Children's picture book biographies on composers and musicians can prompt powerful music learning experiences. Biography breaks are the reading aloud of a picture book biography and the questions or activities the teacher engages students in while and after reading the book. In the music classroom, biography breaks can be used with children of all…

Educated in a digital world, millennial children lack social interaction and actual hands-on activities involving tactile and kinesthetic training. To counteract this educational trend, traditional singing games that allow children to explore and make sense of their world physically can be valuable. This article introduces the traditional Javanese…

In our growing digital age, young children are inevitably exposed to a variety of technology and media devices. We see 2-year olds taking "selfies" on their parents' phones, iPads and e-readers filled with children's books and games, and thousands of songs stored on iPods for children to listen to and sing along. The ways in…

Listening to music from a variety of national, ethnic, and historical traditions may help adolescents develop respect for individual differences, particularly when they are challenged to confront music that has little immediate musical appeal for them. This article outlines strategies for two sample listening lessons, using Serbo-Croatian gusle…

This article discusses the numerous benefits of employing contrast-and-compare lessons in music education settings. Such activities focus on the elements of music through the higher-order thinking processes of analyzing, comparing, organizing, and evaluating. They also integrate with the teaching goals and practices of many general educators in…

This article provides general music teachers with resources they can use in their class to: (1) introduce the instrument to their students; (2) energize and reshape their students' attitudes toward the instrument; (3) show older students who are very musical recorder and low flute players who share their love of the instruments through podcasts…

Contends that arts educators have not succeeded in developing an adult population who support and participate in the arts. Explores aspects of the teaching process during youth education that affect the lifelong music participation of adults by giving people the abilities and motivation to continue their music education. (CMK)

Music teachers who strive to provide a broad range of experiences for their students are usually careful to include music listening among them. Although students have many opportunities to hear music in their everyday lives, most teachers agree that music listening involves skills that must be taught to children. Some might even argue that…

Focuses on the use of recorder ensembles in general music classes, discussing topics such as strategies for procuring soprano, alto, and bass recorders and ensemble activities for grades 3-8. Provides a bibliography of resources for recorder playing and information on transposition and arranging music. (CMK)

Presents a college level music appreciation course that combines cohort analysis, action research methods, and distance learning. Students identify generational cohorts and use research methods to determine the preferred musical forms of the cohort. Describes a "cohort," a music appreciation Web site, the course structure, and benefits of the…