In this article, the authors explore the roles of university supervisor and cooperating teacher as mentoring partners in the student-teaching process, based on their perspectives as they served in those roles for an elementary general music assignment. Their observations and tips may help current or future student teachers, cooperating teachers,…

Musical play is part of children's culture. They sing and dance in rhythmic and pitched patterns alone, together, and with toys, household items, and yard objects. There are, however, cultural variations in how children participate in musical play and at what ages they are expected to play in certain ways. As guardians of children's musical…

Teaching parents, colleagues, and community members what happens in music programs is one way to encourage them to more actively support music education. Impressions of music education are often formed in a performance-based context. What people see at a performance--the band playing expressively in tune and in time, the lovely blending and…

This article outlines how fandom for popular music can he used to enhance students' music experiences in and out of the classroom. Examples are given from the author's own teaching in elementary school and from an ongoing study he has been conducting with preservice teachers undertaking teaching practicum experiences in schools where there is a…

Music directors assume that students know what advance preparations must be made for a trip and what items they may need. Many find out the hard way that this is not necessarily so. A checklist that directors can give to students to help them plan for a trip is presented. (RM)