I recently returned from the Mountain Lake Colloquium for General Music Methods teachers (and graduate students). I cannot say enough positive things about the colloquium and words such as revitalizing, inspiring, thought-provoking, and collaborative can only begin to give a sense of what a wonderful conference this was. It was obvious that great care went into its organization and it went very smoothly while truly providing a sense of community. Bennett Reimer and Estelle Jorgensen provided rich philosophical perspectives and the presentations throughout the three days helped connect theory and practice. Lunch time roundtables, group singing and even barn dancing were other aspects of the Colloquium that make it such a unique conference to be a part of.
One of the many questions that participants wrestled with throughout the conference was “What is general music?”
Whether you were at the conference or not, this is an important question to consider in the context of your own music program.
What do the general music classes in your school look like? What do you envision the ideal general music class to be?
The next Mountain Lake Colloquium will be in 2009 and I highly suggest you consider attending if you are a teacher educator or grad student interested in General Music Methods. In the meantime take a look at the Mountain Lake Reader which is available for purchase and now in full text in online databases of scholarly journals.
Mountain Lake Colloquium for General Music Methods teachers is one of the best events in my schedule. Thx for your review! Musiklehrer Regensburg