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Threading the Concept: Powerful Learning for the Music Classroom

  • Author: Hedden, Debra Gordon
Threading the Concept: Powerful Learning for the Music Classroom
Beginning in the early 1960s, music education practice was developed through two distinct but by no means mutually exclusive means. One approach focused upon developing conceptual understanding...

Threading the Concept: Powerful Learning for the Music Classroom

  • Author: Hedden, Debra Gordon

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Book – Paperback

$63.00

Printed on demand: estimated despatch time 7 - 10 days

Beginning in the early 1960s, music education practice was developed through two distinct but by no means mutually exclusive means. One approach focused upon developing conceptual understanding...

About

This book provides both preservice and seasoned music educators with a unique and powerful way of teaching. The premise of the book is to offer a pedagogical approach that emphasizes focus on conceptual learning that is sensory oriented. From the musical concepts we teach_melody, harmony, rhythm, and form_the teacher targets one concept per lesson (e.g., melody), and provides learning experiences in singing, listening, performing, moving, reading/writing, and improvising/composing that are all focused on only that concept. Essentially, the learners are bombarded visually, aurally, and kinesthetically, gaining a firm grasp of the concept because they have heard, sung, moved, performed, written, and created in that class, all in small time segments. The teacher has a greater ability to reach all students' learning needs and engage them in active learning in each class. The book not only offers background information about the learning process, but also specific lesson templates that serve as conceptual models for music classes.

Awards and reviews

Beginning in the early 1960s, music education practice was developed through two distinct but by no means mutually exclusive means. One approach focused upon developing conceptual understanding of music (e.g., rhythm, melody, and harmony) through performance, description, and creation. The other approach, mostly culled from European approaches to music instruction, emphasized the development of instrumental and singing skills through performance. Threading the Concept is a synthesis of these approaches. Hedden (Univ. of Kansas) utilizes the best of both approaches by developing the notion of threading. Threading occurs when a student is immersed in a musical concept through a variety of different musical experiences. Thus, a child may sing or play an instrument, move, listen, improvise, or create, read, and write about a musical concept. Musical development is supported by continued refinement and immersion throughout a child's formal education. The book contains four chapters. The first three chapters discuss aspects of curricular theory, foundations upon which the notion of threading is developed, and a detailed explanation of threading. The fourth chapter provides numerous lesson plans, each structured using the concept of threading. This is a valuable resource for preservice and practicing teachers. Recommended. General readers, undergraduate students, and professionals. -- June 2011
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