This article discusses the benefits of constructivism for both teachers and students. The author believes that teachers can increase student engagement in expressive performance learning without giving up performance quality.

This article focuses on the PlayParty family event held by the Oberlin Conservatory of Music in Ohio. Through PlayParties, families immersed themselves in singing and playing what became traditional singing games. PlayParty songs that are frequently use include Skip to My Lou, Paw Paw Patch and Punchinella.

Against the backdrop of magnificent hooks and hypnotic beats, tapper 50 Cent, whose "street cred" is cemented by his survival in spite of a reported nine gunshot blasts, boasts that he "is into havin' sex" but "ain't into makin' love." On entertainment television, Snoop Dogg declares his desire to produce pornographic films and "become a…

Cliff St. Clair is the band director at Sheldon High School in Sheldom Iowa. In this article he describes an incident that occurred his first year of teaching. He was hired for a part-time band position. On the days that he was not under contract, he substitute-taught in a number of nearby schools. He was called to take a junior high choir that…

In this article, the author profiles her son Nathan Watt, a 14-year-old who was born with Spina Bifida, who does not allow setbacks to keep him from achieving his goals and dreams in the areas of writing, recording, and performing his own music. He has also opened a business website and turned his story, "Anything is Possible," into a color story…

Roger Lacher, instrumental music director at Murray Middle School in Ridgecrest, California, spearheaded a celebration of the national anthem attended by a descendant of Francis Scott Key. In a press release Lacher sent to the local media, he wrote: "Murray Middle School celebrated this event. We are blessed with having the great, great,…

First-time singers present excellent opportunities for choral directors to fine-tune their teaching by truly working with beginners. In this article, the author discusses how beginning singers learn to sing well. Despite the unique challenges and various musical backgrounds of these students, if choral directors can teach them the basics of…

Phil Ochs was a prominent topical songwriter and singer in the 1960s. He was conventionally considered second only to Bob Dylan in terms of popularity, creativity and influence in the specific genre of contemporary folk music commonly known as "protest music." Whereas Dylan successfully reinvented himself many times in terms of his musical style…

This article describes an intervention used by the author in her clinical practice. Some clients have a need to resolve relationship issues. "A Musical Chronology" has been a helpful resource for this work. Through the chronology, clients examine their life/love stories, share these stories with their therapist, and work through grief or other…

Purpose: This investigation was undertaken to examine the status of the velopharyngeal (VP) port during classical singing. Method: Using aeromechanical instrumentation, nasal airflow (mL/s), oral pressure (cm H[subscript 2]O), and VP orifice area estimates (cm[squared]) were studied in 10 classically trained sopranos during singing and speaking.…

This article presents song activities that incorporate music and math into group time. In the version of "I Caught a Fish Alive," children are introduced to simple addition and subtraction activity.

Humans sing to express emotions beyond mere words. Making music transcends literal communication and expresses intense feelings that defy verbal description. Even very young children can, and do, express inexpressible feelings in song. Singing is present in every culture. It provides a sense of community and belonging. Music is a component of…

Many elementary vocal teachers experience a certain amount of trepidation about teaching students to sing in harmony. In the general music classroom, they face uncertain singers, inaccurate singers, and uninterested or defiant singers, as well as eager children who sing with appropriate head tone and good intonation. Often this colorful mix makes…

This book is a nuts-and-bolts manual for teachers of middle and high school performance-based classes such as band, orchestra, and chorus. This practical "how-to" guide shows teachers--pre-serviced or experienced--efficient ways to manage large performance-based classrooms. With wit and sage tried-and-true advice, Haugland provides a complete…

This article describes a project called "Kids Speaking Up for Kids: Advocacy by Children, for Children". The project was simple in scope. The authors sought to collect stories of child advocacy--ways in which children were working on behalf of other children. They also sought to collect and profile children's voices and vision and so…