Short-term or "one shot" professional development experiences are sometimes deemed less effective because they lack mechanisms for deep and ongoing engagement. Using the music conference as an example, I outline a simple framework on how music teachers might nevertheless use short-term professional development experiences as an impetus…

Different teachers can have widely varying classroom management results with the same set of students. There are some explanations for this occurrence, but one explanation that most people could agree on is the teachers' language they use with their students. This column, the second in a series about classroom management issues, is about which…

Technology continues to evolve, and it is time to try out some new technology in my classroom to help ensure student participation.

Fred Rogers's television program, "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood", connected with young children and educated them about difficult concepts for more than 30 years. The author analyzes and discusses several principles and pedagogical techniques that were used in Rogers's television program, including communicating with children,…

Oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) is a behavioral disorder that affects approximately 3.3% of the population across cultures. In this article, the author discusses symptoms, methods of diagnosis, and treatments for the disorder. Although most empirically supported treatments of ODD are based on parent--child training and therapy, there are some…

Classroom management is a common concern for preservice teachers and can be a key to success for in-service teachers. In this article, I discuss six strategies for classroom management: design and lead engaging music activities, employ music-rich transitions, balance familiarity and novelty, plan for success, communicate clear expectations, and…

Classroom management skills and related issues are usually top concerns of preservice and new in-service music educators. This column, the first in a series about classroom management issues, is about designing lessons to avoid common behavior issues. There are many more variables to consider besides curriculum when designing a lesson, such as the…

The purpose of this article is to share principles and strategies that may be used to teach appropriate behaviors to students that that may struggle with an emotional behavior disorder. Operating from the principle that music is naturally rewarding, classroom procedures and lessons that address preparation, imagination, effortful control, pacing,…

Integrating popular music as part of the public school music curriculum has been a topic of debate among many educators and researchers. Songs from the Disney Corporation, specifically from movies, television shows, and performers specifically marketed by Disney, are particularly significant due to their widespread popularity. In this article, the…

In this article, I offer four principles relevant to hip-hop cultures (keep it real, flip the script, make some noise, and stay fresh) and explore how these principles might affect music classrooms. I argue that a music classroom that works to keep it real, flip the script, make some noise, and stay fresh might go beyond teaching hip-hop skills…

Word sorts are standard practice for aiding children in acquiring skills in English language arts. When included in the general music classroom, word sorts may aid students in acquiring a working knowledge of music vocabulary. The author shares a word sort activity drawn from vocabulary in John Lithgow's children's book "Never Play…

Your integration of children's musical culture into the general music curriculum does not need to end with the song collections on your bookshelf. Consider expanding on the materials available by reaching out to friends, students, colleagues, and elders and collecting children's musical culture for yourself and your classroom.

Contemporary music classrooms include a beautiful mosaic of individual children from diverse backgrounds, children who vary considerably in their capabilities, interests, and levels of motivation. Some of the variations we observe are related to social skills and knowledge. The effects of appropriate classroom behavior and positive social…

This article outlines strategies for using thinking routines in the general music classroom to foster deeper learning. Based on the Artful Thinking program, a model developed by Harvard's Project Zero in collaboration with Traverse City [Michigan] Area Public Schools, thinking routines were developed to draw students into a more meaningful…

Music video creation provides students a new way to express themselves and become better performers and consumers of media. This article provides a new perspective on Lucy Green's informal music pedagogy by enabling students to create music videos in music classrooms; thus, students are able to create music videos that informally develop…