Talent Untapped
...dium with students, having extensive conversations about music content, and even thinking about asking students to write reports about music, would for these traditional music specialists also be quite unusual. In the constructivist music classroom however, these concepts are in fact the norm. (Webster, 1998, p. 4) Advancements in technology too have had an impact on favourable changes in the evolution of music education. The internet, in particular, which has only been available to the masses for less than 15 years, has made an incalculable contribution to delivering seemingly unlimited information to students to help them construct their unique understanding of all subjects, including music. Detailed finger drawings, musical analyses, chord charts, sheet music, et cetera, et cetera, can all be accessed with the greatest of ease, on high speed internet, no less, for the motivated student engaging in the construction of his/her understanding of the musical subject at hand. (Webster, 1998, p. 4) Most learning in music classes occurs most fruitfully when (a) children make music either by performing, composing, improvising, or charting on paper what they hear, (b) they listen finely, but discriminatingly, to either to their own music, or the music of others, and (c) they assess music with a very critical ear immediately, and over time. (Webster, 1998, p. 4) But regardless of all the recent advancements in music pedagogy, modern educators nevertheless unfortunately “face serious problems with funding, scheduling, and wavering public attitudes toward the arts as an important element of schooling.” (Webster, 1998, p. 2) Part of the constructivist doctrine, as previously indicated, involves the utilization of modern technology to help students to help themselves in the endeavour to construct a better understanding of any subject on the curriculum, including music. In the article, A Comparison of a Traditional Music Teaching Method with Music Ace, the author, Barbara S. Baker, documents an experiment she conducted in a music class, in a Knox County, Tennessee elementary school. In this test, she puts one group of 15 grade 2 children, who are learning music in a traditional manner, against another group of 15 grade 2 children, who are learning music with the assistance of modern technology. The former group she refers to as the traditional group, and the latter group as the treatment group. The areas of assessment were melody, harmony, rhythm, style, expressive qualities, and form. (Baker, 2000, p. 13) The so-called modern technology utilized by the treatment group was a modern musical software package entitled Music Ace, featuring the Music Ace Lessons. In the end, after the evaluation of student test results, it was surprisingly determined that there was no significant difference between the two educational modes used in the study. However, it is entirely possible that the experiment possessed many shortcomings, which distorted the truth. (1) The size of the study group was especially small. (2) The number of prescribed lessons was too limited. (3) The practice time was severely inadequate. (4) The sample groups were perhaps too economically homogenous. (Baker, 2000, p. 35) On the positive side however, it was concluded that the treatment group displayed superior behaviour, and far greater attention spans, than their more traditional counterparts. “Nothing can beat the visual effects that are included in the multimedia presentations of software in getting, and keeping, the attention of the students.” (Baker, 2000, p. 36) These new discoveries in the study of elementary school music education may too have little significance due to the regrettable reality that all too frequently music programs in these schools are under the threat of total annihilation. (Baker, 2000, p. 21) In the article, Constructivism and Arts Based Programs, the author, Mary E. Armistead, introduces her readers to the Kaleidoscope Early Childhood School, and its constructivist early childhood arts-based program. Perhaps the best way to put educators of a constructivist-teaching path is to have them have constructivism embedded in their art classes, before any others. In her own words, she puts forward that “arts intensive early education programming is an efficient and innovative way for teachers to bring constructivism into early childhood classrooms.” (Armistead, 1996, p. 2) Conceivably arts courses, in particular, lend themselves in these early years more readily to constructivist teaching styles. Better cognitive development, particularly in math, recent studies have concluded, would be the beneficial spin off effect. (Armistead, 1996, p. 2) But it doesn’t stop there. The ability to understand socialization, culture, science, and languages is better enhanced through a child’s study of music, particularly in an academic environment of constructivism. (Armistead, 1996, p. 5) Besides lack of funding, and fickle public support, there is yet another issue however, which menaces today’s elementary school programs. Many of our current teachers feel inadequate to teach music to our youngest elementary school students. So, rather than seeking to improve themselves, many simply avoid these all too important lessons altogether, and save music education for the older elementary school children, whom they feel better prepared to instruct. (Armistead, 1996, p. 9) In the article, Learning With A Whole Mind: Holistic Learning in the Music Classroom, the author, Nancy Paxcia-Bibbins indicates an endorsement not only of constructivism, but also of holism, which is based on “the theory that nature tends to synthesize units into organized wholes.” (www.dictionary.com) Not only is the study of music valuable by itself, but once again, it is pointed out that it has the ability to improve the learning ability of other subjects as well, most note ably mathematics. (Paxcia-Bibbins, 1998, p. 11) A precious six-step procedure for creating a holistic/constructivist grade 4 music classroom was provided in this article: (1) The hook, (2) Presenting New Material, (3) Experimenting, (4) Adding a creative element, (5) Sharing, and (6) Extending. Step 1 involved “hooking” the students by involving them with something musical, like a film for example, which they could relate to. Step 2 involved using ideas in step one as a stepping-stone to other related ideas. It is kind of like creating bridges to further cognitive development. Step 3 involves experimentation, which is both analytic, and reflective, in that the new ideas from Step 1, and Step 2, are tested for understanding. Step 4 involves encouraging students to take the music they’ve heard to another level, or dimension, by augmenting the music even further by using instruments to create their own original ideas. Step 5 involves sharing with fellow students music created in Step 4 for analysis, and reflection. Step 6 involves extending ones knowledge even further about a musical piece by, for example, looking at other contributing factors to the creation of the piece, like relevant historical events occurring during this particular epoch. The utilization of this six-step procedure for creating a holistic/constructivist grade 4 music classroom, is not only a recipe for encouraging the children to actively engage in music in a variety of different ways, it also stimulates them to construct fresh, new, and original data founded on the sounds, which they were exposed to. (Paxcia-Bibbins, 1998, p. 12) Furthermore when children are stimulated to be actively involved in musical exercises, experiments, and activities, excitement and enjoyment are a welcome consequence, thereby creating lessons, which will be joyfully remembered, and not so easily forgotten. (Paxcia-Bibbins, 1998, p. 13) Today’s music educators must acknowledge that educational standards of the past, are no longer adequate in modern elementary school classrooms. In her own words, Nancy Paxcia-Bibbins states that, “we have learned, like our general classroom colleagues, to go far beyond a presentation mode.” (Paxcia-Bibbins, 1998, p. 13) Children’s needs must be recognized as multimodal, and multidimensional. Once and for all, we must realize the necessity to address the whole mind, and not just a tiny segment of it. (Paxcia-Bibbins, 1998, p. 13) In the article, Classrooms and Curriculum Come Alive with Music: A Sequential Approach of Teaching Music to Elementary Students Using Daily Oral Music Lessons,, the author, Lanette Sharp offers welcome assistance to inadequate music educators with very limited musical background, by way of simple oral music lessons. (Sharp, 2003, p. 6) When a heterogeneous group of grade 4 Utah students were tested to determine the value of the music lessons, significant improvements were noted in a variety of areas. In fact, the progress in music was significant enough to warrant the permanent adoption of the prescribed daily oral lessons, into the curriculum. (Sharp, 2003, p. 7) A need was satisfied. Children were hitherto deprived of an unanswered demand. Now however, not only could the students have a music program which they could rely on, but also many other subjects on the curriculum could now be reinforced, or strengthened through the study of music. (Sharp, 2003, p. 3) In fact, students strengthen their circuits utilized for mathematics when they exercise their cortical neurons required for listening to classical music. (Sharp, 2003, p. 5) In her own words, Lanette Sharp says that “research proves that music plays an essential part in the imagining, creating, and developing of a child’s thought processes.” (Sharp, 2003, p. 3) The driving force behind the creation of these wallet friendly daily oral music lessons in the first place however, was the sad realization that although music’s importance in cognitive development was undeniable, budgetary limitations were preventing full-fledged financial support for outstanding music programs. Music stimulates students intellectually, not only emotionally, and therefore should be a part of a student’s daily curriculum. Unfortunately however since music’s value, and spill over benefits are not so visible, they are consequently not so apparent, and therefore more under the threat of budgetary cuts. (Sharp, 2003, p. 4) Having reviewed the articles of five authors on the subjects of constructivism in the elementary school classroom, the correlation between music and enhanced learning in other subjects, and the diminishing support for music programs throughout North America, my own personal thoughts will now be offered in my effort to connect these readings to my own personal experiences as a substitute music teacher at Christmas Park Elementary School, during the months of March, April, May, and June of 2004. First of all, I must emphasize that prior to landing this delightful, and enlightening job, I was bouncing from one high school, to another, as a substitute teacher in the subjects of English, and History, areas in which I was specializing in, at McGill University, in my Bachelor of Education program. When a secretary at one of the schools, after having discovered my passion for music, suggested that I start promoting myself as a music specialist to the elementary schools, I didn’t think it was such a bad idea, and decided to give it a try. What I learned, in my employment expeditions however, was quite unpleasantly surprising. The vast majority of elementary schools had absolutely no music programs whatsoever, and the ones that did, were starving for music instructors. This definitely coincides with the opinions of Peter R. Webster, Barbara S. Baker, Mary E. Armistead, Nancy Paxcia-Bibbins, and Lanette Sharp. It is sadly apparent that even in these modern times, the value of music in the elementary school classroom, and music’s countless beneficial spin-off effects, are not realized in most elementary schools. Christmas Park Elementary School is an exception to the rule and fortunately, not only for me, but also more importantly for the students, does not fall into this category. They support an extremely rich music program. In fact, they were one of the very few elementary schools that had a concert band. At the time of my arrival, the band was in a state of deep hibernation, but quite ready to be reawakened, by none other than yours truly. My time at Christmas Park Elementary School was obviously quite limited, and therefore I was unable to conduct anything even remotely resembling a scientific study on the correlation between music education among youngsters, and its valuable spillover effects on other subjects, most notably mathematics. I was focused on one thing, and one thin...