In this article, an approach to unit plans using essential questions is described within the context of general music education and illustrated in the unit "Repetition and Contrasts: Understanding Music Through Form." This unit is founded on the essential question: As musicians, how do we use form to organize and understand music?…

Expressive movement, created by students to demonstrate musical elements and artistry, provides a valid assessment opportunity for general music teachers. This purposeful movement, "plastique animée", was developed by Swiss composer, Émile Jaques-Dalcroze, in the early 20th century. "Plastique animée" can serve as a useful…

A musician and a mathematics educator create and implement a set of elementary school lessons integrating music and math. Students learn the basics of music theory including identifying notes and learning their fractional values. They learn about time signatures and how to determine correct note values per measure. Students are motivated by…

Performance assessment does not have to be a time-consuming ordeal; it is a great way to assess our students' skills. It is essential to create a rubric that is simple, quick, and objective. This article discusses the process of creating a rubric as well as showing a rubric used by the author in her general music classroom for several years.…

The author argues that concerts create pressures on the music curriculum similar to those high-stakes tests generate on the general curriculum. Three similarities are presented and discussed using the example of a concert the author organized: first, teaching to the test and the narrowing of curricular goals; second, evaluation by a single source…

Over the past decade, increasing numbers of students with disabilities have been placed in public school music ensemble classes. Participating in performance groups is an important part of students' music education. All students deserve the opportunity to make music and to experience the thrill of playing or singing with others. When students with…

This article discusses the numerous benefits of employing contrast-and-compare lessons in music education settings. Such activities focus on the elements of music through the higher-order thinking processes of analyzing, comparing, organizing, and evaluating. They also integrate with the teaching goals and practices of many general educators in…

The article deals with the use of rubrics as an assessment tool in the classroom. It is said that teaching elementary music holds many joys but there are serious challenges for new and seasoned teachers including the U.S. No Child Left Behind Act. With limited time to cover music curricula, assessment is often put aside because teachers feel the…

Performance-based assessments allow teachers to systematically observe skills used or demonstrated by students when they create a product, construct a response, or make a presentation (McMillan 2001). These assessments are grounded in performance-based tasks that elicit students' responses in relation to the outcomes of instruction. The criteria…

This article provides some research-based tools to describe and evaluate vocal development of the young singer. It offers resources and literature reviews relating to teachers' understanding of their learners as individuals and measurement of their learners' musical achievement. It focuses on one thing all music teachers strive to do: evaluate…

Discusses the inclusion of special-needs students in regular music classes in the U.S. Overview of a legislation that promotes equal education rights among special children in the country; Effects of the education law on music educators; Tips for establishing an efficient inclusive music classrooms.

Explores the development of performance-based assessments from the teacher's perspective. Describes the issues of relevance and representativeness within the context of a rubric designed to assess student development and performance of a rhythmic composition. Discusses three ways a component can be irrelevant, measuring proficiency, and…

Focuses on assessing student learning in relation to the National Standards for Music Education, covering topics such as content-related evidence of validity (the extent to which an assessment covers the content of instruction), assessment frameworks, weighing content areas, and frequency of assessment. Provides recommendations. (CMK)

Addresses how teachers have too little time to cover all possible music instruction topics in depth. Discusses the use of assessment as a starting place in planning. Asserts that assessment criteria should consider students as accomplished learners and states that music education must focus on what students should know and do. (CMK)

Identifies the difference between measurement and evaluation and considers how to use a variety of assessment tools (seating charts, rating scales, age-appropriate tests, and portfolios and grade books) to the best advantage. Reveals the benefits of assessment both in general and to music teachers. (CMK)