As music educators embrace the possibilities for a more inclusive education that is culturally connected to the wider world, there are productive avenues for reshaping curricular content and method. In this article, we propose world music pedagogy (WMP) as a means of growing intercultural understanding alongside musical skills and knowledge, and…

A virtual ensemble is a digital musical product that uses multiple recordings edited together to form a musical ensemble. Creating virtual ensembles can be a way for music educators to engage students through online music-making. This article presents eight steps for creating virtual ensembles in music education courses and classrooms. The steps…

Shifting school schedules, small class sizes, and unpredictable instrumentation resulting from the global pandemic necessitated a creative approach to teaching ensemble music classes this year. In response to that challenge, I constructed a curriculum for developing independent musicianship through chamber music. Part independence,…

Music teachers seek imaginative openings to expand the reach and scope of the music curriculum, particularly by engaging more students in creative production and culturally relevant offerings. This article describes the work of a high school choral music educator who implemented new courses in Hip Hop Production by strategically navigating the…

Songwriting is a form of composition that relates directly to adolescents' personal experience of music. This article provides a rationale for establishing courses in songwriting at the middle school and high school levels. Other topics in the article include curriculum development, instructional procedures, and assessment. The article ends with…

Knowing how students engage with music outside school music programs can help music educators and their programs evolve. This article offers a look at music teaching and learning in terms of how people are increasingly interacting with music in participatory ways that involve digital technologies and media. This participatory culture offers a…

Professional discussion of curricular change and innovation is essential for maintaining and increasing the positive effects that music education can have on schoolchildren. Much recent discourse about curricular change has focused on critiques of the traditional large-ensemble model of music education, technological innovation applied to teaching…

Differentiating music instruction can be done well with a bit of forethought and creativity. When strategically used, music educators can better meet students' needs and make great strides in individual and overall student achievement. A variety of K-12 choral, instrumental, and general music examples is included. (Contains 7 notes and 2 tables.)

Karen, a veteran elementary general music teacher, was bewildered when she learned that none of her students remembered "Peter and the Wolf," a music lesson they have encountered in the past. Conscientious beginning elementary general music teachers like Karen may work diligently to plan instruction that will ensure that national, state, and local…

Discusses the lack of attention paid to women composers in music education and the need to correct the situation. Suggests an integrative approach to teaching elementary school students about women composers. Offers sample teaching strategies and other learning activities and sources for teaching students that women, too, can be composers. (SG)

Music teachers, like their colleagues in other fields, are living through a paradoxical time in schools. Currents of change in education and society seem to pull teachers in contradictory directions. Nowhere is this flux more apparent than in curriculum. While teachers are called upon to differentiate teaching approaches to meet the diverse needs…

Discusses the impact of technology on music education and its implications for curriculum development. Recommends a curriculum for the musically gifted based on aural skills, electronic instructional tools, and a skilled musician as instructor. Offers suggestions on how this curriculum can be implemented and expounds on the use of electronic…

Describes the development and implementation of the American/Icelandic Music Curriculum Project. The project's goal was to improve elementary and secondary music literacy through sequential music activities and to create guidelines to assist educators in preparing music curricula. A four-stage model for music curriculum design is discussed. (AM)

Presents samples from music curriculum guidelines developed for moderately mentally retarded adolescents. A scope-and-sequence chart shows how sequential musical skill acquisition is adapted to individual needs and skill levels. A sample of guideline content illustrates behavioral objectives, evaluation methods, activities, and methods for…

Describes a music education program designed specifically for adults. The program was so successful that it has been expanded to include an instrumental program, choral music, and piano instruction. The implications of the increased demand for adult music education programs on college music education departments are discussed. (AM)