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Ancient Greece and Rome

Overall, the Greek and Roman cultures portray the conflict between the aesthetic and

utilitarian uses for education that still exists today. Though ideas about music education have

shifted and evolved, theories about its use are constantly swinging back and forth between these

two ideologies. I plan to use components of both the Roman and Greek uses for music to provide

a well-rounded music education to my students.

Medieval and Renaissance

I find this time in history fascinating because it explains some of the difficulties we face

today with religion and schools. I dont know that it impacts how I teach, but it helps me better

understand where we come from, which in turn helps me to become both a better person and

teacher. The philosophies of Vittorino and Comenius really struck a chord with me. Because I

teach in a low-income school, Vittorinos passion for equal education for all students inspired me

to continue to fight for my own students. I agree with Comenius on so many things, but one that

especially sticks out for me is the idea that students should travel to experience the world first

hand. I know many of my students cannot travel, but with technology I can bring some of that

experience to them. And as a music teacher, I have even more of an obligation to help my

students understand life in different parts of the world.

Enlightenment through Renaissance

As we progress through history, I find each group of people to be increasingly relevant. It

would be impossible to fully describe the impact of this group of philosophers and educators in a

paragraph, so I will mention the most important. First of all, almost every person we studied in

the Enlightenment and Renaissance periods stressed the importance of student experience. I

already make student experience a priority, but I will use the knowledge I gained in studying this
time period to implement even more student-driven lessons. The importance of play was also a

running theme in this section, which is something I think we are mistakenly stepping away from

in the current education system. I plan to implement more play into my curriculum. Finally, I

think Pestalozzis idea that students should experience a concept before it is labled is critical in

order to give students a schema on which to build further understanding. I am guilty of rushing to

give a symbol to a concept before my students fully understand what they are learning. I will be

challenging myself next year to wait to apply symbols to abstract concepts.

Colonial America

Lowell Masons theory that all children are capable of singing is still, and always will be,

an important concept. I often see children in my school who think they cannot sing, when in fact

they are just as capable as any other student. It is my job as a music educator to encourage

students to begin singing as early as possible and to continue as they get older. This idea

relates strongly to David Elliots idea of praxial music education. If my students begin singing on

a regular basis when I first see them in Kindergarten, they will have a solid foundation of singing

as they grow older. If children start singing as early as possible and are encouraged by their

parents, peers and educators, they will be more likely to continue singing later in life.

I also relate strongly to the emphasis on Pestalozzian principles during this time period.

Educating the head, heart and hand can be easily applied to education as a whole and also to

music education specifically. I plan to think about this often as I continue my career and focus

on including each of these elements in my daily lesson plans. Music can educate the head

through study of interpretive components, history, culture and music reading. It strengthens the

heart by encouraging self-expression and it involves the hand when students are actively

experiencing music. After studying this time period, I plan to be more deliberate in incorporating

head, heart and hand.

Post-Civil War to 19th Century


I find the rote vs. note debate fascinating, as I had never heard much about it before

coming to Ithaca College. It is interesting that the National School promoted rote teaching, most

likely initially because of the lack of resources available to this new nation. This method was

primarily reception learning, which we now know is usually not the most effective method.

However, there is a strong case for rote learning being the most effective way to teach music to

young children. The Normal School, on the other hand, was much more interactive for the

students, but was not nearly as effective in developing a solid schema for students.

The Natural School combined these two ideas, suggesting that children learn first by rote

and then transition to note. In my experience, this is the best method for developing a solid

understanding of music reading. However, when I first started teaching, I wanted my students to

learn how to read notes as quickly as possible. I still often catch myself doing that, because I

still subconsciously equate reading notation with good teaching. This course has really

challenged that idea, and I am looking forward to taking more of a Natural School approach next

school year.

WWII-1983

This era is fascinating. It explains so much of our current culture and attitude toward

education. The extreme changes in the education system are still happening today, and the idea

that government officials should be intervening in education is one of our biggest problems now.

It helps so much to understand the history behind todays educational struggles. I am able to

see why people think the way they do, even if I do not agree with it. I think it is imperative for us

to understand this so that we can begin to have crucial conversations about education. If we

cannot understand where people are coming from and be able to listen to them, we can never

hope that they will hear us.

Apart from the general history, this era brought forth many of the general music

approaches I use in my classroom every day. My students are very much familiar with Kodaly,

Orff and Dalcroze methods. I strongly believe that each of these approaches have strengths and
one should not be used on its own. Movement, singing and playing are all imperative for a well-

rounded elementary education. It is interesting to see how important elementary music

education is during this time. I would love to see more emphasis and training for elementary

teachers, as it is the foundation for all future music making.

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