Discusses the production of the opera, "The Mikado," a joint venture between a junior high school vocal department and a professional opera company. Explains funding, student casting, rehearsals, and other details of production. Concludes with the results of the performance, including the community response and student improvements in musical…

Raises concerns about the music educator's approach to teaching pre-kindergarten children. Proposes a pre-kindergarten music curriculum model based on a synthesis of theories about the learning environment with the contributions of learning/play theorists and music educators. Provides a global to specific approach to interactive play periods. (LS)

Critiques musical learning in school bands, and points out the need to teach more than performance skills. Encourages band directors to use comprehensive musicianship teaching techniques, suggesting methods to help band students think musically. Provides workable, specific strategies for rehearsals. (LS)

Shows how Christmas songs can be used as illustrations of historical information, cultural borrowing, and social change. Describes a method which can aid discussion of social change and public perception by dividing songs into tracks: (1) traditional and nontraditional and (2) secular and sacred. (LS)

Describes the work of K-12 music education faculty in a California school district. Maintains that close teamwork and cooperation has enabled the department to maintain a quality program during times of financial stress. Describes the staffing model that undergirds this approach. (CFR)

Children can complement all areas of their language learning with music, and can enhance their musical activities with language. Opportunities to experience sounds, language, and rhythmic movement support the learning and development of the whole child. Activities dealing with children's books that have musical themes, song picture books, and…

Reports on a study of music listening preferences among undergraduate college music majors, high school musicians in performance groups, and sixth-grade students in eight U.S. sites. Finds instrumental biases among high school and college musicians' preferences for relatively unfamiliar classical music. (CFR)

Reports on a study designed to replicate and extend existing literature on important factors and abilities that influence sight-reading skills in music. Finds that, in the beginning stages of training, sight-reading skill is not correlated significantly with ability to perform rehearsed music. (CFR)

Reports on a study of the effects of an aural-oral pitch matching training program on aural pitch discrimination among 96 sixth-grade string students. Finds that the students who used the TAP Pitch Master Machine made statistically significant gains in pitch discrimination. (CFR)

Suggests classroom activities related to language, social studies, and music and movement that can help beginning teachers to experience the difference that authentic multiculturalism makes in the classroom. (BB)

Nashville (Tennessee) elementary-school students with and without disabilities produced a musical play called "Super Kids." The play included songs about super heroes, communication, student rights, aspirations, and believing in oneself. The impact of the play on peer attitudes and development of friendships is noted. (JDD)

Traces the history of the infusion of rhythmic movement into preschool and elementary school music programs. Contrasts a progressive approach which taught that movement was essential in teaching music and a conservative view that rhythmic response was genetically determined and could not be developed through training. (DK)

Reports on a study of third-, fourth-, and fifth-grade students to identify and conceptualize meter in music. Finds that ability to perform these tasks improves with maturity and with use of hand gestures as well as verbal response. Concludes that it is important to match curriculum with the developmental levels of students. (CFR)

Reports on a study of attention span and persevering behaviors of preschool children. Finds the Suzuki Method of violin instruction is associated with longer attention spans and more persevering behaviors than creative movement instruction or other preschool programs. Concludes that teachers prefer the Suzuki Method's approach to other forms of…

Describes the school band program in Canberra, the capital of Australia. Compares the typical Australian school band program with programs in the United States. Concludes that U.S. music educators could learn from the Australian band program. (CFR)