This teacher's guide accompanies a series of television programs in music education for kindergarten and first-grade children. The story line of the programs centers around the revitalization of a once run down neighborhood called Strawberry Square where people had forgotten how to sing, dance, and live joyful lives. The program builds upon the…

This report of the Elk Grove Training and Development Center's Orff Music Program (ESEA Title 3) describes both the Center's activities and the purpose of the Orff method--to develop in the child all of the basic musical skills. Aspects of the program covered are (1) the Center's background and history, (2) its scope, services, and various…

Encourages incorporating music activities into early childhood education. The many benefits of early exposure to music include increased physical coordination and motor skills, advances in listening, vocabulary building, and aesthetic enjoyment. Includes a list of selected resources. (MJP)

Explains and characterizes some of the basic concepts of East African music. Fundamentally an enhanced way of storytelling, East African music techniques are rooted in the play and rhythm of spoken language. Compares and contrasts East African and Western musical conventions. Includes a list of East African music resources. (MJP)

With the assumption that the teacher of students with identifiable ethnic or cultural background must be prepared to deal with each student's heritage in a meaningful way, the document provides resource materials for Connecticut classroom teachers and/or music specialists with responsibilities for teaching children of Puerto Rican heritage. The…

This guide is designed to serve as a point of departure for classroom teachers and music teacher specialists as they plan for the musical growth of 5th and 6th graders. The guide is also intended to be a source for materials. Topics covered in the document include harmony; songs for special days and season; rhythmic movement; listening to music;…

Argues that both religion and the arts provide primary evidence for understanding human history. Maintains that the marginalization of both subjects denies students insights into some of the fundamental subjective experiences of humankind. Provides a few examples of the interconnection between the arts and religion. (MJP)

Discusses religious music as an extraordinarily rich resource supplementing multicultural education. Considers the divisive and problematic nature of some religious music, exemplified by a trio of Jewish students refusal to sing "St. John's Passion" because of alleged antisemitism in the text. Presents a concise overview of cultural…

Addresses choral music directors' concerns about ways in which trained and untrained audiences hear and evaluate choral music performances. Considers differing responses to two musical selections. Confirms listening skills are teachable. Offers suggestions for improving listening skills, emphasizing structure in formal auditory training. (CH)

This paper is the result of a research project that set out to document a group of adolescent musicians in a rural Australian secondary school as they wrote and performed their own music. The processes they developed are reflective of a cooperative approach to group composition where upwards of 21 students composed and "jammed" their way…

Profiles music scholar Charles L. Seeger and his contribution to U.S. musical life. Seeger played a significant role in introducing vernacular music to schools, extending the definition of U.S. music in the curriculum, presenting music as a cultural subject, and promoting musical diversity in the classroom. (MJP)

This booklet identifies major competencies for each course offered in the secondary music education program in the Philadelphia school system. Music is seen to be a mode of expression in responding to and interpreting life and nature. It promotes the development of aesthetic judgment. The booklet outlines up to eight competencies for each of nine…

Examines spirituality in music, not as a historical perspective, but as an essential, experiential component. Discusses transcendent states engendered in religion, music, and art. Calls for a new conceptualization of arts education and curriculum incorporating spirituality into humanistic education and self actualization. (MJP)

Presents the results of a study where musicians listened to 20 minutes of Puccini's, "La Boheme," and indicated which of the five musical elements (melody, rhythm, timbre, dynamics, or everything) commanded their attention. Two groups responded using differing instructions for the Continuous Response Digital Interface. Analyzes the different…

Reiterates the common wisdom of teaching the musical sounds before the corresponding signs in early music education. Stresses the phenomenological importance of teaching the relationships among the sounds as part of a tonal unit. Advocates beginning music education with the students' specific musical culture. (MJP)