Abstract: This article is based on the lived experiences of the authors engaging with modern band and the organization Little Kids Rock (LKR). We approach this research as critical storytelling to highlight the importance of critique of music curriculum and pedagogy. We identify moments of cognitive dissonance we experienced with LKR and modern band and unpack them through theory. Data included review of LKR materials, journals, text-messages, reflective writing, and discussion around participation in LKR-sponsored events. We share our critical story through text messages and narration, through which we note issues such as neoliberalism and indoctrination; language mis(use) through educational buzzwords; identity reformation; and the manner in which teachers feel a need to cling to methodolatry or act as change agents. We illustrate the central role critique plays in music teaching discourses and practices to guide music teachers to accept vigilance of curricular resources and pedagogical approaches presented to them
Rathgeber, J., Bernard, C. F. (2022). When I say “modern,” you say, “bands: A critical narrative of modern band and Little Kids Rock as music education curriculum. Journal of Popular Music Education, 5(3), 337-358(22),
Abstract: This article is based on the lived experiences of the authors engaging with modern band and the organization Little Kids Rock (LKR). We approach this research as critical storytelling to highlight the importance of critique of music curriculum and pedagogy. We identify moments of cognitive dissonance we experienced with LKR and modern band and unpack them through theory. Data included review of LKR materials, journals, text-messages, reflective writing, and discussion around participation in LKR-sponsored events. We share our critical story through text messages and narration, through which we note issues such as neoliberalism and indoctrination; language mis(use) through educational buzzwords; identity reformation; and the manner in which teachers feel a need to cling to methodolatry or act as change agents. We illustrate the central role critique plays in music teaching discourses and practices to guide music teachers to accept vigilance of curricular resources and pedagogical approaches presented to them
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This manuscript is a listening curriculum developed in a master's degree curriculum class: Music is a listening-based artfom. It is through direct aural experiences with sound that humans interact with music at its most basic level. Listening to music is the most personal and focused level of engagement with music that most people have. It is an intimate interaction with sound in which, as Reimer (2003) states, “[l]isteners are called on to make sense of the music, to ‘put it together’ with mind, body, and feelings” (p. 117). Regarding listening’s creative core, Kerchner (1996) explains that listening is not merely a passive activity, but instead that “[l]isteners create and recreate their own musical experiences by perceiving certain musical elements” (p. 28). When listening, people take the sonic elements of a musical work and pair them with their own experiences and history to derive personal meaning. Also, music listening is an essential component to all other kinds of musical activity. Accordingly, listening must have a central place within any music curriculum. Yet, listening does not often receive such focused attention in music classrooms with regard to skill development and/or creative processing. Music is pervasive in our society and students regularly hear music in stores, on television, and on their own music players. However, one may ask if they are listening. Mills (2009) notes that the persistent sonic environment may “reinforce the habit of not noticing sound” (p. 75) and, therefore, students may not be fully developing their active listening skills to their fullest potential on their own. This is not to say that children come to music class without any sense of critical, creative, or meaningful listening abilities. Indeed, the musical genres and styles they choose to engage with on their own and with their families shape their understanding of listening and develops a different set of skills. In music class, listening instruction should seek to build upon and supplement a student’s personal listening skills. The following listening curriculum is rooted upon the philosophical grounding of Reimer’s (2003) conception that listening is an act in which “[e]ach individual listener must bring to that task his of her technical capacities to hear the complexities of the music” (p.117) in order to draw meaning from musical works. However, in order for students to be creative listeners and meaning makers, the “technical capacities” require specific and guided instruction. This is the crux of my project; to plan a sequential, meaningful, and relevant curriculum for the development of music listening skills. Specifically, students should be able to differentiate and discuss the musical elements of pitch/melody, rhythm/meter, dynamics, tempo, articulation, and timbre as they relate to the expressive and structural components of a musical work with a firm understanding of how these elements interact to create a musical whole. This manuscript is a composition curriculum from a master's degree composition class: Composition is a pathway by which people explore society, culture, and history while discovering their place within these spaces. Because of this, composition deserves a central place within the music curriculum. It is a unique creative experience that people have undertaken throughout time immemorial to mark their personal voice and group traditions upon the cultural and historical landscape (Paynter, 1992, p. 21). Composition within the music curriculum affords students the opportunity to explore sounds, organizational systems (forms, etc.), notational systems, musical vocabulary, music history, and other musical concepts through in-depth self-guided interactions they develop a new understanding of the ideas as a whole (Upitis, 1992, p.155). Finally, creative musical activity can be a useful conduit for the management and expression of emotions (Paynter, 1992, p. 10). From a young age, children are fascinated with sound and thus are inherently music makers. Through the experience of playing, children seek to make sense out of their environment, so too with sound (Barrett, 2003, p. 3). As children grow and enter school, too often this curiosity and creativity is inadvertently subverted in the push for academic and technical achievement. Music education regularly follows this trend in its emphasis of music literacy and performance. Composition is thus buried or relegated as a music literacy and/or standard notation assessment tool. However, composition can, and should, be seen as the basis for musical learning. Students study compositions, learn about the “great” composers, discover musical notation as used by composers. Yet, one factor is missing. Students must be encouraged to and shown how to compose for themselves. Through this seemingly innocuous process, students develop their own creative voice and come to understand and appreciate the work of others. In this act, students become attuned to their own emotions and abilities. For these reasons, composition will become embedded within the broader music curriculum. Students will experience fundamentals of music vocabulary and notational literacy through direct interaction and application of the concepts through focused compositions. Listening activities and elements of music history will be analyzed by composing “in the style of” such works to allow students to unfold the complex layers of sound and gain an appreciation for the techniques of the composers. Students will discover how to compose and address the major issues of why people compose. In this discussion, students will be introduced to tools by which they may create their own music, for whatever reason, in whatever setting they choose. Therefore, students may become more inclined towards creative expression through music and become more discerning consumers of music. |
ManuscriptsHere you will find downloadable unpublished manuscript, drafts of soon-to-be published works, and links to published scholarship created by Jesse Rathgeber. Categories
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