This literature review will first give a historical context for the use of movement in American music classrooms and then list the body of research dealing with the use of movement in music education. Findings of studies done in music classrooms will be discussed, using the categories of positive findings of large-motor-movement use in music classrooms, inconclusive or negative findings of fine-motor-movement use in music classrooms, studies of ambiguously defined movement instruction, and movement used with other nonverbal response. Studies of the types of movements performed by children will be discussed using the categories of developmental considerations, relationships of movements to musical understanding, and movement used with other nonverbal response modes.
T here are some pieces of software that are uniquely designed for musicians' use. Band-ina-Box (created by PG Music, www.pgmusic.com) is such a piece of software. Band-in-a-Box (BIAB) uses MIDI sounds to simulate small ensembles such as jazz combos. These "combo accompaniments" are created by typing chord changes of songs into the program, then controlling key, tempo, style, timbre, and the number of times the song is repeated. BIAB is often used by jazz musicians for practicing improvisation skills. It is also common for band directors at the high school level to be familiar with BIAB, especially if jazz band is a part of the school curriculum. While its use is not as common at the elementary level, a basic familiarity with this software can be very valuable for general music teachers. This article will suggest ways Band-in-a-Box can be used in the general music classroom, outline the basic steps for using this program, and show how using BIAB can contribute to meeting the National Standards for Music Education.
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