What can happen when learners choose the musical materials and activities? What possibilities arise when learners are involved in planning? What do students learn from helping teachers plan what goes on in class? What do experiences/concerts look and feel like to learners, teachers, and parents when learner are involved in every step of the process? What roles exist for learners and teacher in these types of classrooms? In this session, we address these questions through presenting examples for actual classrooms and discussing pedagogy and pragmatics to foster student-centered and student-led classrooms.
In the session, Abbie VanKlompenberg will discuss what happened in her experiences in both a 6-8th grade choir as well as in K-5 general music classrooms and the challenges/rewards that she and her students experienced. Jesse Rathgeber discuss his work with elementary school students, in both general music and choral settings, to explore the pedagogy and pragmatics of fostering student-centered and student-led classrooms. Attendees and presenters will collaborate to consider multiple possibilities for helping learners create a place for themselves in the music classroom, and for making the music classroom a home for learners and teacher, alike.

Click here for the handout and supplemental materials

This case study explores the means and meanings of participation in a music therapy rock band for young adult members. The band, the Smooth Criminals, was comprised of five young adult members diagnosed with developmental disabilities and four adult assistants, including three music therapists/interns and myself as a volunteer. Data collection included: video recordings of weekly rehearsals and three concert; field notes; interviews with young adult members, their family members, and the other adult assistants; and a researcher journal. Through data analysis using organizational and axial coding, three major themes emerged: (1) young adult members use the band as a space to play with and construct personal identity, (2) participation in the band afford the young adult members and their family members a space for community and mutual care, and (3) adult assistants as acting as embellishers and providing a safety net. Findings suggest the experiences hold mostly social and identity-based meanings for young adults and that actions of the young adults are facilitated by self-adaptations and help from adult assistants. The discussion explores possible implications of this study for music education and music education research practices.

​Rathgeber, J. (2015, June). Let’s rock, together: The Smooth Criminals, disability, and inclusion. Paper presented at the Association for Popular Music Education Conference, University of Miami, Miami, FL.

Universal Design for Learning fits perfectly in general music classrooms. This session will include an overview of UDL and examples from both an elementary and a secondary general music teacher of successful UDL lessons.

McCord, K., Gruben, A., & Rathgeber, J. (2011, May). General music for all: Universal
design for learning. Plenary session presented at Mountain Lake Colloquium for Teachers
of General Music Methods, Mountain Lake, VA.