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After READING Chapter 4 pp.26-60
Music goals for Multicultural Curriculum are:
- Students to experience a wide palette of musical sounds.
- Students to understand that there are varied ways of making music.
- Students to understand that many cultures have music as complicated as their own.
- Students to become “polymusical” by performing different styles of music.
No plagarismon time
Two tips for helping students be successful in singing in harmony are: (1) Assign special seating arrangements for music, so
hesitant singers are seated in tandem with stronger ones—without singling out either type of singer for aention. (2) Divide the
class into groups of unequal size and have the larger group sing harmony (especially if the harmony part sounds weak). Since
boys are oen the most hesitant singers, they should not be automatically grouped together.
Children’s interest at this level includes history, adventure, and transportation, and contemporary popular songs and songs
from other cultures and countries intrigue them. Again, given the range of topics that interest them, there are numerous
options for curriculum integration.
Selecting, Teaing, and Leading Songs
Every teaer needs to learn how to select, tea, and lead songs appropriate for the level of their students. It is important to
select a song that is developmentally and musically appropriate. e song should also mat the ildren’s song interests and
offer opportunities for increasing their understanding of music. Use this elist as a start in the selection process.
Table 3.2 Chelist for selecting age-appropriate songs
□ Is the song in the appropriate vocal range for the specific class?
□ Does it mat the song interests of this age level?
□ Are the words appropriate—not too “ildish,” or too “mushy”!
□ Are there specific rhythmic or melodic concepts that can be emphasized?
□ Are there obvious repeated paerns or words to focus on?
□ Would you feel comfortable singing and tea this song or is there an available recording to help?
□ Can the song be integrated with other activities or subjects in their curriculum?
A song may be taught by rote (imitation) or by note (reading music notation). In the rote approa, students hear the song
over and over. en, they eo parts of the song, presented sequentially. Gradually, they put the parts together until the whole
song is learned. In the note approa, they learn the song by reading music notation. ey may begin by anting the rhythm of
the song. Or they may discover particular rhythmic or melodic paerns to read first. e goal is that the song will be learned
through music reading.
ere are also variations or combinations of approaes. For example, the “whole song” or immersion method is similar to
the rote method and actually the way ildren tea songs to one another: they repeat the song over and over again, with
ildren joining in when and where they can, until the whole song is learned “by heart.” Teaing a song one phrase at a time is
the “part” or segmented method. When all the phrases are learned, they are joined together to form the complete song. In
studies comparing the two approaes, ildren heard a new song repeatedly and joined in singing when they felt comfortable;
the immersion method was determined to be the beer approa (Brand, 1998; Klinger et al., 1998). Ea method has a long
history. However, many teaers use a combination of these ideas.
Whatever approa or combination of approaes is used, it is important to introduce a new song using teniques that will
“grab” the students’ interest and aention. Some ways to motivate singers include giving baground information about the
song or telling its story. Asking students to show what they hear allows the teaer to actually observe what the students
perceive as they listen to the song. What follows are some ideas for introducing a song by asking them to do one of the
following:
Tap the song’s steady beats.
Clap hands on the very last word or note.
Listen for the name of the song’s person, place, animal, and so on.
Pantomime recurring words of the song as they hear them.
Sing (or clap) the repeated parts.
Wat the teaer’s hand and “do as I do.” (Teaer uses hand/arm to show pit levels, rhythms, or both.)
is “introduction” to the song can be repeated, with students doing the same activity or a different one. Repeat the song several
times, and if they are ready, invite them to join in. Or have them eo parts of the song until they have learned the entire song.
When leading a song, a teaer needs to consider some basic teniques to make the process move quily and keep the
singers on task. Before the “leading” process, the teaer should decide whether he or she will sing or play the song or use a
recording. An analysis of the song is important to determine the starting pit, the meter of the song, on what beat the song
begins, etc. Memorizing at least one verse of the song is a must! What follows are some tips for leading a song.
Table 3.3 Tips for leading a song
1
Sing the song, perform on an instrument, or use a recording to introduce the entire song (unless it is already familiar to
students).
2
ink the first few words of the song to yourself (and the rhythm and pites, too!) before singing or playing the starting
pit of the song.
3
In the tempo of the song, sing or say “one, two, ready, sing” and give a clear signal for the singers to start. Use a hand gesture
or nod of the head. If using a recording, make sure that you are familiar enough with the music to be able to give the signal
to start.
4
Keep the singers together by using conducting (or any gesture) that would indicate a steady beat and give them a sense of the
timing.
5 Maintain eye contact with the students at all times; show your enjoyment of the song!
6 On the song’s last note, give a clear signal so the singers end together.
As soon as they are able, ildren should sing independently and unaccompanied without the help of the teaer’s voice or
recordings. Keys to independent singing include knowing a song well—probably from memory. At that point, singers can
concentrate on aieving high levels of accuracy in pit, rhythm, diction, dynamics, and the other elements that are necessary
for an artistic performance.
e Role of the Classroom Teaer in Singing
Some sool districts have an elementary music specialist for classroom music and some do not. When a specialist is available,
the classroom teaer helps implement the music curriculum and reinforces learning between the specialist’s visits. A
classroom teaer who sings confidently and accurately can be very effective in helping ildren develop their singing skills.
But a teaer who does not feel vocally secure can use song recordings. What is necessary is that a teaer has an
understanding of ildren’s voices, the need for age-appropriate songs, and the willingness to engage ildren as oen as
possible in singing. Since every ild with normal hearing and vocal physiology can learn to sing, every teaer needs to be
encouraging and positive toward the singing efforts of ea and every student.
Projects
1. In teams, oose three songs from Section IV that meet the criteria for a selected grade level. Use both the Chelist
for Selecting Age-Appropriate Songs (p. 26) and the Developmental Stages in Singing Chart (p. 23) in making your
oices. Share the songs with the class, justifying your selections.
2. Che out videos on YouTube that show teaers engaging ildren in singing. Summarize your observations based
on age-appropriate songs and singing skills. Note the approa the teaer used for teaing the songs.
3. Review the following two model experiences in Section II and decide whi approa(es) is/are primarily used for
teaing the songs: Model 4 “Sally, Go ‘Round the Sun” and Model 14 “Wake Me!”. Give reasons and examples for your
decisions.
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Playing Instruments (Performing)
Playing instruments is great fun for ildren so it is no surprise that musical instruments are an exciting part of music-making
in elementary classrooms. Playing instruments is also an excellent way to help them improve their motor skills and
coordination as they develop concepts about music. Children can play and create songs on melody instruments, create and play
accompaniments to songs with a variety of rhythmic and harmonic instruments, and create sound effects for movement,
stories, and poems with all sorts of interesting instruments.
e array of instruments available is amazing. Instruments that are typically used in elementary classrooms include: rhythm
instruments; recorders; barred or mallet instruments su as xylophones; Autoharps®/Chromaharps® and Qords® (digital
guitars); acoustic and electronic keyboards; stringed instruments su as guitars and ukuleles; and handbells and ime bars.
As teaers, it is important to keep in mind the following guidelines in using instruments with ildren.
Table 3.4 Guidelines for oosing and using instruments with ildren
1 Choose instruments that mat the level of the student’s musical and motor development.
2
Purase high-quality instruments and maintain all instruments in good working order (store in a secure place, e
instruments that need to be tuned, etc.)
3 Establish routine classroom procedures for distributing and collecting instruments.
4 Tea ildren how to handle the instruments properly and develop correct playing teniques.
5 Make sure that ALL ildren have the opportunity to play.
Rhythm Instruments
Small percussion instruments, playable with a minimum of instruction, are usually referred to as rhythm instruments. A variety
of durable instruments with good musical tone should be available in every classroom or sool. Sets of rhythm instruments
oen include several types of drums, tambourines, sleigh bells, rhythm stis, sand blos, wood blos, finger cymbals, and
triangles. Percussion instruments of various cultures should also be available su as maracas, guiros, gongs, and a conga drum.
Young ildren learn mu about their world through experiences with objects, texture, and shape. As soon as ildren can
stroke or tap, instruments should be made available to them. ey can use rhythm instruments for sound effects with songs and
stories su as using higher-pited and lower-pited instruments to fit the Mama Bear, Papa Bear, and Baby Bear in “e ree
Bears.” When they can tap a steady beat with a song or listening selection, they can transfer their tapping to rhythm stis or a
drum.
ey can also learn to classify rhythm instruments by how they are played—ringing instruments (triangles), scraping
instruments (sandblos), and tapping instruments (rhythm stis). Or learn to classify by the material from whi the
instruments are made, for example, skins (drums), metals (finger cymbals), woods (wood blos), and gourds (maracas).
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Figure 3.4 Playing the guiro and the tambourine. Courtesy of Sonor Instruments.
Older ildren can learn a classification system developed by world-music specialists in whi instruments are categorized
by the vibrating material that produces their sound: for example, the vibrating skin or membrane on a drum results in drums
being classified as membranophones. For a teaing strategy using this classification system, turn to Model Experience 38 and
learn about membranophones, idiophones, ordophones, and aerophones. Older ildren can also make and play their own
replicas of rhythm instruments. For example, students can use two smooth pebbles to serve as ili ili (stone castanets) to
accompany a song from Hawaii su as “Hawaiian Rainbows” on page 273. And they can oose a variety of rhythm
instruments to use as they create a sound piece accompanying a haiku poem as illustrated on page 200.
Recorders
Recorders, small wind instruments, are included in many classroom music programs. ey are relatively easy to play for both
teaers and students. While the recorder comes in several pit ranges and sizes, the soprano recorder is usually osen for
elementary sool ildren because it is small enough for ildren’s hands. It has a brilliant tone, is high in pit, and is a good
mat with ildren’s voices. e soprano recorder is used mostly for melody playing.
Figure 3.5 Playing the soprano recorder. Courtesy of Rhythm Band Instruments, Inc.
Instruction usually begins in third or fourth grade, when most students are able to coordinate finger placement with
breathing. While almost any song can be played on a recorder, instruction usually begins with songs limited to three pites
(usually B, A, and G). “Hot Cross Buns” is a favorite starter song and creating “BAG” tunes is also a part of early instruction. An
instructional section for soprano recorder, complete with many appropriate recorder songs, is included in Appendix B of this
text.
Barred or Mallet Instruments
Barred or mallet instruments come in many sizes, have either wooden or metal bars, and are played using mallets. e smaller
instruments are placed on tabletops or desks, and the larger ones, built with legs, are played while standing. Many are
constructed so that bars can be removed when not needed. Examples include xylophones, metallo-phones, gloenspiels,
resonator bars, and step bells. (See the Orff Approach in Chapter 5 for more information on xylophones, metallophones, and
gloenspiels.)
ese instruments can be played by students of all ages, according to their level of physical development. ey are used for
both melody and harmony. Young ildren can play a single bar as an accompaniment for a melody—for example, playing the C
bar to accompany “Sally, Go ‘Round the Sun” (p. 312). Slightly older ildren can progress to playing two pites simultaneously
—C and G (called a bordun or drone ) as an accompaniment to the song. Full ords can be handled next by playing C, E, and G
simultaneously as an accompaniment. Complex mallet work should be delayed until students are older and have greater eye—
hand coordination.
Figures 3.6 and 3.7 Resonator bars (le) and step bells. Courtesy of Rhythm Band Instruments, Inc.
Autoharp®, Chromaharp®, and QChord®
e Autoharp®, the Chromaharp®, and the QChord® (Digital Song Card Guitar) are primarily harmony instruments because
they are used for accompanying songs. All three are popular instruments in elementary classrooms.
e Autoharp® and the Chromaharp® are trade names (ea being the trademarks of a particular manufacturer) for the
orded zither—a ordal, stringed instrument that is strummed while ord bars are depressed. (See ord bar art in
Appendix B.) Because both are relatively easy instruments to learn to play and are portable, they have become a valued
instrument to accompany classroom singing. e easiest playing position and the one generally used for ildren is placing the
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instrument on a table, one’s lap, or on the floor. e other playing position is to hold the instrument upright (in a slightly
diagonal position) with the le hand pressing the ord bars and the right hand crossing over the le to strum the strings. is
position is called the Appalaian style.
Both students and teaers can learn to play Autoharp®/Chromaharp® accompaniments by reading the ord names that
appear above the melody and pressing the designated ord bar while strumming the strings. Chordal harmony is the result.
Prior to learning to read notation and follow the ord symbols, ildren can experience the instruments in several different
ways. Kindergarteners are thrilled to strum as the teaer presses the ord buons for favorite songs su as “London Bridge”
(p. 290) or “A Tisket, A Tasket” (p. 245). First and second graders can share these roles, with one pushing the ord buon and
another strumming (best to start with a song that requires just a one-ord accompaniment!). When students are ready,
teaers can display a art of just the ords for easy reading. Fourth and fih graders can play the instrument by themselves,
but they need practice time before they can keep a steady rhythmic accompaniment as they finger different ord buons and
follow the music.
Figure 3.8 Playing the Chromaharp®, Appalaian style. Courtesy of Rhythm Band Instruments, Inc.
e QChord®, like the Autoharp® and Chromaharp® is an electronic instrument that is used in similar ways—mostly to
accompany singing. It has a built-in amplifier and is completely portable. It can be played on a tabletop, or in guitar position
when a guitar strap is added. It will simultaneously produce ords in a oice of rhythms and style.
Figure 3.9 QChord®. Courtesy of Suzuki Corporation.
e Qord® comes with 84 preprogrammed ords, and can be programmed to play a repeating series of ords for the
song of your oice. With just the tou of a buon, the QChord® can provide an automatic bass line for a song, or you can
program an introduction and ending, or add a “drum fill.” When a player strums the plate, ten different timbres, e.g., guitar,
banjo, and vibes, are readily available. However, rather than strum, the player can oose from ten preset rhythms, su as
waltz, ro, and country. e instrument offers a multitude of ways for teaers to accompany songs and older ildren are
fascinated with learning how to play the Qord® to accompany singing.
More information on these instruments, complete with suggested Musical Classroom songs to accompany, is included in
Appendix B of this text.
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Keyboards
e piano and electronic keyboard can both be used to play melodies, ord tones, song fragments, borduns, ostinatos, and full
ords. Playing a keyboard instrument offers students of all ages concrete experiences with music concepts and notation, and
helps develop spatial reasoning skills. Electronic keyboards are found at every grade level in many different teaing/learning
situations.
Figure 3.10 Keyboard tenology lab. Courtesy of Korg Education, a division of KORG USA.
e keyboard’s white and bla key paern for both the piano and electronic keyboard is the same (as is the paern found on
barred and mallet instruments).
Figure 3.11
ey differ in that electronic keyboards provide ord accompaniments that are automatic or manual. In addition, they offer
preset rhythms (percussion only—no pited sounds) of different styles and meters. For example, a preset rhythm might be in
waltz time or in banjo or ro style. What fun to oose a preset rhythm “baup” in a suitable style su as banjo for a song
su as “Oh, Susannah”! And given that these keyboards can produce an array of timbres su as a honky-tonk piano, organ or
clarinet, the possibilities for interesting accompaniments are unlimited.
An instructional section for keyboard is provided on the companion website.
Guitar and Ukulele
e guitar and ukulele are stringed instruments that are included in some elementary classroom music programs. Both can be
introduced when a student’s small-muscle coordination is adequately developed. is can be as early as third grade. e
instruments are used primarily to accompany songs and require tuning before ea use.
ere are many types of guitars, from acoustic to electric, with bodies and strings of different materials. e classical
(acoustic) guitar has a mellow tone and is a good oice for beginner players, as it has nylon strings (rather than steel strings)
and a fairly wide ne. ese two features make it easier on the pads of the fingers and allow a bit more space for fingering
ords. Introductory guitar work begins with ord roots, simplified ords (using only four strings), or ords that use only
one or two fingers.
Figure 3.12 Soprano ukulele. Courtesy of Rhythm Band Instruments, Inc.
e ukulele is a Hawaiian instrument that was developed from a small guitar brought to the islands by the Portuguese in the
late 1800s. e ukulele comes in soprano and baritone sizes. e smaller soprano “uke” has six strings and a somewhat metallic
sound. It is beer for small hands because of its size and its higher pites mat beer with the vocal range of young singers.
e baritone ukulele is larger and has a more mellow tone. It has a wider fingerboard than the soprano, making it somewhat
easier to finger ords. Learning the baritone ukulele can precede guitar study, because the baritone’s four strings are the same
as the highest four strings of the guitar, making it easy to transfer skills to the guitar.
Chord arts, playing positions, and Musical Classroom songs for guitar and baritone ukulele accompaniment are presented
in Appendix B and additional guitar information is on the companion website.
Handbells and Chime Bars
Handbells and chime bars are high-quality, expensive instruments used in some elementary music programs. A handbell is a
bell with handle; a ime bar is a tube with an aaed mallet on the top. Both are made of metal and come in sets of graduated
sizes (pites). Ea handbell and ime bar is portable and is held in the hand.
By grades 4 or 5, most ildren have developed the motor skills to be successful playing these instruments. ey require
control and timing to play at a precise moment in the music. A player is assigned to a specific handbell or ime bar and plays
only that pit when it is needed. Ea instrument has a particular playing tenique. Hand-bells are oen used for melody, but
they can also be used for harmony. Available ime bars are called Choirimes and ToneChimes, ea name being the
trademark of a particular manufacturer.
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Figure 3.13 ToneChimes. Courtesy of Suzuki Corporation.
Virtual Instruments
A virtual instrument is a type of soware that acts as a sound module. Virtual instruments use your computer’s CPU and other
resources to create sound and the program running on the computer is the virtual instrument itself. e types of instruments
that can be created are limitless and you can have as many as you like. e GarageBand soware application is one of the most
accessible means for inviting ildren to try playing virtual instruments via an iPad. is Apple application offers everything
from a virtual drum set to virtual guitar, bass, strings, and piano. Children as young as presool can experiment with virtual
instruments and even create a layered composition using an iPad and GarageBand (Hanna, 2016: 78).
Projects
1. Visit two or three websites that sell a variety of classroom musical instruments and review the availability, prices,
and online information. (A list of music suppliers with websites is provided in Appendix D.) Take notes about the
ones you feel offer the most for elementary music classes.
2. Che out videos on YouTube for playing handbells, tuning a ukulele, demonstrating a Qord®, or learning about
virtual instruments. Make a list of the videos related to instruments that you found helpful and pertinent to classroom
music.
3. Identify three songs in Section II that can be performed on the Autoharp® or Chromaharp® (refer to the 12- and 15-
ord models in Appendix B for available ords). Find a song that can be performed with one ord, one that uses
two ords, and a third that requires three ords for an accompaniment.
Listening (Responding)
Listening, or the aural mode, is central to every aspect of music making. In addition to the aural skills required in playing
instruments, singing songs, and creating accompaniments, “pure” listening or listening for its own sake should be the focus of
many music-learning experiences. Students hear music all around them every day, but pure listening to music is an active skill,
and one that needs to be developed and nurtured. To become perceptive, critical, and successful music learners, ildren need
to develop specific listening skills. ey need to “learn to listen” and “listen to learn.”
Learning to listen aentively to music is a allenge for ildren. Music-listening experiences that involve them as active
participants help focus their aention. For example, movement or visual aids can elicit responses to particular events in the
music. If ildren are listening to music that has anging tempos, they could respond with fast and slow walking. Or they
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could use puppets to show the long and short sounds in an orestral piece. ese experiences are effective ways to
demonstrate perceptual understanding.
Teaing students to listen to music involves gradually increasing their aention span. Initially, listening experiences should
feature shorter pieces and gradually increase to longer ones. No maer what the length or complexity of a particular selection,
students need to hear it many times—they need to become “old friends” with the musical work. And they need to listen for
something specific in the music ea time the piece is heard. As they engage in repeated listenings, their understanding of the
music will deepen and, as a result, their enjoyment of the music will be greater. Consider the following guidelines when
engaging ildren in listening experiences.
Table 3.5 Guidelines to encourage students to listen aentively
1 Maintain eye contact with students when music is being played.
2 Be an active participant in the listening experience.
3 Show interest and excitement about the music through facial expressions.
4 Model aentive listening behaviors.
5 Give full aention to the music to encourage students to stay “on task.”
6 Refrain from talking while the class listens—insist that students do the same.
7
Give good oral directions before the listening experience and only visual cues or non-verbal signals (nod of head, smile, hand
gesture) during the listening.
Visual Aids
To facilitate music learning, numerous teniques and teaing aids are used to help structure and organize listening
experiences. Listening maps, guides, and call arts have proven to be successful tools for focusing student aention on specific
events in a piece of music. Puppets, scarves, or particular objects can also help illustrate and enhance a musical example.
A listening map, like a road map, guides the listener through the music and provides helpful information. “Music listening
maps consist of pictures, graphs, shapes, words, and lines that are created and ‘performed’ as one listens to music repeatedly
and in ‘real time'” (Kerner, 2014: 92). Listening guides are generally wrien descriptions of the musical highlights of a
composition. Listening maps can be either teaer-designed or student-designed (with teaer guidance!) while listening guides
are primarily teaer-designed. ese visuals can be presented to a class on a board, large art, SmartBoard or other projector.
Or they can be prepared on paper and duplicated for ea student. A call chart, a wrien or visual guide to the important
events in a musical selection, differs from a listening map in that it identifies the particular musical events by number. e
teaer indicates silently the number, or “call,” that coincides with ea music event as it occurs.
Che out the following examples of visual aids for listening experiences used in this text.
Listening Map for Model 7, “Ballet of the Unhated Chis” on page 128. is picture map depicts in sequence the
musical events with pictures of a i in various stages breaking out of its shell.
Listening Guide for Model 34, “Viennese Musical Clo” on page 207. e guide points out some special aracteristic or
feature of the same and contrasting sections of this composition.
Call Chart for Model 41, “Piffle Rag” on page 228. is call art guides students to discover the structural form of this
ragtime selection by involving them in completing the art.
Listening maps, grids, guides, and call arts are just several of the instructional tools that are effectively used to guide the
listener through a piece of music. Teaers should be creative in designing similar tools to facilitate focused listening.
Table 3.6 Planning steps for listening experiences
1 Plan well-organized lessons that will—through movement, visual aids, and the like—engage students as active participants.
2 Select music of appropriate length and complexity for the age of the students.
3 Direct students to listen for something specific in the music ea time the piece is heard.
4 Engage students in repeated listenings to specific pieces of music.
5 Use quality sound equipment to play recorded selections so that students experience the very best performances.
Projects
1. Download the music for “Ballet of the Unhated Chis” listed above. Get acquainted with the music using both the
Listening Guide for Teaers and the Listening (Picture) Map for Children listed above. Reflect in writing on your
experience becoming acquainted with the music and using the guide and map.
2. Create another version of a listening map for this piece that would engage K-1st graders.
Movement (Responding)
Children are naturally physically active. Because they use their bodies and minds to help them understand their world,
movement seems an ideal way for ildren to explore music. rough movement, ildren can experience all three of the
artistic processes—creating, performing, and responding.
Figure 3.14 Swing your partner. 1sto©Peoplel mages.
Musicians and music educators have long recognized the importance of movement; for example, two European curricular
approaes make extensive use of movement with music: Dalcroze (eurhythmics) and Orff Sulwerk (see Chapter 5 for both).
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Both approaes demonstrate the close association between movement and playing instruments.
All the elements of music can be expressed through movement; melody, rhythm, form, texture/harmony, and expressive
qualities. As a result:
Movement to music aids in understanding music concepts.
Movement to music contributes to physical development.
Movement to music develops creativity and imagination through interpretation of music.
Types of Movement
Movement can be categorized as fundamental movements, creative movements, and singing games and dances. All three need
to be frequent experiences, at every grade level.
Fundamental movements can be either locomotor or non-locomotor. Locomotor movement may be defined as moving from
one place to another or across space. And don’t ildren love to walk, run, hop, jump, gallop, slide, and skip? Since non-
locomotor movement suggests moving within a stationary position or in place, ildren can swing arms, bend, twist, shake,
and sway in all kinds of interesting ways.
Creative movements are interpretive, sometimes rhythmic, sometimes not. Children can express themselves by creating
movements to show high and low pites, fast and slow tempos, and long and short sounds. Sometimes they may synronize
their movements to the steady beat of music. Other times they may respond freely to live or recorded music in their own
special ways.
From presool on, ildren enjoy being engaged in singing games and dances. Initially, they create movements that are
suggested in their songs. For example, the action song “If You’re Happy and You Know It” encourages the ildren to “clap your
hands,” “nod your head,” and try all sorts of actions and movements with their bodies. Simple singing games come next su as
“Sally, Go ‘Round the Sun'” (Model 4) and folk dances su as “Shoo, Fly” (Model 18). ese types of movement experiences
provide lots of physical activity, whi elementary sool ildren love.
e activities that are outlined next describe the kinds of movement experiences appropriate for students in grades
kindergarten through grade 5. ese kinds of experiences will help ildren internalize music concepts and enable them to
grow musically.
Movement Experiences in Kindergarten and Grade 1
Most ildren enter kindergarten with locomotor movements that are well developed; they can run, slide, jump, and hop. ey
are beginning to develop skills for galloping, skipping, and jumping rope. Kindergarten ildren are ready for simple circle or
follow-the-leader dances and games su as “e Hokey Pokey.” (Consider having a premarked circle or preplaced rubber
“Jumbo Markers” in the movement area, and by having a rest between activities that involve holding hands!) eir small-muscle
control needs more refinement through paern rhythms (su as eo clapping) and through playing rhythm instruments with
their own movements.
Kindergarteners and first graders can express their musical understandings in all kinds of interesting ways, for example,
creatively moving to show high and low pites heard in the music. Children of this age oen have difficulty adjusting their
movements to fit the tempo of the music, but this improves as they mature. Just as kindergarten ildren enjoy simple circle or
follow-the-leader dances and games, first graders enjoy circle and partner-swinging dances that require more structure.
Movement Experiences in Grades 2 and 3
Second and third graders can follow the beat in music and respond through movement to anges in tempo and dynamics.
ey also enjoy conducting to demonstrate their understanding of beat groupings (meter) and rhythmic accuracy as Maestros
(see Model 25)! ey can show their skill in paerned movements when they clap and pat (and even do a sti game) to show
the meter in “e Stars and Stripes Forever” (Model 24). Because their small-muscle coordination is greatly improved, they are
ready for opportunities to play the recorder and keyboard. Again, creative experiences should be part of the movement
curriculum at this grade level and ideas for devising a creative “dragon dance” is offered in the “e Dragon Song” (Model 29).
e visual below (as are others throughout the text) are intended to show the movement setup being introduced.
Figure 3.15
More complex folk dances that involve circles, lines, squares, and partners will also engage ildren of this age.
Movement Experiences in Grades 4 and 5
Performing more allenging body rhythms and paerns is very appealing and engaging for students in grades 4 and 5. In
Section II, the jazz piece “Take Five” (Model 42) allenges students to perform beat groupings of five! And the hand jive for
“Piffle Rag” (Model 41) really makes them listen and perform with accuracy. Creative movement experiences should obviously
be front and center with this age group. An age-appropriate example in Section II is Model 34 where students create actions of
various clo figures to fit the rondo form of “Viennese Musical Clo.” Older students are somewhat hesitant to move with
music if they have had few previous experiences, so fairly structured and “adult” activities may be in order. More sophisticated
Latin American or Native American dances may interest them.
Table 3.7 Guidelines for movement activities
1 Provide enough space for ildren to move freely and safely.
2
Create an accepting environment, but establish simple movement rules su as “move without touing anyone” and “stop
when the music stops.”
3 Plan movements carefully making certain to balance structured and spontaneous responses.
4
Devise procedures and teniques to help move students from one area to another (su as playing beats on a tambourine or
repeating a part of the music that was just heard).
5
Model specific movements with one or two students before the whole class moves. Make sure that directions are clear before
students begin the activity.
6
Use props (su as streamers, scarves, hats) to encourage creative movement and encourage students who may be self-
conscious.
7 DO participate with the students in the movement activity.
Projects
1. Choose a song that includes a singing game or easy folk dance from Section III. Select one that is age appropriate for
the grade level of your oice. Learn the game or dance and try teaing it to a ild or peer.
2. Che out videos on YouTube for teaing examples of elementary sool ildren engaged in creative movement.
Try to find examples of those illustrating creative movement, locomotor movement, and folk dances.
Creating Music
Opportunities to create music should be a part of every classroom music experience, at every grade level. “All students have the
ability to create music that is uniquely their own” (Kasub and Smith, 2017: 13). Creating is one of the artistic processes that is
integral to the Music Standards (National Core Music Standards, 2014). e standards specify that ildren should be
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encouraged to imagine and generate musical ideas, develop those ideas, refine them, and finally share them. is is not difficult
for ildren because they are innately creative, and their creativity should be erished, nurtured, and expanded through quality
music experiences. Creative experiences help ildren understand how melody, rhythm, form, texture/harmony, and the
expressive qualities of music work together. Typically these classroom music experiences make use of, and are based on
singing, playing instruments, and moving to music.
But how do teaers build creative skills in creating music? First, they engage ildren in multiple experiences to build the
foundation or vocabulary for creating. For example, ildren need to sing a wide repertoire of ants and songs, play small
percussion and other classroom instruments, and move to music in all sorts of ways. en, teaers invite ildren to explore
different ways of singing, playing, or moving to music emphasizing that all oices are “right.” For example, ildren can ange
the words to a favorite ant or song, show different ways of playing a familiar instrument, or find new movements for
familiar singing games and dances.
ese exploratory experiences naturally progress to improvising and composing experiences. For example, students can
make up “on the spot” (improvise) modified versions of a familiar melody, rhythm or movement paern (su as singing an
“answer” different from a teaer’s sung “question” or playing a rhythmic “answer” phrase to a drummer’s “question” phrase).
ey can also experiment with their own variations on familiar songs. Since composing is not instantaneous as improvising is,
it requires more planning and time to cra one’s ideas as well as reflect and revise. While teaers oen find it allenging to
allocate the necessary time for ildren’s composing projects, the resultant musical and cognitive growth for ildren is well
worth it!
Creative Experiences in Kindergarten and Grade 1
For exploratory experiences, kindergarten and first-grade ildren love to make up new words and movements for a favorite
song. For example, for the song “Riding in the Buggy” (p. 310), ildren can create new vehicles to ride in (bicycles, buses,
spaceships, etc.) and explore movements depicting them. ey especially enjoy creating dramatizations for a song. “Five
Angels” (p. 266) is a great song for creating and acting out the different jobs of the five angels.
ey also need lots of opportunities to discover all the different sound possibilities of their voices and mouth sounds (sigh,
hum, pop, tongue clis) as well as instruments and how to use them creatively. Teaers should use pictorial or iconic notation
to represent a variety of sounds and encourage ildren to do the same. Ask “Let’s make our voices swoop down!” en, ask how
you might draw a picture of it. Or “how would pop look?”
Figure 3.16a “Swoop down.”
Figure 3.16b “Pop.”
Sound stories or instrumental accompaniments to stories and songs are two additional ways ildren can express their
creative ideas through sound exploration. Su experiences help heighten aural perception and sensitivity.
Creative Experiences in Grades 2 and 3
Second- and third-grade students can continue their exploratory experiences by creating a “sound story” using a variety of
classroom instruments along with a story whi has two contrasting sections, su as Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice
Sendak. Encourage and explore pictorial or iconic notation to visualize the sound story or use recording tenology to make an
aural record. eir movement experiences can progress to improvising movements to accompany two contrasting pieces of
music. For example, think of the interesting movements that might accompany the “Russian Dance” versus the “Arabian Dance”
from The Nutcracker Suite (Spotify/iTunes)!
In small groups, students can create hand games in beat groupings of twos or threes (for example, clap, snap for twos and
clap, snap, snap for threes). ey can perform and have the class decide whether the example is in two or three. Again, a
simple notation, either iconic or music notation, can be used. More creative rhythmic experiences can include making up
“answers” to the teaer’s “questions” using clapping or other body sounds. For example, teaer claps a four-beat rhythm
paern and the students eo. en, the teaer allenges the students one at a time to clap a different “answer” to the
“question.” Or another approa would be aer the four-beat eoing of a paern by the teaer, individual students become the
“teaer” and improvise a paern for the class to eo.
Creating and arranging ostinatos (short melodic fragments) to accompany songs are great experiences for trying out musical
ideas. e song “aer with the Angels” (p. 255) is an excellent example where the ostinatos can first be taken from the song
itself and repeated over and over. For example, the rhythm of „”haer with the angels” could be a rhythmic ostinato performed
on a hand drum, while “all day long” could be used as a melodic ostinato.
Children should be encouraged to create their own ostinatos and plan an introduction to the song and a coda to conclude the
arrangement.
Figure 3.17a Rhythmic ostinato.
Figure 3.17b Melodic ostinato.
Creative Experiences in Grades 4 and 5
At this age level, many creative experiences might be accomplished best in small groups and extended to individual creations.
For example, working in small groups, fourth and fih graders can expand their sound and improvisation experiences by
exploring environmental sounds and various instruments to create an accompaniment or arrangement to a poem. (Haiku
poems are especially good for this exploration. Find several in Appendix C.) e class can oose ideas from the various group
compositions to combine into a class composition and then make a musical video of their creation.
Students will beer understand musical form when they create their own compositions in two sections (AB), three sections
(ABA), or rondo form (ABACADA). For example, students can clap the rhythm of a familiar melody as the A theme, then,
improvise a contrasting B theme of the same length, returning to the A theme to complete a rhythmic ABA composition. Using
different barred or mallet instruments (su as xylophones, gloenspiels, and metallophones), they can set up a pentatonic
scale, su as G A B D E and compose a pited ABA piece. ey could again use the rhythm of a familiar song for the A
section and improvise a contrasting B section. (is composing example is an illustration oen used in the Orff Sulwerk
Approa; see Chapter 5.) Students at this age should be able to record their composition in either iconic or music notation.
Table 3.8 Guidelines for creating experiences
1 Create an environment that encourages ildren to explore, improvise, and compose music.
2 Be positive with their creations remembering that there are no wrong “answers.” Strive for many different “answers.”
3 Respect individuality and self-expression.
4 Encourage and anowledge their “growing” skills in the creative process.
5 Discourage students from being too critical of their own work and the works of others.
Projects
}
1. Che out one of the numerous music soware programs that are available to encourage and enable ildren to
doodle and invent. See soware programs listed in Appendix E. (One of the more innovative programs is composer
Morton Subotni’s “Creating Music.”
2. Observe one ild or groups of prekindergarten or elementary sool ildren in an informal seing (home or
playground). Make note of and describe what kindsof creative activities they explore. Are any of them musical su
as movement or games? Are any applicable in a classroom? Why, and how?
3. Select an elementary grade level of your oice and review the sequence vertically (imagine, plan and make, evaluate
and refine, present) for the “Creating” core music standards for that level. (Go to nafme.org/my-
classroom/standards/core-music-standards and cli on 2014 standards (Prek-8 General Music).) Does the sequence
seem logical? Is it allenging for the students in the grade level? Do the standards answer the “essential questions” for
Creating? Report your findings.
4. Describe the differences between improvisation and composition. Give an example of ea.
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Reading and Notating Music (Performing and Creating)
Learning to read and notate music enables students to be musically literate and independent music learners. Once students
acquire basic music-reading skills, they can explore music more fully while in sool and carry this knowledge into adult life.
Music notation (a visual representation of pit and duration) has lile meaning for ildren unless it is associated with sound.
e aural and visual connection is crucial for understanding that what you see is what you hear.
Sound should always precede symbol! Children learn to speak a language before they read it. e same process should serve
as a guide for the teaing of music notation. Only when ildren have had many opportunities to experience musical sounds
and only when their sensorimotor and perceptual skills are appropriately developed should they be introduced to the visual
means for representing those sounds.
Children develop their ability and skill to use music notation gradually. At the prekindergarten level, musical sounds are
visualized in pictures. For example, ildren can pat steady beats to accompany a ant su as “Hiory, Diory, Do.” Aer
becoming well acquainted with the ant and steady beats, the teaer can display a art of clos. As they pat the steady
beats, they can follow the teaer touing the pictures associated with their steady beats.
Figure 3.18 “Hiory, Diory, Do” picture art.
Children in the primary grades continue to respond to pictorial or iconic notation. For example, ildren can first ant and
pat steady beats to a favorite ant before being introduced to a art of lines associated with those beats. In a later follow-up
to this experience, they can be shown how the lines in the art can be transformed into music notation by adding a notehead
to the lines. Children at this age also like to be the “reader” and tou the lines/notes as the class ants.
Figure 3.19
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Informal notation for pit levels is oen used for introductory experiences in melodic direction. For example, first-grade
ildren can learn a new song su as “Five Angels” (Model 10) and both sing and play on resonator bars the song’s upward
repeating paern. ey can then visualize that paern by arranging five felt angels on a flannelboard in the upward direction.
at can be followed by adding to the flannelboard display the felt leer names for ea pit in the paern (see flannelboard
cutouts on page 139). ese informal reading or notating experiences are naturally followed by more formal staff notation.
Again, notation should be presented only when ildren have an immediate musical need to use it and when it is considered to
be developmentally appropriate.
Older students can trace an entire Native American melody’s contour “notated” in a continuous line (see drawing in Model
37). As they listen to the “Corn Grinding Song” and trace a line, the ups, downs, and repeats are apparent as are the places
where there are jumps and leaps. is is a allenging listening experience and an excellent way to “see what you hear.”
Syllables or related mneumonic devices have been found to be very effective for teaing rhythm-reading skills (Shehan,
1987). A number of su systems or approaes exist. In the Kodály Approa, described in more detail in Chapter 5, rhythm
syllables are used from the outset. For example, syllables su as “ta” for quarter notes and “ta-a” for half notes are spoken as
means to read and perform rhythms accurately. At first, notation is presented without note heads—just beat lines. In the Music
Learning eory (MLT) approa, also described in Chapter 5, rhythm syllables are also used with “du” for quarter notes and
“du-u” for half notes. Unique to the MLT approa is that the syllable “du” always falls on a downbeat. is may help to beer
understand and perform beat and meter.
Similarly, sol-fa syllables (do, re, mi) or numbers are oen used as a tool for pit reading. In the Music Learning eory
approa, when ildren can sing a variety of tonal paerns, they learn to associate the paerns with the sol-fa syllables. In the
Kodály Approa, physical hand signs are associated with the sol-fa syllables. Both the syllables and hand signs help students
develop inner hearing—the ability to hear the pites or melody in one’s head. Students are then ready to notate what they hear
in staff notation.
Both the Music Learning eory and Kodály Approa are the music reading programs found most oen in elementary
general music classes. ere are numerous soware programs available to help students practice reading and notating music;
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e.g., Music Ace is an excellent one (see Appendices D and E). As with reading language, reading music is a complex skill that is
developmental and that requires a knowledgeable teaer, regular instruction, and continuous reinforcement.
Table 3.9 Guidelines for developing music reading and notating skills
1 Engage ildren in learning a repertoire of easy songs, singing games, rhymes, and ants.
2
Encourage physical movements with this repertoire, su as tapping, clapping, moving, and showing pit levels with hands
and body.
3 Involve them in clapping and speaking rhythms of familiar songs, rhymes, and ants using mnemonic syllables.
4 Use sol-fa syllables in singing familiar melodies.
5 Repeat steps 3 and 4 while following the music notation.
6 Remember the adage that “practice makes perfect.”
Projects
1. Review Models 1 and 2 in Section II for examples of ildren being introduced to iconic notation for steady beats.
en, oose a ant from Appendix C and devise an iconic notation, appropriate for kindergarteners and first
graders, to use with the selected ant.
2. Che out the Music Ace soware program listed in Appendix D. Try the free demo and discover how the program
introduces ildren (and adults too!) to music reading.
References
Brand, E. (1998). “e process of identifying ildren’s mental model of their own learning as inferred from learning a song.”
Bulletin of the Council for Research in Music Education, 138: 47-61.
Hanna, W. (2016). The Children’s Music Studio: A Reggio-inspired Approach. New York: Oxford University Press.
Kasub, M. and Smith, J. (2017). Experiencing Music Composition in Grades 3-5. New York: Oxford University Press.
Kerner, J.L. (2014). Music Across the Senses: Listening, Learning, and Making Meaning. New York: Oxford University Press.
Klinger, R., Campbell, P.S., and Goolsby, T. (1998). “Approaes to ildren’s song acquisition: Immersion and phrase-by-phrase.”
Journal of Research in Music Education, 46: 24-34.
National Core Music Standards. (2014). nafme.org/my-classroom/standards/ core-music-standards.
Rutkowski, J. and Runfola, M. (2010). TIPS: The Child Voice. Reston, VA: National Association for Music Education.
Shehan, P.K. (1987). “Effects of Rote Versus Note Presentations on Rhythm Learning and Retention.” Journal of Research in Music
Education, 35: 117-126.
See Appendix A for the rhythm syllables used in both the Music Learning eory and Kodály Approa.
See www.musicmotion.com for viewing “Jumbo Markers” (nonskid rubber circles) to use for special placements in movement
(and many other) experiences.
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4
Music of the World
∎
Classical Music
∎ Music from Around the World
∎
Jazz
∎
Popular Music
e sounds of music seem to be everywhere in our twenty-first-century world. We hear everything from classic to pop, jazz to
the world’s many musical traditions, and fusions of all kinds. Being able to experience music of diverse genres and cultures has
never been easier! Given tenological developments and electronic media, not to mention social and education reforms, it is
no surprise that the wide, wide world of music is open to all of us.
e elementary music curriculum should reflect this diversity and include the wealth of ildhood songs of many traditions
as well as classical music, music of many different cultures, the uniquely American music jazz, and popular music. Children
need to open their ears to the entire world of music as they expand their musical skills and understanding. In fact, “resear
suggests that inclusion of more styles of music, including popular music and music from various cultures, will increase student
participation and creativity” (College Board, 2011: 25).
What follows is specific information about classical music, world music, jazz, and popular music; their place in the
elementary curriculum; and some suggestions and examples for instructional approaes.
Classical Music
Classical music is a term for art music of the Western civilization, usually created by a trained composer. Western art music is
the music of Ba (1685–1750) and Beethoven (1770–1827), or of Clara Sumann (1819–1896) and Ellen Taaffe Zwili (b. 1939),
and certainly should be an important part of the sool curriculum. Many model experiences in this text make use of Western
art music, e.g., the music of Taikovsky, Beethoven, Gabrieli, and Stravinsky. To have a frame of reference for the timeline of
Western art music, the art that follows identifies the historical musical style periods, with approximate dates and a small
sampling of composers from ea period.
Some ildren may have had very lile exposure to classical music in their presool years. erefore, introducing them to
the beauty and excitement of Western art music in their elementary sool years can open the door to a lifetime of musical
Table 4.1 Western art music timeline
Style Periods Approximate Dates Selected Composers
Medieval 500-1420 Leonin, Hildegard, Maaut
Renaissance 1420-1600 Palestrina, Gabrieli, Monteverdi
Baroque 1600-1750 Ba, Vivaldi, Handel
Classic 1750-1820 Mozart, Haydn, Beethoven
Romantic 1820-1900 Sumann, Chopin, Taikovsky
Modern 1900-1975 Soenberg, Ravel, Stravinsky
Contemporary 1975-present Glass, Rei, Zwili
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enjoyment! Having a teaer who is not only knowledgeable, but also enthusiastic, and shows his or her own enjoyment of the
music helps ildren appreciate and enjoy the musical experience even more.
e musical experiences in this text are designed to engage ildren actively in the listening experience and turn them on to
classical music. In general, the Level I and II lessons use shorter, “brighter” instrumental pieces with a variety of dynamic levels,
driving rhythm, and melodic repeats. For example, “Chinese Dance” from The Nutcracker Suite (Taikovsky) is presented in
Model 19 to introduce students to alternating high-pited and low-pited phrases while Model 25 engages ildren in
performing beat groupings of three while listening to Ba’s “Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring.”
More complex compositions are included in Level III. Ea model experience focuses on the elements of music, and a
student’s aention is specifically directed to a music element su as melody, timbre, or form. For example, Models 33 and 34
focus on sectional form engaging students in discovering that the piece “Carillon” by Bizet is in ABA form while the
“Viennese Musical Clo” by Kodály is in rondo form. e same approa or a similar one to The Musical Classroom’s is used
in lessons presenting classical pieces in the elementary music series print and online materials (see Appendix D). Many of the
planning steps and ideas presented in Chapter 3, “Listening,” work especially well with presenting classical music.
Other approaes introduce classical music by playing recordings (without specific conceptual goals) during sna or
naptime, artwork, or movement, or have students create mental images while listening. Children are oen fascinated by stories
about the famous composers and there are numerous ildren’s books available to peak their interest (see Appendix E).
September is Classical Music Month and a great time for orestras in major cities to offer special events. Many orestras have
a dedicated interactive website for ildren and regularly offer concerts for sool groups. Che out the websites for the San
Francisco Symphony, Dallas Symphony, and the New York Philharmonic (Appendix E). Teaers and musicians throughout the
United States are working together to bring more ildren (and adults) in tou with classical music.
Music From Around the World
ere is an astonishing variety of music in every part of the globe. ose who study music and its place in culture
(ethnomusicologists) have shown us that there is no universal language of music but a multiplicity of musical languages. Ea
expresses the aesthetic principles of its culture. Ea has a history and a repertoire of pieces; ea has its own special approa
to composition, performance, and use of instruments. Ea preserves its tradition for future generations—even though styles
are anging and mixing continuously (acculturation).
Introducing the music of different cultures to our ildren is a must! Not only do they need to understand that the classical
tradition is just one of the musical languages that exists, but they should experience and learn about the glorious sounds coming
to them from around the world. Given the culturally diverse society that we live in, ildren are learning from their classmates
and friends about the special holidays, celebrations, and customs of many different cultures. It is only natural that they should
also experience and learn about the musical traditions of selected cultures and open their ears (and minds) to the many, many
enanting world musics.
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Figure 4.1 Malaysian boys in traditional dress playing the kompang. Photo by Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia/ISME 2006.
e multicultural music curriculum can have both musical and nonmusical goals. e nonmusical goals of a music
curriculum are similar to social science goals. Both share humanistic goals to promote self-awareness and self-esteem, build
empathy for others, and encourage respect for the dignity of all human beings. In exploring world music, ildren also (ideally)
explore a people’s customs, history, geography, and beliefs; combining music with social studies enries both subjects. Su
experiences align with social and global rationales for including world music in sools (Fung, 1995).
Musical goals of the multicultural music curriculum are to help ildren learn about the language of music. Teaers can
implement musical goals by focusing on music concepts, performance, and listening. Musical goals are the basis for the model
experiences in Section II of this text. Practical applications of integrated learning (e.g., social studies, dance) are presented and
highlighted in activities that follow the model experiences. Integrated learning is also presented in Chapter 6, along with
practical applications from model experiences.
What follows are some examples of model experiences that focus on selected world cultures. As with all models in this text,
music concepts serve as the focus for music-learning experiences. For example, a music concept is explored in Model 37 “Corn
Grinding Song” in whi students focus on a Navajo melody that moves high and low, and repeats. is is expanded to
concepts about vocal timbre and rhythm, suggested in an extension activity, and students notice details su as pulsation in the
singer’s voice. ey are also encouraged to learn more about the Navajos in suggested books for young readers.
Focused listening is necessary when students explore vibrating objects and identify the timbre (tone color) of two different
African instruments from Nigeria and Uganda in Model
13.
ey learn about the importance of drumming in African music and
the special features of a kalimba/mbira/sansa (thumb pianos). Most importantly, they discover a wider palee of musical
sounds.
Figure 4.2 umb “piano,” kalimba, mbira or sansa.
Even a larger palee is explored in a listening experience in Model 38 in whi music of North Africa, Vietnam, and Bali is
introduced as students identify instruments by their vibrating material and sound in a classification system used by
ethnomusicologists and organologists (see below.) Extensions to Model 38 include planning a world music week featuring
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cultures in the local community. In Level III, fourth and fih graders can explore a multicultural unit featuring four model
experiences (Models 35, 36, 37 and 38).
Table 4.2 Classification system for instruments of the world
Aerophones
(Aero means “air” and phone means “sound” from Greek and Latin roots) are instruments in whi the sound-
producing agent is a vibrating column of air. Examples are flutes, trumpets, oboes, and recorders.
Chordophones
(Chord means “rope or string”) are instruments that produce their sound by seing up vibrations in a
streted string. Examples are ukuleles, sitars, violins, and guitars.
Electrophones
(Electro means “electric”) are instruments that produce vibrations that must be passed through a loudspeaker
before they are heard as sound. Examples are electric guitar and electric bass.
Idiophones
(Ideo means “personal” or “self”) are instruments in whi the sound-producing agent is a solid material
capable of producing sound by seing up vibrations in the substance of the instrument, su as wood or
metal. Examples are gongs, imes, and xylophones.
Membranophones
(Membran means “skin”) are instruments in whi sound is produced by vibrations in a streted membrane
(skin). Examples are mainly drums.
Integrated learning incorporates cultural traditions into the music-learning experience, and is not developed around a music
concept. ough a music concept may not be the focus, music performance will be included, and music concepts can be
introduced as appropriate. Cultural topics for ildren in elementary grades would include some of the following: the people,
their land, language, education, ways of making a living, customs, courtesies, music, recreation, holidays, and even food! For
example, in an extension to Model 32 “Haiku Sound Piece,” students create the environment of a Japanese home, and also learn
about culture, customs, and music. Well-planned integrated learning experiences also can meet musical goals in the curriculum.
Resources for the Multicultural Music Curriculum
Ethnic musicians (and parents) in the community are a valuable resource, and they oen are delighted to perform for students
and introduce their culture. Culturally authentic materials of the highest quality are readily available to use in the elementary
classroom. e elementary music series publications and their online materials offer all kinds of music from around the world,
performed by standard-bearers of the cultural traditions, with indigenous language and instruments (see Appendix D).
Numerous websites, books, recordings, etc., exist to offer musical avenues for exploring music of specific cultures (see
Appendix D). e Smithsonian Folkways recordings are particularly excellent and offer a wealth of music from around the
world (www.folkways.si.edu). A helpful “Chelist for Evaluating Multicultural Materials” is available on the World Music Press
website (www.worldmusicpress.com). Instruments from a wide variety of ethnic groups can be purased from a number of
sources (see Appendix D, “Music Suppliers”). And the Musical Instrument Museum (www.mim.org) is a valuable resource for
instruments (and music) from around the world.
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Figure 4.3 An exhibit featuring the country of Nigeria including instruments, audio, video, and costumes associated with the masquerades’
tradition of the Yoruba people. Courtesy of Musical Instrument Museum.
For examples of selected ethnic celebrations that occur throughout the year, see the art below and the Monthly Planners in
Section II.
Table 4.3 Selected ethnic celebrations
January Martin Luther King Jr. Day (3rd Monday), Chinese New Year (China, Korea, Taiwan, Vietnam, variable)
February African American History Month, Chinese New Year (variable)
Mar Irish American Heritage Month, Greek American
Heritage Month
May
Asian and Pacific American Heritage Month, Lei Day (Hawaii, May 1), Cinco de Mayo (May 5), Jewish American
Heritage Month
June Caribbean American Heritage Month
August Bon Festival (Japan)
September Hispanic Heritage Month
October Italian American Heritage and Culture Month
November National American Indian and Alaska Native Heritage Month, Chinese and Vietnamese Moon Festivals
Jazz
African Americans created jazz, one of America’s original art forms. Blues and ragtime music of the late 1800s were influential
in the development of traditional (or Dixieland) jazz at the beginning of the twentieth century in New Orleans. Two main
musical features of jazz are syncopation (puing accents in unexpected places) and improvisation (creating music
spontaneously).
Aer more than a century of development, jazz is celebrated as an important art form in the United States. In fact, the U.S.
Congress passed legislation in 2003 declaring April to be “Jazz Appreciation Month,” or JAM. (Even the acronym refers to jazz—
improvisation in a jam session!) Congress further noted that Americans should “explore, perpetuate, and honor jazz as a
national and world treasure.”
Some major jazz styles and performers of jazz are identified below. Keep in mind that dates shown are approximate, new
styles do not necessarily extinguish earlier ones, and most styles continue to be popular today.
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Table 4.4 Jazz styles and performers
Styles Approximate Dates Performers
Traditional (or Dixieland) early 1900s Joe “King” Oliver
Chicago Style 1920s Louis Armstrong, Bix Beiderbee
Swing, Big Band mid-1930s-mid-1940s Benny Goodman, Duke Ellington, Mary Lou Williams
Bebop 1940s-1950s Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie
Cool 1950s-1960s Dave Brube, Miles Davis
Fusion 1970s Chi Corea, Herbie Hanco
Current present Wynton Marsalis, Joshua Redman
(Parallel to these styles has been the rhythmically exciting Afro-Cuban and Latin jazz that influenced American jazz throughout
its history.
Elementary sool ildren should have experiences with this exciting, distinctive American creation. Jazz can be explored
through its musical elements (e.g., melody, rhythm, and form) and through singing, playing instruments, movement, listening,
and creating. In this text, two early forms of jazz—the 12-bar blues and boogie-woogie—are presented. Fourth and fih graders
discover the three phrases in the 12-bar blues form of “Lost Your Head Blues” (Model 40), while kindergarteners and first
graders explore the fast and slow tempi of “Boogie-Woogie Walk” (Model 5). Ragtime music, another influence on jazz, is the
focus in Model 41 “Piffle Rag.” Sections of this rag may be accompanied by improvised movements that repeat in accordance
with the phrases and sections of the rag. In Model 42 “Take Five,” the Dave Brube artet’s “cool jazz” composition, students
are allenged to perform the five-beat groupings (meter) using body movements.
Models 40, 41, and 42 can serve as the basis for a jazz unit for fourth and fih graders. In addition, jazz pieces are listed in the
“Other Music” suggestions of the model experiences throughout Section II.
Resources for Jazz
Some examples of jazz are included in the elementary music series books and their online materials (see Appendix D). Specific
publications have been released to help teaers introduce jazz to ildren. Chop-Monster Jr. is a jazz handbook that helps
elementary teaers discover and explore jazz performance teniques with ildren. e Jazz for Young People™ Curriculum
provides a wealth of teaer and student materials for jazz appreciation. e Smithsonian Institution has produced a fine series
of online lessons on jazz for young people, ages 8 to 15, called Groovin’ to Jazz. In Appendix E, you will find a list of the many
available ildren’s books about jazz performers.
Popular Music
Popular music includes ro, soul, country/bluegrass, rap, Broadway musicals, and many other genres. Oen popular music is
the oice of students outside of sool today. For many years, music educators avoided introducing popular music in the
classroom—mainly questioning its musical merit. However, when suitable materials are available, popular music can be
presented in a way that has musical integrity—and not just as a social or psyological support for students (Cutiea, 1991: 27).
is means that instruction should be standards-based and focused on the elements of music (e.g., melody, harmony, rhythm,
form) and on the special sound (expressive quality) of pop instruments. From this perspective, popular music can be integrated
into the curriculum on the same basis as classical music, world music, and jazz.
e allenge is being able to include popular music in instructional materials for the classroom. Copyright fees are
extremely expensive, lyrics may not be appropriate, currently popular songs may have a very short “shelf life,” and the list goes
on. In fact, these are the same reasons that popular music is not included in this text. A bluegrass example is part of Model 39
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and follow-ups to models oen suggest online seares for popular music illustrating a particular concept. Some popular music
is nominally represented in the elementary music series books and online materials—usually older pop songs and Broadway
show tunes, but few ro or Top 40 songs.
Imaginative teaers can find ingenious ways to bring popular music into the classroom. For example, by finding out what
students are listening to outside of sool and asking them to download and share with you (on their electronic device), the
suitability of lyrics, etc., can be eed. Also, assignments can be given for finding a popular song that illustrates one of the
music concepts that they have been studying in class. Teaers can also explore how popular music teniques can enhance a
classroom song students know by adding dance movements, anging the dynamics, or creating “iffs” ostinatos) on different
instruments.
Projects
1. Sear the Internet for information about the music of a selected culture. Prepare a presentation using PowerPoint or
similar presentation soware to share what you have learned.
2. Visit the Musical Instrument Museum’s website (www.mim.org) and review the education section for information
about instruments of various cultures. Summarize and share the educator resources that can be helpful for
elementary teaers.
3. Che out teaing videos on YouTube that engage ildren in music of other cultures, classical music, jazz or popular
music.
References
College Board. (December 2011). Child Development and Arts Education: A Review of Current Research and Best Practices.
New York: e College Board. www.advocacy.collegeboard.org/preparation-access/arts-core.
Cutiea, R.A. (1991). “Popular Music: An Ongoing Challenge.” Music Educators Journal 77(8): 26-29.
Fitzgerald, M., McCord, K., and Berg, S. (2003). Chop-Monster Jr. Van Nuys, CA: Alfred Publications, Inc.
Fung, C.V. (July 1995). “Rationales for Teaing World Musics.” Music Educators Journal 82(2): 36-40.
Marsalis, W. (2002). Jazz for Young People Curriculum. Miami: Warner Bros.
Smithsonian Institution (2004). Groovin’ to Jazz. www.americanhistory.si.edu/Smithsonian-jazz/education/grooving-jazz-ages-8-
13.
http://www.advocacy.collegeboard.org/preparation-access/arts-core
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5
Curricular Approaes
∎
e Dalcroze Approa
∎
e Orff Sulwerk Approa
∎ e Kodály Approa
∎ Music Learning eory: Edwin E. Gordon
∎ Other Approaes to Curriculum
Various curricular approaes, pedagogical teniques, methodologies, philosophies, and learning theories abound for teaing
music to ildren. ree European curricular approaes to music education have been imported and adapted for American
classrooms. e most popular ones are the Orff Sulwerk Approa, developed by the German Carl Orff, and the Kodály
Approa, developed by the Hungarian Zoltán Kodály. In addition, some teaers incorporate movement elements from
Dalcroze eurhythmics, an approa formulated by the Swiss Émile Jaques-Dalcroze, in their elementary curricula. e influence
of American approaes su as the Music Learning eory developed by Edwin Gordon and the Comprehensive Musicianship
Approa is also present in elementary classrooms. While some teaers may focus their teaing on a single approa, many
incorporate several approaes, creating a personal or eclectic one.
What follows is an introduction to the main components of the following approaes to curriculum: the Dalcroze Approa,
the Orff Sulwerk Approa, the Kodály Approa, and Music Learning eory. Two other approaes to curriculum are also
presented: the Comprehensive Musicianship Approa and the Eclectic Approa.
e Dalcroze Approa
Émile Jaques-Dalcroze (1865–1950), a Swiss musician and educator, was the founder of the Dalcroze Approa. He was a
pioneer of music and movement education and as a professor of solfège (sol-fa syllables), harmony, and composition at the
Geneva Conservatory he explored various approaes to ear training.
e Dalcroze Approa uses body and mind integration in developing musicianship and includes the following three
components: eurhythmics (Greek for “good rhythm or flow”), ear training (solfège), and improvisation. e eurhythmic
component is the one that receives more aention in current application and is oen incorporated in elementary general music.
Eurhythmics refers to a form of rhythmic movement. In eurhythmics, the focus is on developing the ild’s rhythmic
potential through his or her own body (the whole body primarily involving the larger muscle groups). Free body movement in
response to the teaer’s improvised piano music is encouraged and developed. Movements are to show the constantly
anging flow of motion and express physically what one hears and feels in the music (e.g., dynamics, phrasing, form, and
style). In eurhythmic experiences, ildren use their bodies as musical instruments; they show their musical understanding
through movement. e approa encourages eurhythmics beginning at an early age. Beginning experiences might include
stepping the beat of the teaer’s piano music and moving expressively to any anges su as dynamics or phrasing. Or more
complex responses might involve dual coordination, su as stepping the beat to the teaer’s improvised melody while
clapping the rhythm of its melody.
Ear training is an important component of the Dalcroze Approa. is includes the use of solfège or sol-fa syllables (do, re,
mi). Children are engaged in learning to sing all the scale tones and understand their relationships in songs. Oen singing is
accompanied by hand gestures to show pit position. In the Dalcroze Approa, ildren can sing familiar songs using sol-fa
syllables and even conduct the beat groupings while singing.
e third component of the approa is improvisation (making up music extemporaneously). If ildren have had experiences
in eurhythmics and ear training, they are equipped with a musical foundation that will offer them many opportunities for being
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creative through improvisation. eir creativity can be expressed through movement, in rhythmic spee, and with
instruments. For example, a teaer can play a short paern on a rhythm instrument and ask students to improvise a response
of the same length on their instrument.
To use the Dalcroze Approa, a teaer needs direct instruction to thoroughly understand and use the ideas. Fortunately,
there are many institutes, colleges, and universities that offer courses, with several accredited to award Jaques-Dalcroze
certificates. Go to the Dalcroze Society of America website (www.dalcrozeusa.org) or Institute Jacques-Dalcroze
(www.dalcroze.) for more information.
Projects
1. View on YouTube one or two teaing examples of Dalcroze Eurhythmics. Summarize your observations.
2. Learn more about the approa by reading one of the references in Appendix D. Write a report noting a Dalcroze
teaing strategy that you would feel comfortable implementing in an elementary classroom.
e Orff Sulwerk Approa
Carl Orff (1895-1982) was a German composer and a man of wide-ranging interests. He not only distinguished himself as a
noted composer of works su as Carmina Burana but also developed a ild-centered approa to music education known as
Sulwerk (German, meaning “soolwork”).
Inspired by “the new Dance Wave” and by Jaques-Dalcroze’s eurhythmics, Orff established a sool in Muni with dancer
Dorothee Gunther. e Guntherschule, a professional sool for training physical education teaers, dancers, and gymnasts,
opened in 1924. It uniquely combined the study of movement with music. e Gunthersule’s curriculum was based on what
Orff called the “elemental” style, meaning “never music alone, but music connected with movement, dance, and spee-not to be
listened to, meaningful only in active participation” (Carder, 1990: 142). In elemental music, Orff suggested a parallel between
the historical development of music and the musical growth of an individual.
Orff not only composed the music for the Gunthersule curriculum, but also designed special instruments that were in
keeping with the elemental style. e instruments, similar to those of an Indonesian gamelan ensemble, included barred or
mallet instruments: xylophones (soprano, alto, bass), metallophones (soprano, alto, bass), and gloenspiels (soprano, alto), as
well as small percussion instruments and drums (pictured on page 61).
e Gunthersule flourished until World War II, when the sool was bombed and all the instruments and materials were
destroyed. Orff’s educational activities were curtailed until 1948 when he was invited to give a series of educational broadcasts
on Bavarian radio. He was allenged to adapt his ideas and music to the needs and abilities of ildren. Over the next few
years, Orff, in collaboration with former student Gunild Keetman, refined his Sulwerk through programs that involved
ildren actively in experiencing and making music (and singing became a component of the program). e curricular result of
this development was the five volumes of Music for Children by Orff and Keetman (see Appendix D).
Gradually, Orff’s approa to music education was introduced and tried in seings other than the radio broadcasts. Keetman
initiated experimental courses with ildren in the early 1950s at the Mozarteum Academy of Music in Salzburg, Austria.
Sulwerk became a part of the Mozarteum’s curriculum and Salzburg became its headquarters. e Orff Approa was first
introduced to North America in the 1960s and its influence has been dramatic in the teaing of music to ildren.
Components of the Orff Approa
Although the Orff Approa does not follow a prescribed method or course of study, several components are basic to the
approa. e most fundamental components, as presented in the European approa, are imitation and exploration leading to
improvisation. Children are encouraged to explore and experience music through movement, anting, singing, and playing
instruments. ey proceed from the part to the whole, from the simple to the complex, and from individual to ensemble
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experiences. In the United States’s adaptation of the approa, the process expands to four components: imitation, exploration,
literacy, and improvisation.
Children explore and experience first by imitation. ey eo their teaer’s clapped rhythm paerns or melodic paerns
performed on pited or non-pited instruments. Exploration builds on the imitation experiences by encouraging ildren, for
example, to create instrumental accompaniments for their songs or explore different ways to move to a particular ant or
song. Aer multiple experiences in imitating and exploring, learning to read and notate music leading to literacy is a goal. is
goal can only be accomplished when ildren’s early experiences involve iconic notation and progress to traditional music
notation. Reading simple rhythms and limited pit paerns can begin as early as the first grade and gradually expand as they
progress through the various grades. e final component of the approa is improvisation. Right from the very beginning,
improvisation is an important part of all experiences: spee, movement, singing, and playing instruments. Improvisation
begins with brief rhythmic/melodic paerns and gradually expands to longer, more complex paerns—to introductions, codas,
accompaniments, and entire melodies.
e approa has a specific sequence for experiencing the elements of music beginning with rhythm, followed by melody,
and finally harmony. Form is introduced almost from the beginning of rhythmic study.
Rhythm grows out of spee and movement paerns. Children rhythmically speak ants, rhymes, and sayings and through
these experiences explore accent and meter as well as phrasing and simple sectional forms. Spee experiences are
accompanied by body rhythms: clapping, patsen (paing thighs), finger snapping, and foot tapping.
Melody follows rhythm, with singing and playing experiences. e falling third, sol-mi, is the first interval introduced,
followed by the syllables la, re, and finally do to complete the entire pentatonic (five-tone) scale. Aer ildren have had
considerable experience with the pentatonic scale, major and minor scales and modes are added.
Borduns or drones (open fihs) and ostinatos (repeated rhythmic/melodic paerns) are used for instrumental
accompaniments, thus introducing harmony. Harmony is also experienced through the singing and playing of rounds and
canons.
rough the active music making and many creative activities described above, it is no wonder that the Orff Approa is
appealing for the teaing of music to ildren. e specific instruments are also a big araction because they are of extremely
high
Figure 5.1 An Orff Sulwerk ensemble. Courtesy of Sonor Instruments.
