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…

This essay examines how jazz educators construct methods for teaching the art of improvisation in institutionalized jazz studies programs. Unlike previous studies of the processes and philosophies of jazz instruction, I examine such processes from a cultural standpoint, to identify why certain methods might be favored over others. Specifically,…

A survey was conducted to determine the amount of autonomy for each of three music faculty types (performers, theorists-historians, and music educators). Autonomy was measured by comparing the actual time devoted to the various job-related activities with the time each faculty type would like to devote to the activities. A questionnaire listing 16…

Article provided a brief survey of past motives for music education in order to put present objectives in perspective. (Author/RK)

The author, now a member of the literature faculty at Sarah Lawrence College, recalls her learning and life experiences with Nadia Boulanger, a pioneer music educator and the first woman to conduct a number of the world's great symphony orchestras. (RK)

Author stresses that music educators must recognize the many different roles music plays in people's lives and outlines the hardships to be found in teaching music education. (Author/RK)

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)

This report on the Contemporary Music Project focuses on the principles of comprehensive musicianship. (Author)

States that music teachers should write their own string orchestra music to create more music choices. Discusses how to write and publish the music. Includes a list of guidelines for writing and publishing music, as well as chart of factors that teachers should consider. (CMK)

Describes musical instrument digital interface (MIDI), a communication system that uses digital data to enable MIDI-equipped instruments to communicate with each other. Includes discussion of music editors, sequencers, compositional software, and commonly used computers. Suggests uses for the technology for students and teachers. Urges further…

Recommends commissioning new works as a challenging and motivating learning experience for high school and college bands. Includes several guidelines for negotiating costs and performance rights with the composer, as well as other technical details. Discusses specific problems arising from this arrangement and possible solutions. (MJP)

Discusses the benefits of commissioning a work for a choral group. Provides guidelines for music educators who commission a piece: (1) know your own needs; (2) find a composer who interests you; (3) help the composer select appropriate lyrics; (4) set a tentative schedule; (5) consider the costs. (CMK)

In this article, case studies of teacher interventions in the composing processes of school students aged 11-14 in generalist music classes are described and discussed. The study finds that music teachers have developed their own strategies for formative assessment, unaware that these are valorized by external agencies. (Contains 3 figures.)

We focus on the music students at a conservatoire (A) that only trains performers and composers (performers/composers); a conservatoire (B) that also trains classroom teachers (education students); and a university (C) with only education students. We used a questionnaire to compare the experience and beliefs as instrumental teachers of the…

The author, an associate professor of music education at Pennsylvania State University and some undergraduate music education students explored possible uses of the synthesizer as they attempted to provide experiences in electronic music for a class of fifth grade students. Their program consisted of five lessons in the elements of music which are…