A music educator opens the classroom door one September morning, and there they are. Another group of new students. But this year, there's a different mix: a student from Cambodia, another from Mali, two students from Peru, five Mexicans, two Taiwanese, and an American Indian. Maybe it's happened gradually; maybe not. But this is what America…

The creative music strategy is a dynamic and flexible seven-step model for guiding general music students through the music concepts of improvisation and composition, followed by critical reflection. These are musical behaviors that cultivate the development of our students' deeper conceptual understandings and music independence by helping them…

For decades, music teachers have shared the dread of writing formal lesson plans, yet most know that planning yields better instruction. Why does this disconnect continue? The common argument that music teachers make is that teaching music is fundamentally different from teaching other subjects. Lesson plans are written to pacify supervisors and…

Every school teacher has access to one of the greatest resources in existence; the simple, unfeigned enthusiasm of youngsters. The challenge is how to make constructive use of that enthusiasm. For music teachers, the situation is particularly tricky. Rhythms and melodies, their daily stock in trade, are inherently engaging to most young people,…

This report describes the creation of New Horizons, an ArtsConnection comprehensive model for talent identification and development in the arts. New Horizons focuses on how schools can identify and appreciate artistic talents, how teachers can help students use their artistic abilities to improve their school performance, and how economically…