Suggests the use of ukuleles as instruments to teach music skills and concepts in general music classes. Describes the history, development, and structure of the ukulele. Includes diagrams of an instrument, tuning, C chord tablature, and rhythmic strum. Suggests the ukulele's use in teacher training as is required at the University of Hawaii. (DK)

Folk music is not necessarily old, anonymous, or unwritten. Its most important characteristic is change through the folk process. Folk music is a part of our national heritage that children can usually acquire only in school. It can be used to support a variety of school subjects. (CS)

Presents a rationale for using handbells and discusses their application to elementary, junior high, high school, special education, and college music programs. (SJL)

Care of musical instruments should be a part of every student's music education. What students should know about caring for pianos is discussed. The main parts of the piano--the cabinet, the mechanical part, the musical part, and the structure--are discussed. Tuning and pitch raise are also discussed. (RM)

Presented is the rationale and a method for developing a graded brass quintet in grades 5 through 12. A suggested brass quintet repertoire, arranged from easy to difficult, is included. (KC)

Suggests ways to solve problems resulting from imbalanced instrumentation in school concert bands. Identifies sources of imbalance. Encourages band directors to plan for correct instrumentation, to match students' characteristics and abilities to instruments, and to recruit students to play needed instruments. Discusses the benefits of balanced…

Arranged into eight parts, the booklet assists instrumental music teachers in facilitating musicianship in the beginning instrumental class. Part 1 presents a description and rationale for teaching comprehensive musicianship in instrumental programs. Part 2 presents a list of student objectives and teaching strategies for beginning level classes.…

Discusses methods for teaching instrumental music skills to educable mentally handicapped children. The author advocates consistent rules for equipment handling and playing position, frequent positive feedback from teachers, private lessons, rote-learning of music, and group playing experiences. Appropriate music training significantly improved…

Offers strategies for introducing world music into the school instrumental music program. Suggests steps toward creating a more multicultural band or orchestra, including choosing multicultural musical literature, analyzing world music, and maintaining a diverse music library. Argues that culturally diverse music programs are better equipped to…

Suggests that watching for certain signs can help music teachers to improve students' performance in jazz solos. Recommends dealing with problems one at a time beginning with the most blatant and focusing on good communication skills as the basis of improvisation. Discusses lack of spacing, repetition, planning, form, and finality. (DK)

Describes musical instrument digital interface (MIDI), a communication system that uses digital data to enable MIDI-equipped instruments to communicate with each other. Includes discussion of music editors, sequencers, compositional software, and commonly used computers. Suggests uses for the technology for students and teachers. Urges further…

Reports on a study of student preference for musical instruments over 3 decades in 600 elementary, secondary, and colleges. Finds that gender-based segregation has increased at the high school and college level, but findings at the elementary level are inconclusive. (CFR)

This teacher's guide presents a course for training hearing-impaired students to listen to, create, and perform music. It emphasizes development of individual skills and group participation, encouraging students to contribute a wide variety of auditory and musical abilities and experiences while developing auditory acuity and attention. A variety…

Recommends singing as an instructional strategy for string and other instrument classes. Maintains that singing familiarizes the student with the music and can serve as an illustrative example of musical techniques. Includes a list of tonal objectives found in repertory songs. Briefly reviews several instructional texts. (MJP)

Contends that many violin and viola students develop preferences based on fear of using more difficult fingering techniques. Recommends that students be exposed to advanced techniques earlier in a matter-of-fact approach. Includes a list of four books recommended for further reading. (CFR)