Readers have experienced the acceleration in music technology developments in recent years. The ease with which students and teacher can access digital audio files, video clips of music performances, and online instructional resources is impressive. Creativity "environments" were developed in a game-like format for children to experiment with…

Interactive whiteboard use is rapidly becoming a popular and effective teaching tool in classrooms; this article explores specific uses within music classrooms. Not only do these boards prepare students to function in a technological world, they offer myriad creative uses within the music classroom, allowing for enhanced interaction, instruction,…

Children's literature is a wonderful addition to the general music classroom. Stories and poems can be key strategic tools for teaching musical concepts and skills while leading students to further experience writing, vocabulary, and literature. Children's literature and music provide an opportunity to increase the love of music and reading within…

Music exists in time. One cannot get to the end of the song before going through the song. Is this significant for helping children wait? And can the way we present a singing game activity intensify the delay of what might be a gratifying moment at the end of the song? In this article, the author reflects on whether music can teach delayed…

Autism is the most common condition in a group of developmental disorders known as the autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). Although autism is considered a low-incidence disorder, many music educators in schools today teach students with autism each week. Students with ASDs usually require similar educational interventions that are adapted to their…

National Standard 9, "understanding music in relation to history and culture," forms the basis for this article about family traditions found in bluegrass music. With historical information about the roots of bluegrass music in the Old Time tradition, the author provides helpful links and instructional strategies to help general music students…

General music teachers have a technology tool that not only helps students sing better, it helps them read better! Carry-a-Tune or Singing Coach--the technology that received a rave review from former "General Music Today" technology columnist Kirk Kassner in 2005--is now being offered in an enhanced version called TUNEin[TM] to READING. The…

Much progress has been made in the past three decades to improve the quality of education for students with disabilities. Schools have had to undergo complex changes in order to implement the special education laws regarding access to and structure of educational services. Although services have dramatically improved, there remain frequent…

This article describes the author's personal experiences leading primary grades in whole-class composing. Together they created songs inspired by topics the students were exploring in their homeroom classes. The author systematically describes the songwriting process they employed, identifying specific challenges encountered along the way. The…

This article discusses the use of hand-clapping games and dances in the music classroom. In addition to their use for teaching music skills and concepts, these games can be quite useful for making cross-disciplinary connections to reinforce the eighth and ninth National Standards for Music Education (Standard 8: understanding relationships between…

This article focuses on the background of the English duo Everything but the Girl (EBTG). EBTG was formed in 1982 in Hull, England, consisting of Tracey Thorn (lead singer, sometimes guitar) and Ben Watt (guitar, keyboard, and vocal). Their music includes: alternative, dance, electronica, lounge, and pop.

Several years ago, the author had the opportunity to visit music preschools and elementary music schools in Moscow, Russia. The music education these children received was broad, deep, demanding, and joyful. One of her greatest delights was looking through children's portfolio of pictures they had made of every song they had sung that year. In…

Busy music teachers try to strike a balance between everything that they want to accomplish in a lesson and the constraints of their own teaching circumstances. What is sometimes overlooked in their efforts to fulfill their expectations is how their students really see them and what they are communicating to them with their bodies. Nonverbal…

This article suggests ways early childhood music educators can help parents bring more meaningful music activities into their homes. Suggestions are based on survey results from 50 parents with young children at home. The survey investigated the relationship among parents' perceived musical ability, the amount of time they spent in musical…

In this article, jazz music is used as a lens through which early childhood music pedagogy is viewed, specifically thinking about swing and improvisation--the listening and responding to what is heard and seen, and the openness to possibility. These two concepts are defined by prominent jazz musicians and are traced in the child development…