Standards 3 and 9 of the National Standards for Music Education charge teachers to teach improvisation as well as music of diverse cultures. Jazz is a musical style that is perfect to cover both content areas. Until now, however, jazz repertoire and improvisation have not played a major role in the education of string students. One reason is that…

Trainable mentally retarded high school students can be taught to play simplified chords on the guitar, autoharp, marimba and resonator bells by a color coded system. (CL)

The author describes his experiences in teaching four deaf elementary school students to play musical instruments--flute, clarinet, and trumpet--and identifies teaching methods which proved effective. (IM)

Author developed a new procedure for his Instrumental Methods class in which students take an active role in their own education. (Author/RK)

It can be concluded from the results of this study that beginning wind students can learn to perceive beats and perceive when they are eliminated, that beginning wind students can learn to match unison pitches by the beat elimination process, and that most beginning wind students can use the beat elimination process to achieve correct intonation.…

Presents a lesson plan for keyboard instruction excerpted from "Strategies for Teaching Middle-Level and High School Keyboard" (compiled by Martha Hilley and Tommie Pardue. Reston, VA: Music Educators National Conference, 1996). Provides objectives, materials, required background knowledge, procedures, evaluation indicators, and…

Illinois State University (ISU), located in central Illinois, serves a large population of rural, suburban, and urban students. students are predominantly white. The music education curriculum requires multicultural music study, and students have opportunities for authentic experiences. During the semester before this course, students in…

The author shares her experience when she accepted an invitation from Jianhua Lu, a music teacher and a visiting scholar at the University of Minnesota, to spend two weeks teaching teachers in China. While there, she gave presentations at the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing and at the Northwest Normal University in Lanzhou and Tianshui…

This article describes the method and adaptations used by the author in including students with special needs in an instrumental music program. To ensure success in the program, the author shares the method he uses to include exceptional students and enumerates some possible adaptations. There are certainly other methods and modifications that…

A computer-assisted music-learning system (CAMLS) has been developed to help the hearing impaired practice playing a musical melody. The music-learning performance is evaluated to test the usability of the system. This system can be a computer-supported learning tool for the hearing impaired to help them understand what pitch and tempo are, and…

This publication provides orchestra teachers with techniques for conducting, choosing repertoire, program development, recruiting, playing styles, and preparing for competitions. It is the latest in MENC's popular Spotlight series, comprising articles that have appeared in state MEA journals. It is made up of 9 sections, and has a total of 53…

Offers strategies for introducing world music into the school instrumental music program. Suggests steps toward creating a more multicultural band or orchestra, including choosing multicultural musical literature, analyzing world music, and maintaining a diverse music library. Argues that culturally diverse music programs are better equipped to…

Suggests ways to use the Band-in-a-Box (BIAB) software created by PG Music in the general music classroom. Benefits of the program to music teachers; Key features of BIAB; Basic steps in making an accompaniment in BIAB; Tips on putting in chords; National standards for music education. INSET: Band-in-a-Box Interface.

Music educators want to encourage every child to sing or play an instrument--or at least they want them to feel capable of successful singing and playing. But recently, those of them concerned with performing arts medicine and musicians' injuries have had to deal with the sobering truth that just being able to sing or play an instrument is not…

Although the National Standards include achievement standards for improvisation for elementary school students, music teachers sometimes are reluctant to pursue improvisation study with young students. First- and second-year instrumental students, often older elementary or middle school students, may have difficulty studying improvisation because…