Unit 1: Public law and music education Music education has always been effected by general education policies and political movements Chp. 1 in the text by Abeles and Custodero explores these relationships

Chapter 1 John Dewey was an educational theorist in the early 20 th century His ideas formed the basis for the Progressive Education Movement This movement emphasized the individual student’s unique abilities, interests and ideas (child-centered) This movement’s ideas have re-surfaced today in “Differentiated Instruction” movement in schools Music instruction fit well in this model Instrumental music became well-established in schools (often taught by professional musicians) Music appreciation was introduced into secondary schools

Chapter 1 National Defense Education Act, NDEA(1958) Happened in reaction to Sputnik launching in 1957 Eisenhower administration allocated funds for higher education and research in math and sciences Characteristic of a period of curricular reform that emphasized “back to the basics” Music classes had to be justified in this climate Led to justification of music (and the Arts) on an Aesthetic basis (Reimer 1970)

Chapter 1 Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA, 1965) Johnson administration provided federal funds to low income schools Title I grants were used to buy instruments and equipment for music classes Manhattanville Music Curriculum project and Julliard Repertory project received funds from this Both projects were influential on music curriculum in the late 60’s and early 70’

Chapter 1 National Commission on Excellence in Education published… A Nation at Risk: The Imperative for Educational Reform, 1983 This report warned the public that our mediocre educational system would lead to the US falling behind other nations in our quality of life Specific problems cited (not in text) -”cafeteria style” curriculum, with no stress on “main courses” -25% of the credit earned by HS students was PE, work-related, and remedial classes -Americans spend less time in school compared to other competitive nations -study skills not being learned -not enough homework or time spent on it -new teachers are coming from bottom 1/4 of graduating college students -teacher salaries are too low -shortages of teachers in math, science and foreign languages

Chapter 1 Recommendations made by “Nation at Risk” report Raising standards for teachers and schools More stringent grading Lengthening the school day Grouping students by ability rather than age Recruiting stronger teachers Professional development plans All of these recommendations are still influencing school reform today

Chapter 1 The recommendations of “Nation at Risk” led to the formation of the Holmes group (1986) The group was comprised of 96 universities and educational programs They recommended several steps to better prepare teachers The Carnegie Forum on Education and the Economy was another educational organization from the mid 80’s They recommended the creation of a National Board test for teachers (NBPTS) This exam is now used to certify teachers to the Master level in Illinois

Chapter 1 Goals 2000: Educate America Act- Clinton administration’s plan for educational reform. Included a grant program for states who agree to set high content and performance standards and also align student assessment and teacher training with the standards. The idea was to create national standards with local implementation of necessary reforms. National Standards (1994)- These were voluntary standards set up by each discipline within the school. This is NOT a national curriculum. Music standards were approved by MENC. This legislation led directly to the accountability movement that we still are experiencing today

Chapter 1 No Child Left Behind (NCLB, 2001) The idea was to insure that all children received a high quality education The law identified 10 core subjects. Music was not one of them. The law emphasized accountability using systematic assessment (in Math, Science, and Language Arts) In order to receive funding, states had to implement strategies for assessing progress in these areas(standardized tests) This law led to cuts in spending in the arts and scheduling conflicts against mandated testing

Chapter 1 Equity Issues: Desegregation public schools are desegregated by law (Brown vs Board of Education) march on Washington, key event of African- American nonviolent resistance movement Civil Rights Act (1964)- prohibited many specific aspects of racial discrimination

Chapter 1 Equity Issues: Women’s movement Title IX of the educational Amendments Women’s educational equity Act Protected the rights of individuals in educational settings regarding gender Increased equity and funding for women’s sports Eventually led to increased research and scholarship in the area of women in music

Chapter 1 Equity Issues: Inclusion PL , The Education for All Handicapped Children Act (1975) Gave handicapped children guaranteed public education (mainstreaming) The law also specifies that handicapped children be provided individualized services PL , The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (1997) Created IEP’s, individualized educational program

Chapter 7: Curriculum Chapter 7 takes a look back at different influences on curriculum and how these changes reflected society as a whole Definition of Curriculum: a regular course of study; an accepted schedule or routine (Websters dictionary). Curriculum deals with the selection of desired educational outcomes and learning experiences to achieve these outcomes (Leonard & House, 1959) It is the content of your class or “what” is to be learned (Snyder).

Chapter 7 Educational theorists Rousseau ( ) and Pestalozzi ( ) influenced the teaching approach of Lowell Mason (the father of music education in this country) Both theorists suggested that information should be grouped into similar components New information should be introduced in manageable portions based on what the student already knew Mason applied this by introducing musical components one step at a time and mastering that one step before moving on

Chapter 7 The Curriculum (1918) by John F. Bobbitt This influential book helped shape much of today’s curricular thinking He believed that the school should provide experiences and activities that provide for the advancement of life These experiences could be broken down into discrete sub-skills Bobbitt’s concern with varying ability paved the way for ability grouping in schools today Bobbitt’ legacy of filling the “empty reservoir” of a student’s mind remains with us today The idea of “curriculum as repertoire or activities” can be traced back to his theories.

Chapter 7 Ralph W. Tyler, Basic Principles of Curriculum and Instruction (1949) Proposed 4 questions to guide the curricular process: What educational purposes should the school seek to attain? (goals) What educational experiences can be provided to help attain these purposes? (learning activities or repertoire) How can learning experiences be organized for effective instruction? (sequencing) How can we determine whether these purposes are being attained? (assessment) The portion in parentheses is mine. Sounds a lot like today’s curriculum mapping, yes? Tyler believed in working backwards from the goals and objectives. This same approach is basically used by Wiggins and McTighe in their 2005 text “Understanding by Design” This text will be used later in the semester

Chapter 7 The Spiral Curriculum, Jerome Brunner 1959 Any student can be taught any concept at any age level in some form. Deepening of ones understanding by moving into progressively more complex forms (spiraling) Relationships and connections between concepts should be reinforced through “discovery learning”

Chapter 7 Mannhattanville Music Curriculum Project ( ): Ronald Thomas’ objectives were to develop a comprehensive music curriculum and related materials for a sequential music learning program for grades K-12. used the “spiral curriculum” idea: the same concepts were approached at progressively higher levels of cognition in a cyclical pattern students used creativity, discovery learning and interaction to learn about music a music lab was the intended environment for MMCP student used composing, performing, evaluating, conducting and listening to engage the curriculum the concepts of timbre, dynamics, pitch, form, and rhythm were the foundation for learning

Chapter 7 The National Standards (1994) Standards identify what our children must know and be able to do. The standards were created by the Consortium of National Arts Education Associations (MENC is included) with a grant from NEA, NEH, and the DOE The US has no national curriculum, the standards speak to competencies; not a course of study. These standards are concerned with results, not with how these results are delivered(method). The Standards: * are deliberately broad statements * encourage local curricular objectives * and flexibility in instruction * encourage cross-curricular integration * and cultural diversity The standards emphasize: * creating, performing, and producing, as well as (just like Manhattenville) * listening, analysis and reflection

Chapter 7 The Standards: I. Organization A. Presented by grade level K-4, 5-8, and 9-12 and organized by discipline: Dance, Music, Theatre, and Visual Arts B. Content standards are equivalent to what we call goals C. Achievement standards are equivalent to behavioral objectives D. Proficient and Advanced achievement standards are offered grades students choosing specialized courses in the discipline will meet the advanced level but all students are expected to meet the proficient level. Content and achievement standard for grades K-4, 5-8, and 9-12 can be viewed at: educationhttp:// education

Chapter 7 Multicultural Curriculum Defined as a way to differentiate traditions, to reflect diverse populations, a tool for unifying diverse populations and sometimes even as a code word for race and ethnicity This movement started in the early 1990’s and is still influential today This movement is manifested in schools today with the advent of drumming circles, mariachi ensembles, traditional songs from other cultures, etc.

Chapter 7 Curriculum re-conceptualized: If you haven’t already, stop and read the MEJ article “Challenges to Music Education: Curriculum Reconceptualized” by Betty Handley by opening the pdf in this unit