Elementary General Music Classroom Research Articles

Supporting Music Literacy for Students with Special Needs in the Elementary General Music Classroom: A Design Case of a Digital Tool

Supporting Music Literacy for Students with Special Needs in the Elementary General Music Classroom: A Design Case of a Digital Tool

Restorative Justice and Classroom Management in Elementary General Music Classrooms

The purpose of this pilot study was to examine elementary general music teachers’ familiarity with, agreement with, and perceptions of restorative justice practices. Participants ( N = 49) included practicing elementary general music teachers who were members of the California Music Educators Association, the Florida Music Educators Association, the Missouri Music Educators Association, the New England Orff chapter, and an Orff chapter in Southern California. Findings indicated that participants were moderately familiar with their perceived ideas of restorative justice. They reported moderately high levels of agreement with a restorative justice ideology but held largely negative perceptions regarding the approach and its implementation in elementary music classrooms. Results suggest that although many elementary music teachers generally agree with a restorative justice ideology, they face challenges in implementing restorative justice–based approaches in their classrooms. Administrative support, professional development opportunities, and future research on the topic are needed.

Behavioral Strategies for Trauma-Informed Elementary General Music Education for Students With Emotional/Behavioral Disorders: A Review of the Literature

Elementary general music teachers encounter challenging behaviors in the music classroom when teaching students with emotional/behavioral disorders (EBD), which require prevention and response. In this article, I reviewed literature on pedagogical strategies and interventions for students with EBD in the elementary general music classroom. The review is organized as follows: (a) introduction and process, (b) overview of trauma, (c) overview of EBD, (d) principles of trauma-informed care, and (e) summary and recommendations. Through this review, I present current knowledge on best practices for understanding and framing the unique behavioral needs of special learners with EBD through a trauma-informed lens.

A Historical Perspective from Folklorist Henry Glassie: Roots of Folk Songs in Music Education

The purpose of this study was to examine the sociocultural roots of folk songs from the perspective of renowned folklorist Henry Glassie. Dr. Henry Glassie holds the rank of Professor Emeritus at Indiana University, where he previously served on the faculty for the Department of Folklore and Ethnomusicology. Primary sources included Glassie’s archived collection of folk song transcriptions, recordings, and field notes from the Appalachian region between 1961-1967, housed at the Archives of Traditional Music at Indiana University. A total of 1,665 titles from elementary general music sources were cross-referenced with Glassie’s collection, 26 of which appeared in the archived account. Two oral history interviews with Glassie revealed that folk songs that are commonly used in elementary general music classrooms have historical roots of which teachers may be unaware. The songs in this study raise ethical and moral questions regarding their use in the general music classroom and suggest that teachers carefully research folk songs and their related meanings.

A Selective Survey of Jazz Materials for the Elementary General Music Classroom

A Selective Survey of Jazz Materials for the Elementary General Music Classroom

An Investigation of Digital Game-Based Learning Software in the Elementary General Music Classroom

Game-based learning, or the process of adapting an educational concept into a game-based structure, has been studied by researchers for nearly a century. Over the last several decades, new technologies have allowed digital media to create a multibillion-dollar entertainment industry commonly known as video games. Video games have become a tool for many educators who have the potential to engage students to learn musical concepts and skills. The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of digital game-based learning in comparison to other teaching methods for music education and to explore the perspectives of young students regarding video games both in school and in their personal lives. Eighty-two (n = 82) fifth- and sixth-grade students in a northeastern U.S. elementary school completed a study consisting of a pretest/posttest control group design. Results showed that students who had access to educational video games combined with the assistance of an instructor achieved higher mean scores than students who had access to either video games without instruction or instruction without video games. These findings suggested that educational video games may potentially be used as an effective tool in the music classroom to teach musical concepts and skills.

Engaged Listening Experiences: A World Music Sampler

As the U.S. population has become significantly more culturally diverse, many music educators have acknowledged the necessity to implement culturally diverse musics in music curricula. One of the challenges in teaching culturally diverse musics is designing a balance between performing-based activities and other activities such as listening, improvising, and composing activities. Despite the importance of developing students’ listening skills, listening lessons are still relatively deficient within the context of world musics. Therefore, we provide general music teachers with engaged listening strategies for implementing world music lessons in music classrooms. The lessons provided in this article are appropriate for upper elementary and secondary general music classrooms.

Teaching about the Korean Ganggangsullae Folk Tradition in General Music Class

Korean folk music has been rarely included in the Western music curriculum due to limited materials for music teachers to use. This article introduces Ganggangsullae, a prominent Korean folk tradition (called a “folk play” by Koreans) that incorporates singing and dancing, and discusses its historical background and the unique elements of Korean folk music that it illuminates: Korean rhythm, minyo singing, dancing, and dialogue play. In addition, this article offers practical teaching guidance for incorporating Ganggangsullae into the elementary general music classroom.

Research-to-Resource: Developing a Culturally Responsive Mind-Set in Elementary General Music

The terms culturally responsive teaching and culturally responsive pedagogy have become more common in the vernacular of public-school teaching. However, practical applications of cultural responsivity are not often clearly presented due to the nature of being responsive. Responsivity requires knowledge of students and community (context) specific to each teaching context. Content and materials should then be derived from the development of the contextual understanding. This is why presenting a tool box of culturally responsive practices is not possible when seeking to become more culturally responsive in the classroom. This article seeks to situate cultural responsivity as a mind-set as opposed to an approach or method within the elementary general music classroom. Practical steps that can be taken toward the development of this mind-set are then presented with a focus on context and content.

The Journey From Instrumental to Elementary General Music Education: How to Succeed in a New Specialization

For various reasons, instrumentalist music education majors may find themselves teaching in an elementary general music classroom. Based on research and experience, this article will discuss why the transition from instrumental to elementary general music education may occur as well as offer suggestions to support instrumentalists new to the elementary general music classroom.

Constructing Informal Experiences in the Elementary General Music Classroom

Children often spontaneously yet purposefully sing songs or create rhythms outside the formal classroom setting to reflect the ways in which they naturally engage with music. Researchers have studied these informal music learning practices to incorporate these experiences into the classroom to offer lessons that are engaging and better reflective of children’s out-of-school musical worlds. This article offers strategies for teachers to incorporate these practices into an upper elementary general music classroom through combining elements of constructivism and the research of Lucy Green on informal music learning and popular musicians. Informal music learning offers another way of thinking about music learning and providing joyful and meaningful music-making experiences in the classroom.

Teaching the Korean Folk Song (Arirang) Through Performing, Creating, and Responding

This article introduces a pedagogical approach to teaching one of the renowned Korean folk songs ( Arirang) based on the comprehensive musicianship approach and the 2014 Music Standards (competencies in performing, creating, and responding to music). The authors provide in-depth information for music educators to help their students achieve learning outcomes for the skill, knowledge, and affect domains of the Korean folk song ( Arirang). Furthermore, the authors offer music lessons for Arirang in a variety of ways that are appropriate for upper elementary and secondary general music classrooms, including performing, creating, and responding to the music. An educational website that includes exemplary lesson plans, videos, and worksheets is also provided to help music teachers obtain content and pedagogical knowledge of Arirang.

Teachers’ Perceptions on Current Piano Use in the Elementary General Music Classroom

The purpose of this study was to identify teacher opinion of piano use, the amount of piano use, and current purposes for pianos in elementary general music classrooms. A geographically diverse sample of general music teachers ( N = 189) completed a piano use survey. The data indicated that teachers felt piano was an important part of elementary music and that the piano should be used for accompaniment more than any other purpose. Pianos were most commonly used on a weekly basis. Teachers who began piano lessons at a younger age also tended to use more piano in their classrooms. Qualitative statements made about piano use were positive and enthusiastic. This study provides direction for future research in the investigation of relationships between amount of piano use and teacher variables, and the amount of a cappella singing in the elementary classroom.

The Power of Play

Explore musical play as a means of making meaningful connections in the elementary general music classroom. Usher in the Spring with joyful singing, dancing, and playing!

Improvisational Practices in Elementary General Music Classrooms

Despite historic and ongoing support for the inclusion of improvisation in the elementary general music curriculum, music educators consistently report challenges with implementation of improvisational activities in their classes. This study was designed to examine (a) the extent to which improvisational activities were occurring in the participants’ elementary general music classrooms, (b) the nature of these improvisational activities, and (c) participants’ perceptions of the quality of their students’ improvisations. The most common improvisational activities reported by these teachers were question-and-answer singing, improvising on unpitched and pitched percussion instruments, and improvising rhythmic patterns using instruments. Analysis of their reflections on these activities revealed three broad themes: (a) process, practice, and experience, (b) sequencing, scaffolding, and modeling in instruction; and (c) collaboration, reflection, and creation. These teachers stated they were most interested in the quality of the improvisational process rather than with the product and indicated that sequencing was crucial in the instruction of improvisation. While some put less importance and priority on improvisation, the majority perceived it as necessary to the development of students’ musical skills, as an important way for students to show musical understanding, and as an empowering creative process that produces independent thinkers and musicians.

Low-Budget Apps for Students of All Abilities

With more than 850,000 apps currently on the market, there are multiple apps that can be used to help all students in music education, particularly those with special needs. This article lists low-budget apps useful for the elementary or secondary general music classroom.

The Influence of Music Teacher Beliefs and Practices on the Expression of Musical Identity in an Elementary General Music Classroom

The purpose of this qualitative collective case study was to examine the ways an elementary general music teacher’s curricular beliefs and practices influence the expression of music in identity and identity in music for second-generation students. In addition to the music teacher, participants were 4 students whose families had immigrated to the United States from Mexico and who were attending the midwestern suburban school within the United States where the study took place. This research was designed to provide an understanding of the interactions between the roles of music instruction, cultural responsiveness, and musical identity. Within-case and cross-case analysis generated specific and broad themes that addressed the purpose of the study. The findings revealed that the role of the teacher’s view of the self as musician and educator, combined with the choice of instructional approach, created a music classroom environment that successfully met the teacher-directed goals for sequence-centered instruction. Nonetheless, the data revealed that the choice of instructional approach resulted in an isolated musical experience that did not support the integration of cultural, linguistic, and popular music experiences and largely ignored issues of cultural responsiveness.

Inclusion of People with Special Needs in Choral Settings

Despite long-standing antidiscrimination laws, such as the Americans with Disabilities Act and Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, which are meant to guarantee equal access, many school and community choirs appear to be populated primarily by students with typical physical, cognitive, and behavioral abilities. The purpose of this article is to review research and professional literature on integration of individuals with significant cognitive, speech/language, physical and/or behavioral challenges into school and community choirs. Because of the small amount of literature specifically pertaining to choirs, this review also includes pertinent literature from other performance ensembles and from elementary general music classrooms. Based on this review of literature, I will identify and describe common features or approaches of successfully integrated general music, instrumental, and choral programs. Finally, I will summarize these findings specifically with regard to their utility in school and community choral settings, with the aim of illustrating how choral directors might better include singers with special needs in their choirs.

“Deñuy jàngal seen bopp” (They Teach Themselves): Children’s Music Learning in The Gambia

The author investigated the teaching and learning processes among children in a suburban community of The Gambia, West Africa. Participants included children and adults in the community ( N = 101). The researcher used ethnographic techniques of participant and nonparticipant observation, interviews, and song and chant collection. Data consisted of field notes from observations of play and adult-centered musical events, interviews with children and adults, and transcripts of video and audio recordings. On the basis of the data, the researcher identified a music learning process consisting of listening, observing, doing, and combinations of the three. Children seemed to “teach themselves” and one another in many instances; interpretation of data suggested that this was facilitated by three factors: a rich musical environment, expectation to be musical, and motivation to learn. Possibilities for transfer of these three factors to elementary general music classrooms are suggested.

Curricular Pillars in the Elementary General Music Classroom

Saren, a veteran elementary general music teacher, recently looked at her school district curriculum guide and thought about an engaging way to teach the concept of program music-the idea that music can represent other things-to her third graders. She remembered examples of program music that they had already experienced that she could relate to the current topic. She jotted down Peter and the Wolf by Prokofiev as a work to mention to the students to remind them that they had already encountered an example of program music. She looked at her old plan books and noticed that her third graders had covered Peter and the Wolf in the first two weeks of October in the first grade. Unless something unusual happened, her students always experienced Peter and the Wolf during those first two October weeks of their first-grade year. When the day came to introduce program music, she mentioned Peter and the Wolf and asked the students what they remembered about it. Only one student remembered it. That particular student owned the recording and enjoyed listening to it with her younger brother at home. None of the other students could remember the story or any of the characters with their corresponding instruments. At the time, Karen moved on with her lesson without giving it much thought. Her lesson on program music included many engaging recorded examples, and she was thrilled that the students could guess the animal, story, or event behind many of the pieces they heard. Later, as she was reflecting on the success of the lesson, she thought again about Peter and the Wolf This lesson had been equally effective when she had taught it to the students as first graders. Why had none of the students remembered it? Would they remember anything about her current lesson when they were in fifth grade?