Describes a project at the Christa McAuliffe Elementary School in Kern County, California, which allows sixth graders to use video technology, computer graphics, and famous works of art to create music videos. Completed videos were shown at a schoolwide visual arts festival. (MDM)

This article reports on a 1988 survey of music programs in 49 residential schools for blind and visually impaired students. It presents information on teachers, materials, course offerings, accomplishments, goals, and administrative concerns. Recommendations include communication among music teachers, more involvement by music therapists, and…

Discusses the changes taking place in music education and how they will affect the training of future music teachers. Suggests that teachers should be prepared to present music in a general yet varied format. Includes the necessity of promoting musical experiences and appreciation of musical events in desired curriculum changes. (DK)

Reports on a study of inexperienced and experienced music teachers to determine the dominant perceptual dimensions used to classify classical musical excerpts. Finds that listeners generate an internal hierarchy that reflects their individual background and knowledge. Concludes that instructional methods are as important as the music selected for…

Music activities for use in public school speech-language therapy are described in theory and practice. Client, space and implementation considerations are discussed, as are uses of songs and more specific applications such as exercises for relaxation, body image, breathing, vocalization, articulation, and vocabulary/concept development.…

A variety of classroom activities using songs to enhance French language learning are described. Strategies include sensitizing learners to aspects of the music; looking at themes, key words, and symbols; and manipulating music and language in relation to current cultural issues. A list of singers and themes is offered. (MSE)

Presents a lesson plan that uses a constructivist approach for developing and challenging students' different thinking strengths. In the context of musical and bodily-kinesthetic thinking, elementary school students interpret the sounds and movements the dinosaurs made as they negotiated their primitive environments. (CR)

Presents 18 extended abstracts of research papers presented at a conference on qualitative research in music education. Abstracts include research questions, explanations of methodologies, and summaries of results. Covers various topics including: K-12 music-education practices, music learning, music-teacher training, and community influences on…

Discusses the Montessori music curriculum, describing a series of lesson plans to present a comprehensive view of music in the classroom. Describes selecting simple melodies, integrating music into the day, using songs to initiate deeper studies in all parts of the prepared environment, teaching singing, and encouraging children to write their own…

Describes how one middle school band and orchestra teacher, in response to his principal's call for schoolwide attention to improving student literacy, engaged students in reading improvement while also increasing musical knowledge. Describes how students each week read one or more short, music-related articles and complete a brief writing…

Describes approaches for evaluating the effectiveness of a school's music program. Discusses the expertise-oriented approach (relies heavily on professional judgment of committee members), objectives-oriented approach (examines curricular goals and outcomes), and naturalistic approach (uses qualitative inquiry techniques). Includes a list of…

This article discusses how musical activities were added to a childcare playground and the benefits for a young child with blindness. The six-station "Sound Path" is described, and suggestions are provided for using sound pipes to develop sensorimotor skills, social and communication skills, cognitive skills, and emotional skills. (Contains…

Compares a singing approach to a nonsinging approach in an elementary directed listening program to determine whether there was a significant difference in aural thematic recognition and thematic preferences between groups. Indicates that subjects who sang thematic material had a higher aural recall rate and finds no difference with regard to…

Examines the relation between eighth graders' involvement in a variety of musical activities and their achievement in music using data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress 1997 Arts Assessment in Music. Data show the relationship between involvement and achievement. (Author/SLD)

Examined impact of a 5-week music/movement program involving relaxation, kinesics, singing, visual contact, and tactile stimulation on first-time mothers' use of music and movement with their infants. Found that the program extended mothers' use of relaxation to music and rhythmical movement with their infants but not the use of song and massage…