Curriculum Project

Linda Kiekel

MUS 777: Curriculum Writing in Music Education

Dr. Wendy van Gent

June 27, 2022

CURRICULUM PROJECT 2

Curriculum Project

I have developed this curriculum for my fifth-grade beginning band class, which will

have a few changes next year. During a curriculum review last year, the music department in our

school system changed the set of music standards to which we will align, and we also decided to

try a new method book for all beginning and intermediate band classes. I have created this

curriculum to adapt the class to these changes which go into effect in the fall.

School Mission Statement

International Schools Consortium, the company that oversees the group of schools to

which my school belongs, gives the following as their mission statement: “International Schools

Consortium (iSC) is committed to providing transformative, holistic PK-12 education to develop

globally-minded individuals who learn, love, and lead.” (iSC).

Personal Professional Mission Statement

As a music teacher, my job is to enrich students’ lives by their development of character

and musicianship, by guiding them to play with skill, purpose, creativity, and ownership.

Philosophy

Musicianship is a unique ability that has been given only to human beings (Fiske,

2012). Though some animals make sounds that can be measured in pitch or rhythm, none

come close to the human ability to create and appreciate music as a form of art with deep and

emotional meaning. The creation and enjoyment of music is a profoundly personal experience,

but it also is an experience that can be shared and used to build connection and community.

Music education is an opportunity to nurture musicality within the student and grow within

them a lifetime of musical flourishing. The primary goal of music education is to foster
CURRICULUM PROJECT 3

students’ lifetime involvement in music making, and so the teacher needs to understand the

ways in which students are most likely to connect to musical creativity and learning.

The best way to learn music is by actively making music, and so it is the music

teacher’s ethical responsibility to facilitate an environment in which every student can

experience success while participating in music making (Regelski, 2012). The classroom must

be a physically safe space and a secure place for students to try new things, make mistakes,

and actualize improvement. The teacher acts as a guide who is able to cultivate student

curiosity and interest in music. The teacher is the demonstrator, who then gently leads the

student to experience personal growth. The teacher must be skillful both as a musician and as

an educator, so that she can be more equipped to facilitate her students’ musical learning. A

nurturing teacher cares about each student as an individual first, then as a musician second,

and she teaches character development alongside musical growth.

Success within music education can be measured by each student’s ability to create

music that displays skills and meaning. A successful music program equips and inspires the

students to independently prioritize music-making in their lives and to seek for opportunities

to continue learning and growing as musicians long after the students leave the program.

I practice my personal philosophy of music education by respecting my students as

individuals and as musicians (Stauffer, 2012). My goal is to lead students to personal

ownership of their skills so that they are able to make and enjoy music without the support of

a teacher. I strive to understand my students and their cultures, and I pay attention to the types

of music that they are choosing when they are not in school. I give them opportunities to make

personal choices about their learning, and I teach in response to my students’ needs even when

this causes a deviation from what may be considered the ideal music program. I desire to see
CURRICULUM PROJECT 4

my students flourish in character and wisdom. Because music is one way that humanity

understands itself and its environment, students who become musicians gain formative life

experiences that will impact their growth as human beings.

Psychology

I have not yet taken the psychology course. My current approach to psychology and

how it affects student learning comes from the work of Dave Stuart Jr (2021). In his blog,

Stuart outlines five key beliefs that the student needs to hold in order to be successful in the

classroom. The beliefs are credibility, value, belonging, effort, and efficacy. I build credibility

with my students by doing well at my job, and showing confidence as I lead them in the

classroom. This does not mean that I cannot acknowledge mistakes, but that I demonstrate for

my students how to learn by showing them how I work through my own musical and teaching

challenges. Students need to understand that the work we do has value. I can show this to

them by articulating my own appreciation for the music they are making, as well as by

emphasizing the good life habits and character they are developing as musicians. I instill the

feeling of belonging in my students by making a conscious effort to greet them everyday day

and to ask them about their lives as often as possible. When students know that I care about

them, they will take a step towards believing that they belong in my classroom. Another way

that I can build the sense of belonging is by showing that I believe in them and their ability to

succeed. Students also need to see the value of putting in effort in the class in a way that

produces clear results (efficacy), and I can teach them these things, especially through the

skills of practicing and rehearsing.

CURRICULUM PROJECT 5

Research

I also have not yet taken the research class. However, last semester’s pedagogy class

was helpful because I was able to learn more about Edwin Gordon and use his research-based

methods in my classroom (Gordon, 2010). Two ideas from Gordon stood out to me from the

class. First is the idea of sound before sight, which means that my students should have

success with the sounds of a concept before being introduced to its written representation.

Second, Gordon explained that students can only learn one thing at a time. When students first

pick up the instrument, they are doing several new things at one time, so as a teacher, I am

learning how to teach this process more slowly, and I especially intend to delay the

introduction of the method book, and thus of reading notation, until my students have learned

a few notes and are playing with an appropriate developing tone.

Process of Development

I began to develop this curriculum outline by examining the current Texas Fine Arts

Standards, which my school’s music department will adopt in the fall. The fifth grade

beginning band class aligns most closely with the set of standards titled 117.208. Music,

Middle School 1, Adopted 2013. These standards are divided into four sections: Foundations:

Music Literacy, Creative Expression, Historical and Cultural Relevance, and Critical Evaluation

and Response. Within each of these four categories I re-worded and summarized each standard,

to make it more understandable and draw out the connection to a beginning band class. After

gaining clarity on the content of the standards, I created an outline of the class, counting how

many rehearsals and sectionals I am likely to have with the students each month. Next, I turned

to the new method book that will be adopted in the fall. We are going to use Habits of a

Successful Beginner Band Musician, by Scott Rush. I looked through the all the information I
CURRICULUM PROJECT 6

have available on this book, and examined the scope and sequence of the first book in the series.

I then began to match the sequence of the book with the outline of the class schedule,

determining which concepts and skills I could reasonably expect to teach each month. I also

added other class activities and learning objectives to the outline that are separate from the

learning that takes place through the method book. I finished the outline by giving a summary of

the assessments that will take place throughout the year.

Conclusion

Organizing this fifth-grade band curriculum was a helpful exercise for understanding the

content and scope that I desire to teach in this class next year. I now feel that I understand the

standards clearly, and I see how my teaching can align with the standards and lead the students to

success. This curriculum was designed only for my personal use, although another teacher could

choose to adapt it for his or her class if desired. I am thankful for the experience of creating this

curriculum because I have clear, articulated goals that will guide my teaching of this class in the

coming year.
CURRICULUM PROJECT 7

References

Conway, C. M. (2015). Musicianship-focused curriculum and assessment. GIA Publications, Inc.

iSC. (n.d.) Philosophy. Ldi.global. https://ldi.global/philosophy

Fiske, H. (2012). Student engagement of musical ideas. In A. L. Frega, & W. D. Bowman

(Eds.), The Oxford handbook of philosophy in music education. (pp. 307-327). Oxford

University Press Academic US.

Gordon, E. E. (2010). Essential preparation for beginning instrumental music instruction. GIA

Publications.

Regelski, T. A. (2012). Ethical dimensions of school-based music education. In A. L. Frega, &

W. D. Bowman (Eds.), The Oxford handbook of philosophy in music education. (pp. 184-

304). Oxford University Press Academic US.

Rush, S. (2020). Habits of a Successful Beginner Band Musician. GIA Publications.

Stuart, D. (2021). Finish Like We’d Like to Start: The Return of These 6 Things. Dave Stuart Jr.

https://davestuartjr.com/finish-like-wed-like-to-start-the-return-of-these-6-things/

TEA. (2013). Chapter 117. Texas essential knowledge and skills for fine arts: Subchapter B.

Middle School. Texas Education Agency. https://tea.texas.gov/WorkArea/linkit.aspx?

LinkIdentifier=id&ItemID=2147507571

Walker, D. F & Soltis, J. F. (2009). Curriculum and aims (5th ed.). Teachers College Press.