General Music Curriculum Research Articles

A Student-Affirming Approach to Middle School Classroom Music: Four Guiding Principles for Curriculum and Instruction

Students who enter middle school may discover few or no opportunities for music participation beyond the Western ensemble paradigm. However, the explorative experiences of elementary general music can continue to thrive in middle school classroom music. In order for middle school classroom music programs to maximize potential, they must be valued and supported equitably, and invite creativity, questioning, and co-learning. In this article, I discuss four guiding principles for a middle school general music curriculum that is culturally responsive, generationally relevant, and student-centered. When teachers adopt these values, middle school classroom music can affirm students’ musical and nonmusical identities and pave the way for growth in individuals and the music education, performance, and composition fields at large.

The Effects of Digital Storytelling Project-Based Learning with Local Praxis: A Case Study of General Music Curriculum

The Effects of Digital Storytelling Project-Based Learning with Local Praxis: A Case Study of General Music Curriculum

Building 21st Century Skills Through Technology in General Music Classes

In today’s global community, 21st century skills are essential for all students. In addition, in a digital world, technology is expected to be part of students’ educational experiences. In this article, I provide practical strategies and ideas for incorporating technology into general music curriculum to promote students’ 21st century skills. In particular, I offer specific practices that utilize technology to meet 21st century skills—creativity, critical thinking, collaboration, communication, global awareness, and technology literacy.

Integrating Social-Emotional Learning Into Our “New Normal” Teaching Elementary General Music

As social-emotional learning (SEL) initiatives are being adopted by many states and school districts, many music teachers have been actively and successfully integrating SEL into their elementary general music curriculum. Whether teaching in person or remotely music educators can create an environment conducive to SEL by practicing mindfulness, building relationships with and between students, encouraging family music engagement, and engaging in inclusive music activities. In this column, you will find resources and ideas about SEL, discover how it looks and functions in the music classroom (virtual or not), and hear from music educators who currently incorporate SEL in their teaching.

Exploring and Engaging in Music Innovation Through the Engineering Design Process

The purpose of integrating engineering into the K-12 curriculum is to engage students in using a systematic process to design solutions to real-world problems. The engineering design process is a series of steps that guide engineers to solve problems and can be integrated into the general music curriculum to provide students with opportunities to explore and engage in music innovation.

General Music Learning Is Also Social and Emotional Learning

The purpose of this article is to highlight the relationship between general music and social and emotional learning. Social and emotional learning involves a set of social, emotional, behavioral, and character competencies that are essential to success in school, in the workplace, within relationships, in the community, and in life. Music teachers are uniquely positioned to help students become more socially and emotionally competent while simultaneously developing the skills outlined in the general music curriculum. Many general music program activities reinforce and help students understand the concepts of self-management, self-awareness, responsible decisionmaking, relationship skills, and social awareness. Activities such as improvisation, ensemble playing and singing, and defining emotions with music can be used to develop social and emotional learning skills in the general music classroom. The primary objective of this article is to help general music teachers understand that general music learning environments naturally lend themselves well to aiding in these efforts.

A matter of race and gender: An examination of an undergraduate music program through the lens of feminist pedagogy and Black feminist pedagogy

Feminist pedagogy, originating in social constructivism and critical theory, offers an instructional approach for a more democratic and diverse curriculum and pedagogy. Extending from feminist pedagogy is Black feminist pedagogy, which offers a more specialized instructional approach for underrepresented populations in education. Both feminist pedagogy and Black feminist pedagogy foster a unique intersection for institutions of higher education whose historic mission integrates race and gender as part of its targeted efforts. This study examines ways feminist pedagogy and Black feminist pedagogy are integrated into the undergraduate music program at Spelman College, a historically Black college for women. Using Barbara Coeyman’s four principles of traditional feminist pedagogy for women’s studies in music and the general music curriculum (i.e., diversity, opportunities for all voices, shared responsibility, and orientation to action) as a theoretical framework, the following three components were examined for this study: content (curriculum and course design), context (structural influences of gender and race), and pedagogy (classroom instruction and learning outcomes). The analysis of data ascertained through triangulated measures of interviews, observations, and document collection provided suggestions as to how music educators can design and teach within a music environment that is socially and culturally inclusive for all students.

Why Do We “Skip to My Lou,” Anyway? Teaching Play Party Songs in Historical Context

This article focuses on teaching play party songs in a general music curriculum, using their authentic form and historical context. The history of play party songs is discussed, as well as the social conditions in America during the time they were used in the late 19th to mid-20th century. Descriptions of the songs include variations in lyrics and movements, with three examples of popular play party songs discussed in detail. Tips for teachers who wish to teach play party songs in their original historical context are offered, and a case is made for using them as a component of interdisciplinary teaching between the music specialist and the classroom teacher. At the end of the article, a sample list of popular play party songs are presented, as well as a list of resources to support the music specialist in learning more about these songs.

Exploring the Rhythmic Timelines of Southern Benin in the General Music Classroom

The inclusion of world music from a variety of cultures and traditions within the general music curriculum creates valuable opportunities for students to experience music in ways that are both culturally and pedagogically beneficial. By exploring the connection between the fields of ethnomusicology and music education, we can expand our current body of world music resources to include more of the beautiful and varied music traditions that exist in this world. Within this article, one practicing general music educator considers the important work of ethnomusicologists as she shares her experiences with a world music tradition that has not yet been thoroughly explored within the context of music education: the rhythmic timelines of Southern Benin. This article also includes a set of suggested learning experiences, which provides clear examples of how the rhythmic timelines of Southern Benin can become meaningful to music educators and students everywhere.

Do-It-Yourself World Music Curriculum

Your integration of children’s musical culture into the general music curriculum does not need to end with the song collections on your bookshelf. Consider expanding on the materials available by reaching out to friends, students, colleagues, and elders and collecting children’s musical culture for yourself and your classroom.

Its Historical Value and Today’s Significance of Bennett Reimer’s General Music Curriculum

Its Historical Value and Today’s Significance of Bennett Reimer’s General Music Curriculum

Using “Informances” in General Music

General music teachers might be faced with formal performance expectations placed on them by administrators. While performance expectations are common in performance-based ensembles, meeting these expectations can be cumbersome and daunting to those who serve in the realm of general music. Informances—informative presentations of student learning that emphasize the learning process—provide an alternative to traditional concerts or programs. Informances serve as an excellent way of communicating one’s educational objectives to parents, administrators, and community members by sharing what and how students learn in the classroom. This article explores the benefits of including informances in one’s yearly programming, aligning the role of informances to address the new core music standards, two differing types of informances, as well as suggestions on how to successfully include them in the general music curriculum.

Creative Thinking in Music

Creativity can be experienced in many roles of musicianship: performing, improvising, and composing. Yet, activities that encourage creative thought in our music classrooms can be a challenge to implement. A strong music education curriculum for middle school general music is important; as this may be the last time we reach students who do not participate in band, orchestra, or choir. This article provides information on the development of a middle school general music curriculum model where creative thinking in music through music composition activities is the focus of instruction. Students with limited experience in music were given opportunities to explore and express musical ideas in their compositions. Music fundamentals were introduced following the composition experience. The composition experiences provided fertile ground for creative thinking in music, and students in the program were highly engaged in the music-learning process. The Webster Model of Creative Thinking in Music is examined to discover the keys to success in this model.

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.

Music Improvisation and Composition in the General Music Curriculum

This article describes an approach to general music where assignments in music improvisation and composition are embedded into the curriculum, that is, creative assignments are given as an outgrowth of curriculum content and directly related to instruction and activities in conceptual learning and skill development in the classroom. Such an approach to general music education can make possible the teaching and learning of standards-based, sequentially-designed curriculum and the nurturing of students’ creative thinking in music, an almost simultaneous process. Included are practical suggestions for meeting National Standards Three (Improvisation) and Four (Composition) by embedding composition assignments into the general music curriculum per age categories of elementary, middle, and high school learners supported by descriptions of examples from the field.

Strings in General Music

Instrumental performance that approximates real-world models is one way in which a general music curriculum can encourage high levels of engagement and potential for lifelong musical activity. Although guitars, keyboards, and various folk instruments are useful for this purpose, orchestral instruments can also provide significant solo and ensemble performance opportunities, as well as a meaningful avenue for encountering various styles of orchestral music. In this article, the author discusses a 4-year experience using orchestral strings to engage early secondary (ages 11-14 years) general music students in performing. One of the crucial aspects that led to this program’s success was the multiple sequencing of technical development such that all students, regardless of ability, musical background, or special needs could participate meaningfully in the class ensemble learning experience. The discussion aims to provide teachers who have access to strings or other orchestral instruments ways to incorporate ensemble performance in the general music curriculum.

Drifters and the Dancing Mad: The Public School Music Curriculum and the Fabrication of Boundaries for Participation

Recent reforms in the general music curriculum have, for the most part, failed to lessen the attrition rates of African Americans from public school music programs. In this article I assert that an embodied ideal of cultural nobility, exemplified by Auguste Rodin’s famous statue, The Thinker, has unconsciously operated as a template for participation. As a model comportment in the Western musical tradition, The Thinker has a broader relevance insofar as other school subjects emerged from similar cultural ideals.Beginning with the early period of public music instruction up to the present, I examine the construction of racial boundaries by linking a specific body comportment hailed as worthy by the music curriculum to historically constructed notions of Whiteness. This issue has been underexplored in research in both music and general education. For that reason, this article examines overlapping systems of reasoning about music, comportment, class, religion, language, nationality, and race in professional and popular texts from the early 1800s to the present. This positions public music instruction as authored, not by pedagogical insight alone, but through changes in musical taste, social practices, strategies of governing populations, and definitions of worthy citizenship.There are three levels of analysis. The first is a personal account of the early manifestations of attrition of African Americans from school music programs. The second level of analysis brings the problem of equity into proximity with the tradition of genteel comportment that permeated the training of the good ear or listener and the fabrication of the bona fide citizen. These, I argue are congruent with the historical construction of Whiteness as a standard mark of worthiness. At the third level of analysis, I take up present-day curriculum designs. This section discusses how the language of the music curriculum continues to draw boundaries for participation through protocols that regulate musical response. Here, I argue that the exclusion of popular genres such as hip-hop should be rethought in light of the evidence that shifting historical definitions for music fabricated an overly restrictive template for comportment, recognizing the prototype of Whiteness as the sole embodiment of merit.

Jazz Listening Activities: Children's Literature and Authentic Music Samples

M a yany teachers have a tremendous natural passion for jazz, which holds a respected place in any comprehensive general music curriculum. Active student listening experiences can involve authentic jazz sources that are accurately set within their historical and cultural contexts.1 When pursuing these music-teaching goals, teachers should consider important questions: Why is jazz exciting? Is it the unique combinations of musical sounds or the improvisations that are more intriguing? More importantly, what is the best way to share with students this excitement about a uniquely American musical genre? What teaching methodologies encourage them to learn more about the rich historical context and artistic milieu in which jazz has been and continues to be created by a diverse array of unique personalities? The following observations by a veteran general music teacher may sound familiar: children's literature

Charles Faulkner Bryan's Legacy for General Music

Charles Faulkner Bryan (1911-1955), music educator and ethnomusicologist, was best known as a composer who was influenced by Appalachian folk music. This study focuses on his ideas about general music and the qualities of exemplary music teachers. Bryans own general music curriculum and his teaching attributes are also examined. Bryan believed in solid planning for instruction and maintained that the general music curriculum should be eclectic, experiential, community-oriented, founded on local culture and student interests, and include both vernacular and art music. Bryan valued adaptability, resourcefulness, and creativity in music educators. He believed that a teacher should demonstrate thorough musical knowledge, strong technical skill, an attractive personality, good work habits, and positive attitudes. By all accounts, he displayed these qualities in his own teaching. Bryan designed and taught a general music course that included multicultural music and curriculum integration. His work may have influenced present practices and curricula.

“Interfacing” Computers with the Elementary General Music Curriculum

“Interfacing” Computers with the Elementary General Music Curriculum