Professional early childhood educators are often asked for advice about whether or when a young child should learn to play a music instrument. Many educators who do not have a background in music education may not be confident in providing such advice. A range of overseas research has supported learning a music instrument in the early childhood…

This article, directed toward classroom teachers, deals with music education as a special case of sound or sounds. Interdisciplinary activities aim to develop listening skills and musical discrimination. (TK)

The author states that in a melody/harmony/rhythm sense, improvising on a synthesizer is no different from improvising on any other instrument. The capabilities of synthesizers are described, and exercises and methods to be used with synthesizers are outlined. (KC)

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)

This teaching unit offers teachers, students, and their families a look at 3 centuries of history about the piano. Four lessons for high school music classes offer an opportunity to explore the cultural climate that nurtured the invention of and innovations for the piano along with descriptions of the personalities of the inventors, composers, and…

The author suggests that the greatest barrier confronting a beginning improvisational jazz instrumentalist is fear. He suggests ways of eliminating this fear, beginning with specific suggestions for training the ear with vocal exercises, followed by specific suggestions for learning on instruments. (KC)

Described are improvisational activities based on the Orff-Schulwerk teaching technique which include: sound and movement; sound and movement plus visuals; interpretation of designs from nature, architecture, paintings, rotating rondo, singing hands, and moving from words to song. Pictures of children participating in these activities are…

This curriculum and instructional plan for Canadian schools is based on a study of the tradition of steelbands of Trinidad. The primary aim of the study was to move toward understanding how Trinidadian people view, experience, explain, and order specific elements of their musical world. The study proposed a curriculum and instructional plan for…

Conducted during the Institute for Steelband Playing held in 1988, this study's aim was to understand how Trinidadian people view, experience, explain, and order specific elements of their musical world, with the goal of providing an information base for establishing steelband programs in Canadian schools. The study focused on (1) How did the…

Describes the musical sounds which can be found in unexpected places, and presents classroom projects which will enable heretofore visually oriented students and teachers to rediscover their ears. (BD)

Discusses an elementary school Design Lab in which students construct musical instruments with little intervention from the instructor. Describes some problem solving situations which arose during the activities, and which provided experience in developing computational and reasoning skills. (MLH)

Because of its exciting use of rhythm and its variety, African music is an excellent musical culture for study. Seventh and eighth grade students, with no prior musical training, learned to play African instruments and dance the Adowa, a traditional dance of the Ashanti people of Ghana. (RM)

Developed to acquaint students with the Honolulu (Hawaii) Youth Symphony Concerts program, this booklet focuses on information and activities to help make concert attendance meaningful and enjoyable for students. Goals and learning concepts are described, and information about each of the symphony's musical instruments is included. The chronology…

The introduction for this Alberta (Canada) music education guide offers reasons for students to study the fine arts at the secondary school level. A philosophy of music education is presented along with 5 key outcomes and 11 music appreciation expectations for secondary students to attain. The volume features wind and percussion instruments. The…

This curriculum guide has been prepared for use by both the music specialist and the classroom teacher in New York City. It outlines areas of musical subject matter appropriate for students in grades five and six. The materials are presented in six sections. "Rhythmic Experiences" introduces students to a variety of meters and rhythms…