Course: Orientation to Music Education (MUE
110)
Credits:
1
Instructor:
Jere Humphreys
School of Music, East 267
480-965-4997;
Jere.Humphreys@asu.edu
Text:
Membership in the ASU collegiate chapter of the Music Educators National Conference
(REQUIRED)
Selected readings from MENC journals, professional resources, and books
in the Music Education/Therapy Lab or Music
Library, and materials from the library stacks.
Materials:
VHS format video tape clearly labeled with
your name
Course Description:
This course is designed to
provide you with an overview of the music education profession and to serve as a
springboard to your next few years of study and professional preparation. During the course you will:
-
begin the
process of learning about the psychological, social, and emotional
characteristics of students at various ages
-
become
familiar with the roles of elementary and secondary school music educators and the characteristics of
successful teachers
-
begin the
process of developing a personal philosophy of music education
-
develop an
overview of the history of music education
-
examine the
role of schools, general education, and arts education in contemporary society
-
examine
various contemporary pedagogical practices in music
-
begin
developing your own teaching skills
You will also have
opportunities to observe music instruction in local public schools. Your
observations will range from elementary through junior high school and may
include general, vocal, and instrumental music. You will teach in class twice.
Prompt attendance at all
class sessions
This course is the start of
your professional preparation for a career in music education. It is essential
that you attend every class meeting. There are no "excused" absences except for
School of Music performances, severe
illness, or extreme family emergencies. For each absence after one, two points
are deducted from your final grade average. Classes begin and end on
time. For each late arrival to class, one point is deducted from your final
grade average.
Participation in class
discussion
Class discussion is based
on readings and assignments each week, as well as topics introduced in
lectures. Engaging in discussion by sharing your ideas and reactions is an
excellent way to clarify thinking, raise issues, and answer questions.
Readings from selected
professional resources and written reactions
Reading materials are
available in the Music Library. Written assignments should be typed or printed
using a computer. Computer help is available in the Electronic Music Classroom.
Quality of thinking (not quantity of paper) and promptness are important.
Observations in the
public school music classes and observation reports
You will observe three
public school music classes during the semester. You are responsible for
scheduling the observations on your own.
Observations in the local
schools are professional commitments. Please arrive at the school BEFORE you
are scheduled to observe so that you can sign in at the office, find the room,
and meet the teaching prior to the start of the class. Because you will be an
adult role model for the students in the room, you should dress appropriately. Some teachers will invite you to help or participate. Please do so. Hold any
questions for the teacher until the class has left the room.
Following each observation,
write an observation report. The observation report should be typed or printed
using a computer.
Participation in a
professional music education meeting
During the semester, there
are many opportunities to attend professional meetings of music educators.
Select ONE of the meetings and attend, then write a report about your
experience. A suggestion is to attend a session during the annual convention of
the Arizona Music Educators Association (see syllabus).
In-class Teaching
You will have two
opportunities to teach half the class during the semester. For each teaching
experience, you will write a short lesson plan and then teach a lesson five to
ten minutes long. Your teaching will be video taped. Criteria for each
teaching experience will be reviewed in class.
Written Assignments
There will be various
written assignments during the semester.
Professional Music Education
Meeting: Participation and Report (30 points)
During the semester, you are required to attend one
professional meeting of music educators. Opportunities include meetings of the
Arizona Music Educators Association (AMEA), the Arizona Orff-Schulwerk
Association, and others.
To get credit for this assignment, attend one of the
meetings and take notes. If you go to the AMEA convention, attend at least two
sessions while you are there. If you attend one of the day-long Orff-Schulwerk
workshops, go to the entire morning session (...staying for the afternoon is
your option).
After the meeting, write a one-page summary of what you
observed. Describe the content of the session or workshop you attended, the most
interesting points, and/or any new information or knowledge you acquired. Feel
free to share your point of view as well, whether you agree or disagree.
Q&A’s
Devise one question or topic for discussion during a
session toward the end of the semester. Submit it in writing at the time
indicated on the course schedule.
Effective Teacher Assignment
Describe in 1-2 pages one of your especially effective
classroom (or ensemble) teachers. It could be an elementary, secondary, or
college teacher. It does not have to be a music teacher. Describe the actual
in-class teaching techniques used, not the individual's out-of-class personal
qualities, like warmth and caring for students, important as those qualities may
have been.
Observation Assignments (3)
Observe three music classes. Do one elementary, one
middle/junior high school, and one high school. To find an observation site,
contact a local teacher you know and ask if you may observe.
Arrive at the school 10 minutes before the class time and
sign in at the office. You must sign in according to state law. The secretary in
the office will direct you to the music room. If a class is in progress, find a
seat somewhere in the room. The teacher will greet you between classes.
Your report should include the following:
• A description of the setting and the
students
• A summary of techniques the
teacher used to manage
student behavior
• A summary of the musical concepts and skills
addressed
• Your commentary on how the concepts and
skill addressed
match the National Standards in Music for
grade 8
+ Qualities of effective teaching we have
discussed in class.
Also, look for the musical goals the students are working
toward. Check how the teacher manages musical and social behavior. Notice how
much time the students spend actually making music. Note the equipment available
and the set-up of the room. You may wish to jot some notes as you observe, but
writing too much will cause you to miss something.
After the class, feel free to ask the teacher questions,
time permitting. The teachers can give you additional insights about students,
goals, curriculum, etc.
Write an observation report that summarizes what you saw.
Give a description of the class, what the teacher did, what the children did.
Then give any opinion and commentary.
History of Music Education: Biography Assignment
Write a brief (1-page) report on the most significant
aspects of one famous music educator's life. Focus on your beliefs about the
individual's most important contributions or legacies. Do not repeat
biographical facts from your source(s). Choose from the following list of names.
If you wish to choose a person not on the list below, check with me first.
Sources:
Grove's Dictionary of Music and Musicians,
1954. Ref ML100 .G88
The New Grove Dictionary of American Music, 1986.
Ref ML101. U6
Michael L. Mark and Charles L. Gary, History of
American Music Education (1st or 2nd
ed.)
Other possibilities:
There are dissertations on some famous music educators (see
title catalog in computer, or Silver Platter).
See various books on Lowell Mason, and one on Charles
Leonhard.
Names:
Allen
P. Britton
Frances Clark
Julia E. Crane
Guido d'Arrezzo (listed under "Guido")
Will Earhart
Albert Austin Harding
Charles Leonhard
Joseph Maddy
Lowell Mason
Luther Whiting Mason
Lila Belle Pitts
William D. Revelli
Roger Wagner
Philosophy of Music Education: Personal Philosophy
Assignment
Write a brief essay (about two typed pages) in which you
describe your philosophy of music education. Some questions you might consider
as you think about what to write are: Why study music in the public schools?
Why should music study be part of the education of children and young people?
What is to be gained, or what are the benefits? Do you agree with Reimer,
Elliott, others? What is important about studying music or about music itself?
Give your point of view in your essay. You don't have to agree with anyone else.
You do have to state your case clearly and support it with examples, analogies,
descriptions, or even references as needed. Remember, your philosophy statement
is a work in progress...what you think now. Your thoughts may be different today
than they were in the past, and they are likely to change again in the future.
Suggested readings:
Reimer, Bennett. A Philosophy of Music
Education. 2nd ed. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1989. MT1 .R435
1989
_______"Is Musical Performance Worth Saving?"
Arts Education Policy Review 95 (January/February 1994): 2-13.
_______ "Justifying Music Education: Reply to
K. H. Phillips. Music Educators Journal 80 (November 1993): 10-12+.
_______"Music Education as Aesthetic
Education." Music Educators Journal 75 (February 1989): 22-8.
_______"Music Education as Aesthetic
Education: Toward the Future." Music Educators Journal 75 (March 1989):
26-32.
_______"Music Education in our Multimusical
Culture." Music Educators Journal 79 (March 1993): 21-6.
_______"Selfness and Otherness in
Experiencing Music of Foreign Cultures." The Quarterly Journal of Music
Teaching and Learning 2 (1991): 4-13.
_______"Towards Percipience: A Humanities
Curriculum for Arts Education." In The Arts, education, and aesthetic
knowing. Bennett Reimer, Ralph A. Smith, Kenneth J. Rehage, eds.
Yearbook of the National Society for the Study of Education. Chicago, IL: National Society for the
Study of Education, 1992. Distributed by the University of Chicago Press. LB 5 .N25 .no.91:2
_______"Would Discipline-based Music
Education Make Sense?" Music Educators Journal 77(May 1991): 21-8.
Elliott, David J. "Music as Knowledge." The
Journal of Aesthetic Education 25 (Fall 1991): 21-40.
_______"Music as Culture: Toward a
Multicultural Concept of Arts Education." The Journal of Aesthetic Education
24 (Spring 1990): 147-66.
_______"Music Matters: A New Philosophy of
Music Education. New York: Oxford University Press, 1995.
_______"Rethinking Music: First Steps to a
New Philosophy off Music Education." International Journal of Music Education
24 (1994): 9-20.
_______"Structure and feeling in Jazz: Rethinking
Philosophical Foundations."
Bulletin of
the Council for Research in Music Education 95 (Winter
1988): 13-38.
Humphreys,
Jere T. “Why Music Education?” An invited advocacy paper published on the
International Society for Music Education web site:
<http://www.isme.org/>.
(August 2003).
Teaching Assignments (2)
Assignment 1: Prepare to teach a 5-minute lesson to a group
of your classmates. The lesson will help us learn how to do something
that is related to music.
Write a lesson plan in the format presented in class. Bring
two copies of the plan with you--one for yourself and one for me. Bring all the
materials and equipment you will need with you as well.
Assignment 2: Prepare to teach a 5-minute lesson to a group
of your classmates. The lesson will help us learn how to do something
that is NOT related to music.
Write a lesson plan in the format presented in class.
Bring two copies of the plan with you--one for yourself and one for me. Bring
all the materials and equipment you will need with you as well.
The lesson plan for both lessons should include:
Objective
Materials
Sequence/Process
Closure
Evaluation
Teaching (Self) Evaluation Assignments (2)
Watch the video tape of your teaching. Read your fellow
students' comments.
Write a three-paragraph evaluation of your own teaching.
Include at least one thing that you will do to improve. Turn in your written
evaluation at the next class.
Grading:
Your grade can be affected
by missing class, being late, or turning in assignments late. Each assignment
and project is graded on a point system. Your grade for the course will be based
on the points you earn. You may earn extra credit points by doing an additional
school observation, attending a professional workshop, or convention.
MUE 110 - Grade
Record NAME ______________________________
Class Participation
(20)
|
_______ |
Effective teachers
(10)
|
_______ |
Biography (history) report
(10)
|
_______ |
Observation 1 report
(20)
|
_______ |
Philosophy, personal
(10)
|
_______ |
In-class teaching 1 lesson
plan (10)
|
_______ |
In-class teaching 2
evaluation (10)
|
_______ |
Observation 2 report
(20)
|
_______ |
In-class teaching 2 lesson
plan (10)
|
_______ |
In-class teaching 2
evaluation (10)
|
_______ |
Observation 3 report
(20)
|
_______ |
Professional meeting report
(30)
|
_______ |
POINT TOTAL (180
possible)
|
_______ |
Divided by 180
=
|
_______% |
Minus _____
Absences over 1 x 2 =
|
_______ |
Adjusted
total
|
_______ |
Minus _____
Latenesses over 1 =
|
_______ |
ADJUSTED
TOTAL
|
_______ |
EXTRA POINTS (TBA)
|
_______ |
GRADE (90-100=A; 80-89=B; 70-79=C; 60-69=D; 59 or
less=E)
Course Schedule:
A course schedule will be
distributed during the first class meeting. Changes to the schedule may occur,
depending on the rate at which we cover course content and topics that emerge
during our class meetings.
I am looking forward to
working with you and wish you a successful semester.
NOTE: If you wish to
schedule an appointment, simply leave a note with your name, a few time
suggestions, and your telephone number, or, better yet, e-mail me. Please see
me immediately if you have any questions, problems, or need advising at any time
during the semester.
Schedule for MUE 110
Spring 2006