General+Music+Curriculum

=Summer 2010 Graduate Elementary General Music Curriculum=

//To view the video promotion of this curriculum, please click on the youtube link below://

Curriculum Video Part 1

Curriculum Video Part 2

**This music curriculum is founded on project-based and student-centered learning.**
To see a successful example of project-based learning in a music classroom, please visit Long Island Music Educator Phil Greco’s website at [|www.portraitsofpractice.com]


 * Curriculum Context**



Context can be defined as factors that effect the environment of your classroom. Factors include, but are not limited to: economic status of student body, size of community, location, size of school, dynamic of school building, diversity, personal experiences of students and teachers, and outside influences. Context is an influence on student learning and a basis for prior knowledge from which to develop curriculum. Bruner’s (1960) concept of a Spiral Curriculum can fit most varieties of contexts, and maintains flexibility to allow for the ebb and flow of a dynamic context.


 * Personal Context**



Sherrill City School District provides education for grades PK-12. The VVS School District spans three communities. The District includes the villages of Vernon and Verona and the small city of Sherrill. The area, a few miles off the New York State Thruway between the cities of Utica and Syracuse, is known for its attractive surroundings, convenience to employment, health care, and quality of life. The area allows easy access to the Adirondack Mountains, many rivers and lakes, and colleges and universities, all offering numerous recreational, educational, and cultural activities.

The Sherrill City School District is rich with music and is geared up with a mission of the VVS Music Department is to encourage our students to continue to explore the world of music. We strive to create a place within the school where creativity can flourish, beauty can exist, and where students are given an opportunity to express their ideas and feelings through music.

There are 5 schools in the district, with a total student population of 2372. At my elementary school, J-D George Elementary, I serve a student body of 479, with 125 receiving free lunch and 67 receiving reduced lunch. The Student to Teacher Ratio is 15 to 1. I am the main Music Teacher in the building, teaching all general music pre-k through 6, as well as Chorus and 5-6 Band. The only other teacher is the 4th grade beginning band teacher. I have three rooms at my disposal, a general music room, chorus room with risers, and a band office for lessons. Band rehearsals are held on the gym stage. I see each general music class once every 6 days for 40 minutes (pre-k only 20 minutes), Chorus and Band once every 6 days for 30 minutes. There is no set curriculum for Elementary General Music.


 * What is project-based learning?**

Project Learning is a dynamic approach to teaching in which students explore real world problems and challenges, simultaneously developing cross-curricular skills and dispositions while working in small collaborative groups (Edutopia, 2008). Project learning allows students to explore, discover, and uncover musical roles and environments in a way that allows them to derive meaning.


 * Why is it important?**

Well-designed projects are important because they have the potential to:


 * Bridge the gap between real life musical experiences and classroom musical experiences, and discover that music need not be confined to the music room (Kratus, 2007)


 * Create lifelong musicians


 * Engage students in multiple ways of understanding and representing knowledge (Gardner, 2000)


 * Engages National Standards of Music in a way that will resonate with students (MENC 2010)


 * Develop 21st Century Skills and Dispositions of Character, such as:

Artistic Expression Oral Language Description Observation Interpretation Inquiry Problem Solving Comparison Perception Cooperation Working with others Negotiating Listening Reporting Writing Presenting Interpersonal Sequencing events Composing Improvising Singing Playing Instruments Investigating outside of school Self-Motivation

Projects are also important because they view learning and teaching holistically. Projects engage the mind, the body, and interaction with others. Teacher, Student, Subject, and Context (Schwab, 1973) are linked together within the structure of the curriculum, engaging students in concrete and hands on real-world musical problems that resonate deeper and “stick” longer with students.


 * Historical Basis**

Music is an ancient tradition, essential to human existence in every culture, including the culture in which we live today. The statement, “Whenever and wherever humans have existed music has existed also… If we can explain why humans need music we may learn something profound about what it means to be human,” (Madsen, 2000, p. 25) encompasses the very values of music education and the mission it seeks to help its students uncover. Music educators should pass on the tradition of music as it exists in our respective cultures and cultivate an understanding of what it means to be expressive human beings. The //Housewright Declaration// stated that music was worth studying because “it represents a basic mode of thought and action, and because in itself, it is one of the primary ways human beings create and share meanings. It must be studied fully to access this richness,” (Madsen, 2000, p. 219).

One educator and theorist that worked to create and embody this musical philosophy was James Mursell. His vision incorporated real-life situations and student interest into his curricula. He believed that music is one of the most perfect of all expressions of what is best and purest in the human spirit, which had many different aspects that could be approached and treated successfully in many ways (Mursell, 1953). When addressing curriculum, Mursell believed what should be done at any given time in the music curriculum depended on the human factors of the situation (student backgrounds, interests, personalities, etc.) and the opportunities that present themselves as a result of the present context. He believed that general music should be a program of musical development, and not a program of performing, listening, and composing as ends in themselves. Mursell was not able to create such a musical curriculum for students because of the many challenges to creating such an open-ended document. However, we believe that this type of document can be constructed based on research done in the education field.

The following information on cognitive learning theory, Developmentally Appropriate Principles (DAP), Constructivism, and Project-based learning comes from research done by Martina Miranda in her article “Developmentally Appropriate Practice: Historic Roots and Evolving Paradigms”, published in the book //Thoughts and Practice in Music Education// (Miranda, 2009). Looking back the 17th century there have been two main theories about the way that children learn, and the way they should learn material in schools, stemming from Rousseau and Locke and the nature vs. nurture debate. Rousseau was on the nature side of the controversy and believed that children were naturally curious and possessed a desire to learn about the world around them and that they would flourish when placed in a rich environment and given time to explore their desires and curiosities. His work led to the cognitive learning theory, which places emphasis on the mind and mental representations of learning. Locke on the other hand, was on the nurture side of the controversy and believed that children were passive learners that wouldn’t learn if left on their own. They need someone to tell them what to learn and how. Locke’s work led to the behavioral learning theory, which focuses on specific behaviors as evidence of learning.

These two main branches of learning theory have appeared simultaneously in textbooks and curriculums in the United States for many years. Cognitive learning based curriculums, like James Mursell proposed, focus on the learner and assess the processes of learning that take place. They are student-centered and take into account the knowledge and background of the learner and importance is placed on the interaction between the learner and the environment. Learning and assessment are documented through representations of what occurs in the mind during the process of the learner interacting with his or her environment. In contrast, behavior learning-based curriculums focus on skills, objectives, and benchmarks, and the end product of learning (Boardman, 1996).

In the 1980’s music education began focusing on a movement called the DAP or Developmentally Appropriate Practice, a movement that incorporates the ideas of cognitive learning theory. DAP involves identifying appropriate ways for children to learn based on their social, physical, cognitive, and mental maturity at different age levels. MENC partnered up with the existing NAEYC, the National Association for the Education of Young Children to figure out what is developmentally appropriate teaching for children in music education. There were many factors that led to MENC seeking to find developmentally appropriate practices.

The Kindergarten movement which occurred from 1800-1896 led to the need for research on young children. Johann Pestalozzi believed that children would learn best in a rich environment where they could explore with their senses. Pestalozzi found that students should focus on the sounds and sense experiences before assigning language, terms, and symbols to ideas. Froebel opened up the first Kindergarten based on the idea that school should be a rich environment, like a garden, where students are free to explore and learn and work on their spiritual and social growth.

Many societal and political changes occurred from 1950 – 1980 which impacted learning theory, especially the ideas of the two theorists Jean Piaget and Lev Vygotsky. Piaget believed that children would adapt to their social and physical environment and progress through certain stages of cognition based on their interactions and experiences not their chronological age. Vygotsky added to the idea that children were active learners who learn in a rich environment, and expanded the idea to include specific social contexts of learning.

Amidst the development of the two learning theories, the Kindergarten movement, and the political and societal changes of the 1950’s to the 1980’s NAEYC and MENC worked together to create twelve principles for DAP based on cognitive learning theory, and the research of many cognitive learning theorists. The key principles that relate to elementary curriculum development are as follows. Children attain developmental levels and knowledge at varying rates. Children are active learners that combine social and physical experiences with materials with their prior cultural knowledge and experiences. Play is an essential way for children to display and develop social, cognitive, and emotional growth. Children learn best when they are presented with challenges and problems that are slightly beyond their ability levels. Children are individuals that learn, and demonstrate their learning in different ways. Two educational movements came out of cognitive learning theory, the DAP twelve principles and the changes occurring in American education, constructivism and project-based learning.

The constructivist movement began in the 1980’s as a result of Piaget and Vygotsky’s work and the work of previous cognitive theorists. Constructivism focuses on the learner and uses the learner’s interests to help students learn concepts and form relationships. The teacher takes the role of a facilitator who provides a rich environment and then asks guiding questions to lead the students to explore concepts, draw conclusions, and reflect on their research and findings. In constructivist learning students are all asked to think about the same topic, but it allows them to choose their own process for learning and the pace at which they learn. Constructivism leads to abstract thinking, independent learning, and higher-level thinking.

Another movement that developed out of cognitive learning theory is project-based learning. Project-based learning draws on the ideas of Dewey, Piaget, Howard Gardner, and Katz and Chard. Project-based learning operates on the belief in cognitive learning theory that children are curious and capable individuals who learn best when they are actively engaged in asking questions and solving problems in a rich environment. Project-based learning asks students to use inquiry-based learning and active exploration of their environment while utilizing technology. Another element of project-based learning is collaborating with others to attain skills necessary to succeed in the 21st century. Similar to constructivism, project-based learning asks students to learn the same information but allows students to choose the process and learning rate. (Boss and Kraus, 2007).

Curriculums, textbooks, and education as a whole have incorporated the ideas of Thorndike, Locke, and Skinner and the emphasis on behavior and achievement instead of on Dewey, Rousseau, Pestalozzi, Piaget, Froebel, and their emphasis on development. Achievement and behavior based curriculums create benchmarks based on grade level instead of developmental levels, they ignore the starting points of the learners, their individual learning styles, and their individual ways of representing knowledge. A single set of skills, activities, and assessments are designed even though learning theories and the DAP show that children learn differently, and represent knowledge differently, at varying rates of speed separate from their chronological age. The skills, objective, and achievement behavioral based curriculums that exist currently in music education go against the principles of cognitive learning theory, and the Developmentally Appropriate Practices created by MENC and NAEYC. Researcher Marilyn Zimmerman in her essay “Child Development and Music Education” states that “an arbitrary setting of curricular levels according to age quite possibly has a deleterious effect on the musical development of children. For instruction to be effective, the child must be at a level of maturity that allows him to assimilate it” (Zimmerman, 2001, p.227).

====This proposal aims to create a project-based spiral curriculum within a rich environment that focuses on students as capable individual learners working to achieve personal understanding of music, based on their experiences and developmental levels.====


 * Creating a ‘Curriculum’**
 * How does project learning work in the music classroom?**



Stemming from the goal of creating lifelong musicians through understanding of the many roles (Reimar, 1989) and environments of music, project ideas grow from real-life and applicable situations and experiences. Five umbrella categories are established that will cover these situations and create the framework for our curriculum. The five categories view a Musician as a(n):


 * Listener
 * Composer
 * Performer
 * Anthropologist
 * Entrepreneur

Projects are designed in a flexible manner, allowing for each grade level in pre-K – 6 to experience a version of the project, resulting in a spiral curriculum (Bruner, 1960) where students are consistently revisiting ideas and building on prior knowledge and personal experience to strengthen their understanding of themselves as a musician.

The curriculum document itself is organized by grade level. Projects are stored within each grade level, but are not time-specific, nor order-specific. This allows for flexibility in the flow of the class, and allows the teacher to have a set of projects that will allow for the natural development of the individual classroom environments.

Each project is outlined and organized, with the framework for preparation, implementation, exhibition, reflection, and assessment components, including a list of materials and resources for student and teacher. The project design includes national standards, skills, and dispositions students will uncover over the course of the project.


 * Defining the Musical Roles**

These Musical Roles are organized around the most powerful current way of thinking in Education, Understanding By Design (Wiggins 2005). When defining roles, we address the Essential Questions needed for students’ enduring understanding.

perceived within personal, community, and world context.
 * A Musician’s P.L.A.C.E in the world:**
 * Musician as** **P****erformer,** **L****istener,** **A****nthropologist,** **C****omposer,** **and** **E****ntrepreneur,**


 * General Definition of Musical Roles**

In an effort to promote lifelong involvement in music, we will enrich the musical experiences for students by exploring the way people interact with music in everyday life. We will define what these roles mean to different people, from the amateur to the novice to the professional, and consider the context when experiencing music. Through this exploration students will begin to deepen the relationship they have with music in their lives.

The Musical Role Top Hats are used to visualize the roles they are incorporating into the project and the classroom. Musical Roles we are exploring will be placed on top of a cartoon head.




 * [[image:Performer.jpg width="160" height="130"]]__Musicians as Performers__**

Musical Performance is expression of a musical idea through the physical creation of sound.

Performing music provides students with a new perspective of music, and gives them an opportunity to physically create music. Performing, however, is more than playing the right notes at the right time. Students develop a sense of purpose for performing, and they begin to have personal understanding and ownership over the music they're playing. They begin to think beyond the notes on the page and consider ideas of expression, meaning, intent, and communication. Performances of music can range from the very formal (think New York Philharmonic) to the very informal (singing in the car with friends).

A question to consider: If another person or multiple persons (an audience) is not present, do we still consider it performing?

What are we expressing? How are we expressing? What skills do we need to communicate our idea? Are there others performing with me? Am I listening as I play? Who is my audience? What was the composers intentions with this piece? What is my interpretation of this piece? What elements of music justify my interpretation? What do I consider a 'good' performance?
 * In order to deepen our experience as performers of music, we ask questions that broaden our understanding and journey of performing music. A few examples are:**


 * [[image:Listener.jpg width="160" height="114"]]__Musicians as Listeners__**

Most people will listen to music at some point in their lives, but what does that experience mean to them? What are they really hearing? When we listen to music, we physically perceive the vibrations of sound, we respond emotionally to the sounds we hear, we connect to the environment/setting to create context for the music, and we may relate the music to prior experiences.

How does sound work? What emotions are expressed in this piece? How are they expressed? What musical techniques are being used to create this expression? Do you like this piece? What about the piece do you like? How do you relate to the music? Would your opinion change if you were listening to the piece performed live?
 * In order to deepen our experience as listeners of music, we ask questions that broaden our understanding and journey of listening to the music. A few examples are:**

Students uncover what it means to be a listener, and explore higher-level critical thinking skills while defining and relating to musical content.


 * [[image:Anthropologist.jpg width="160" height="141"]]__Musicians as Anthropologists__**

A Musical Anthropologist is someone who explores the context of music.

Context covers a wide range of the people, places, time-periods, etc. that provide the setting for musical experiences. The history and variety of music in the world creates wonderful opportunities for students to explore the context of cultures and ways of life throughout the world. Students use their study of music to uncover an understanding of different cultures, and they begin to see that although the musical outcomes may be different, underlying motivations for creating and experiencing music may be quite similar from culture to culture.

Who is playing/performing this music? Why are they performing it, for what purpose? Where would this music be played? When would it be played? Who would the audience be? What are they using to create sound? What are they expressing? What place does this music hold in their society? Do you relate to this music? Can you draw a parallel from this musical artifact to a musical experience in your life: What are the common themes you found?
 * In order to deepen our experience as anthropologists of music, we ask questions that broaden our understanding and journey of musical context. A few examples are:**


 * [[image:Composer.jpg width="160" height="142"]]__Musicians as Composers__**

To help us better understand this role, let us define the difference between Composition and Creativity. Musical Composition consists of traditional composition, arranging, improvisation, and free form. All four take elements of music and put them in an organized form. Musical Creativity is the manipulation of musical elements to express an idea.

Musical Composition is best suited to grow from Musical Creativity, and creativity in children is innate; If you place a toddler in front of a piano, what will follow may be a quite exuberant creation of musical expression. This innate and individual creativity fits perfectly in the realm of composition. Students use composition as a way of organizing and expressing their creativity to others, and by starting from a place of personal exploration and expression, they will have a stronger desire to communicate their ideas. Their desire for knowledge of __how__ to write their music creates a "need to know" music literacy, and the idea that music can be written down becomes part of their fundamental understanding of Musical Composition.

What idea am I trying to express? What objects am I using to create sound? Who is playing my piece? What elements of music am I using to express my idea? How will I remember what I've created? Who will be able to read my composition once it is written down? Is there a way of writing music that everybody understands? What does a professional composer consider when they compose? What questions would I ask a professional composer?
 * In order to deepen our experience as composers of music, we ask questions that broaden our understanding and journey of composing music. A few examples are:**


 * [[image:entrepreneur_top_hat.gif width="160" height="80"]]__Musicians as Entrepreneurs__**

What are ways musicians are present in the business world? Music Entrepreneur examples include record labels, stagehands, sound system operators, producers, music technology product developers, music business managers, etc. These are people who interact with music in a variety of ways that may include the other roles, but also include creating a marketable product or service available for purchase.


 * In order to deepen our experience as entrepreneurs of music, we ask questions that broaden our understanding and journey into the world of music technology, self-motivation, and marketing. A few examples are:**

What is different between songs that are written and performed for an audience and music that is written to be sold? What technology is used to create, revise, publish, and market music? What types of jobs are there in the music industry? What type of training and education is needed for these jobs? How has technology impacted music creation, performance, listening, and marketing? How are we self-motivated as musicians?


 * //Designing and Organizing Projects://**

Projects are conceptually based around Dewey (1938) exemplified in many school districts focused on student learning and content. The Edutopia website (Edutopia, 2008), Phil Greco’s website (Greco, 2010), The Project Approach (Chard & Katz, 2000), and Bandquest (American Composers Forum, 1975), are examples of successful projects designed to reflect current thinking about how students learn. The four basic steps of a project design are:


 * Choosing a Topic
 * Creating Opportunities for students to develop and achieve goals
 * Exhibition of Student Learning
 * Evaluation and Assessment of Student Learning




 * __Choose a Topic__**

When choosing a topic, start with how relevant it is to your students. Also consider the context of your school and your community. Perhaps provide a substantive focus ~ Merriam's (1964) classification of the functions of music is useful for thinking about topics and for providing choice for students. Music as…

Human expression Aesthetic enjoyment Entertainment Communication Symbolic representation Physical response Enforcing conformity to social norms Validation of social institutions and religious rituals Contribution to the continuity and stability of structure Contribution to the integration of society


 * __Create Opportunities__**

Create opportunities for students to develop and achieve the potential goals listed under “Why is it important?” A great way to begin this section is through brainstorming, KWL charts (Ogle 1986), or creating a web on what students know and what they want to know. Using your topic, work with the students to design a project that will help them discover what they want to know. Their projects should be built on learning activities that will reflect the National Standards of Music Education (MENC 2010) through the uncovering of knowledge and skills, attitudes and dispositions, and the nurturing of students’ social skills.


 * __Exhibit Student Learning__**

Exhibitions are important because they give students the opportunity to
 * Display and show their work
 * Reveal understanding of features and aspects within a topic
 * Demonstrate skills
 * Show evidence of engagement, attitudes, and dispositions
 * Share their experiences

The key point to remember behind exhibitions is that they are opportunities for students to share and reflect upon their experiences and the different processes involved with the project's activities. They are not vehicles for entertainment nor should the focus be on the presentation as a performance.


 * __Evaluate Student Learning__**

To Assess and Evaluate is to take professional responsibility for the learning environment in your classroom. Eisner (2002) defines the difference between the two as the following: Assessment generally refers to the appraisal of individual student performance, while Evaluation generally refers to the appraisal of the program – its content, the activities it uses to engage students, and the ways it develops thinking skills. We use Assessment and Evaluation to give us information that can help us get better at what we do.



Criteria for Evaluation include Technique, Inventiveness, and Expressive Power. We use artifacts gleaned from the process, in conjunction with resulting products, as a guiding source of evaluation. Artifacts for Evaluation include but are not limited to journals, reflections, progress reports, webs, notes, papers, compositions, as well as teacher reflections and notes, class discussion, and the exhibition. Interviewing the student after the project also allows us to assess what the student has learned, which often goes beyond the scope of the project. By not limiting the assessment to only judging if the student has learned what the teacher wanted of them, a true assessment of learning can take place.

The key thing to remember about the evaluation component of a project is that it considers the extent to which students have derived meaning from their involvement in the various activities and learning opportunities and the extent to which students' intellectual, musical, and social development have been enhanced. It is not meant to be a measurement, nor a comparison with peers. It gives us the information that helps us get better at what we do.


 * Primary Reflection Sheet:**




 * Intermediate Reflection Sheet:**




 * __Staying Organized__**

Papers, reflections, and a plethora of artifacts can easily be lost in the shuffle of the day and the bustle of the year. Have a plan of attack for keeping your student’s projects organized and accessible. This could be in the form of class binders, student folders, online scanning and storing, etc. Whatever your method, stick with it and stay on top of it. Give yourself time one day a week, possibly after school, when you can dedicate time to organizing. This time would be a great time for you to do some reflecting as well!


 * //Summaries of Projects included in this document://**

Below are summaries of Projects included in this curriculum. The first five demonstrate projects that highlight each of the 5 roles in music. Since many of the projects overlap and encompass multiple musical roles, we have indicated the dominant role by placing it first. Here is how the roles will be abbreviated:


 * P = The Performance Role
 * L = The Listener Role
 * A = The Anthropologist Role
 * C = The Composer Role
 * E = The Entrepreneur Role

Following the list of summaries is a cross-reference chart that shows the National Standards, Content (concepts, skills, and dispositions), and Assessment for each project.


 * //Project Summary List://**


 * __Drama Project [__****__P, C, L, A, E]__** Students will discover the different types of emotions, moods, and characters involved in dramas and the performance practices typical for performing a live performance for an audience. Students will explore different genres of literature and transform the story into a musical performance. They will discuss what is different about a live performance of a show than making music in a classroom setting. Students will then work in groups to collaborate to create scripts, music, costumes, scenery, and props. The experience will culminate in a performance of their drama for the school and the community.


 * __Listen Up! [__****__L, P, C]__** Students will explore how sound is made through studying vibrations, and the different materials used to create instruments. They will listen to music of different genres, styles, and periods, and compare and contrast them. They will work in groups to explore how sounds can be translated to movement, how music has changed over time, and how historical influences have affected the ways we listen to music. Students will create representations of their studies on sound. Examples include books on how instruments create sound and are classified, presentations on how Rock ‘n Roll music has changed through time, and reflections on how different styles of musical genres express music differently.


 * __Music of the World [__****__A, L, P, C]__** Students will uncover the question, “Who makes music?” Students will study the culture of a country through exploration of their music. They will listen to musical works, explore instruments, discussing environment, history, and culture. They will work in groups and showcase the unique sound of a country’s music through different presentations. Examples may be recreating a foreign instrument or creating their own rhythm patterns specific to their country. Another may be to do a remix of a traditional recording using Garageband or another form of technology. Students may decide to contact a member of the community who is originally from their country and interview them about their musical experiences. Students will showcase their projects during a cultural festival.


 * __Express What You See [__****__C__****__, A, L, P]__** Students analyze and discuss a visual work of art, choosing and explaining an emotion they think the artist is trying to portray. They will then compose a piece of music to reflect the emotion and the artwork. During composition, students will explore a variety of instruments, ways to notate their compositions, learn to make a few pitches or sounds consistently on their instruments, and problem solve how to use their instruments to portray the emotion. Students will reflect on how well they are portraying the emotion, and what they are learning about technique, expression, and notation. Students will exhibit their written notation and perform their piece for the class, demonstrating knowledge, skills, and dispositions learning during the project.


 * __Sell Me A Song [__** **__E__****__, A, L, P, C]__** Students will discover ways in which technology is used to experience music. Students will explore how to use technology to listen to and record music. They will discover different types of technology used in the production of music and what it means to prepare a song both for a performance and for sale. Students will work in collaborative groups and in whole group settings to compose songs. Students will explore the roles of composer, record producer, publisher, and marketer of music. Students will also explore ways in which music is used as a mode of persuasion (for example, commercial jingles). Student work will be highlighted by media exposure on the school website, the newspaper, and potentially on local news stations.

Specific break-downs of the projects are coming soon!
For Charts, Reference and Reading Material, and for the Appendix, please download the following:



For a Copy of the Promotional Brochure, please download the following: