Howell- Curricular pillars

MUSIC 23241: MUSIC TEACHING AS A PROFESSION
Mr. Marcus L. Neiman, Assistant Professor
Kent State University School of Music
Fall, 2011

CRN:  200910 – Section number: 001 – Class Days: TR 7:45a – 8:35 am - Classroom: SOM E202
Office: Band Office - 330.672.2965 - Telephone: 330.672.2965 (Kent Campus) - E-mail: mneiman@kent.edu
Office Hours: TR 9:00 – 9:55 am (Additional hours available by appointment)

BlackBoard and Text Readings

Submitted by:  Emily Young
Submitted for: Mr. Marcus L. Neiman, lecturer
Date: November 17, 2011

Howell, Allen C.  (2009).  Curricular pillars in the elementary general music classroom.
 Music Educators Journal, (March), Pages 37-41.

    Often times, when students learn something at a young age they will forget it very easily.  For this reason, elementary general music teachers should consider the use of pillars in their lesson planning.  Using pillars allows teachers to focus on a few key areas and revisit them frequently.  Teachers can focus on the nine national standards for music education and stick with a few activities that work.  These activities can be used each year to reinforce the lesson, and may increase in difficulty and skill level.
    When I try to remember what I learned in my own elementary general music classes, I can’t think of much.  I think that I would have benefited from frequently revisiting subjects that were learned. This can be a very useful method of teaching.  It is a scary thought to think about sitting down to make lesson plans for my first year of teaching.  Thinking in terms of pillars based on the national standards provides a much better idea of the overall structure of the class.
    I am really glad I got the chance to read this article. The author mentioned at the end how thankful she was to have discovered this method of teaching general music.  I am happy that I got the chance to learn about it before even entering the profession. However, reading about an idea and actually doing it are two completely different things.  I can’t wait to use all of these ideas that I am learning about in an actual classroom.  I think that these teachers learn these things through a system of trial and error and I will eventually develop a style that works best for me.