Alix Latta

MUSE 258

Citation
Sound Connections Chapter 4
Don Ester
3/25/2019

Discussion
This chapter deals with the music literacy instruction sequence for the Sound
Connections approach, explaining not only the practice itself but also the rationale behind why
this is the best possible approach in both the Sound Connections system and other ways of
teaching music. This sequence is based entirely on the sound before sight philosophy of music
education, moving from first echoing on neutral syllables to eventually reading patterns in their
musical contexts.
This is extremely important for music educators both present and future because it
outlines the exact approach that has been shown to be effective in previous chapters of the Sound
Connections book. With the knowledge given in this chapter, music educators will be able to
implement the Sound Connections approach without any guesswork as to the actual sequencing
going on within the classroom. This information is also particularly important for any music
educator looking to implement this system because it allows them to teach music literacy with
only a small amount of time each day. The Sound Connections approach allows teachers to
implement this crucial part of music education into their classrooms without disrupting the
normal flow of other activities done in the classroom. And, with the sequencing outlined in this
chapter, teachers can use a spiral curriculum to slowly move their students to complete music
literacy without much difficulty at all. This approach is ideal not only because of the research,
but because it follows the natural pattern of learning, and is therefore easier on both student and
teacher.