There is a long history of debate over what opera is. Since it's more or less formal beginning in the sixteenth century as a reconstruction of ancient drama, opera as an art form has been controversial. The received understanding--emphasized by the genre's founders and in periodic efforts at reforming the standards of composition and…

Young children are natural-born musicians and rhythm instruments provide a wonderful bridge between a toddler's innate need to make noise and a child's true musical awareness and expressiveness. Rhythm instrument activities are so easy. With most of them, the child is simply copying one motion at a time. There is nothing to remember. Another…

Emphasizes the importance of student choirs as an ideal environment for music education in four articles by: Kenneth H. Phillips, Mary Goetze, Sally Herman, and Donald L. Neuen. Articles cover issues related to the growth of choral music, techniques to improve learning and performance in children's and junior high school choirs, and the qualities…

Reactions to attitude items from the first national assessment of music expressed by a panel of music educators during a two-day conference on implications of the entire assessment are reproduced in this report. The panel states that aesthetic sensitivity is the ultimate goal of music education; however, the attitude items in the assessment do not…

Outlines a philosophy for music literacy for all students that emphasizes wholeness. Suggests that music educators concentrate on nonverbal knowing, integrating popular and classical culture, balancing learned literature and improvisation, and making singing a central part of the music curriculum. Maintains that artistic excellence should be a…

The guide presents learning objectives, course outlines, and resource lists for music courses in grades seven through 12. There are three major sections. Section one outlines required music programs and instrumental and choral programs for junior high students. The major objective is to orient students aesthetically to music and to develop skills…