It has always been human nature to seek answers, find solutions to problems, observe, and bring awareness of discoveries. This process of inquiry has become more sophisticated and daunting throughout time. Nevertheless, curiosity and the need to progress remains the same. Many regard research as gathering information and using facts to support findings (Leedy & Ormrod, 2010, pg. 1-2). Nevertheless, Leedy and Ormrod (2010), define research as "a systematic process of collecting, analyzing, and interpreting information (data) in order to increase our understanding of a phenomenon about which we are interested or concerned" (Leedy & Ormond, 2010, pg. 2). Nunan's definition (as cited in Mustafa, 2011), describes research as having a "question, problem, hypothesis, data, analysis and interpretation of analysis" (p. 24). Reaching the goal is the culmination of the research; in this case, the goal for conducting a doctoral research is to improve the music education curriculum and provide an excellent learning opportunity for all students including students with disabilities to experience academic success.
The current music curriculum's design appears to be standard for all students including students with disabilities. Because of inclusion, children with learning disabilities participate with non-disabled children in music. At a recent music therapy workshop, teachers expressed concerns regarding how to support students with learning needs. Inquiry on the current music curriculum and the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2001 initiated the following questions: Is the NCLB working to meet all students' learning needs as well as support music teachers with appropriate education resources? How have core subject state assessmen...
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... Preservice music teachers' perceptions of fieldwork experiences in a special needs classroom. Journal of Research in Music Education, 57(2), 152-168.
Leedy, P. D., & Ormrod, J. E. (2010). Practical research: Planning and design Saddle River, NJ: Merrill.
Mustafa, R. F. (2011). The P.O.E.ms of educational research: A beginners' concise guide. International Education Studies, 4(3), 23-30.
Pellitteri, J. (2000). Music therapy in the special education setting. Journal of Educational and Psychological Consultation, 11(3&4),379-391. Retrieved from http://www.soundconnectionsmt.com/docs/Music%20Therapy%20in%20Special%20Education.
Zdzinski, S.F., & Barnes, G.V. (2002). Development and validation of a string performance rating scale. Journal of Research in Music Education, 50(3), 245-255. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview.214475469? accounted=
While Music Therapy has gained wide-spread acclaim for its effectiveness and garnered increasing attention in the fields of Medicine and Psychology, it has not quite effervesced into the level of popularity proportional to how effective it has actually proven to be. For the purposes of this paper, the focus will be restricted to Special Education. Specifically, what will be examined is the effect that underfunding of Special Education has on the children themselves and their ability to socialize and assimilate into society as functional members. Due to the nature of Special Education, the challenges it poses to teachers, parents, other students, and society at large are significant. This population represents neurological, physiological, and
With around 70,000 special education students with hearing losses in the US it is no wonder that teaching these students the art of music has become an important opportunity within their education (U.S. Department of Education). According to Darrow and Heller (1985) as well as Solomon (1980) the history of education for students with hearing loss extends over a hundred and fifty years. These students have every right to music education classes and music instructors need to understand their unique learning differences and similarities to those of the average typical (mainstreamed) student to ensure these students have a successful and comprehensive learning experience. Despite this, there are still plenty of roadblocks, one of which may be some music instructor’s lack of effective practices and methods to successfully teach to the student’s more unique needs. Alice Ann-Darrow is a Music Education and Music Therapy Professor at Florida State University. Darrow’s article “Students with Hearing Losses” focuses not only on the importance of music education for these students but it is also a summarized guide of teaching suggestions containing integral information for the unique way these students learn.
Sheftel, B. (2002). Music Education Curriculum in Public Schools. PageWise, Inc, Retrieved August 6, 2003
The field of music education is one with which I have become rapidly familiar. This statement is not to be confused with me claiming that I have an intimate knowledge of the subject matter. In my student teaching semester, I found myself immersed in a great number of ideologies toward the profession, many of which were in conflict. In regard to music education, my greatest quandary at this juncture of my career is choosing from the myriad of philosophies which relate to the field. In relation to the information I have gathered from those in the profession at the public school level, I have a disproportionately large amount of information from professionals who teach at the collegiate level and theorists who benefit music education by performing studies. If I were to perform research about the field of music education, my goal would be to gather information from these three sets of professionals which would bring my knowledge base about each to an equitable level.
Lehman, Paul R. et all. The School Music Program: A New Vision. (1994). Reston, VA. Music Educators National Conference.
Music education is important for several different reasons. Music is a very valuable resource for students and teachers alike. Research has shown that musical study improves a child's early cognitive development, basic math and reading abilities, SAT scores, ability to work in teams, as well as spatial reasoning skills (VH1, 2003, para4). Music helps students to achieve in areas of intelligence. “Feis, Revecz, the Pannenborgs, Miller, and others are unanimous in finding that musicality and high intelligence go together” (Mursell & Glenn, 1931, p. 20). Studies have shown that preschool children taught with music and songs have an average 10 to 20 points over those without, and by the age of 15 have higher reading and math skills. Another study showed that students that had taken a music appreciation class scored 46 points higher on the math portion of the SAT, and students who had music performance experiences scored 39 points higher than students without any music experience (Harvey, 1997, para13). Music impacts most other areas of learning. “The area holding the greatest prospects for transfer from music appears to be language arts.” (Hoffer, 1983, p. 46) It has been said that music helps concentration during reading. Music is an affective memory aide, because of its use of rhythm, rhyme and melody. Music for young children helps them to learn language because of the rhythms and patterns involved in learning the songs. The involvement of music in education can help to develop oral language skills, listening skills, and an increased vocabulary. Music can help the comprehension of language and basic facts (Dobbs, 1990, 341, 342).
Pitts, Lilla Belle. “Music Education, Isolated or Integrated?” Music Educators Journal 100.1 (2013) : 59-62. Academic Search Complete. Web. 5 Mar. 2014.
“Recent studies show that being involved in music classes makes it easier to learn other subjects and improve skills in other classrooms” (Brown, “The Benefits of Music Education”). A lot of people tend to overlook how much music education has an impact on the success of a student. Because of this, schools should be required to offer fine arts and music classes as electives for the students. Not only will this improve the students test scores, but it will also give the students a broader imagination and more creativity in and out of the classroom. In a lot of schools, fine arts and musical classes are the first to go when there are budget cuts. “Seventy-one percent of the nation’s fifteen thousand school districts have cut instructional hours spent on music and other subjects” (“State of the arts: should music and art classes be brushed aside”). Not only is it affecting the teachers who have specialized in the study of fine arts, it is affecting all of the students and parents who are actively involved in these programs. “Johnson, professor of music education and music therapy and associate dean of the School of Fine Arts at KU, found jumps of twenty-two percent in English test scores and twenty percent in math scores at elementary schools with superior music education” (Lynch “Music Boosts Test Scores”). With that being said, schools should be required to offer music and fine arts classes as an elective for their students.
In the article “Developments in music therapy practice: case study perspectives”, Meadows talks about how music plays an influential role in a child’s development, such as moment, language, thoughts, feeling development, and connection to others. The first years of a child’s life are crucial since it’s when the most change is occurring. Music is naturally absorbed with children leading to immediate engagement, thus promoting and expanding development (Meadows,
Stephenson, Jennifer. "Music Therapy and the Education of Students with Severe Disabilities." Education and Training in Developmental Disabilities 3 (2006): 290-297. Print. 12 Nov. 2013.
After great practice, Josh Clark learned to spell his last name. This may not seem like a grand accomplishment, but for Josh, it is. Josh has down syndrome. He attends weekly music therapy sessions and his parents are seeing great progress. Mother said, “Within a week, he learned how to spell ‘Clark’. Without music therapy, it would have taken several weeks or several months. So how does music help Josh to learn at a faster rate than without music? Josh’s music therapist knew that Josh was accustomed with the song “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star,” so she used that to help him learn. Josh listened to her sing each letter of his last name to the familiar tune. His mom thinks, “Music therapy helps him to focus. He loves it. He’s always loved music.” It is true that music is a large part of everyone’s lives, whether it is listening to it or playing it. Josh also loves playing the maracas, so his music therapist uses the maracas as a reward for spelling his name. To the average person spelling a name is no big deal, but to Josh’s family and friends, it is much more than that. “He takes a lot longer to learn, but there are a lot more small triumphs,” his mom says (AMTA 2014). This family has seen great results from the music therapy and they are not the only ones. As more people with various therapeutic needs begin to see the benefits of music healing, it has become one of the best forms of treatment.
Music therapy is a strategy that can be tweaked and modified to fit each particular student and those student’s needs. Because every child who has ASD may not suffer with the same things. However, this strategy allows a teacher to differentiate the way it is administered to each student. A lot of students, who have ASD, struggle with communication. “MT is a non-verbal therapy;” (Kalyva, 2011, p. 91) “which is why the method is particularly effective for individuals with verbal expression difficulties, such as children with autism” (Landau,
Steven, Kelly, N. (2002). A Sociological Basis For Music Education. International Journal of Music Education. 43. Pp. 40-49
Music education plays an enormous role in student’s overall well being, outweighing the costs of it. In 1994, Congress passed the Improving America’s Schools Act, concluding that “...the arts are forms of understanding and ways of knowing that are fundamentally important to education” (Ford, AdamMcMahon, Maureen). Congress recognized the importance of music education. Now the effort must be made to make a difference. If people really do want the best for the future, music education is key. Ramon Cortines, former chancellor of the New York City public schools stated, “We engage in the arts, we ought to teach the arts, because this is part of what it means to be human” (“Arts Education”). When people eventually realize this, the benefits will be vast.
Boxill, E. H., & Chase, K. M. (2007). Music Therapy: An Overview. Music Therapy for Developmental Disabilities (). Austin: Pro-ed. (Original work published )