Contemporary Approaches to Elementary Music Education Elementary Praxis Fall 2012 Sharon L. Morrow, Ph.D.

Approaches to Curriculum  Widely varied  Include diverse pedagogical techniques, methodologies, philosophies, and learning theories for teaching music to children  Today we’ll look at:  Orff Schulwerk approach  Kodály method  Dalcroze eurhythmics  Gordon learning theory  Comprehensive Musicianship through Performance

Orff Schulwerk Approach  Carl Orff ( )  A process, not a method  Ss are encouraged to explore and experience music through movement, singing, and playing instruments with a strong emphasis on improvisation

Orff Schulwerk Approach Exploration Experience Speech Movement Singing Playing

Exploration  Imitation, then creation  Part-to-whole  Simple-to complex  Individual to ensemble experiences  Begin with rhythm, then melody  Finally harmony  Form is introduced almost from the beginning

Rhythm  Grows out of speech and movement patterns  Use chants, rhymes, sayings  Experience accent and meter as well as phrasing & simple sectional forms  Often accompany speech experiences with body percussion

Melody  Grows out of singing and playing experiences  Sol-mi is typically first interval  Then la, re, do (pentatonic)  A lot of experience in pentatonic, major, and minor  Then, modes are added  Reading notation is often a bit peripheral

Harmony  Borduns (open 5 th ’s) and ostinato patterns  Introduce harmony functionally  Rounds and canons

Improvisation  Allows students to manipulate those musical ideas with which they are knowledgeable  Begins with brief rhythmic/melodic patterns  Question/answer  More complex forms  Includes introduction/coda/accompaniments/complete melodies

Kodály Method  Zoltán Kodály ( )  Much more structured than others  Vocal approach to music literacy  The ability to read, hear, and think music  Foundation: a capella singing  Child development -based rather than subject logic -based

Sequences  Melodic (solfege and hand signs)  Sol-mi (then la)  Do (then re)  La 1 and sol 1  Do’  Fa and ti  Rhythmic  Ta and ti-ti  Ti-ri-ti-ri; tri-o-la; syn-co-pa

Noteworthy aspects  Rhythm symbols and syllables used  Curwen hand signs  Moveable “do” (“do” clef)  Prepare-practice-perform  Great use of singing games!  Emphasis on good vocal production and agility

Dalcroze  Émile Jacques-Dalcroze ( )  Developed eurhythmics  Method of learning and experiencing music through movement  Time-space-energy balance  Method incorporates  Singing/ear training/rhythmic & expressive movement  Fixed “do”

Gordon Learning Theory  Edwin Gordon (b. 19??)  Music education and psychology of music  Interested in measuring musical aptitude  Importance of audiation  Developed Music Learning Theory  Interested in musical development in infants and very young children

CMP  Comprehensive Musicianship through Performance  History  In public school settings