Music is an invaluable facet of everyday human life. Whether we are the music makers or someone else is "musicking" for us (in person or through our earbuds), we are drawn to it, touched by it, engaged in it, and often captivated by it. Adults and children alike spend a considerable chunk of their waking hours listening to music and…

The underachievement of culturally and linguistically diverse students has been spotlighted repeatedly over generations. That spotlight notwithstanding, the problem of underachievement has worsened in recent years as the population of diverse racial and ethnic groups has increased in US schools. This study aimed to address the achievement gap…

The aim of the present study was to explore links between teachers' emotional labour, class-perceived instructional strategies and their students' self-reported academic engagement. Data on emotional labour from N = 95 high-school teachers and their students' (N = 2,111) perceptions of instructional strategies and self-reported academic engagement…

This paper reviews two scholars' experiences teaching about the subjects of graffiti and street art to undergraduate students in U.S. universities. Using auto-ethnographical methods, the instructors review the challenges that they encountered and the various strategies they experimented with to overcome these difficulties. Issues discussed include…

Poverty and trauma impact student brain development, health, and behavior. The stressors of poverty (lack of nutritious food, unstable housing, etc.) and traumatic events can put students in a "fight" or "flight" mode. Operating from such places prevents students from accessing higher-order thinking and negatively impacts…

This study attempts to bring together two lines of enquiry into teacher emotion, emotional labor and emotion regulation, arguing that the process of teachers' emotional labor is their regulation of feelings and expressions to achieve professional goals. Through the analysis of qualitative data collected from two projects concerning teacher emotion…

The "Connecting With Others" curriculum for grades 3 through 5 will help students learn to be sensitive to differences, resolve conflicts without resorting to violence, and learn tolerance and acceptance of others. Includes 30 lessons divided into five skill areas: Concept of Self and Others, Socialization, Problem Solving and Conflict…

Focuses on ways that children in art classes can be "gift artists." Discusses different types of gifts that children can create, such as presents for their parents or presents that have been personalized. (CMK)

Describes an art activity that incorporates storytelling with sculpture. Intermediate-level sculpture students create a sculpture that represents a family story, memory, or event. Describes the process and provides four examples, including stories and sculptures. (CMK)

Explains that music teachers can hamper student creativity in music composition by restricting assignments. States that teachers should assign only one parameter, focusing on a broad overarching idea. Provides examples of enabling parameters. Addresses the teacher's response to student work and nurturing musical independence. (CMK)

Lesson in which students speculate about why an artist draws an image in a particular manner. Students examine expressive intent and imagery, subject, emotional content, techniques, media, and organization. Highlights four artists, providing art work, background information, activities, and assessment for each: (1) Irvin Tepper; (2) Nancy…

Describes an art project used with high school students in an advanced drawing course in which they created their own self portraits. Explains that the students drew a self portrait showing their arm and hand extended outward in the picture. Includes a list of objectives and art materials. (CMK)

Focuses on individualized expression resulting from ideas and skills that have developed over time. Describes how students first drew a group of people, then used values and added background details, and finally enlarged the drawings demonstrating their own ideas. (CMK)

Maintains that encouraging the natural expression of creativity in young children is one of the most important tasks of music educators. Provides teaching suggestions and recommends instructional materials for helping young children develop creativity and improvisational techniques. (CFR)