Unit 1: Public law and music educationMusic education has always been

effected by general education policies and political movementsChp. 1 in the text by Abeles and

Custodero explores these relationships

Chapter 1John Dewey was an educational theorist in the

early 20th century His ideas formed the basis for the Progressive

Education MovementThis movement emphasized the individual

student’s unique abilities, interests and ideas (child-centered)

This movement’s ideas have re-surfaced today in “Differentiated Instruction” movement in schools

Music instruction fit well in this modelInstrumental music became well-established in schools

(often taught by professional musicians)Music appreciation was introduced into secondary schools

Chapter 1National Defense Education Act,

NDEA(1958)Happened in reaction to Sputnik

launching in 1957Eisenhower administration allocated

funds for higher education and research in math and sciences

Characteristic of a period of curricular reform that emphasized “back to the basics”

Music classes had to be justified in this climate

Led to justification of music (and the Arts) on an Aesthetic basis (Reimer 1970)

Chapter 1Elementary and Secondary Education Act

(ESEA, 1965)Johnson administration provided federal

funds to low income schoolsTitle I grants were used to buy instruments

and equipment for music classesManhattanville Music Curriculum project

and Julliard Repertory project received funds from thisBoth projects were influential on music

curriculum in the late 60’s and early 70’

Chapter 1 National Commission on Excellence in Education published… A Nation at Risk: The Imperative for Educational Reform, 1983

This report warned the public that our mediocre educational system would lead to the US falling behind other nations in our quality of life

Specific problems cited (not in text)-”cafeteria style” curriculum, with no stress on “main courses”-25% of the credit earned by HS students was PE, work-related, and remedial classes-Americans spend less time in school compared to other competitive nations-study skills not being learned-not enough homework or time spent on it-new teachers are coming from bottom 1/4 of graduating college students-teacher salaries are too low-shortages of teachers in math, science and foreign languages

Chapter 1Recommendations made by “Nation at

Risk” reportRaising standards for teachers and schoolsMore stringent gradingLengthening the school dayGrouping students by ability rather than ageRecruiting stronger teachersProfessional development plans

All of these recommendations are still influencing school reform today

Chapter 1The recommendations of “Nation at Risk” led to

the formation of the Holmes group (1986)The group was comprised of 96 universities and

educational programsThey recommended several steps to better

prepare teachersThe Carnegie Forum on Education and the Economy

was another educational organization from the mid 80’sThey recommended the creation of a National

Board test for teachers (NBPTS)This exam is now used to certify teachers to the

Master level in Illinois

Chapter 1Goals 2000: Educate America Act- Clinton

administration’s plan for educational reform. Included a grant program for states who agree to set high content and performance standards and also align student assessment and teacher training with the standards.

The idea was to create national standards with local implementation of necessary reforms. 

National Standards (1994)- These were voluntary standards set up by each discipline within the school. This is NOT a national curriculum.

Music standards were approved by MENC.This legislation led directly to the accountability

movement that we still are experiencing today

Chapter 1No Child Left Behind (NCLB, 2001)

The idea was to insure that all children received a high quality education

The law identified 10 core subjects. Music was not one of them. 

The law emphasized accountability using systematic assessment (in Math , Science, and Language Arts)

In order to receive funding, states had to implement strategies for assessing progress in these areas(standardized tests)

This law led to cuts in spending in the arts and scheduling conflicts against mandated testing

Chapter 1Equity Issues: Desegregation

1954- public schools are desegregated by law (Brown vs Board of Education)

1963- march on Washington, key event of African-American nonviolent resistance movement

Civil Rights Act (1964)- prohibited many specific aspects of racial discrimination

Chapter 1Equity Issues: Women’s movement

1972- Title IX of the educational Amendments

1972- Women’s educational equity ActProtected the rights of individuals in

educational settings regarding genderIncreased equity and funding for women’s

sportsEventually led to increased research and

scholarship in the area of women in music

Chapter 1Equity Issues: Inclusion

PL 94-142, The Education for All Handicapped Children Act (1975)Gave handicapped children guaranteed public

education (mainstreaming)The law also specifies that handicapped children

be provided individualized servicesPL 94-119, The Individuals with Disabilities

Education Act (1997)Created IEP’s, individualized educational program

Chapter 7: CurriculumChapter 7 takes a look back at different

influences on curriculum and how these changes reflected society as a whole

Definition of Curriculum: a regular course of study; an accepted schedule or routine (Websters dictionary).

Curriculum deals with the selection of desired educational outcomes and learning experiences to achieve these outcomes (Leonard & House, 1959)

It is the content of your class or “what” is to be learned (Snyder).

Chapter 7Educational theorists Rousseau (1712-1778)

and Pestalozzi (1746-1827) influenced the teaching approach of Lowell Mason (the father of music education in this country)Both theorists suggested that information

should be grouped into similar components New information should be introduced in

manageable portions based on what the student already knew

Mason applied this by introducing musical components one step at a time and mastering that one step before moving on

Chapter 7The Curriculum (1918) by John F. Bobbitt

This influential book helped shape much of today’s curricular thinking

He believed that the school should provide experiences and activities that provide for the advancement of life

These experiences could be broken down into discrete sub-skills

Bobbitt’s concern with varying ability paved the way for ability grouping in schools today

Bobbitt’ legacy of filling the “empty reservoir” of a student’s mind remains with us today

The idea of “curriculum as repertoire or activities” can be traced back to his theories.

Chapter 7Ralph W. Tyler, Basic Principles of Curriculum and

Instruction (1949)Proposed 4 questions to guide the curricular process:

What educational purposes should the school seek to attain? (goals)What educational experiences can be provided to help attain these

purposes? (learning activities or repertoire)How can learning experiences be organized for effective instruction?

(sequencing)How can we determine whether these purposes are being attained?

(assessment)The portion in parentheses is mine. Sounds a lot like

today’s curriculum mapping, yes?Tyler believed in working backwards from the goals and

objectives. This same approach is basically used by Wiggins and McTighe in their 2005 text “Understanding by Design”

This text will be used later in the semester

Chapter 7The Spiral Curriculum, Jerome Brunner

1959Any student can be taught any concept at

any age level in some form.Deepening of ones understanding by moving

into progressively more complex forms (spiraling)

Relationships and connections between concepts should be reinforced through “discovery learning”

Chapter 7Mannhattanville Music Curriculum Project (1965-

1970): Ronald Thomas’ objectives were to develop a

comprehensive music curriculum and related materials for a sequential music learning program for grades K-12.

used the “spiral curriculum” idea: the same concepts were approached at progressively higher levels of cognition in a cyclical pattern

students used creativity, discovery learning and interaction to learn about music

a music lab was the intended environment for MMCPstudent used composing, performing, evaluating,

conducting and listening to engage the curriculum the concepts of timbre, dynamics, pitch, form, and rhythm

were the foundation for learning

Chapter 7 The National Standards (1994) Standards identify what our children must know and be able to do. The standards were created by the Consortium of National Arts Education

Associations (MENC is included) with a grant from NEA, NEH, and the DOE The US has no national curriculum, the standards speak to competencies;

not a course of study. These standards are concerned with results, not with how these results are delivered(method).

The Standards:* are deliberately broad statements* encourage local curricular objectives* and flexibility in instruction* encourage cross-curricular integration* and cultural diversity

The standards emphasize:* creating, performing, and producing, as well as (just like Manhattenville)* listening, analysis and reflection

Chapter 7 

The Standards: I. Organization A. Presented by grade level K-4, 5-8, and 9-12 and organized by

discipline: Dance, Music, Theatre, and Visual ArtsB. Content standards are equivalent to what we call goals

C. Achievement standards are equivalent to behavioral objectives D. Proficient and Advanced achievement standards are offered

grades 9-12. 1. students choosing specialized courses in the discipline will

meet the advanced level but all students are expected to meet the proficient level.

Content and achievement standard for grades K-4, 5-8, and 9-12 can be viewed at: http://www.menc.org/resources/view/national-standards-for-music-education 

Chapter 7 

Multicultural CurriculumDefined as a way to differentiate traditions, to

reflect diverse populations, a tool for unifying diverse populations and sometimes even as a code word for race and ethnicity

This movement started in the early 1990’s and is still influential today

This movement is manifested in schools today with the advent of drumming circles, mariachi ensembles, traditional songs from other cultures, etc.

Chapter 7 

Curriculum re-conceptualized:If you haven’t already, stop and read the MEJ article “Challenges to Music Education: Curriculum Reconceptualized” by Betty Handley by opening the pdf in this unit