Elementary General Music PDLCs

About Elementary General PDLCs

Elementary General Music PDLCs are based on the premise that the most effective method for teaching music to children is encompassed in a three-stage approach, called Whole/Part/Whole.

Stage 1 (Whole) is experiencing music in many tonalities, meters, styles, and timbres.  Techniques may include singing, chanting, moving, dancing, listening,  playing instruments, creating and improvising, reading, writing, and performing. At Stage 1, students experience music in a holistic way. Music content, such as different tonalities and meters is introduced in Stage 1. In Stage 2 (Part), students are studying the parts of music by learning a specific vocabulary of tonal and rhythm patterns. Music skills, such as the association of tonal and rhythm solfege with tonal and rhythm patterns, and music reading are introduced in Stage 2. In Stage 3 (Whole), students synthesize the content experienced in Stages 1 & 2 to provide understanding and comprehension of music. This understanding results in students engaging in musical activities in a sophisticated way.

Courses

Elementary General Level 1

Click here to learn more about this course. 

Elementary General Level 2

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Elementary General Faculty

Jennifer Bailey

FARMINGTON MI PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Dr. Beth Bolton

TEMPLE UNIVERSITY

Dr. Suzanne Burton

UNIversity of delaware

Dr. Christina Hornbach

HOPE COLLEGE

Heather Kirby

DEDHAM MA PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Dr. Diane Lange

UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS

Dr. Herbert Marshall

kent state university

Dr. Jennifer S. McDonel

RADFORD UNIVERSITY

Dr. Jill Reese

STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK AT FREDONIA

Dr. Alison Reynolds

TEMPLE UNIVERSITY

Dr. Heather Nelson Shouldice

eastern michigan university

Dr. Cynthia Taggart

Michigan state University

Dr. Wendy Valerio

university of south carolina

Andy Mullen

BURLINGTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Jennifer Doiron

Region 12 Public Schools

Elementary General Music, Level 1

Course Description

Based on an extensive body of research and practical application, this course engages participants in a developmentally appropriate, sequential approach to elementary general music instruction that empowers children to become musically independent and to express themselves through music. By focusing on how children learn music and develop audiation skills, participants will enrich their own musicianship and develop skills for teaching elementary general music. Participants will learn how to engage students in listening, singing, chanting, moving, playing instruments, and creating/improvising with the goal of developing music understanding. Participants also will explore how students learn to read, write, compose, and arrange music with comprehension.

Course Outcomes

Participants will:

  • deepen their understanding of how children learn music and what that means for instruction.
  • develop their own tonal, rhythm, and movement skills.
  • become more familiar and comfortable with engaging musically in a wide variety of tonalities and meters.
  • learn how to teach children tonal and rhythm patterns in major and minor tonalities and in duple and triple meters, respectively.
  • learn how to engage children meaningfully in music creativity and improvisation.
  • develop activities designed to deepen student’s music understanding and audiation through singing, chanting, listening, moving, and playing instruments. 
  • learn how to model, create, and engage children in developmentally appropriate movement.
  • develop procedures for assessing students’ music aptitude and music achievement.
  • explore curriculum development in elementary general music. 

Course Content

  • Theory and Practical Application
  • Preparatory Audiation and Audiation
  • Types and Stages of Preparatory Audiation
  • Skill Learning Sequence, and Tonal and Rhythm Content Learning Sequence
  • Topics include (a) informal instruction as readiness for formal instruction, (b) teaching a rote song instruction, (b) informal and formal tonal pattern and rhythm pattern instruction, (c) tonal syllables and rhythm syllables, (d) improvisation, (e) movement, (f) coordinating pattern instruction and classroom activities, (g) individualizing instruction, (h) curriculum, and (i) assessment.

Required Materials

  • Gordon, E. E. (2012). Learning Sequences in Music: A Contemporary Music Learning theory. Chicago: GIA.
  • Bolton, B. M., Taggart, C. C., Reynolds, A. M., Valerio, W. H., & Gordon, E. E. (2001) Jump Right In: The Music Curriculum, Teacher's Edition Book 2. Chicago: GIA.
  • Gordon, E. E. (2001) A Reference Handbook for using Learning Sequence Activities, 2001 revision. Chicago: GIA.
  • Gordon, E. E. & Woods D. G. (1990) Jump Right In: The Music Curriculum, Tonal Register Book One, Revised Edition. Chicago: GIA.
  • Gordon, E. E. & Woods D. G. (1990) Jump Right In: The Music Curriculum, Rhythm Register Book One, Revised Edition. Chicago: GIA.
  • Gordon, E. E., Bolton, B. M., Hicks, W. K., & Taggart, C. C. (1993). The Early Childhood Music Curriculum: Experimental Songs and Chants Book One. Chicago: GIA.
  • Soprano Recorder
  • Internet Access

Pre-Requisites

Participants should be familiar with the songs, tonal patterns (neutral syllable and solfege), and rhythm patterns (neutral syllable and rhythm syllables) available on the Tonal and Rhythm Skills Development CD, (Grunow, R. F., Gordon, E. E., & Azzara, C. D., (2010) Chicago: GIA.) For a richer experience, participants should read Learning Sequences in Music: A Contemporary Music Learning Theory before attending the workshop.

Elementary General Music, Level 2

Course Description

The Level 2 Elementary General Music Certification Program is intended for persons who have completed level one. This course deepens participants’ knowledge of a developmentally appropriate, sequential approach to elementary general music instruction. Participants will enrich their own musicianship and develop skills for teaching elementary general music. Participants will continue their study of music learning theory and the extensive body of research that supports the theory. They will also further their understanding of how to apply that theory by engaging students in singing, chanting, reading, writing, improvising, composing, and arranging music with comprehension.

The theoretical focus for Level 2 is on deepening and extending participants’ understanding of the skill learning sequence: discrimination learning (with specific attention to Verbal Association level, Partial Synthesis, Symbolic Association, and Composite Synthesis levels) and inference learning (with specific attention to Generalization and Creativity/Improvisation Verbal and Symbolic).

The practical application of Music Learning Theory includes the following: 1) deepening understanding of ability ability to teach using the three stage approach to music learning (whole-part-whole), 2) continuing to grow in a repertoire of songs and chants in a variety of tonalities and meters, 3) refining abilities to apply Learning Sequence Activities, 4) creating classroom activities for the different skill levels of learning, and 5) movement instruction to enhance music learning.

Course Outcomes

Participants will:

  • be able to describe how children learn music and what that means for instruction.
  • demonstrate personal audiation abilities via singing, chanting, improvising, and composing in a wide variety of tonalities and meters.
  • create classroom activities that reinforce and connect to the Skill Learning Sequence and deepen students’ musical understanding and audition through singing, chanting, listening, moving, creating, and playing instruments.
  • demonstrate proficiency in creating activities and in using Learning Sequence Activities at the Discrimination Skill Levels (with specific attention to Verbal Association level, Partial Synthesis, Symbolic Association, and Composite Synthesis levels) and Inference Skill Levels (with specific attention to Generalization and Creativity/Improvisation Verbal and Symbolic).
  • demonstrate understanding of how they can apply Music Learning Theory to curriculum planning (short- and long-term), instruction, and assessment in their context.
  • model movement (expressive and beat-related) and create developmentally appropriate activities to engage students in expressive and beat-related movement.
  • develop procedures for assessing students’ music aptitude, and communicate a clear rationale and strategy for using aptitude tests in their context.
  • demonstrate an understanding of how to use Music Learning Theory (and related tools and resources) to individualize instruction especially in relation to myriad diversity including culture, language, ability, gender, identity, and school context.
  • explore how intersections between learners’ cultures, identities, and understandings inform the ways in which teachers apply music learning theory within their particular teaching-and-learning context.

Course Content

Theory

  • Audiation and aptitude
  • Skill learning sequence 
  • Discrimination learning skill levels (with specific attention to Verbal Association level, Partial Synthesis, Symbolic Association, and Composite Synthesis levels)
  • Inference learning skill levels (with specific attention to Generalization and Creativity/Improvisation Verbal and Symbolic).
  • Tonal, rhythm, and pattern learning sequences
  • Combining and navigating skill, tonal, rhythm, and pattern learning sequences for curriculum planning
  • Adjusting and adapting to individualize instruction for learners with diverse characteristics and needs and within various contexts

Practical Applications

  • Tonal LSAs (Unit 5-13)
  • Rhythm LSAs (Unit 5-13)
  • Create classroom activities to coordinate with LSAs

Musicianship

  • Perform songs and chants in a variety of tonalities and meters.
  • Compose songs and chants in a variety of tonalities and meters.
  • Perform and improvise tonal patterns using syllables in major and minor tonality
  • Begin to develop pattern vocabulary using neutral syllable and tonal syllables in mixolydian, dorian, lydian, and phrygian.
  • Perform and improvise tonal patterns using syllables in duple and triple meter.
  • Begin to develop pattern vocabulary using neutral syllable and rhythm syllables in paired and unpaired meters.
  • Use Laban Effort Elements for expressive movements.

Required Materials

  • Gordon, E. E. (2012). Learning Sequences in Music: A Contemporary Music Learning theory. Chicago: GIA.
  • Bolton, B. M., Taggart, C. C., Reynolds, A. M., Valerio, W. H., & Gordon, E. E. (2001) Jump Right In: The Music Curriculum, Teacher's Edition Book 4. Chicago: GIA.
  • Gordon, E. E. (2001) A Reference Handbook for using Learning Sequence Activities, 2001 revision. Chicago: GIA.
  • Gordon, E. E. & Woods D. G. (1990) Jump Right In: The Music Curriculum, Tonal Register Book One, Revised Edition. Chicago: GIA.
  • Gordon, E. E. & Woods D. G. (1990) Jump Right In: The Music Curriculum, Rhythm Register Book One, Revised Edition. Chicago: GIA.
  • Gordon, E. E., Bolton, B. M., Hicks, W. K., & Taggart, C. C. (1993). The Early Childhood Music Curriculum: Experimental Songs and Chants Book One. Chicago: GIA.
  • Soprano Recorder
  • Internet Access

Pre-Requisites

Participants applying for Level 2, must have successfully completed Level 1. When applying to enroll for Level 2, participants must submit the following entrance requirements:

  • A twenty-minute video* of the candidate teaching children. This video will be reviewed in light of the quality of the teaching rather than the success of the children on the video. The video should include the following:
  • Two minutes of Tonal Learning Sequence activities at the Verbal Association level in harmonic minor tonality.
  • Two minutes of Rhythmic Learning Sequence activities at the Verbal Association level in triple meter.
  • A lesson including songs in a least two different tonalities, songs or chants in at least two different meters, a demonstration of continuous fluid movement, the teaching of a rote song either in an unusual tonality or meter at the Verbal Association level of learning, and a Creativity/Improvisation activity (tonal).
  • A one-page reflective statement on the candidate’s experiences teaching Learning Sequence Activities (Tonal Units 1-3 and Rhythmic Units 1-4) and on his/her development as a practitioner using Music Learning Theory.
  • Advance preparation is absolutely necessary to complete the PDLCs. Participants must be prepared to engage in fluent pattern interaction in Major and Minor tonalities (tonic, dominant, subdominant) at the Verbal Association Level and Duple and Triple meters (micro/macro, divisions/elongations) at the Verbal Association Level.

*It is preferred that this video(s) be shared by uploading to www.youtube.com (or similar online video/file sharing site) and citing the link in your application statement rather than sending a physical video.  Rather than having your video be public on YouTube, you can set it to be “unlisted” so that only those who have the link can view it.

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