Curricular priorities of elementary general music teachers
Date
2018
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Publisher
University of Delaware
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to discover the curricular priorities of PK-5 general music teachers and the proportion of time spent on those skills they use in their music classrooms. Through completing an online questionnaire, ninety-six PK-5 general music teachers indicated the activities they emphasized, per grade level, in their music curricula, the methods they consulted for curricular planning, and the percentage of time they spent teaching various musical skills. Findings indicated that the most commonly consulted resource by questionnaire participants was the 2014 Music Standards. Respondents also commonly used the Orff-Schulwerk Approach and Kodály Concept as curricular frameworks. Singing was the skill prioritized the longest percentage of time across teachers’ curricula and, along with movement, was frequently used in teachers’ PK-2 classes. As grade levels increased, movement and singing became less common and were replaced with music literacy and playing instruments. Teachers may use this study as a consensus of what educators prioritize in their curricula and consult this consensus for their future curricular planning. Suggestions for future research are conducting longitudinal case studies on teachers’ curricular priorities to discover why teachers choose the curricular designs they use in their classes.
Description
Keywords
Communication and the arts, Education, Curriculum preferences, Elementary general music preferences, Method preferences, Music education, Singing, Time teaching musical skills