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MUSC 546

MUSC 546

Methods and Practicum for Primary Music  

Catalog Entry

MUSC 546.  Methods and Practicum for Primary Music  

Credit Hours:  3

Prerequisite:  Undergraduate Degree in Music

Cross-Listed: MUSE 446: Methods and Practicum for Primary Music

Brief Description of Course: Study of children’s musical mental, physical, behavioral, emotional, and social growth characteristics from ages Birth – 8 years and development of appropriate curriculum, methods, and materials for teaching Grade PreK–Grade 2 general music. Students learn and practice teaching strategies and technologies for supporting student learning as defined by local, state, and national standards for music education. Strategies for adapting instruction to students with specific types of exceptionalities will be explored.

 

Detailed Description of Content of the Course

Study of children’s musical mental, physical, behavioral, emotional, and social growth characteristics from ages Birth – 8 years and development of appropriate curriculum, methods, and materials for teaching Grade PreK–Grade 2 general music. Students learn and practice teaching strategies and technologies for supporting student learning as defined by local, state, and national standards for music education. Strategies for adapting instruction to students with specific types of exceptionalities will be explored.

 

Detailed Description of Conduct of Course

The objectives for this course will be accomplished through the following:

  • Readings about child development, children’s music learning, and primary music instruction
  • Lecture and model teaching
  • Peer teaching and evaluation
  • Online reflective journaling and discussions
  • **Field experience: Hands-on time observing, participating in, planning, delivering, and reflecting on early childhood music classes at Radford Early Learning Center (RELC).
  • Special topic paper

 

 

Goals and Objectives of this Course

In this course, students will:

  1. Develop background knowledge of children’s, mental, physical, behavioral, emotional, social, and musical growth characteristics from birth to age eight.
  2. Develop cultural competency: the capacity to understand one’s own cultural identity, understand the different dimensions of diversity, and use those dimensions of diversity to foster academic achievement, growth and empowerment for all students.
  3. Develop knowledge and awareness of a research-based approach to teaching early childhood music with an understanding of how children sequentially perceive and conceptualize music in accordance with their individual music aptitudes and achievement.
  4. Develop conceptual, ethical, and legal knowledge and practical skills necessary for presenting appropriate activities in the primary general music classroom;
  5. Develop and demonstrate musicianship skills by:
    1. Singing a repertoire of appropriate songs in a variety of tonalities and meters
    2. Performing and improvising a vocabulary of patterns in various tonalities and meters
    3. Demonstrating a movement repertoire using Laban effort elements: flow, weight, space, time
  6. Develop and practice planning skills and strategies—including long-term, curricular learning goals, sequential learning objectives, daily lesson plans—and assessment strategies that will support student learning in music as defined by local, state, and national standards. 
  7. Develop appropriate classroom management strategies.
  8. Develop foundations of professional teaching habits, attitudes, and dispositions, including:
    1. completing assigned written work competently* and on time. (*see page 11 for guidelines)
    2. preparing thoroughly for teaching demonstrations, both in class and in the field
    3. preparing for and actively participating in discussions in and out of class                                  
    4. keeping accurate records of fieldwork/observation hours,
    5. reflecting thoughtfully on the activities and experiences that occurred while you were at the school through online discussion boards, and
    6. using online applications (Google Docs) to co-write lesson plan activities with colleagues and record and track students’ musical behaviors across the semester.
  9. Develop critical self-assessment and reflective capacities through ongoing reflective assignments, recording observations, experiences, and thoughts regarding new or changing perspectives about music education and oneself as an emerging music teacher.

 

 

Assessment Measures

  1. Core Repertoire Proficiency
  2. Quizzes
  3. Weekly Reflective Journals
  4. Activity Planning (Individual and Group)
  5. Lesson Delivery (Individual and Group)
  6. Music Development Profile 
  7. Special Topics Paper
  8. Course Resource Notebook

 

Other Course Information:  

OneCampus: OneCampus@radford.edu Desire to Learn (D2L) on OneCampus is RU’s course management system. You must have your RU username and password to access the course through D2L. Reliable access to the Internet on a computer or other device capable of accessing D2L is required.  See “Learner Support” section below for links to help topics.

 

Review and Approval

Approved:  April, 2010

April 1, 2024

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