Work Evaluations and Personality-Type testing are tools meant to help those in leadership positions coach their employees to achieve success in both their career and life.  They are not to be used as an objective tool to REPLACE the leadership responsibility of the employer.

 

It is an unfortunate yet growing trend however that these tests have been misused as a method for "weeding out" potential candidates prior to employment or as a basis for termination.  An example of the most common misuse (and I am sure Isabel Briggs Myers and Katherine Cook Briggs roll in their graves everytime this occurs) is that hiring staff require potential employees to take a personality test.  1) The results of the tests might indicate that candidate A has such-and-such a personality type. 2) This personality type is shown to do well in sales.  3) The vacant position however is not sales it is for technology.  4) Therefore this candidate should be excluded from the interview process.

 

While it might be tempting especially with many resumes to use such a strategy during the hiring process it underscores three troubling points.  First, by relying on the test to determine if a candidate is a good fit for the job, it automatically takes the "leader" out of the hiring process all together.  Second, reliance upon the test leaves only like minded candidates, the result is a less diverse workforce which struggles to "think outside the box." 

 

The third point upon which the other two rely is based upon the testing procedures themselves.  Organization Development is an unregulated field.  Some employers and even colleges are under the impression that OD is a subfield of Human Resources and that any HR Generalist automatically has the qualifications to determinne what good OD practices are.  There are some schools which offer OD type programs, but examination of content of those programs reveal that they themselves have not critically evaluated the sources used in coursework.

 

Some personality type tests which at first glance seem to have impressive credentials (such as, but definitely not limited to Profiles International, Inc. and StrengthsFinder) are, upon critical (or even journalistic) examination, based upon dubious methodolgies.  In the case of the former, the "control group" is based upon the profiles of the existing corporate culture (exposing the lack of diversity issue) and the latter test takers can easily manipulate the test to achieve whichever result they desire.  In reality an employer is just as well off using a much cheaper alternative like an Internet test such as"Which Gilmore Girl are You?"

 

Work evaluations: 

I will speak as it pertains to teaching evaluations.  Very often these evaluations are given to students only at the end of each semester.  They usually ask students to evaluate the teachers and the class.  Already it should be apparent why this is a bad idea for determining the efficiency of the teacher – Student Subjectivity 1) Each students has a uniquely different learning method 2) Some students might be accostomed to level of work expected, others might think its too much or irrelevant.  3) Students might not be aware of the purpose/relevence behind many of the assignments, readings, discussions etc.  4) Students are probably not asked how much effort they themselves put into the class.

 

If student evaluations of teachers are used a the sole benchmark for retaining faculty, then it would seem that those teachers who provided "entertainment" value might end up being the only ones retained.  If it is the schools intention to sell diplomas over having the students earn diplomas via demonstrated education, then so be it. (more on this to come)    

This was initially published in the epilogue to the 2005-06 Minnesota High School Music Listening Contest. It is a condensed version of my thoughts on the differences between Education and mere Training. These thoughts stem mostly from my own real world work and management experience and the daily application of methodologies learned during my undergraduate studies as a philosophy major. It also reflects the core liberal arts emphasis of my own education in rural Northeastern Iowa in the 1970s-1980s.
=-=-=-=
Epilogue: History, Concepts and Terms
History, like the other disciplines in the humanities, is primarily concerned with events, not facts. For example, the statement Beethoven was born in 1770 is a literal fact. It is something one can memorize and regurgitate on a multiple choice exam. Stating the fact alone however is insignificant because it does not in itself tell us about Beethoven or what influences and experiences shaped his life to lead him to write his music. As a factual statement alone, it does not urge one to critically inquire. Rather it is dependent upon the student to ask questions, for example: What were the cultural, political, geographical experiences for someone of the generation born in 1770...following from those questions, what concepts differentiate Romantic and Classical musical styles? How do those styles relate with the diversity of music in our own times.

- It is also good practice to critically examine what appears to be "factual statements" themselves. I am reminded of the quote by the German classical philologist, Friedrich Nietzsche (whom I am not usually in the habit of quoting), which concisely sums up the basic concern of philosophical inquiry since Socrates, Convictions are more dangerous enemies of truth than lies. Or to put this sentiment as my wife has so often stated, There is nothing so frustrating as someone who is both So Certain and yet So Wrong. It is difficult to seek understanding when one refuses to critically examine their own convictions and beliefs. -

I hope to have stressed enough that it is the concepts in this guide which matter the most. If you understand the concepts, you should be able to identify musical similarities and differences by ear. If you focus too much on rote memorization of terms without Listening to the music, you will most likely have a difficult time in the contest. It is ultimately up to YOU to listen to the music and to use the material in this guide to assist in making these connections.

Granted about 1/3rd of the contest is multiple-choice, but multiple-choice is a rather ineffective method of testing knowledge. Multiple-choice exams tend to demonstrate how well a student can guess the correct answer, not how well that student can apply the knowledge learned. When you embark on your career path, you will be expected to continually apply knowledge (this is why essay exams are stressed.) Those who can do so with ease are the ones who succeed.

To think of it another way, I would hate to go in for heart surgery with a surgeon who had only been tested with multiplechoice (and graded on a curve! -- "Wow, you got 68% on a terms based exam and Still earned an 4.00 GPA - yeah, that instills me with a lot of confidence, Doc!"). Would it not be more comforting to know that the surgeon understands the concepts of the heart, its relation to the workings of the human body as well as the emotional impact of surgery on the patient, so that if something unexpected happens, the surgeon can actively handle the situation?

In all aspects of life, if you are consistent with your application of knowledge rather than consistent with your strict adherence to the literal terms you will succeed.

Let me put this another way using a metaphor from architecture. While studying in England between 1990-1991, I visited Lincoln Cathedral, one of the oldest and largest examples of Gothic architecture in Europe, At this time the building was undergoing a renovation to correct the huge mistakes made by the renovators in the 1920s. In the 1920s, the architects were so transfixed on maintaining the appearance (term) of the Cathedral that they injected key structural points with concrete so that it would remain rigid and unbending. The problem was, they did not go back to study the methods used by the original masons (concepts).

Had they done so, they would have understood that the mortar used to build the Cathedral maintained the form of the structure by allowing it a certain degree of flexibility. Today the Cathedral has a full time staff dedicated to the art of the original Medieval builders in order to preserve the form. Had they stuck with the rigid, inflexible, uncompromising terms of the concrete, it is likely that the Cathedral would not be standing today.

This debate between terms and concepts extends into all facets of life. Take for instance the United States Constitution. The Framers made their intentions about the Constitution very clear in the supporting documents and letters they wrote to each other. They knew that society and traditions change (just as you have discovered in this guide) and that the immediate values of 1787 might not be the same as values in 1987. So they designed the Constitution with a certain degree of flexibility in order to effectively ensure freedom in all eras.

There are however those, like the Lincoln Cathedral renovators of the 1920s, who get so emotionally fixated upon the words (terms) of the Constitution that they neglect its original concept - to protect freedom. They attempt to pass amendments to shore-up the Constitution for the appearance of patriotic tradition, just as the 1920s renovators used concrete for the appearance of the Cathedral. What happens is that the slight degree of flexibility, represented by the third equal branch of government (Judicial - those educated in the history of the Constitutions concepts of freedom) is forced into an uncompromising form without a notion of historical perspective.

The result becomes an ineffectual structure, crumbling under the weight of its own rigidity. Eventually the rooms become unsafe and are condemned one by one. People are forced to move outside of its once protective refuge of universal freedom. The more concrete is injected, the less safe it becomes until the whole building comes crashing down.

I like to use metaphors and parables because they demonstrate exactly what I have been stating in this epilogue, that is Don’t get so mired in the literal interpretation that you miss the point of the concept. Learning and listening for the concepts will provide you with a foundational context.

The Real World: Application of Knowledge History, Music, Philosophy etc.
In the real world, businesses are spending millions of dollars each year on diversity programs and on consultants to train their workers to think outside the box. What this means is that many of their employees have had such specialized training in one field that they had never learned to apply that knowledge to other facets of work. [-This has been the folly with the 20-30 year trend that one’s degree field is specificially suited for a specific career or job type-] This becomes especially problematic when workers try to communicate with co-workers in other departments who are specialized in another field. - Imagine asking a group of accountants to engineer a nuclear sub, more realistically, the workers in each department should at least understand the basic issues that concern other departments in order to reach the common goal. Not doing so reminds me of the adage, Putting all of your eggs in one basket.

For this reason, employers find the need to hire consultants (who tend to have degrees in philosophy or cultural anthropology) to identify the concepts and teach them to do the same so that their business can progress instead of spinning wheels and going nowhere. If you stop to think about it, philosophy is the root of all disciplines. Philosophers are trained in the study of abstract concepts, to analyze problems, ask questions and then answer them. They can therefore be set to learn any task, be it analyzing profit margins, leadership, computers programming, construction, engineering, human relations, music...anything. What can’t one do with a Philosophy degree?

If you ask critical questions and work through answers to solve problems, you are doing Philosophy.

No matter how you do in the contest, I hope that you take the concepts with you as you pursue your career and continue to further your education. Never close your mind off to free knowledge [-In this day and age with information so freely available, if you can’t find what you are looking for, you aren’t trying.-]. Always strive to seek out new ideas and what you can do to solve problems. Knowledge is the foundation of freedom; the cycle of continual learning is the source of American Ingenuity.

Back during my senior year in a small town Iowa high school, I participated in Model U.N.  One of the countries we represented was Afghanistan.

At the time (April 1988) the issue before the security committee was for the USSR to pull out of Afghanistan.  I decided to do research (in the age before the Internet on the Mujahadin.  I also had the good fortune to meet with a photographer from Waterloo, Iowa who served in the peace corps in Afghanastan.

He informed me of what he knew of the 7 major factions of the mujahadin (not to mention the countless other minor warlords) as well as something about their guerilla tactics, the Soviet casualties since their invasion in 1979 etc. etc. the 900 year history and legacy of the Crusades... And determination of patriotic muslims to wear out the Soviets.

What gets me is that this was all occuring during the Reagan administration when Rumsfeld and Cheney should have been (or maybe actually were) paying attention.

[fast forward remember the summer of 2001 when the potential for nuclear war between India and Pakistan over Kashmir was the biggest news before 911?)

Fast forward to 2002.  The US ousts the Taliban (I had no real problem with that effort).  But then, perhaps to ease tensions between India (the worlds largest democracy and home to America’s Financial Business Helplines) and Pakistan, the Bush admin decides to ease up in Afghanistan and invades Iraq.

The offensive part to all of this is that I knew, as a small town Iowa farmboy in the ages before the Internet, that this was going to be a LONG war probably longer than the 9 year Soviet occupation of Afghanistan, maybe even as long as the American presence in South Korea.

Yet the administration acted as if we would be in for a year at most.

SO Either the Bush Administration knew full well that this was going to be an unconventional war with a 50+ year occupation at the start (and lied to the US population,

OR they were totally incompetent on essential matters of foreign policy.

 

Mind-Body relations in Medieval Chant Performance.  / Kinesthetic Cognition
in Chant Performance / or some other such title...

When performing one piece of music, say a Bach Cello Suite, I have noted
that my performance of the work will change when performing the work on
different instruments due to the idiomatic characteristics of that specific
instrument.

Similarly, when improvising on bass, I have discovered that I create
different types of bass lines on my Hofner than my fretless electric and
different still on double bass, (i.e. would Paul McCartney has created the
same bass lines if he used a Fender Precision?) --- just as a keyboardist
would when switching between harpsichord, celesta, organ and piano.

If these examples of kinesthetic influence on performance are noted, then is
it reasonable to assume that kinesthetics of vision (or any of the other
senses and combination of them) should produce different performances as
well?  It is for this reason that I attempted the following experiment in
performance of medieval chant.

The following are recordings of transcriptions I made of two antiphons
written by Hildegard von Bingen and recorded in the Dendermonde Codex (ca.
1175) a gift to the Cistercian monastery in Villiers.

http://www.myspace.com/christianmcguire (Karitas habundat and Laus
trinitati)
 There is no existing performance of Hildegard's chant like this, and mine
arises from some basic disagreement with current transcriptions.

This recording was hastily thrown together (and granted, I'm not the
greatest singer) but the principle behind its performance is that I wished
to vocally inflect the quilismas, oriscas, liquiscents and other neumes
based upon their ligatured "St. Gall neume" appearance in the original
manuscript, rather than on modern or even Solesmes square note notation.
(Transcriptions made in the 13th century and after often seem to
ignore/exclude clues indicated by earlier signs/neumes and ligatures as to
what earlier performance practice may have been. --- There is however the
argument that ligatures are merely a scribal convention to make the task of
writing easier. (i.e. cursive vs. print))

Instead of the artificial "standard" performance practice of chant (which
seems to be debated at every medieval congress) where there is often no
audible distinction between virgae, puncti, quilismas, liquiscents, etc.  I
made an exaggerated distinction following the basic rules that initial notes
and virgae carry more stress; oricas and quilismas are treated as portamenti
or glissandi, and liquiscents rapidly close on m, n, r, l.

In my view, an important feature of monophony is the marriage of the words
with the music to create a diversity of sonic expressions at varying degrees
of open and closed sounds in a reverberating space (this contrary to the
aesthetic is that a uniform sound which minimizes diversity in rhythm et al
should be maintained).  My preference for pronunciation was based the modern
conventions of Classical Latin rather than ecclesiastical Latin. - Natural
accents and vowel shapes of these words were thus further treated in this
performance.

The result is a new interpretation of this chant full of portamentos, slurs,
and shakes which has more in common with treatment of "blue notes."  Or
following current academic trends in medieval music performance, adopting
quartertones and other intervals as found in Middle Eastern performance to
grow beyond the limits of the unnatural half-steps used in 12-tone equal
tempered instruments.

 ====
=-=-=-=-=

Karitas habundat (D - f.157r)

(K)aritas habundat in omnia de imis excellentissima super sidera atque

((Caritas abounds in all things from the depths to above the most excellent
stars, and ))
((amantissima in omnia quia summo regi osculum pacis dedit.))

Most loving in all things because to the high king she has given the kiss of
peace.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Laus trinitati (D - f.157r)

Laus trinitati que sonus et uita ac creatrix omnium in uita ipsorum est

((Praise be to the trinity which is sound and life and is the creator of all
the things of life itself.))

Que laus angelice turbe et mirus splendor archanorum

(([The trinity] is the praise of the angelic host and the wonderful splendor
of [sacred] secrets))

que hominibus ignota sunt, est et que in omnibus uita est.

((which humankind overlooks, what [the trinity] is, that is , the life in
all things. ))

=-=

K. Christian McGuire

Recent News

Christian McGuire (Music), will be presenting his paper, "Symphonia Caritatis: The Cistercian Chants of Hildegard von Bingen" at the 43^rd International Medeival Congress in Kalamazoo, MI May 8-11, 2008

Christian McGuire is a faculty member at Augsburg College in Minneapolis, MN where he teaches music history and directs small group ensembles.  He recently earned the electric bass instructor position and is developing the repertoire for the instrument to support Augsburg's fledgling specialization in electric bass major. 

An electric bassist for nearly 25 years with experience in every conceivable setting, Christian is currently writing a book / multi-media manual on the history, performance practice, technique and repertoire of the electric bass in non-popular music genres.  The work promises to be the one stop source for composers and performers who wish to incorporate the many timbres of this remarkable instrument.

Christian McGuire, Musicology.  Co-developed the NASM approved (Bachelor of Music/Arts) Music History sequence at the McNally-Smith College Music in St. Paul, MN.   A faculty member since summer 2005, he teaches History of Western Music (Grout) and History of Popular Music in America (Campbell).  He has also taught introductory courses in Western Music (Kerman) and score study.

Christian McGuire is in his fourth year as Musicologist and author for the Minnesota High School Music Listening Contest. The MLC is an independent not-for-profit competition providing an ideal opportunity to enrich students' experiences with classical, ethnic, and popular music in a fun and competitive environment.  Each year Christian compiles a 100+ page manual with 3 CDs of recorded examples and voice-over comentary intended for a High School audience.  This year features the music of Beethoven, the genre of Film Music, and Music from the African Continent.  Some of the other works contained in this year's guide are by Hildegard, Richard I, Dunstaple, Jacquet de la Guerre, "Bolivian Baroque", Albrechtsberger, Saint-Georges, Gottschalk, Ginastera, Jaco Pastorius.

We Live to Experience Life

I dig Everything,

but some of my favorite music:

Most Heavy Blues and Progressive rock bands from the late 1960s-1970s. The Beatles ("White Album"), The Who (Live at Leeds), Led Zeppelin (Houses of the Holy), Pink Floyd (The Piper at the Gates of Dawn), Jimi Hendrix (Band of Gypsies), Frank Zappa (Joe’s Garage), King Crimson (Starless and Bible Black), Queen (A Night at the Opera),  Jethro Tull (Aqualung), Rush (...in Rio), Joni Mitchell (Shadows and Light), Beach Boys (Pet Sounds),
Carol King (Tapestry, of course), Indigo Girls, Paul Simon, Iron Maiden (Killers), Fates Warning (Awaken the Guardian), Bob Dylan, Blood,Sweat&Tears, Chicago, Tower of Power, Frank Sinatra at the Sands with the Count Basie Orchestra arranged and directed by Quincy Jones.

Motown, Funk, and Soul (Stevie Wonder, James Brown, The Temptations, Martha and the Vandellas, Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles, The Four Tops, Parliment/Funkadelic)

Jazz - Armstong, Mingus, Dave Brubeck, Pastorius, Quincy Jones, Bela Fleck, Chic Corea, Herbie Hancock, Victor Wooten

Western Art music - Igor Stravinsky, Arthur Honegger, Bela Bartok, Anton Webern, Aaron Jay Kernis, Charles Ives, Hector Berlioz, Aaron Copland, WA Mozart, Haydn, JS Bach, Beethoven, Wagner, Carl Maria von Weber, Richard Strauss, Erich Wolfgang Korngold, Bernard Herrmann, Carlo Gesualdo, Monteverdi, Orlando di Lasso, Josquin des Prez, Guillaume DuFay, Philipe de Vitry, Francesco Landini, Bernard de Ventadorn

Other Middle Eastern maqamat and iqa, Old Cowboy Songs, Indian Ragas, Latin jazz, bluegrass ... heck just about anything and everything...

Some favorite books & Articles

John Adams (David McCollough); Name of the Rose and Foucault’s Pendulum (Umberto Eco); Lord of the Rings Trilogy (Tolkein);  Henry IV part I, Hamlet, Macbeth (Shakespeare); Leaves of Grass (Whitman); Treasure Island and Kidnapped (R.L. Stevenson); Declaration of Independence; A Memorial and Remonstrance; The Federalist Papers

Some favorite films:

The Blues Brothers

Errol Flynn films: Captain Blood / Adventures of Robin Hood / The Sea Hawk

The Wizard of Oz

Apollo 13

Spartacus - I don’t get the supposed gay  thing...

Hamlet (Kenneth Brannaugh’s (sp?) version

Monty Python’s - Life of Brian / Quest for the Holy Grail

Raider’s of the Lost Ark

The Godfather parts I and II

Saving Private Ryan (the best Anti-war film I know)

Hitchcock films: Rebecca, Rear Window, Vertigo, Psycho, North by Northwest

Highlander - but not the sequels or TV show.

The Three Amigos, Better off Dead, Revenge of the Nerds, Back to School, War Games, Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure, Shallow Hal

TV Viewing:
I have "poorman’s cable" (i.e. PBS and Channel 45)

American Experience, Nova, Secrets of the Dead, Scientific American Frontiers, Frontline, the News Hour with Jim Lehrer, CBS Sunday Morning,
*Gilmore Girls, Smallville, The Simpsons, SNL, Law and Order(s)
Cheers, MASH, Andy Griffith Show, Hogan’s Heroes, Bonanza, 1st season of Little House on the Prairie,

* REAPER (reminds me of what the kinds of things we used to do in High School - just not sure which ones of us best resembled Sam, Sock, and Ben) 


During football season please do not call on Sundays. Busy watching and preparing for the Vikings! Next to chess, American Football is my favorite strategic artform.

Talents:
I can do 5 impersonations with the same voice: Ronald Regan, Jack Palance, Clint Eastwood, C. Montgomery Burns, "Weezie" Jefferson.

My thesis, "Symphonia Caritatis: The Cistercian Chants of Hildegard von Bingen" has just been posted online.

http://www.musiclisteningcontest.org/h_kcmcguire_Symphonia_Caritatis_2007.htm

Spider-man and Batman



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For me "art" achieves the same purpose as religion.  It expresses and touches the part of the mind (or soul) that cannot be touched or expressed through logic or grammar alone.  I suppose that is why, without being a religious person myself, I am fascinated by liturgical functions of "music, art, and language."

Having said this, the American composer, Charles Ives comes to mind - expecially his Symphony No. 4. - I view this work as an attempt to encapsulate and entire experience: sounds, sights, smells, tastes, thoughtful reflection, introspection, prognostication, etc." -- A blend of sensations produced by physical experience and reflected upon by Ives himself in his human consciousness (subjective reality) and then his attempt to communicate the entirety of that personal experience into an objective reality.   

Of course the way we learn to communicate in the objective world is through linear, outlined thinking.   Where instead of being able to communicate say, "a flower" in one word, we can only communicate what a flower is using a stream of adjectives modifying everything from the type of flower, its smell, the myriad colors of its petals, leaves, caused by the shadows and the change of day and how the wind makes it sway from side to side until at last a few petals fall everso gently this way and that until they rest onto the ground...etc. etc. 

Of course I find art in many things, from reading and research, American Football (or any sport, especially when played well, is an art form)

more on this later...