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Why is the music program in danger of disappearing from the Public
Elementary School System? ... Music
2. ... Drama and Dance
As a vocal music specialist, I was pleased to see that Music was finally being recognized as having equal status with all the other core subjects such as Language, Mathematics, Science and Social Studies.
In the document’s introductory pages to the Music strand, music is credited for sharpening the student’s ability to reason and to think critically and also for enhancing his or her “intellectual and emotional development” (The Ontario Curriculum, Grades 1-8, The Arts, 1998 p. ... Music, finally, identified as a cognitive process in the policy document and mandated as a required area of study, fades in its frivolity and takes on a whole new definition and purpose as a valid and justifiable course of study.
However, despite the theoretical significance that music has gained, in its recognition as a mandated course of study in The Ontario Curriculum, Grades 1-8 (1998), practically speaking, the situation is quite different. As an itinerant vocal music teacher, I have found there to be fundamental problems in delivering the music curriculum in the Public Elementary School classroom. It is particularly interesting that, in light of the many new studies that confirm music to have an effect on the cognitive development of the child, school boards and principals continue to channel funds into other areas of the curriculum such as Language, Math, Science and Technology.
To address the issue of why music is having difficulty in fulfilling in practice the theoretical objectives outlined in The Ontario Curriculum, Grades 1-8, (1998) guidelines, I suggest we look at three probable areas that are at fault. ... the music curriculum itself
2. ... competition with other courses of study within the curriculum
In this essay, for discussion purposes, I will refer to the Music strand, exclusively, when quoting The Ontario Curriculum, Grade 1-8, The Arts, (1998). ...
In the primary grades the student is expected to become familiar with and demonstrate an understanding of the basic elements of music, such as beat, rhythm, melody, dynamics and tempo. ...
In the junior grades the student is expected to use the understanding they have acquired in the junior grades and begin to interpret, recognize and distinguish between the elements, learn to read music and solve musical problems. ... All the expectations relate to and connect from one particular grade level to the next with the intention of expanding the student’s knowledge and understanding.
Approximate Word count = 2029
Approximate Pages = 8.1
(250 words per page double spaced)
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