Informed Registration: Optional Template
Date of posting: MAY 6, 2009
Instructor name and contact information: TBA
Course/Section name and number, term: MUSED 678 (Methods of Teaching Vocal/General Music) Fall
09
This course is a requirement for students in the Teacher Education Program in Music and is designed
specifically for students in this program.
Learning goals and objectives:
This course is designed to introduce students to the organization and administration of school vocal and
general music programs and to strategies and techniques for teaching vocal and general music(Pre K-12).
Students will examine and discuss the National and New York State standards in the arts as they apply to
school vocal and general music programs and will examine, compare and contrast examples of curricula used
by various school districts. Students will receive guided practice in designing and presenting age appropriate
lesson plans linked to the standards and will study the basic principles and applications of vocal pedagogy.
Special attention will be given to meeting the needs of diverse populations, acquiring effective classroom
management skills and identifying successful rehearsal techniques. In addition, each student will complete 18
hours of fieldwork in the New York City public schools, where they can practice applying these topics under
the supervision of co-operating school music teachers. As a final project, each student will compile a personal
portfolio containing journal entries, reflections and supporting materials related to their fieldwork experience.
MUSED 678: METHODS OF TEACHING VOCAL/GENERAL MUSIC (PREK-12)
PRE-REQUISITE: Permission of the Graduate Advisor
REQUIRED TEXTS:
Feierabend, editor, TIPS: Music Activities in Early Childhood: Music Educators National Conference, 1990.
Haasemann, Group Vocal Technique: Hinshaw, 1991.
Rutkowski, TIPS: The Child Voice: Music Educators National Conference, 1997.
Teaching Choral Music: A Course of Study: Music Educators National
Conference, 1991.
Teaching General Music: A Course of Study: Music Educators National Conference, 1991.
The School Music Program: A New Vision: Music Educators National Conference, 1994.
RECOMMENDED RESOURCES:
NYSSMA Manual (A resource of graded solo and ensemble music suitable for contests and evaluation festivals):
New York State School Music Association. Your MENC membership automatically makes you a NYSSMA member
and you can order this manual directly from NYSSMA. Make sure to request the most recent edition with both
binder and inserts.
Rao, Doreen, ed. Choral Music for Children: An Annotated List: Music Educators National Conference, 1990. (This
book is available at the Hunter College Bookstore or you can order it directly from MENC).
COURSE PLAN
Week 1
Introduction to Methods of Teaching Vocal and General Music: Guidelines and placement for
fieldwork: Discussion of portfolio project: MENC membership: Designing a lesson plan.
Week 2
Students will discuss and examine the National and New York State music standards as they
relate to school vocal and general music instruction. Due Today: Read The School Music
Program: a New Vision, pp. 1-26.
Week 3
Music in Early Childhood; The Child Voice; General Music Activities for the Primary Grades. Due
Today: Read TIPS: Music Activities in Early Childhood and TIPS: The Child Voice. Create rubric for
Project #1 w/ student input.
Week 4
Singing in the Elementary Grades: Achieving Good Unison Sound; Beginning to Sing in Harmony.
Distribute rubrics for Project #1
Week 5
Listening Activities; Due Today: Students will present Project #1.
Week 6
Movement Activities; Guest Speaker: Anne Farber: An Introduction to Dalcroze. Due Today: Read
the article on Dalcroze previously distributed by the instructor. Students will help develop
evaluation criteria for Project #2.
Week 7
Composition Activities; Instructor distributes rubrics for Project #2.
Week 8
Classroom Instruments; Guest Speaker: Laura Khoulish: An Introduction to the Orff Approach.
Week 9
Middle and High School General Music Activities; Sample Lesson Plans; General Music Curricula
Pre K-12; Distribute Bobetsky article, “Arranging Musicals for the Middle School Choir” and
Chapter 4 from Linda Swears’ Teaching the Elementary Chorus.
Week 10
Due Today: Students will present project #2.
Organizing the Elementary and Middle School Choral Programs: scheduling, rehearsal techniques,
voice production, repertoire; working with changing voices in the middle school choral program
Due Today: Read: Group Vocal Technique, pp. 1-35; Read Bobetsky article, “Arranging Musicals
for the Middle School Choir”, previously distributed on 3/26; Read Swears Chapter Four
(handout), previously distributed on 3/26;
Week 11
Relaxation, Posture, and Breath Control; Due Today: Read: Group Vocal Technique, pp. 37-64.
Week 12
Resonance, Dynamics, Crescendo, Register, and Range; Due Today: Read: Group Vocal
Technique, pp.64-96. PORTFOLIOS ARE DUE TODAY!
Week 13
Legato, Staccato, Diction; Due Today: Read: Group Vocal Technique, pp.64-96. Distribute Take
Home Final Exam today.
Week 14
Score Preparation; Auditioning Singers; Due Today: Read: Group Vocal Technique, pp.137-172.
TAKE HOME FINAL EXAM IS DUE TODAY!
Week 15
The Choral Curriculum PreK-12; Repertoire for the High School Chorus; Selecting Literature,
Conducting Tips; Due Today: Read: Teaching Choral Music: A Course of Study.
PROJECTS AND EXAMINATIONS: Two mini-projects, one portfolio and one Take Home Final Exam. Further
details about the portfolio can be found on page five of this syllabus.
GRADING POLICY:
% of Final Grade
Due Date
Mini-Project #1
15%
TBA
Mini-Project #2
15%
TBA
Attendance/Participation
10%
ongoing
Portfolio
40%
4/30
Take Home Exam
20%
5/14
All assignments, projects and the take home final exam are due on the assigned due dates. Assignment and
project grades will be reduced by ten points for each class meeting that an assignment or project remains
outstanding.
ATTENDANCE AND CLASS PARTICIPATION: It is expected, barring a documented emergency, that all students
will attend every class and fieldwork session and will arrive on time. Regular, punctual attendance and
participation in class will not only help you to do well in the course, but may also improve your grade; poor
attendance and/or lateness will result in a lower grade. You must complete all eighteen (18) hours of
fieldwork, verified in writing by the public school co-operating music teacher, on or before the required due
date, in order to receive a passing grade in this class.
FOOD POLICY: Music Department policy prohibits food and drink in all classrooms.
INCOMPLETES: Music Department policy states that the grade of “INCOMPLETE” will be granted only in cases of serious,
documented emergencies and then only when permission has been obtained in writing from the Department Chair, no
later than one week before the final class meeting.
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: Hunter College regards acts of academic dishonesty (e.g. plagiarism, cheating on
examinations,
obtaining unfair advantage, and falsification of records and official documents) as serious offenses against the values of
intellectual honesty. The College is committed to enforcing the CUNY Policy on Academic Integrity and will pursue cases of
academic dishonesty according to the Hunter College Integrity Procedures.
WITHDRAWL: Students who wish to withdraw from a class with a grade of W may do so by submitting a withdrawl form
with the required signatures to Oasis by the announced deadline (around the 8th week of class). Withdrawl after the deadline is
allowed only in cases of serious emergency and must be approved by Student Services. Students who stop attending a class
without officially withdrawing will receive grades of WU, which count the same as F. The Music Department does not support
requests to have grades of WU changed retroactively to W.
DIRECTIONS FOR PREPARING THE FINAL PORTFOLIO PROJECT
The final portfolio project will constitute 40% of the final course grade. The entire portfolio must be neatly typed
and professionally presented in order to receive full credit.
This project is meant to be directly related to your fieldwork experience in the New York City schools. Your
portfolio will contain three distinct parts: Journal Entries, Reflections and Supporting Materials.
Journal Entries should be presented in the form of a diary. These are your recollections (the facts and events) of
what you observed during each day of your fieldwork.
Reflections go beyond the facts and represent your attempt to draw conclusions and evaluate what you observed.
In what ways was the teacher successful or unsuccessful in his or her teaching methods and rapport with the
students? What challenges did the students present to the teacher (in terms of musical skills/abilities and
behavior)? Do you agree or disagree with the teacher’s approach in general and in particular situations? What in
your opinion are the teacher’s strengths? In what ways do you think the teacher could improve? Did you notice
any situations where you would have handled things differently? Why or why not? Describe any interaction you
had with the students as part of this field experience. If you were given activities to work on with the students, talk
about the nature of the activity and evaluate your experience. What did you learn from this?
Supporting Materials should be presented in the style of a scrapbook/album. Include copies of any worksheets,
handouts, rules, music, concert regulations etc which may have been passed out to the students during the course
of your fieldwork.
During the semester, you should arrange to have an individual conference with me to discuss your progress on
the portfolio project. At that time, you can show me what you’ve completed to date and I can critique your work
and offer suggestions.