was the best of opportunities available to him. On a visit back home in 1963, he met my mother, and they married soon after. My parents’ courage to leave and embrace a new country is one of many American Dream stories. Their journey taught me the importance of resilience and highlighted the unique challenges faced by those seeking acceptance and belonging in a new country. Their struggle has everything to do with who I am and what significant advantages I was born with. As a child, teenager, and young adult, I could always look to my parents as proof that hard work pays off, even for immigrants and minorities. While I firmly believe in the American Dream, what resides alongside that beautiful reality are undeniable barriers that keep earnest and striving individuals from reaping equitable rewards.
As a doctoral student and recipient of a minority scholarship, I taught courses related to the women’s movement and gender identity, which deepened my understanding of gender equity and the intersecting issues many individuals face. Notwithstanding my parents’ immigration challenges, I better understood systemic, subtle forms of discrimination and hidden biases when my responsibilities were to teach for the Women's Studies department. While my father's enlistment in the US Navy provided an immediate sense of belonging and purpose in a new country, I realized that other immigrants, even US-born citizens, struggle to find this sense of belonging due to hidden systemic discrimination. As a newly divorced woman then assigned to teach about the women's movement, more hidden layers of systemic bias were coming into view that I had never confronted before. My graduate academic experience gave me a more complete view of diversity, equity, and inclusion, and this awareness gives me a more profound sense of empathy and commitment to fostering inclusivity.
As a music faculty and DEI committee member, I work to identify and dismantle hidden biases that may impact students, especially those from non-traditional backgrounds. I am also involved in outreach efforts aimed at economically disadvantaged high schools, ensuring that students from underrepresented areas know their educational opportunities at my institution. Our committee has successfully shared information about auditions, scholarships, and programs, as well as adjusted the language found in our application materials to reach a larger population of students who might not have a traditional music background. Another initiative of our committee is to collect and organize resources specifically for commuter and transfer students who might otherwise feel disconnected from the university.
Looking ahead, I am committed to continuing my advocacy by fostering connections, promoting inclusive practices, and challenging structural barriers that hinder equity. My goal is to be a proactive ally and resource, helping to pave the way for a more inclusive, supportive world for all.