Elementary teachers participating in the study thought of music listening as a separate activity and not as one that permeated all music instruction. Assigned listening was utilized mostly in singing, in the playing of instruments, and in traditional music appreciation lessons where students were asked to listen to a recording. (Author/RM)

Presents five songs written to well-known melodies that focus on animal facts and care. Provides descriptions of the songs and offers ideas for further modification for preschool and primary age children. Includes suggestions for creative movement gestures. (ML)

A six-month French language promotion program in West Berlin revolving around French song and including interclass competitions, a teaching seminar, recitals, conferences, film showings, and an exposition is described, and participant and observer reactions are presented. (MSE)

The silent approach to reading and the use of books written in an artificial language may have been successful years ago...but not today. (Editor)

This paper reports on a study of early childhood musical identities. Participants were children aged 3-8 years and their parent(s) from three geographically disparate areas in the state of New South Wales, Australia and Hawaii, USA. Data were collected in the form of semi-structured interviews, focusing on what, where and with whom the children…

General music teachers at all levels--elementary, middle school, and high school--will find ideas, suggestions, and lesson plans for teaching to the National Standards in this new addition to the popular Spotlight series. It includes sections on teaching each of the nine standards, as well as chapters about secondary general music, assessment, and…

Experiential educators are encouraged to include singing in their curriculum. Singing offers a dynamic form of creative engagement and can assist learners in taking risks in their learning and in active experimentation. As a holistic learning tool, singing engages the six capabilities that humans have for learning: physical, emotional, cognitive,…

This teacher's guide stresses the need for more singing in schools and cultural institutions. Cultural traditions "charge" songs with amazing energy. The charge comes from the sense of identity the song creates. When a song connects people emotionally with a culture, the deep-rooted traditions of that culture add meaning to the singing. Children…

Surveys musical composition and development of North and South American Indians, the traditional individuality of Indian cultures, and the functions of music as different cultures have evolved among Indians. (RK)

John Curwen made many contributions to music education. He taught singing through the sound of tones before students learned notation, originated a widely used system of hand signals for the tones of the scale, and emphasized a feeling for the basic beat underlying the durations of tones. (CS)

The relationship between kindergarten children's aural discrimination or aural ability and sex, involvement in a decision-making process, readiness training that includes singing of songs and resting-tone recognition, and reinforcement of tonal patterns with songs that provide a tonal framework was investigated. (AM)

Discusses how Black children's singing games may be applied to enhance education in the areas of (1) curriculum content and philosophy; (2) teaching strategies; (3) child assessment; (4) character development; and (5) development of self-expression.(MJL)

This study sought to determine the relationships that exist among junior high school students' participation in school performing ensembles, those skills measured by the Gaston Test of Musicality, and the number of years of private study on the piano or on ensemble instruments. (Author/SJL)

Explores the different categories judges use during adjudication in the Choral-Large Group section: (1) tone; (2) intonation; (3) diction; (4) technique; (5) balance; (6) interpretation; (7) musical effect; and (8) other factors such as stage presence. (CMK)

Focuses on how music teachers can make choral rehearsals more interesting for students by incorporating creative lessons and activities. Explores what it means to be creative and includes examples of creative lessons that can be used in the choral rehearsal. (CMK)