Between 1920 and 1928, William Churchill Hammond's Christmas Caroling Choir at Mount Holyoke College, in South Hadley, Massachusetts, not only helped to reinstate the musical celebration of Christmas after Puritan beliefs had precluded it in New England, but also provided one of the first experiences for American women to tour, as professional…

Who hasn't at least once had the feeling of being remade through music? Who is there who does not date a new phase in life to hearing this or that symphony or song? But does music constantly provide revelation--or does it have some other effects, maybe less desirable? For those who teach, the question is especially pressing. Students tend to spend…

For the Tower-Tannerts of Texas, music education runs in the family, and that's been the case for more than 100 years. Matriarch Mollie Gregory Tower is a lecturer at Texas State University and a former elementary school teacher, textbook writer, music supervisor, and president of the Texas Music Educators Conference (TMEC). Her daughter Debbie…

Music educators can nurture students' lifelong musical involvement, both as consumers and as participants. Orienting musical instructional practices around classroom elements suggested by achievement goal theory can foster lifelong musical connections. Practices related to using meaningful and challenging tasks, evaluations that decrease emphasis…

Author presents an analysis of American popular music. (RK)

Article stressed the need for music educators to help their pupils to understand our musical heritage. (RK)

Presents an analysis of barbershop singing as a method of stimulating students to learn about music and to enjoy singing. It suggests a list of songs prepared by the Society for the Preservation and Encouragement of Barber Shop Quartet Singing in America. (Author/RK)

Activities in music class allow students, especially students with hearing impairments, to explore new means of expression and to enhance existing ones. Additional benefits may include increases in auditory awareness, cognitive ability, attention span, memory recall, and vocabulary. Students with hearing impairments can learn and flourish in music…

Discusses the child's awareness of music and the continuously developing realization of what music actually is. (Author/RK)

Maintains that choral music conductors strive to choose a variety of musical styles, genres, and historical periods. Discusses three types of programming approaches: (1) chronological; (2) thematic; and (3) concept. Includes four tables illustrating selection and pacing of choral music during a concert. (CFR)

Never has the education of all people been seen to be a matter of such vital importance as in the light thrown upon it by the problems growing out of the World War and out of the reconstructive processes seen to be necessary since the struggle closed. The place of music, like the place of all other subjects, came to be better understood during the…

Recommends incorporating singing activities as an instructional component of orchestra and band rehearsals. Notes that singing helps students develop aural skills, learn sight-reading, and make connections between the basic elements of music theory and the practical application of these elements. Also includes suggested activities. (MJP)

Presents an interview with Julie Gold that addresses the importance of music in her education, her career as a songwriter, and her work as a professional singer. States that music and the arts is a crucial aspect of a child's education and that our society should recognize the triumphs of artists/musicians. (CMK)

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…

Early childhood music programs should be based on two interacting goals: (1) to teach those skills most appropriate to a particular level and (2) to nurture musical creativity and self-expression. Early childhood is seen as the optimum time for acquiring certain musical skills, of which the ability to sing in tune is considered primary. The vocal…