The report of the National Commission on Excellence in Education concluded with scant information about a need for fine arts in the schools. Outlined is an interdisciplinary course that uses many art forms--literature, opera, and symphonies--to prevent the extinction of music and art education. (RM)

With a bit of imaginative thinking, a choral director can prevent the year from ending with a fizzle. Techniques include staging a pops concert, initiating an arts project, teaching about avant-garde works, and introducing solo repertoire. (RM)

Suggests that music instruction include teaching ethics and values. Argues that performing ensembles are a powerful tool for imparting values such as integrity, self-esteem, cooperation, and tolerance. Includes charts for evaluating student behavior without including ethics and values as part of an academic grade. (DK)

Reading can be taught in music classes to enhance the music curriculum. Gives lesson plans and study guides for reading instruction in areas like vocabulary building, comprehension, study skills, and thinking skills, all adapted to serve musical purposes. (CS)

Discusses negative experiences which can inhibit a student from wanting to sing and describes methods that a secondary teacher can use to enhance student self-esteem while increasing their music appreciation. (AM)

Describes a summer school program in which secondary students collaborated to build an opera company. Details the activities of seven days in the first stage of the three-stage project. Concludes that the experience built democratic values. (CFR)

Finds a number of Beethoven's military marches in contemporary arrangements. Although greatly revered for his classical music, Beethoven composed a variety of excellent marches. Usually penned for a specific historic occasion, they fit well into interdisciplinary study units and add variety and color to local music programs. (MJP)

Describes a school districtwide program in which secondary students produced operas as part of the regular and extracurricular curricula. Details events dating from 1985 illustrating the growth and development of the program. Contends that the program was an intellectually rewarding experience and an excellent public relations activity for the…