Few concerned with educational theory and policy could have failed to notice the recent upsurge of interest in the notion of spiritual development as a possible aim or goal of public or common schooling. A more presently pressing question, however, is that of the pedagogical means by which theorists of spiritual education might cultivate any…

Explores the basic features and background of "the blues" as a musical tool, or archetype, for understanding the universal condition of human suffering, for confronting diseases of disability and separation, and for coping or adapting to such suffering. Offers the blues as a method for looking at the spirit of human tragedy and…

Kirsten Fink-Jensen offers music educators new insights on lesson planning and engagement with students through careful observation and reflective interpretation of active student involvement in music. She suggests that the phenomenon of musical attunement, including facial expressions, gestures, language, and movements that are articulated…

A music educator traces the importance of music from early Babylonian and Greek cultures and discusses applications of music therapy in special education. (CL)

Analyzes the work of E. Thayer Gaston in terms of how it contributed to music therapy and music education. Through scholarship and research, Gaston synthesized ideas from many disciplines to formulate basic principles that are still relevant for music therapists and music educators who work with normal and abnormal individuals. (AM)

Notes that outcomes of the "Mozart Effect" on early brain development are not thoroughly proven and presents challenges for future research. Points out that it is still unknown at what age exposure to musical concepts should begin, and that parents should allow children to pursue musical interests at their own pace to avoid burnout at a…

Literature on music preferences of older adults and music therapy for older adults is reviewed, and suggestions are made for making music more accessible to the older person. (KC)

Argues that poetry therapy is similar to the other creative arts therapies in its use of creative processes and products, and in its intrinsic positiveness, gentle indirectness, and breadth of appeal and application. Suggests that collaborative research efforts among creative arts therapists can lead to new understandings of the processes and…

This interview with Brenda Jean Robbins, a Florida music therapist and teacher selected as 1995 Teacher of the Year by the Council for Exceptional Children, reveals her views about music therapy, goals, relationship of music therapy to the special education classroom, musical performance, and getting parents involved. (DB)

Can music in and of itself tell anything about the mind of the person who composes or performs it? This question is of general philosophical interest, but it takes on more than philosophical significance in contexts where there is reason to think that music may be the only significant point of contact between one human being and another. There are…

Reports on a therapeutic program for juvenile offenders that uses drum playing and drum building to provide alternatives for youth activities. Drums play five important roles for youth: creating a sense of community, reconnecting with history and heritage, promoting healing, educating, and celebrating victories or rites of passage. Provides…

In this paper Kirsten Fink-Jensen suggests how a phenomenological-hermeneutic perspective can contribute to the knowledge of learning and teaching processes in music education in school. The philosophical frame is Danish philosophy of life, represented by Knud Ejler Logstrup, and Merleau-Ponty's philosophy of body, both pointing to the wholeness…

Developed in Bulgaria in the 1960's by Dr. Georgi Lozanov, Suggestopedia is a unique system of foreign language teaching, combining yoga relaxation and verbal suggestion with the direct method. In the 1950's in France, Dr. Alfred Tomatis began his research into the ear and the voice and subsequently developed his own unique system for treating…

Reviews the process of tailoring an online search that would span several files on the topic of music during the childbirth experience. Search strategies and terms used in PsycINFO, Mental Health Abstracts, MEDLINE, ERIC, Sociological Abstracts, Social Scisearch, Scisearch, and Dissertation Abstracts Online are noted. A nine-item bibliography is…

States that the best way to teach disabled students is to be prepared for the individual challenges they offer. Visually impaired students require more than patience to succeed in an instrumental program. Offers several ways to help these special students get the most from their musical experiences. (BSR)