Musical Creativity, Mobile Technology, and Middle School

2021 ◽  
pp. 107-125
Author(s):  
Rue Lee-Holmes
Keyword(s):  
Middle School ◽  
Mobile Technology ◽  
Music Teacher ◽  
Music Notation ◽  
General Music ◽  
Digital Audio ◽  
School Music ◽  
Digital Audio Workstation ◽  
Musical Creativity ◽  
Music Class

The chapter focuses on examining musical creativity in middle school general music by the use of digital technology, from the perspective of a middle school music teacher who is working with digital natives. It provides practical lesson plans concerning the use of digital audio workstation (DAW) apps and Chrome Music Lab apps to compose music, music notation apps for notating compositions, and ScratchJr for creating music tutorials. Tablets and hand-held devices are morphed into tools for adolescents to express their creative musicianship, leading to a transformation of a middle school general music class.

Democracy in the Middle School Music Classroom

2019 ◽  
Vol 105 (3) ◽  
pp. 17-22
Author(s):  
Amanda R. Draper
Keyword(s):  
Middle School ◽  
Music Teacher ◽  
General Music ◽  
Music Classroom ◽  
Music Program ◽  
Motivation For Learning ◽  
Traditional Public School ◽  
School Music ◽  
Democratic Principles ◽  
Student Independence

Including democratic principles in a traditional public school general music program can be challenging, but the benefits are significant, including greater student independence and motivation for learning. Democratic practice is both an approach to teaching and an outcome of the experience. It prepares students to be participants in society by providing space for student voices and encouraging students to think deeply and ask challenging questions. It also involves negotiating a rebalance of control in which the music teacher is more of a teacher-facilitator, learning alongside the students and allowing their choices and decisions to be a driving force in the learning process. This article presents one model for incorporating democratic ideals in middle school general music.

On Becoming Musical

2017 ◽  
pp. 322-328
Author(s):  
Gena Greher
Keyword(s):  
Music Education ◽  
Special Needs ◽  
Music Teachers ◽  
Music Technology ◽  
Music Teacher ◽  
General Music ◽  
Education Students ◽  
Music Participation ◽  
Music Class ◽  
Context Specific

This chapter examines the role of both high- and low-tech solutions, when using music technology as a form of reflective practice in working with special needs populations. Music teachers often are given little coursework in working with at-risk and special needs students. It is little wonder that music teacher attitudes are often negative regarding the inclusion of these students in music activities, whether it’s in a general music class or ensembles. Rather than marginalizing these students, music technology can be adapted to allow even the most severely impacted student a means to music participation in school settings. Providing music education students with context-specific field experiences working with a variety of special needs populations can help students realize the musical potential of all students.

scholarly journals (Re)telling Stories of Middle School Student-Led Bands: How One Music Teacher Becomes a Narrative Researcher

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (1-2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephanie Cronenberg
Keyword(s):  
Middle School ◽  
Peer Review ◽  
Academic Writing ◽  
Writing Process ◽  
Middle School Student ◽  
Music Teacher ◽  
Music Students ◽  
Inquiry Process ◽  
Scholarly Publications ◽  
School Music

Finely polished prose and clean analysis is abundant in scholarly publications. Yet the academic writing process of drafts, peer review, and revisions that lead to these polished papers is one of trials, triumphs, discovery, and self-doubt rarely revealed to new scholars. This paper is one attempt to demystify the writing as inquiry process through the lens of narrative inquiry. Using three drafts of the same researched text, this paper tells the story of twin journeys: my journey from music teacher to narrative researcher and my middle school music students’ journeys through a student-led curricular unit.

Taking the Digital Plunge

2021 ◽  
pp. 98-106
Author(s):  
Joseph Janack
Keyword(s):  
Music Education ◽  
Teaching Style ◽  
Music Teacher ◽  
General Music ◽  
Music Learning ◽  
Technology In The Classroom ◽  
Job Roles ◽  
Music Classroom ◽  
Informal Music Learning ◽  
School Music

Meant to serve as a teachers’ guide, this chapter is a result of first-hand experience from a school music teacher whose philosophies, teaching style, and job roles have all evolved over time. Drawing on philosophies such as informal music learning and praxial music education, suggestions for different programs, apps, and websites, sample lesson plans and their implementation for optimal student music engagement are presented. The ideas provided can help support a fully digital lesson or unit with ways to combine these technologies with instruments in the general music classroom and with performance ensembles. Practical insights that will help teachers successfully incorporate technology into the music classroom are given. The results of successfully using technology in the classroom can be seen by increased student engagement and enjoyment while offering the teacher more ways to teach the curriculum.

Constructing a “fast protocol” for middle school beginner violin classes in Japan

2017 ◽  
Vol 36 (1) ◽  
pp. 96-107 ◽  
Author(s):  
Taichi Akutsu
Keyword(s):  
Middle School ◽  
Data Collection ◽  
Metropolitan Area ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Open String ◽  
Music Teacher ◽  
General Music ◽  
String Instruments ◽  
Tokyo Metropolitan Area ◽  
Japanese Schools

This study aimed to investigate the process of constructing a “fast-protocol” for violin instruction. Since learning string instruments has not been common, and because there are limited hours for music in Japanese schools, the author, a violinist, collaborated with the general music teacher at a middle school in the Tokyo metropolitan area, and co-created the protocol which contains three lesson units as follows: (1) to play an open string on the violin; (2) to discriminate pitch by string crosses on the violin; (3) to discriminate pitch by using fingers on the violin. As for data collection, the study videotaped students’ learning, and maintained log notes. This study also collected students’ commentary focusing on perceived challenges after each class ( N = 120). Based on all gathered data, after completing the coding process, researcher and teacher co-constructed the narrative. Findings include critical examinations of readiness in violin teaching and learning, and variations on violin-specific challenges associated with enjoyment and satisfaction for beginners.

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