Summary
In this article, Standerfer, (2011) talked about how to incorporate differentiation into the music classroom. She also quoted Carol Ann Tomlinson throughout this article and it is suggested that “We should structure learning to fit the students rather than require that students adapt to fit the curriculum.” Differentiation’s main goal is to include student differences throughout the lesson being taught. We as teachers should look for shared characteristics among students, within a class in order to group students in ways that make the most of the learning experience.”
There were three elements of instruction that were discussed throughout this article: 1) the content to be taught, 2) the learning process in which students are engaged, and 3) the final product to demonstrate what they have mastered. Each of these were described based on the music classroom and ideas were given on how to incorporate differentiation in the music classroom. Standerfer, (2011) states that “Music teachers may unknowingly differentiate by students’ readiness levels or by their musical abilities.” In a band program students are seated based on their ability to play their instrument. The students sitting in first
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By grouping students to work on different levels of music, students are given each a challenge for them to understand that piece of music. This article suggests using groups in the music classroom and some examples were given. In Maggie’s elementary music classroom she grouped students into three groups (beginner, moderate, and advanced) and each group had a series of activities that helped the students become more successful in that content area. An example for each group was: the beginner group had many rhythm reading activities, the moderate group had note name review games of the treble clef and the advanced group had practice with placing notes on the grand staff with a the computer game. (Standerfer,
Band teaches life skills. Where independent thinking is the model in most academic classrooms, teamwork is essential in band. Band students learn to work with and for each other. The three R’s in band include Respect, Responsibility, & Reliability. Our students learn to appreciate one another for their individual talents and their contributions to the organization as a whole. They learn positive social skills –the most important factor in our program –where we teach such qualities as confidence, pride, and self esteem; all values that will serve these young people well throughout the course of their life. Citizenship, team motivational skills/leadership skills, time management, organization skills, dependability, and honesty are instilled into band members. Band teaches students to face challenges and strive to reach higher and higher goals.
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.
Payne, B. (1997). A review of research on band competition. Bulletin of the Council for Research in Music Education, 33(1), 1-21.
Sheftel, B. (2002). Music Education Curriculum in Public Schools. PageWise, Inc, Retrieved August 6, 2003
Richard Colwell, Carol Richardson. The New Handbook of Research on Music Teaching and Learning: A Project of the Music Educators National Conference. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2002.
Throughout this semester of college, I have observed three separate Elementary General Music teachers. Each of the teachers had their own personalities that each reflected upon their teaching. They all came from different areas of study, but all still manage to be successful, each with their own pros and cons.
Whether the student is a beginner, or someone who has studied music for a number of years, the way in which one views oneself as a musician can be an important factor in the kinds of experiences one has with music. A quality music education is one that challenges students to set clear and achievable goals, think musically and critically, and apply what one has learned in a meaningful way. If a musician harbors a negative view of his or her musical abilities, the lasting effects of this view on his or her musical experiences and achievement could be challenging to overcome.
As a musician you are exposed to many different types of terminology, ideas, debates and concepts most people are not. There are Interest and topics that we find appealing like the different language that we use to communicate with each other, are very different from someone that is heavily invested in other activities likes sports or even knitting . With these differences we have formed our own social group. The definition of an music educator is a field that touches on all domains of learning, including the psychomotor domain, the cognitive domain, and, in particular and significant ways, the affective domain, including music appreciation and sensitivity In our community we strive to achieve the goals set in this definition and also to move forward in our advancement of music in the world
Steven, Kelly, N. (2002). A Sociological Basis For Music Education. International Journal of Music Education. 43. Pp. 40-49
Contemplating on the idea of differentiated classroom, it can be seen that it involves the collaborative attempt of both the teacher and students to create a classroom environment that embraces diversity and differences. With these differences, it helps create the realization towards finding new ways to improve the level of appreciation and learning of content. With these, it helps the educator determine the patterns or methods of instruction that can best apply and supplement the needs of students in the classroom. From this perspective, I do believe that this serves as an important foundation for shaping a differentiated classroom.
middle of paper ... ... Music was not taught in the high school I was in. To satisfy my interest in learning about music and how to play musical instruments, I had to find a source of education other than school; a great depiction in agreement with Graff’s claim that students are being limited by not considering their interests when creating curricula (Graff 197). In conclusion, education is broader than just falling into what the contemporary school system has to offer. Both Gatto and Graff proved this by explaining how conforming students to certain perspectives of education limits their potential in other educational branches that interest the students.
When teachers differentiate their lesson, the students are more engaged to learn. Students have some choice in their learning activities, which motivates students to want to learn and also puts more learning responsibility on the students. Some students may prefer to work alone or in groups and some students like to be hands-on. By differentiating the lesson, all students’ needs are being met. “Differentiated Instruction gives students a range of ways to access curriculum, instruction and assessment. DI engages students to interact and participate in the classroom in a richer way. It is based on the assumption that all students differ in their learning styles, strengths, needs and abilities and that classroom activities should be adapted to meet these differences
Even when children learn music they able to listen, sing, dance, create movement. Listening to music draw out emotions, and playing music can be just like communicating emotions. Some people find this a very powerful experience. “ Music enriches the lives of students and should be considered a necessary part of education.”
In music classes, failures occurs every day, which instructors and other class members don’t notice. These failures may be the minor frustrations that a student feels when he or she can’t answer questions, missing notes, or negative reinforcement from teachers. If a student continues to experience constant failure to excel at a rate in which he or she is capable of, boredom starts to drop in like mail, resulting in poor practice habits, poor productivity, disciplinary infractions, or dropping the course altogether. Failure, regardless of what type or the cause of it, is the number one obstacle in achieving motivation and higher education. The solution to combating failure or to prevent it is finding a level at which the student excels at. Personalized instruction is a great route to go because it allows the instructor to re-allocating his or her present time priorities in order to get to know each student on a more personal level. This will allow teachers to limit failures from students and finding different ways to motivate by pointing out his or her positive or successful points and proceed from
Teaching music is not an easy task. It is hard to teach children songs especially when used in the daily classroom curriculum. Thought there are a variety of methods that teachers can use when teaching students music. One of those few methods is the chunk and chain. This is where you start with one part of the song model it, have the kids repeat and then do the second part of the song and have the kids repeat that as well. Then after modeling the two parts of the song put the two together and sing the two altogether. The chunk and chain is a good method to use when making sure everyone in the class understands the lyrics in the song. As a future teacher I will definitely be using the chunk and chain method when teaching a song in my classroom. Another method is keeping a steady beat. When there is a steady beat everyone feels comfortable and learning can take place. When music is used a teaching tool the most important element is the steady beat. Students will look up to you as the teacher to keep the steady beat. An example of keeping the steady beat is playing an instrumental version of the song while teaching the lyrics.