Music Education Pedagogies

For Praxis 5114

Jerome Bruner (general information)

• Kids can learn fundamental yet complex ideas regardless of age as long as the material is converted to a form (and stage) appropriate to the learner

• Key concepts/information should be revisited over time, increasing in complexity with consideration towards prior schemas (spiral curriculum)

  • Prior schemas are important → constructivism

• Coding/cognitive growth involves interaction between basic human capabilities and culturally invented technologies (such as language and computers)

Spiral Curriculum

• Jerome Bruner

• Key concepts/information should be revisited over time, increasing in complexity with consideration towards prior schemas

• Prior schemas are important → constructivism

Jerome Bruner (answer #1)

Who believed that children have 3 modes of fact-gathering?

1. Physical manipulation

2. Pictorial representation

3. Symbolic understanding

Jerome Bruner (answer #2)

Who believed that there are four features of learning?

1. Exploration should be encouraged to show curiosity to learn about their world.

   —> Basically, curiosity should guide learning

2. Info should be easily accessible and comprehensible

3. Order or sequence should be logical and orderly

   —> Spiral curriculum

4. Method of reward should be installed so children are encouraged

Orff

• 1920s, German

• Musical concepts are learned through singing, chanting, dance, movement, drama and the playing of percussion instruments. Improvisation, composition and a child's natural sense of play are encouraged.

  • Eurythmic approach to music instruction 

• Discourages adult pressures and mechanical drill, fostering student self-discovery

• Rhythm is a basic form of human expression —> considers the whole body a percussive instrument

• 4 Stages in the American Approach:

  1. IMITATION

  2. EXPLORATION

  3. LITERACY

  4. IMPROVISATION

Orff

• Approach is simple, basic, natural, close to a child's world

• Imitation, exploration, literacy, and improvisation

• Rhythm is a basic form of human expression

Kodaly

• Mid 1900s, Hungarian

• Child-Developmental approach (familiarity with concept first, ability to notate second)

• Rhythm introduced through movement —> walking, running, marching, clapping, etc.

• Rhythm syllables

  • Quarter notes = ta

  • Eight Notes = ti-ti

• Moveable "do," solfege

  • Hand signs

• Believed that folk songs are where its at lol

Kodaly

Child-Developmental approach, rhythm through movement, and rhythm syllables

Music Learning Theory

• Created by E. Gordon

• Teaching methods help teachers establish sequential curricular objectives in accord with their own teaching styles and beliefs.

  • Audiation (hearing music with understanding)

  • Listen

  • Imitate

  • Think

  • Improvise

• Students build a foundation of aural and performing skills through singing, rhythmic movement, and tonal and rhythm pattern instruction before being introduced to notation and music theory.

E. Gordon

There are two types of audiation:

1. Discrimination Learning —> the ability to determine whether two elements are same or not the same

2. Inference Learning —> students take an active role in their own education and learn to identify, create, and improvise unfamiliar patterns

What are E. Gordon’s two types of audiation?

Discrimination learning and inference learning

Dalcroze

• Swiss

• Early 1900s

• Created Eurhythmics → musical expression through movement; developing musical skills through kinesthetic means.

  • Movement before notation

• Improvisation (using instruments, movement, and voice)

Who created eurhythmics?

Dalcroze

Suzuki

• Mid 1900s

• String instruments

• Importance of environment on learning:

  • Saturation (children should attend concerts, have musician friendships, etc.)

  • Avoidance of auditions and musical tests

  • Begin playing instruments at a young age

  • By-rote over notation

  • Regular playing in groups

  • Frequent public performances

  • Review of previous pieces; repetition

• “The parent of the young student is expected to supervise instrument practice every day to attend and take notes at every lesson so they can coach the student effectively”

• Tonalization —> importance of beautiful instrumental tone

• Use of recordings to help learning

• Children-sized instruments (1/4 violin vs. ½ violin, etc.)

• Common repertoire within methodology books

Suzuki

What methodology emphasizes tonality?

Suzuki method

Heavy exposure and engagement in music at a young age, parents supervise children during lessons, specific repertoire books, and children-sized instruments.

Imitation, Exploration, Literacy, and Improvisation

Four Different Stages:

1. Imitation → the teacher, group leader, or students perform for the class and the class in turn repeats what was played for them.

2. Exploration → Allows students to seek out not only the different musical aspects that the _____ instruments offer, but they also explore aural/oral skills and the different motions and expressions that the body is capable of

3. Literacy → Taught by learning musical notation and becoming familiar with the various forms of music like rondo, and ABA

4. Improvisation → The act of creating something, especially music, without prior preparation.

What is the American model of the Orff approach?

D. Richard Colwell

Well-known, prolific researcher in music education, author of several standard texts on music education topics, and a co-editor of The New Handbook of Research on Music Teaching and Learning

Reimer

• Wrote “A Philosophy of Music Education”

• Philosophy of aesthetic education → music education belongs with other aesthetic arts as part of a core curriculum

• Believed that only "good music" (music evoking a feeling) should be taught

• Music should be taught because it helps us develop self-knowledge (intrinsic)

• Absolute Expressionism —> art for art’s sake, not for some greater, extrinsic meaning

Rousseau

• Children should enjoy the simple joy of true vocal sound to understand about harmony and vocal resonance

• Songs with simple and narrow range and no words

• Children should dance and make up songs.

Comenius

• Believed that the education of children should begin immediately so that the child could learn about faith, cognizance of moral actions, and familiarity with arts and language.

• Felt that music education was instinctual for children who first learn to make sound through vocalizations.

Laban’s Theory of Movement Education

• Theory originally for dance education but has since been adapted into music education, conducting, expression and interpretation of music, and musical performance

• Movement-based education involving 4 elements: flow, weight, time, and space

  • Flow = free and tense movements

  • Weight = heavy and light movements

  • Time = quick and slow movements

  • Space = direct/straight and indirect/arcing movement

• There are also 8 basic actions: punch, slash, dab, flick, press, wring, glide, and float

David Elliot

• Wrote Music Matters: A New Philosophy of Music Education

  • Presents a praxial philosophy on music education that directly opposes Reimer’s aesthetic philosophy of music education

• Practical, procedural approach to music education with emphasis on the activity of music making rather than the feeling of it

• Musical knowledge is about the direct, purposeful skill set involved in making music

• Curriculum should be based on music practice and should start with music making before students can fully comprehend the art of music making when listening to music

• Teacher plays the role of mentor and expert musician- the student is an apprentice