Wondering how you can design more flexible music curriculum to keep up to date with a rapidly changing society?
Watch the video below and follow six specific steps for becoming more aware of and questioning “what works” or the taken-for-granted conventions in our classes, ensembles, and programs to support you in updating and expanding your program.
For those curious, I draw upon on some curricular concepts along with some ideas from Chee Hoo Lum’s chapter Shifting landscapes in the 21st century: Adaptability and flexibility in general music teaching in the book [affiliate link]Teaching general music: Approaches, issues, and viewpoints edited by Carlos Abril and Brent Gault.
Consider sharing your perspectives and process in the Comments Section of the video on YouTube.
Timeline of Topics I Address in the Video:
00:00 A Dilemma!
01:49 Intro on Understanding conventions in our music programs
02:37 What are conventions in our music programs?
03:04 Conventions and Musical Boundaries
04:26 Step 1: Identify Conventions In Music Programs
05:34 Spot Conventions In Your Program (Interactive)
05:59 Skip Interactive Part to Continue on Here
06:46 Step 2: Reflect on: Why these conventions?
08:23 Step 3: Reflect on conventions with a friend
09:29 Step 4: Analyze conventions through a critical lens!
10:12 Step 5: Consider the impact of conventions
10:32 Understanding the impact of conventions
12:46 What are we supposed to do?
13:00 Make your program more flexible and adaptive
13:40 Step 6: Include student voices
14:37 Next steps and take action!
Questions Related to the Lum Chapter
For those interested in reading Lum’s chapter, here are some questions related to this video to consider:
- What does Lum mean by “conventions” in relation to music learning and teaching?
- What types of conventions might constrain young people’s musical engagement and learning?
- What types of conventions did you experience in your own music education trajectory?