Adam P.
Miller – MUED380
Curriculum priorities, instructional goals, and
preferred teaching methods of elementary general
music teachers
Purpose
The beginning of a student’s music education is
absolutely crucial in providing the foundations for
musical understanding that will stick with students in
whatever musical endeavors they may pursue in
their futures. While they are incredibly important,
these foundations may include many different
aspects of music. I wonder, and am interested in
looking into how existing elementary school general
music curricula prioritize different aspects of music,
OR prioritize different aspects other than music
altogether. In a study conducted in 2005, Abril in
Gault found that pre-service general music teachers
would prioritize education aspects such as
entertainment/recreation, expressive/creative,
sociocultural, and musical in a similar positive way,
while in-service teachers tend to prioritize musical
aspects the most (Abril and Gault, 2005).
Additionally, Amanda Niland argues that it’s
important to prioritize child-centered musical play to
encourage children’s exploration of musical elements
Themes in the Literature
and concepts (Niland, 2009). While looking at what
general music teachers may prioritize, I also think it
(continued)
would be interesting to look into how they are
gearing their curriculum. I am very interested in
researching what those perspectives and opinions ØImplications of a “musical-
may be, with regard to the purpose of these sorts of
classes. Understanding how general music teachers
prioritize different educational aspects in their
classrooms, and what perspective they may have
about how to gear their curriculum, would help
guide me in creating my own personal general music
curriculum and understanding how to gear my own
classroom
Themes in the Literature
ØMusical Goals
Ø Commonwealth of VA DoE lists
specific instructional objectives
in a “sample curriculum.”
Ø Music Theory/Literacy,
Performance, Music History and
Cultural Context, Analysis ØSinging and Movement vs.
Evaluation and Critique, and
Aesthetics.
ØIncorporating Play
Ø Singing, moving, and exploring
sound are extremely valuable
aspects and elements of
musical understanding, but it’s
good for children to explore
these elements in a playful way.
ØMethodologies – Eclectic or
Purist?
Ø When given the option to
prioritize methodologies
including Jacques-Dalcroze,
Orff, Kodály, Comprehensive
Musicianship, Manhattanville
Music Curriculum Program,
and Other, the majority of
elementary school general
music teachers chose two or
more, showing that ultimately,
they were eclectic in their use
of specialized methods.
Research Questions
Ø In what ways do existing curricula
prioritize different aspects of
music such as performing, history,
ear training, etc.?
Ø In what ways are (or aren’t)
elementary school general music
curricula typically geared towards
life-long, student-centered
musicking?
Ø What methodogical approaches
do general music teachers prefer?
Do they prefer more than one, or
do they prioritize one?
goal” centered classroom
Ø Some classrooms prioritize
musical goals and internal
fulfillment of their music
teacher, rather than fostering a
culturally relevant and student-
centered classroom.
Ø This approach resulted in an
“isolated musical experience
that did not support
integration of cultural
linguistic, and popular musical
experiences and largely
ignored issues of cultural
responsiveness.” (Kelly-
McHale, 2013)
Music Literacy and Playing
Instruments
Ø Singing and Movement were
generally prioritized most in
grades K-2, but over time were
replaced with Music Literacy
and Playing Instruments in
grades 3-5 – as shown below.
Mynatt, J. K., & Burton, S. L. (2018). Curricular priorities of
elementary general music teachers. Joshua K. Mynatt.
Full Inquiry Project
Suggestions for Practice
Ø Student-centered curriculum
Ø Understand how to
incorporate musical goals in a
student-centered manner
Ø Cultural responsiveness
Ø Structure curricula and
classrooms to support and
nurture an environment
where everyone can grow
Ø Adopt Eclecticism
Ø No one methodology can
meet the needs of every
student
Suggestions for Future
Research
Ø Lack of specific curriculum document
analysis
Ø There were surprisingly hardly
any actual documents of
elementary general music
curricula – let alone any analysis
of them
Ø Administrator perspectives on what
is important to include
Citations
Ø Abril, C., & Gault, B. (2005). Elementary Educators' Perceptions
of Elementary General Music Instructional Goals. Bulletin of the
Council for Research in Music Education, (164), 61-69. Retrieved
from http://www.jstor.org/stable/40319260
Ø Brittin, R. V. (1995). Eclectic or purist? Elementary music
teacher’s preferred teaching methods. Texas Music Educators
Association, 1-5. Retrieved from:
https://www.tmea.org/assets/pdf/research/bri1995.pdf
Ø Commonweath of Virginia Department of Education (2015).
Sample Music Curriculum for Virginia Public Schools. Virginia
Department of Education, 3-29. Retrieved from:
http://www.doe.virginia.gov/instruction/fine_arts/music/k-
12_sample_music_curriculum.pdf
Ø Kelly-McHale, J. (2013). The Influence of Music Teacher Beliefs
and Practices on the Expression of Musical Identity in an
Elementary General Music Classroom. Journal of Research in
Music Education, 61(2), 195–216.
https://doi.org/10.1177/0022429413485439
Ø Mynatt, J. K., & Burton, S. L. (2018). Curricular priorities of
elementary general music teachers. Joshua K. Mynatt. URI:
http://udspace.udel.edu/handle/19716/23771
Ø Niland, A. (2009). The Power of Musical Play: The Value of Play-
Based, Child-Centered Curriculum in Early Childhood Music
Education. General Music Today, 23(1), 17–21. doi:
10.1177/1048371309335625