A portfolio can document student skills, abilities, growth, achievement, and attitudes. It can also reflect students' learning processes and subsequently guide new teaching strategies. Portfolio proponents have used these arguments to justify the time and organization needed to successfully implement them in their classrooms and in their school…

This article provides guidance for music teachers who want to introduce Korean folk music to their students. It introduces "Arirang"--both a specific folk song and a category--and describes three different versions: the "Miryang Arirang," the "Jindo Arirang," and the "Gyeonggi Arirang." The…

This article explores realistic ways with which ensemble conductors can facilitate the conceptual acquisition of their students via creative activities. Creativity, as included in the National Standards, is presented through the "eyes" of comprehensive musicianship. (Contains 2 figures, 2 tables, and 9 notes.)

The creative music strategy is a dynamic and flexible seven-step model for guiding general music students through the music concepts of improvisation and composition, followed by critical reflection. These are musical behaviors that cultivate the development of our students' deeper conceptual understandings and music independence by helping them…

Teachers who conduct ensembles of any ability level know that many skills are required for students to successfully participate. Often neglected or overlooked are the skills that students must have to interact musically with their peers. This article focuses on listening as a way to help make successful ensemble collaboration a reality. The method…

In the past few decades, the steel band art form has experienced consistent growth and development in several key respects. For example, in the United States, the sheer number of steel band programs has steadily increased, and it appears that this trend will continue in the future. Additionally, pan builders and tuners have made great strides in…

Music education scholars and veteran teachers often assert that composition is an essential part of a child's participation in music, but like many music educators, the author was reluctant to include it as part of her daily beginning band curriculum. Time and money were limited, and she wanted to be sure to cover all the material that beginners…

In this article, the author presents John Philip Sousa's all time hit, "The Stars and Stripes Forever". It is one of the most recognizable pieces of American music. Wherever John Philip Sousa and his band appeared, this march was likely to be played. According to American poet and educator Eli Siegel (1902-78), who first articulated the…

The power of the rules of notation to cripple the musical creativity of a potential composer is discussed. (CK)

Legal issues involved in copyrighting are discussed. (CK)

Author wrote a lovely poem appealing to Ludwig von Beethoven and the complexities faced by a young girl playing his music. (RK)