Music and reading domains require similar auditory processing skills. Students employ these skills when learning a new song through an oral/aural or rote-teaching approach. In this article, I review literature on the effectiveness of immersion and phrase-by-phrase approaches for teaching a song with or without words. Then, using an amusing…

The purpose of this study was to examine and empirically test the pedagogical claim that playing the piano while listening to choral singers impedes error detection ability. In a within-subjects design, participants (N = 55 preservice teachers) either listened to four excerpts of choral hymns or played a single part (soprano/bass) on the piano…

This study was designed to explore the director's perspective on the role organizational images play in social identity development in midlevel choral ensembles. Using a phenomenological methodology, I interviewed 10 current or former directors of midlevel choral ensembles from eight midwestern U.S. colleges and universities. Directors cited…

Part of helping students learn to read critically and with comprehension is guiding them to use writing to help think through the content and clarify what they understand--or don't. Looking at students' writing also helps teachers see how much learners are really understanding in their reading and where exactly any learner is struggling. After…

For many years teachers have been planning cross-curricular lessons to develop children's knowledge and understanding in two or more subjects at the same time, with the aim of showing children how to transfer skills from one subject to another and give greater purpose to their learning. However, following the revisions to the National Curriculum…

As teachers are increasingly asked to respond to assessment and evaluation demands in their schools, the aim of this article is to provide suggestions and scales for singing accuracy. A description of each step in the assessment design process is provided, along with specific suggestions for a singing development scale and a singing accuracy scale.

The period from 1865 to 1900 proved to be one of tremendous growth for music education in the United States, as well as a time of renewed activity for the temperance movement. Numerous single-volume school songbooks were published, and several sources note the inclusion of temperance songs in these songbooks. By conveying the temperance message to…

Recent literature focused on education in conflict-affected settings firmly establishes the link between early childhood interventions, poverty reduction, and the effects of adverse childhood experiences, particularly for those exposed to violent conflict. A key factor of effective interventions targeting young children and their families, and…

"The Eyes of Texas," the official song of The University of Texas at Austin (UT), was written during the Jim Crow era, was first performed at a 1903 minstrel show, and was inspired by Robert E. Lee. This legacy and the enduring institutional racism at UT bring into question the purpose and propriety of the song in a post-truth era, where…

The song 'La ballata dell'amore cieco (o della vanità)' (1966), by Italian singer-songwriter Fabrizio De André (1940-1999), offers students opportunities to practise their language skills, stimulate their cultural appreciation, and expand their knowledge of a musical and poetic form (the ballad), while reflecting on the close connection between…

A cappella is a musical performance genre with a long history. Although many people compose and arrange a cappella works, the connection between a cappella and musical creativity has not yet been considered. This study examines the background of the musical creativities framework [Burnard, P. 2012. "Musical Creativities in Practice."…

The power of music to entertain and to affect people psychologically makes it a significant part of human society and a ripe field for empirical investigations. Researches about music's psychological and physiological effects on people as well as music's pedagogical value in language teaching and learning have shown interesting results. However,…

This study deals with the Slovak music education curriculum of the ideologically and politically vibrant interwar period of the first Czechoslovak republic (1918-1939). It presents the outcomes of an analysis of primary sources made using grounded theory techniques. The analysis has lead to a conceptualisation of the idea of the nation as it was…

Music is universally pleasurable and important, and no known society is without it. Flutes have been found around the campfire in Neanderthal cave sites in artifacts that date back 53,000 years (Leutwyler 2001). Young adults in particular listen to music almost nonstop, and their playlists form an important part of their identities. It only makes…

Preservice music teachers often use their voices differently during the semesters leading up to student teaching as compared to during the semester itself. Vocal demands often increase and change as students move from a student role to full-time teacher role. Consequently, music student teachers frequently experience vocal distress symptoms that…