Arts integration is a topic that has been researched and discussed by music educators and general educators alike. Some feel this is a worthwhile endeavor in both the arts classroom and the general classroom, while others feel that we should be spending what little time we have in the music classroom focusing on music goals. This article will focus on integrating music and other disciplines in a way that treats each discipline with integrity. I will offer practical ideas for integrating music across the curriculum.
In many schools, both urban and rural, children living in poverty face daily stressors including lack of parental support, lack of resources, unsafe living conditions, and poor nutrition. As teachers are first responders in facing these difficult situations, resilience enables teachers to overcome challenges and succeed professionally. Teachers who have been found to be more resilient tend to feel more successful and stay in their positions longer. Teachers at varying experience levels have different approaches to maintaining their resilience in response to daily stressors. The purpose of this comparative case study was to compare the resilience factors of an early career and a late career music teacher within high-poverty, trauma-sensitive contexts. Participants exhibited varying levels of resilience by adapting their expectations to their school context and maintaining a positive attitude.
While music education researchers have examined cooperating teacher and student teacher interactions via classroom observations and interviews, there is little research on extended dialogues between the cooperating teacher and student teacher or various mentoring roles (coach, guide, model, and evaluator) assumed by cooperating teachers. During one 8-week student teaching placement period, I recorded extended dialogues between four student teacher-cooperating teacher pairs, along with individual interviews. Data were analyzed using the mentor roles in dialogues model. The mentoring role assumed during dialogues reflected the student teaching context, perceptions about appropriate roles, cooperating teacher and student teacher personalities, and their relationship. Mentoring dialogues were especially influenced by unique features of the music ensemble class.
Many general music teachers use a variety of methods in their classrooms. The Generative Theory of Musical Learning can serve as a basis for a variety of general music methodologies. Developed by Eunice Boardman, the Generative Theory of Musical Learning influenced general music textbooks from 1966 to 1988, and it continues to influence music educators even today. The purpose of this study was to examine how the theory influenced the six editions of the Holt Music textbook series and to determine how its ideas have continued to be disseminated since the final edition of the Holt series. Data were collected through examination of a variety of primary and secondary sources, including the Holt Music series textbooks, published and unpublished writings from Eunice Boardman, and interviews with coauthors of the series. The study traces the development of the ideas behind the Generative Theory, its influence on the Holt Music series from 1966 to 1988, and the dissemination of the ideas following the conclusion of the series.
Middle school students are old enough to be capable of abstract thought and critical thinking while still being playful and joyfully goofy! Through music composition in general music classes, middle school students can be challenged to make musical decisions. Composition can be especially exciting in middle school because they will be motivated to think critically through music that is relevant to their lives. Composition activities also afford teachers the flexibility to adapt to various learning levels and styles in our classroom. In this article, I will offer concrete ideas for composing in middle school general music, including thoughts on notation and assessment.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.