Syllabus APA Style Writing Blooms
Turnitin Discussion Forum Cross-curricular Composition |
Advanced Elementary
Music Pedagogy
Alias AEMP COURSE OUTLINE MUSI 5343 "Music is a category of social meaning" -- Kingsbury Syllabus Canvas Help Assignments Discussions Writing APA |
Note: This is an organic document! It will change. You are responsible for what is on this page, not a copy you made at the beginning of the course.
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Week # |
Week Dates |
Topics for Study |
Discussions |
Due @ Midnight |
Assignments |
Due @ Midnight |
1 |
Aug 21-26 |
Introduction |
Discussion 1
Completion grade |
Post: Fri
Aug 25
Resp.: Sat Aug 26 |
Assignment 1
Paper |
Sat Aug 26 |
2 |
Aug 27-Sep 2 |
The Big Three |
Discussion 2 |
Post: Fri
Sep 1
Resp.: Sat
Sep 2 |
Assignment 2
Paper |
Sat
Sep 2 |
3 |
Sep 3-9 |
Other Pedagogies |
Discussion 3 |
Post: Fri
Sep 8
Resp.: Sat
Sep 9 |
Assignment 3
Paper |
Sat
Sep 9 |
4 |
Sep 10-16 |
Curriculum and Outcomes |
Discussion 4
Completion grade |
Post: Fri
Sep 15
Resp.: Sat
Sep 16 |
Assignment 4
Paper |
Sat
Sep 16 |
5 |
Sep 17-23 |
Policy and Advocacy |
Discussion 5 |
Post: Fri
Sep 22
Resp.: Sat
Sep 23 |
Assignment 5
Paper |
Sat Sep 23 |
6 |
Sep 24-30 |
Creating |
Discussion 6
Completion grade |
Post: Fri
Sep 29
Resp.: Sat
Sep 30 |
Assignment 6
Approval of song content/no grade |
Sat
Sep 30 |
7 |
Oct 1-7 |
Final Project |
Discussion
7 Composition Critiques |
Post: Fri
Oct 6
Resp.: Sat
Oct 7 |
Assignment 7
Composition PDF |
Sat
Oct 7 |
8 |
Oct 6-14 |
Final Project |
Discussion 8
Reflections |
Post: Fri
Oct 13
|
Assignment 8
Composition recording |
Sat Oct 14 |
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Week 1 Greetings
graduate students! Welcome to Advanced Elementary Music Pedagogy Please follow the link to review the Syllabus which contains grading and policy information. Let me know if you have any questions. Unless they refer to personal matters or grading issues, a good place to ask questions is the "Ask Dr. J" section in the Discussion forum in
Canvas. Please feel free to answer your classmates' questions if you
can also be of assistance. If you need a quick answer to your question, email me at vjohnson@tarleton.edu
Please read these instructions about the Discussions
Even if you have read
these before, read them again!
On this Course Outline page, you will find links to the lectures for each week, as well as any general announcements to the class. The animated bullets to the right will designate "action" items, so be sure you accomplish these each week. There is an overview calendar at the top of this page for quick reference. Be aware that this is an organic document. It WILL change. You are responsible for what is on this page, not a hard copy that you printed off in the first week of the course. If you come across mistakes in the web pages in this course or dead links, I would appreciate it if you would let me know!
For those of you taking this
course who have never taught at the elementary level, I would say
two things:
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How fortunate you are to get
this glimpse inside the development of music in young humans;
and
-
It would be very beneficial to
you to have some extended conversations with someone who does
teach at that level. Those who have been in those trenches
will have insight that you don't. Picking the brain of one
of these super heroes (I mean elementary music teachers) will
help you on your discussion posts and assignments and generally
open your perspective with regard to many issues in this course.
Now, click in to the first lecture, and let's get started! Lecture: Introduction to Advanced Elementary Music Pedagogy Every assignment in this course will be a writing assignment. Please make yourself VERY familiar with the information on the following page links: Writing APA Formatting
WRITING
TIP
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Make a list of every
correction you get on every assignment. Then use that list to
check your next paper. It will save you many points! |
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| Reading Chapter 1: The Multiple Meanings of Music for Children Chapter 2: From Theory to Practice in Teaching Music to Children | | Assignment 1 After completing the reading assignment and going over the lecture for this week, please write a one page (seriously, just ONE page) paper that answers this question: What
should all children be able to do, musically, as a result of an
elementary music education?
Please limit your reference to elementary age, before
entering secondary schools. Refer to "do," not what they have learned or
know. Limit your response to the musical result, not ancillary
effects. Therefore, address what a 5th grader should be capable of -
what he/she would be able to do musically after completing 5th grade. Now for the details! Use this
template, which sets margins and spacing, and provides a
title page according to APA style. Include a reference page
if your writing requires it (if you have used any citations). After you have written your paper, be sure to review the Writing page and the APA Style page to ensure that you have applied all of these details to your paper. Note: I do not ask for a one page paper so it will be short. I ask for a one page paper so your writing will be concise. How do you do that? Write your first draft with as many pages as it takes to answer the question and to make your point. That might be 2 or 3 pages. Then go back and take out all unnecessary words and phrases that do not add to meaning. For example, here is a weak sentence: It is a matter of the gravest possible importance to the health of anyone with a history of a problem with disease of the heart that he or she should avoid the sort of foods with a high percentage of saturated fats. Corrected sentence: Anyone with a history of heart disease should avoid saturated fats. (Heffernan and Lincoln, 1996, p. 55) Refer to this link to pare down your sentences after writing the long version:
Writing Concise Sentences I will be grading you on the quality of your ideas that will fit on one page, so use your words wisely!
Submit this paper in Word document form to "Assignment 1"
in Canvas. Name the file Assignment1_YourName (substituting
your name, or course ;-)
Warning: Before
submitting your assignment, go through your paper and take out
every reference to what the 5th grader should know or
understand at the end of 5th grade. I only want to know
what they should be able to do.
Also, to avoid assuming that the 5th grader is
just being prepared for 6th grade band/choir/orchestra, picture a single
student who has just finished 5th grade. She does not plan to be
in band/choir/orchestra. This is the end of her formal music
education. At this point, after having a complete elementary music
education, what should she be able to do? What skills does she
have that will allow her to be a life-long musician?
Finally, do not copy the TEKS or the National
Standards. If you refer
to those skills, put them into a practical narrative that anyone might
understand.
NOTE: Assignments must be turned
in on time. Failure to meet assignment deadlines will result in a
penalty of 10 points per calendar day. Contact me if there is a serious
need for an exception. | | Discussion 1 For the first discussion, introduce yourself to your classmates. Include the following: Your current position: Are you teaching? If so, where? If not, what are you doing? Give a summary of your undergraduate preparation in elementary music education. Were you prepared to teach on that level upon graduation? Whether you teach elementary music now, have done so in the past, or have never had the pleasure, speak to your training in that area, if any. What advice would you give to a brand new elementary music teacher? Personal information that you would like to share, such as family, hobbies, future plans, or any other interesting facts about you.
Remember, some of you have been around for a while, but some may be
taking this as their first course in the program!
This first discussion will be graded only for completion. I look forward to learning more about you! |
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Week 2
Did you get all
of your feedback from last week's assignment? Be sure to click on
the audio link for a media comment while you follow along with the
yellow highlights on your paper.
OK, on to
the next topic:
A method or a pedagogy is a way of teaching based upon an underlying
philosophy.
The way those objectives are met will be based upon that philosophy.
Here are 3 different philosophies for three types of schools:
1. Philosophy: The most talented students need special
training to maximize their gifts
Objective: To search for the most talented music students and help
them achieve their potential
Method: ?
2. Philosophy: Every child deserves the opportunity to
develop musically
Objective: To ensure that every student receives a solid music
education
Method: ?
3. Philosophy: Students should choose according to
preference
Objective: To provide music classes to those who want to participate
in music
Method: ?
In this week's lecture, we will cover three very important and effective
pedagogies used in elementary music.
Lecture: The Big Three
WRITING
TIP
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Avoid
using we, our, us, etc.
Do not include your
reader as a character in your writing. |
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Reading
Chapter 3: Methods of Teaching Music to Children | |
Assignment 2
After you have explored the Kodaly, Orff-Schulwerk, and
Jaques-Dalcroze methods in detail, find 3 YouTube (or
comparable) videos that demonstrate each of the Big Three (9
videos in all). Try to find videos that include actual
children, rather than training videos using adults.
Use this
template and write 1 or 2 pages on each
method that demonstrates your knowledge of the pedagogy and your
understanding of how the method is actualized in the videos. Use examples from the videos to explain the success or lack
thereof (depends on the video!) of the method in meeting the
objective of the children you are observing. However,
don't fill your paper with a play-by-play of the entire video. The basis of your paper should be the process of the pedagogy,
using examples from the videos when appropriate. If you
find that a video is not a good example of one of the
pedagogies, choose another one.
Please include all 9 web links in your paper. You can just
list 3 after each section (no need to use a formal reference
page).
Note: The title of your paper could be
Kodaly, Orff-Schulwerk, and Jaques-Dalcroze: The Big Three
The shortened title in the running head could be
THE BIG THREE
Use headings for each individual pedagogy. Those are
centered and bold (see your APA manual). Include an introduction and conclusion in your paper.
Before submitting Assignment 2 in Canvas, submit the paper to
Turnitin
Class ID 17053178
Enrollment key TSUMM
Please review this
Turnitin link before submitting.
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Discussion 2
After reading the scenario on p. 68 and this
week's lecture, support one of the following statements:
[If you have the 3rd edition of the textbook, here is the
p. 68 scenario]
In order to be an effective elementary music teacher, one
must be sufficiently trained in one of the proven music
pedagogies.
It is possible, and even preferable to have a personal
pedagogy, deriving elements from more than one or several
pedagogical systems without having formal training beyond a
college degree in any one.
Elementary music as it is taught today is old-fashioned and
out of step with the culture that the students live in. Music pedagogy should
better reflect our students' musical world.
Note: When I say
"support," that means with outside reading, research results,
experts' writing, etc. - not just with your opinion.
Consider this more of a formal debate than a casual
conversation. If you were a prosecutor or a defense
attorney, you would not get very far on just your opinion. You would produce documentation and expert witnesses. Let
your "support" be of that type.
See the rubric in the
Discussion section for point
values. The sooner you post your original answer, the more
points you get. The deadline for all responses is Saturday
at midnight.
Answer the question
by Friday (midnight) and post responses to your peers by
Saturday (midnight). Refer to the
Discussion rubric
and remember that you receive more points for posting earlier
than Friday.
Please review all instructions about the
Discussions before
posting. |
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Week 3 Lecture: Other Methods | Heads up!: | Your final project in this course will be to write a children's song. There will be more info on this later, but here is the link to the specifics so you can begin thinking about it and being inspired! However, don't start working on it until you get your topic approved. You can do that at any time by sending me an email at vjohnson@tarleton.edu. The completed song will be due at the end of Week 7. Composition Assignment |
WRITING
TIP
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Always have a concluding paragraph or section.
Summarize
State your position
Why does this matter?
Leave your reader with closure of your purpose |
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| Reading
This week's lecture identifies other pedagogies used in
elementary music education. On the TSU library page www.tarleton.edu/library/ use the "Discovery @Tarleton" search blank
and do some research on each one. You will get plenty of results! Read until you have a good understanding of each of these methods. | | Assignment 3 After reading about the other methods in the lecture and learning more about them from the TSU library page, use this
template and write a paper that addresses these points:
-
Explain briefly the premise of each method.
-
Give
your assessment of the strengths and weaknesses (advantages and
disadvantages) of each of the "other methods" that are
listed on this week's lecture page.
-
Support your view with
specifics and examples related to elementary music, not just
your opinion of what you like and don't like. If a music
educator were to choose a method based upon your review, would
they be able to make an informed choice?
Before submitting Assignment 3 in Canvas, submit the paper to Turnitin | | Discussion 3 Considering the fact that a large majority of students receive little or no musical education past elementary school, which of the methods from this week's study would be the most useful toward giving the students the tools to become lifelong musicians? Be specific in your support of the pedagogies from this week's lecture list
and back it up with the reading you have done.
Answer the question
by Friday (midnight) and post responses to your peers by
Saturday (midnight). Refer to the
Discussion rubric
and remember that you receive more points for posting earlier
than Friday. Please review all instructions about the Discussions before posting. |
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Week 4
This may be a bit backwards, but let's talk about what to teach
after we have studied how to teach:
Lecture: Curriculum and Outcomes
WRITING
TIP
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Always
consult the literature (scholarly papers) before writing a paper. Unless the discussion or assignment prompt is "What is your
opinion?", the objective is to study the topic first and then
synthesize that learning into an informed result. This does not mean Googling. Go to the library link and search there. |
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Assignment: |
Reading
Chapter 12: Curriculum Design
Chapter 14: Music in an Integrated Curriculum
Chapter 15: Music, Children, and Cultural Diversity | |
Assignment 4
In 2014, a committee from the
College Music Society filed a report entitled "Transforming
Music Study from its Foundations: A Manifesto for
Progressive Change in the Undergraduate Preparation of Music
Majors." If implemented, their ideas could have
significant impact on elementary music education. After
all, what our music majors are taught will have a direct impact
on the way they teach in the field.
Read this document and use this
template to answer
the following questions?
1. If implemented, how would music education for music
education majors change?
2. If implemented, how would music education for
elementary music students change?
By and large, these recommendations have not been
implemented in higher education since 2014, but just consider
what if!
Before submitting Assignment 4 in Canvas, submit the paper to Turnitin | |
Discussion 4
Name 20 songs that all children should know. This is a tough
one! There are definitely many different cultural and
pedagogical considerations, but if you could only teach 20 songs to
every child in America, what would they be. List your 20 and
support your choices. (Use only songs the children
would learn to sing, not instrumental pieces.)
Note: Remember that the levels in elementary are basically
Kindergarten through 5th grade (some pre-K, some 6). Be sure to
include a variety of levels, not just songs that the very young
children would learn. There are some songs that would be taught to
kindergarteners and some that would be taught to 5th graders, so
include a variety. Also, think of these 20 songs as the students'
elementary music legacy. There are many opportunities to choose an
esoteric, little-known song in order to teach a specific musical
concept, but what 20 songs would you hope these children would
remember and even pass on to their children?
This discussion will be graded only for completion, but I expect
you to put some thought into it! | |
Week 5 Maybe we should have started here? Lecture: Policy and Advocacy
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Remember that you can get a
head start on your final project by choosing a title and two content
areas. Check out the
Composition Assignment
for details and send me
an email at vjohnson@tarleton.edu
to get approval for your topic before beginning. The
completed song will be due at the end of Week 7. |
WRITING
TIP
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Avoid
referring to yourself as "the author" or "this author." Use
"I" when it is appropriate. Otherwise, revise your sentence.
When is it appropriate? In research, when you are describing
the steps you took in the process, or in the conclusion/discussion
section of your paper, when your opinion or judgment is relevant. If you're not sure, revise your sentence. |
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Assignment: | Reading Chapter 13: Assessment and Evaluation | | Assignment 5 Use this
template and write a paper about this scenario. It is September. You are an elementary music teacher and see your students for 30 minutes twice a week. You would like to see your students at least every other day. At the end of the school year in May, you plan to propose to your principal a new schedule of music classes. Your principal is a "bottom line" sort of person. You have always informally assessed your students for competency and understanding, but during this school year, you intend to quantify their progress. You want to make a case
at the end of the year that your students need more music time. What quantifiable assessments can you implement from September through May that will show your students' progress and make your case for adding more music time? Be very specific. Remember, your principal respects facts, and not particularly your opinion or passion.
I will score this assignment based on whether I believe that your
principal might be convinced at the end of your assessments in May. Outline your plan of what specifically
will be assessed, how it will be assessed, and why it will matter to
the principal. You will need to do some reading to prepare, and not
just in the textbook.
Note: To clarify, this is a plan for
assessment. I suggest you use National/state standards. The
National Association for Music Education (NAfME) recommends at least
90 minutes of general music instruction each week for children at
the elementary school level. Students in systems that receive less
than this minimum amount of time will be highly unlikely to be able
to reach the levels of the National Standards.
https://nafme.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/NAfME-Opportunity-to-Learn-Standards-2020.pdf
You will not
propose more time to your principal until you have completed your
assessment "next May." How will you gather quantitative data during
the coming school year that will prove to your principal (next May)
that you cannot meet standards without more time?
Grad students: let me clarify again. This is not a
paper directed to your principal. This is your assessment plan for
the year prior to talking to your principal. You are collecting data
to use to support your request for more time. Your paper is about
what kind of data you will collect and why it will matter to your
principal.
Before submitting Assignment 5 in Canvas, submit the paper to Turnitin | | Discussion 5 Standardized testing (for all its bad press) has also forced teachers and administrators to get very serious about each child's progress in elementary school. What would it be like if standardized tests for music were mandated? Would it help or hurt music education at the elementary level. Discuss the
potential positive and negative consequences. Your answer
will be incomplete if you pursue only one side of the issue. Support your answers and be specific.
Again, do not just give your opinion. Support it with data and
facts.
Answer the question
by Friday (midnight) and post responses to your peers by
Saturday (midnight). Refer to the
Discussion rubric
and remember that you receive more points for posting earlier
than Friday.
Please review all instructions about the Discussions before posting. | |
Week 6 Lecture: Creating Now it's time for you to create! Remember the "Heads Up" from Week 3? Now is the time to get started on that. This week as Assignment 6, you will submit your topic information and start working on the composition. Next week, as Discussion 7, you will post your song (Tues - Fri) as your original Discussion post. For your responses, your classmates will critique your songs and offer suggestions for revision. Make your revisions as you see fit and then Next week, as Assignment 7,
submit your completely revised song by Saturday midnight. Here are the Composition requirements! Check out this link for more useful tips: How-to-Write-a-Children-Song.html
Note: If you have written a song in the
past, you are not allowed to use it for this assignment. You
are on your honor to produce an original assignment. |
Assignment: | Reading Chapter 10: The Creating Child | | Assignment 6
Submit your
song title, and both content areas in the submission box for Assignment
6. If you have already gotten your song approved earlier, just
state that in the submission box so I will know that you have completed
the assignment. Start working on your cross-curriculum composition as
soon as your topic is approved. Assignment 6 will not be graded, so
expect a zero in the grade column
You will not turn it in this week. However, your discussion assignment next week
will be to post your composition for your classmates to critique. You will post your song sometime between Tues and Fri (extra credit for
posting early!) Your classmates will critique your song and you
will have until Saturday to revise it before submitting it as Assignment #7 next week. Clear as mud? (Just read it again ;-) | | Discussion 6 For your original post, submit: The title of your composition (Example: "The Flea") The musical concept you will emphasize (Example: an octave leap) The cross-curricular subject area you will write about (Example: Biology - facts about a flea)
Read the Composition
requirements. Respond to your classmates with comments and suggestions. What advice can you give? Do you foresee difficulties with the
content or concepts? This assignment will be graded for completion only.
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Week 7 No lecture this week! Time to create some
Remember:
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Your song should be complete and posted as a PDF in
the Discussion forum as early as possible (by
Tuesday).
-
Critique your assigned classmates' songs as early as
possible (by Friday).
SO
You will all have time to revise your songs before
turning them in before midnight on
Saturday.
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Emily Balch |
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Kirk Guthaus |
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Amber Kuykendall |
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Christopher Philpott |
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Gregory Rodgers |
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Maxwell Tindall |
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Assignment: | Reading | | Assignment 7 Submit your completely revised Cross-curriculum Composition. You may use any notation program (nothing hand-written), but when you are finished, save your composition as a PDF file. Name your file Yourname_Composition.pdf If you have questions about converting your file, call the help desk for assistance. Please review the Composition requirements before submitting this assignment.
I will grade this assignment and Assignment 8 at the same time, so
don't worry if you don't see a grade in the gradebook right away. | | Discussion 7Attach a PDF file of your Cross-curriculum Composition as your original post. You may use any notation program (nothing hand-written), but when you are finished, save your composition as a PDF file. (If you don't, your fellow classmates may not be able to open it). Name your file Yourname_Composition.pdf If you have questions about converting your file, call the help desk for assistance. For your responses, critique the compositions of the
three classmates whose names follow yours (see list to the left). If one of the names on your list has not posted by Friday midnight, feel free to drop down to the next name. Three is the minimum, but feel free to offer comments to as many as you like. It would be beneficial to your own compositional process to view as many of these as possible.
I will not score your original post, but will give you the same
rating on both original and responses based on the critique of
the responses. Refer to the Composition requirements before offering your critique. Your critiques should include comments regarding usability, teachability, and even formatting! See the rubric in the Discussion
section for point values. The sooner you post your original
answer, the more points you get. The deadline for all
responses is Saturday at midnight. Note: These critiques are time sensitive if they are to be of any use to your classmates. If all critiques could be posted by Friday midnight, all of you would have time to revise accordingly before the deadline to turn in your composition! Please review all instructions about the Discussions before posting.
Since these are all original compositions with no copyrights, it is
traditional to share these compositions among music educators, so unless
there are objections, you may find some excellent cross-curricular
compositions that you can use in your own teaching or share with your
elementary music specialist colleagues, so take the opportunity to view
them all! | |
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Week 8 According to Scott Shuler: Independent music literacy can be defined as the ability to carry out the three artistic processes in music. These three, Shuler says, are: -
composing and improvising—the two standards least addressed in music education because so few music educators have ever been engaged in them themselves; -
performing existing (and practically always notated) music with interpretation (the kind of music we overwhelmingly favor); and -
responding to music with understanding, as an informed consumer or audience member.
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Assignment: | Reading No reading this week. I hope you will take the time at some point to look over the chapters we did not cover in your textbook. There is some very practical information in there! | | Assignment 8
Record your song on YouTube. If you have a child (children) or
currently teach children, it would be particularly appropriate to record
them singing your song. If you don't have access to children, feel
free to sing the song yourself. I prefer you do not delegate that
to someone else. You're a musician, right? Be sure to
include your accompaniment in your recording. (Instructions are on the Composition page). Paste the link in the Assignment 8 submission space. Please also
upload the pdf of your completed composition. Also paste the link in the discussion forum after your course reflection. | | Discussion 8
Please take this opportunity to share with me and your classmates your reflections regarding this semesters' coursework, the master's program in general, and anything we can do to improve your learning experience as you continue in the program.
Don't forget to paste your
YouTube link at the end of your discussion post! This discussion will not be graded, but your participation will be of value to the faculty to continue to improve our program. Specifics are appreciated. Thank you for your feedback!
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Computer Configuration | Be sure and configure your computer BEFORE you need to submit an assignment. If you have trouble submitting, call tech support. |
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Academic
Technology resources can be accessed from this link:
https://www.tarleton.edu/oiss/
Your student fees pay for this service, so
CALL THEM! Post the number by your computer and utilize these experts. They can remote into your computer if need be. Don't be frustrated. Call them. Available hours: Monday - Thursday | 8:00 am - 10:00 pm |
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Friday | 8:00 am - 8:00 pm |
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Saturday and Sunday | 2:00 pm - 10:00 pm |
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If you need help with Canvas, a representative is available to assist
you 24/7! | |
Assignment Submission | Submit assignments as specified in the Course Outline. Sometimes assignments will be requested as Word documents (to be uploaded as attachments) and other times to be submitted directly into the submission blank. Do not try to submit any document without saving it first. Be sure and save it to a folder where you can retrieve it later. Sometimes resubmissions are necessary. |
| Save the document as Assignment1_YourName.doc (substituting the correct week and correct assignment number and using your own name :-) |
| Use
APA style on every assignment. This refers to all formatting. Use the templates for assignments when included.
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| Occasionally your assignments may be returned to you for a redo or for revisions. Make your corrections and resubmit through the Assignment section as before. |
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Created and maintained by Vicky V. Johnson |