During the present time, one can hardly avoid hearing the term "social justice" on a daily basis. People in great numbers are demanding it, apologizing for avoiding it, and expressing anger at being denied it. The phrase contains two words, both important to understanding its meaning. Social refers to friendly, mutually beneficial relationships. From the word … Continue reading Social Justice in the Classroom: What Is It and How Does It Work?
Music Education
A practical guide to planning, teaching, and assessing music instruction.
A New Normal for Music Education
In every circumstance, whether we view it as positive or negative, freeing or restrictive, there is an opportunity to enter into something better. As educators now are afforded the summer months to reflect, research, examine and revise how music education is delivered to students, music educators will do well to take that opportunity to prepare … Continue reading A New Normal for Music Education
Playing With Sound
When we think of playing with something, usually it is an object or an activity. We play with a toy, or we play tennis. We say we play a piano or a clarinet, but we rarely hear someone say we play with a piano or a clarinet. Even more unlikely is to hear someone say … Continue reading Playing With Sound
Keeping Learning Assessment Rigorous at Home
As if collecting assessment data were not challenging enough for music teachers, the distance learning environment we now find ourselves in adds an additional layer of concern. The ultimate goal of any educational instruction is to guide students to points where they can problem solve and apply learning to real-life situations. For some, holding school … Continue reading Keeping Learning Assessment Rigorous at Home
Navigating Teaching While Physically Separated from Students
For many of us, this COVID-19 pandemic has thrust us into distance learning quite suddenly and unexpectedly. Schools and students who found themselves equipped with technology had a solid basis upon which to start, while schools, and even more so students, who had little or no technology at home have been confronted with problems meeting … Continue reading Navigating Teaching While Physically Separated from Students
Music In Unsettled Times
There have been times in my life when music kept me on an even keel, restored me to a place of security and peace when all around me was about to become overwhelming. It was like the perfect friend, offering comfort, solace, probing in a healing way the innermost parts of my being. This went … Continue reading Music In Unsettled Times
Music for Earth Day: Songs, Lessons, and Suggestions
Earth Day is one of those opportunities that comes along every year for music educators to collaborate with other members of the school community. Doing so strengthens the prestige of the music program, and relationships with teachers and administrators in your building. Many schools, particularly elementary schools, hold Earth Day activities, and feature themed activities … Continue reading Music for Earth Day: Songs, Lessons, and Suggestions
The Family of Musical Elements
I don't believe I've ever seen a music textbook, or observed or even taught a music course that didn't include plenty of instruction on the elements of music. Melody, harmony, pitch, rhythm, beat, and so forth all are rightly considered critical to any course on music. These things are the very raw materials out of … Continue reading The Family of Musical Elements
Managing Distance Music Teaching During COVID-19 Shutdowns (Updated Mar. 25)
Many of you are or will be experiencing long-term school closures du to the Corona Virus (COVID-19) pandemic. Many school districts are closing schools and asking teachers to teach online or prepare lessons students can take online for the duration of these closures, which typically are at least two weeks. For many music teachers, this … Continue reading Managing Distance Music Teaching During COVID-19 Shutdowns (Updated Mar. 25)
Toward More In Tune Singing
Many of our students, and, truth be told, many of us as well, struggle at least from time to time at singing in tune. There can be any one or more of several factors contributing to the difficulty. It may be poor phonation which makes it more difficult to hear ourselves singing, it could be … Continue reading Toward More In Tune Singing
