In the last 30 years Croatia has been involved in an intensive period of educational reforms. Music teaching, as a compulsory subject, underwent some positive and negative changes. The so-called open model and contents remake bring the possibility for teachers to be more creative and for students to be involved to a greater extent, but…

Music competitions have an ancient history dating back some two thousand years. In the United States, early music contests mimicked the German Saengerfests and Welsh Eistoddfods; however, some of the earliest continuously running music competitions held in America are the state contests for secondary school students. This article identifies for…

When beginning music teachers enter a new classroom for the first time, they start a journey toward understanding a new context and community. Place consciousness develops as they become embedded in their community and begin to recognize how its culture and environment interact with their teaching practices. By mapping the objects, people, and…

For many novice music teachers, creating and implementing effective music lessons can be a tedious process. Moreover, preparing a music lesson is quite different from lesson planning in other areas, creating a disconnect that music educators may feel when trying to make music lessons fit a classroom lesson-plan model. However, most music teachers…

The Happy Roll Elastic Ensemble (HREE) is a community music ensemble supported by Tainan Culture Centre in Taiwan. With enjoyment and friendship as its primary goals, it aims to facilitate the joys of ensemble playing and the spirit of social networking. This article highlights the key aspects of HREE's development in its first two years…

In this article, David Forrest probes Ahmad Sarmast (Founder and Director of the Afghanistan National Institute of Music, Ministry of Education, Afghanistan) about the development of the Institute, its sponsorship, the range of local musicians and music educators that work there, and the student population.

According to the Austin-based Amati Foundation (a nonprofit group that supports programs for the stringed arts), over the past several decades the number of public school districts offering instruction for violin, viola, and cello has plummeted, from as high as 80 percent in 1960 to less than 19 percent today. Lack of public funding for stringed…

The rewards of band membership may be clear, but in tough economic times, with schools, teachers, and students facing new obligations around every corner, it is not always easy to keep a band on track. And so a question arises, one that has relevance both for teachers who want to start a band program from scratch and for veteran band directors…

Describes a music program designed for the older, healthy, and active adult. A classroom or group setting, has been highly successful, social contact and therapeutic satisfaction often being derived from group activity. Program planners are encouraged to have some knowledge and background in social gerontology to be aware of issues in dealing with…

The Kansas City Women's Jazz Festival was founded to provide exposure and a market for women in jazz. In its four years of operation it has grown in size and stature, stimulated creation of a scholarship fund, and spurred development of other festivals. (MSE)

Beginning a community youth orchestra can be one of the most rewarding--and draining--experiences in music education. Forming a group requires administrative expertise, interpersonal skills, expert musicianship, and a lot of elbow grease. The author used all these attributes and skills when he founded the Spanish Fork (Utah) Chamber Players…

Presents an article on strengthening the educational value of the elementary musical presentations. Importance of the theories of constructivism and multiple intelligence in improving student learning; Factors which should be considered in planning a music program for elementary students; Suggestions for music educators who are developing music…

Provides a personal reminiscence of the first two years (1928-29) of the now famous Interlochen Arts Camp. Profiles the camp's two founders, Joseph E. Maddy and Thaddeus P. Giddings. Early participants performed carpentry and landscaping duties and learned a classical music repertoire. Includes photographs of Maddy and Giddings. (MJP)

This report describes a program to improve student achievement through the use of music strategies. The targeted population was fifth-grade students in a small Iowa community. The absence of music integration into the social studies area was observed through data that displayed the lack of motivation and in-depth learning by the students. Analysis…

How the Wichita (Kansas) Public Schools and the Wichita Symphony developed a young people's concert format that is educationally, musically, and logistically sound is described. A spirit of cooperation and interdependence between private and public art organizations is necessary to foster student interest in the arts. (RM)