'The Sequence of Musical Development' by Swanwick and Tillman was published in the British Journal of Music Education (BJME) in 1986. This year marks its 35th anniversary and provides an occasion to look back on the article's content and legacy. It is also an opportunity to reflect on the antecedents for the article's underlying concepts, as well…

Researchers found in 2014 that only about 15 percent of students who participated in music in high school continued to participate in college as non-majors. Even when adding in the smaller number of students who continue as music majors, there is still a 75 to 80 percent attrition rate for the profession among the students who should be the most…

How can orchestra teachers diversify curricula to engage young musicians in project-based learning experiences that build their musicianship and confidence? This action research study explores how the author fostered project-based learning experiences that incorporated student reflection and assessment within chamber music ensembles. By…

We review the musical conservatory as a model for educators to learn how to enhance admissions, instruction, and assessment in liberal arts collegiate settings. Although conservatories serve primarily students wishing to enter musical careers of various kinds, the model on which they are based can, in many ways, serve any student and any school.…

Sing Play Learn with MacPhail® Online Early Childhood Music Partnerships strives to increase access to high quality music education for early childhood students in greater Minnesota. The program is designed so that student participants benefit developmentally with gains in executive functioning, social-emotional skills, foundation in musical…

In this article, I critically assess the development and application of entrepreneurship education in the performing arts, specifically among performance students of Western European art music in the United States. I seek to locate this education in the sociocultural and economic context of neoliberal capitalism and to demonstrate that this…

John Kratus' 2019 Music Educators Journal article "A Return to Amateurism in Music Education" contained what many may interpret as radical ideas to focus music education curriculum and instruction on amateurism. But upon further research, leaders within the profession have consistently affirmed the goals of amateurism. The purpose of…

Developing emotional skills is one of the challenges that concern teachers and researchers in education, since these skills promote well-being and enhance cognitive performance. Music is an excellent tool with which to express emotions and for this reason music education should play a role in individuals' emotional development. This paper reviews…

Inspired by seminal writings on Critique as Signature Pedagogy in the Arts and performance as Signature Pedagogy in Music, this article unifies these two concepts into a study of how critique as signature pedagogy in music-performance promotes student learning. This essay seeks to first define the notion of different mindsets as musicians perform…

The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), which passed in late 2015, is the first major federal law in more than 30 years offering states a significant degree of flexibility to broaden--rather than narrow--curricula, and strongly encourages states to ensure all students have access to a well-rounded education, which includes the arts and music. Armed…

Music education researchers and conducting pedagogues have identified numerous behaviors that contribute to increased verbal and nonverbal teaching effectiveness of conductors on the podium. This article is a review of literature concerning several conductor behaviors that may (a) increase the effectiveness of rehearsals, (b) enhance the…

Students pursuing college degrees in fields other than music must often take a music or arts course. Teaching these non-majors has been a traditional responsibility of college and university music departments. While experts agree that a single, widely accepted approach to teaching the non-major is unavailable, many experts concur that developing…

Choral experts, namely conductors and textbook authors, have long recommended separating middle and junior high school singers into all-male and all-female choirs to address the unique challenges facing young adolescents and those who teach them. However, limited research-based evidence exists on the decisions conductors and choral music educators…

This multiple case study examined the musical experiences of five hard-of-hearing/deaf children (hearing loss ranging from 35-95 dB) and four typical-hearing children, ages 3-4. Their responses to various musical activities were observed and analysed using flow indicators. It was found that both groups of children: (1) were capable of engaging in…

Primary schools are such busy demanding places. Educators are concerned with a crowded curriculum and high emphasis placed on the development and cultivation of literacy and numeracy concepts. Teachers are generally concerned with the delivery and teaching expectations of all key learning areas of the primary school curriculum. However, the…