Music educators today have a responsibility and a unique opportunity to introduce their students to the art music of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Elementary and secondary school students should know that composers are living and working in their communities. They should be aware of the diverse styles and genres of contemporary music…

Discusses the lack of awareness students have in considering classical music and presents methods for kindling their interests in a music form relatively unknown to them. (RK)

Discusses how teachers can incorporate musical composition into their classrooms by teaching students about aleatory, or chance, music. Provides a definition of aleatory music and provides various composing techniques, focusing on aleatory music. Includes lesson plans using aleatory music, such as the "Mozart Model" for grades 4-12. (CMK)

Focuses on ways to develop student creative thinking, improvisation, and composition skills in instrumental classes. Provides suggestions, such as the importance of offering students creative opportunities, supplying examples, giving control to students, and encouraging expressive integrity. Includes a bibliography of resources for developing…

States that choral directors should put more time into planning music rehearsals. Discusses activities that can be included in a rehearsal practice and describes extension activities that could be used. Includes a lesson plan that can be used with a concert choir. (CMK)

Focuses on teaching students how to compose music. Addresses issues, such as how to get the students started and types of questions to ask students about their compositions. Discusses the musical elements involved in composition, such as melody, harmony, rhythm and meter, timbre, texture, and formal design. (CMK)

Discusses how to encourage creativity in the music classroom for upper-elementary students by focusing on musical composition. Includes a description of a nine lesson unit that focuses on creativity in musical composition. States that students can continue working on compositions at home. (CMK)

Provides three strategies to help chorus teachers assist boys to develop their singing abilities by: (1) choosing the appropriate repertoire for the boys' abilities; (2) routinely separating the boys and girls during rehearsals; and (3) having boys do exercises that expand the upper parts of their singing ranges. (CMK)

Contends that speech ensembles can be useful in the music classroom, particularly at the middle school level, to help develop students' creative thinking, powers of expression, and skills in notation and counting. Offers five steps to guide students in creating speech ensembles that address the National Standards for Music Education. (CMK)

Describes how the young children of the Early Learning Center in the Chelsea (Massachusetts) school district learned about Igor Stravinsky's ballet suite, "The Firebird." Explains that children in three kindergarten classes depicted the ballet's characters in a participatory performance. Highlights some qualitative observations. (CMK)

Explains that music teachers can hamper student creativity in music composition by restricting assignments. States that teachers should assign only one parameter, focusing on a broad overarching idea. Provides examples of enabling parameters. Addresses the teacher's response to student work and nurturing musical independence. (CMK)

Provides a strategy, from the book entitled "Strategies for Teaching High School Band," that addresses Standard 8B of the National Standards for Music Education. Explains that students will discover relationships among music, visual art, and architecture of the Classical period. (CMK)

Focuses on the use of assessment rubrics with musical composition. Provides guidelines for musical composition assignments and describes the construction and use of rubrics. Includes four example assessment rubrics. (CMK)

Addresses how the National Standards can be incorporated into band rehearsals using the music piece, "Balladair" (Frank Erickson), as an example when teaching techniques and musical concepts. Provides ideas such as using material from "Balladair" to create warm-ups or relating the piece to other arts. (CMK)

Focuses on how important it is for teachers to understand music editorial practices. Explains that the knowledge can help them select appropriate performing editions of music for their classes. Provides background information on editorial practices and the philosophy and methodology behind them. Discusses the nature of primary sources. (CMK)