Planning for A Reconceptualized

Understanding: CD
View of the Music Curriculum 0
By Janet R. B a r r e t t 3
C)
CD
A moreopen-ended
n
approachto
*MR
ususic teachers, like their colleagues in other fields, curriculum
are living through a paradoxical time in schools.
Currents of change in education and society seem
to pull teachers in contradictory directions. may be a wayto CL)
Nowhere is this flux more apparent than in cur-
riculum.' While teachers are called upon to differentiate teach- fostertrue musical
3F4
ing approaches to meet the diverse needs of students, they are
also asked to standardize expectations and provide highly struc- understandingamong
tured content for these very same students. School reform initia-
tives call for multiple means of documenting student learning, today'sstudents.
but, at the same time, the reliance on grades and test scores as
the primary indicators of progress seems more restrictive than
ever. At a time when resources are reappropriated for subjects
most susceptible to rigid accountability measures, other sub-
jects-the arts too often among them-struggle to maintain
funding.
It seems odd to ask music teachers to rethink their approach
to the curriculum when these forces demand their already over-
burdened attention. In a real and immediate sense, however,
times of conflict and challenge often prompt us to reconsider

Janet R. Barrettis associatepro-

E
fessor of music education at
s
Northwestern University in
Cs- o
Evanston,IL. She can be reached
o
[email protected].
8

The traditionalapproachesto curriculummay not be the

best way to engage today'sstudents in music.

MARCH 2005 21

Downloaded from mej.sagepub.com at East Tennessee State University on June 21, 2015
 FigureI. A PositivistApproachto CurriculumPlanning

Note:Thisdiagramis based on HildaTaba'ssteps in curriculumplanning,which also reflected the Tyler Rationalethat influencededucation
from 1949 onwards.Althoughthe model is decades old, contemporaryvariationsof this scientificapproachto curriculumplanningare
still quite prevalent.

regular habits and reassess familiar Even teachers' specialization by disci- right before instruction starts. Consid-
patterns of organizing the curricu- pline and subject is a persistent pat- erable attention is paid to the deci-
lum. Times of widespread change call tern, framed by traditional categories sions teachers make prior to students'
for creativity and vision as we exam- and labels. engagement with the curriculum.
ine essential questions about teach- You can test this notion of gram- Consider, for example, a common
ing and learning and think different- mar for yourself by imagining what diagram of curriculum planning (fig-
ly about the curriculum's capability you consider the quintessential roles ure 1). Like a series of actions in a
to answer them. The works listed in and responsibilities of a band direc- chain reaction, the diagramin figure 1
the Suggested Reading sidebar pro- tor, choral director, orchestra direc- conveys that curriculum planning is a
vide just a sample of some of the cur- tor, or general music teacher. The rational, orderly, and sequential pro-
rent thinking on the subject. generalizations you cite will likely be cess that culminates in student learn-
Educational historians David examples of our taken-for-granted ing. Students participate in a curricu-
Tyack and Larry Cuban describe assumptions. Many of these assump- lum that teachers deliver and demon-
some of our familiar traditions and tions about music teachers' work can, strate that they have "got it." The
practices as the grammar of school- and perhaps should, be reexamined assumption is that if we get the front
ing.2 Though we use grammar every and illuminated through a postmod- end of the chain right, the rest will fol-
day and underlying linguistic rules ern lens.3 For example, we might low. If we articulateand describe goals
govern our communication, we think differently if we considered stu- and intentions, organize the materials,
rarely stop to examine how these dents' musical experience as the and plan a sequence of instruction,
rules influence the form, shape, and organizing center of curriculum the desired outcomes will occur as we
purpose of our conversations. Like work. implement the curriculum package.
language, music teaching and learn- This model sounds very familiar to
ing are governed by a grammar that Traditional Curriculum many of us. We can point with pride
includes such traditional practices as This focus on student experience to the neatly plotted grids or tables we
periodic public performances, festi- contrasts with traditional models of have designed to chart the scope and
vals, and competitions; required ele- curriculum planning in which teach- sequence of the curriculum, an organ-
mentary general music; and elective ers and curriculum designers expend ized syllabus or handbook, or even an
middle and high school ensembles. much effort in getting the framework elaborately tabbed and color-coded
binder full of standardsand objectives
arrangedby grade level. If we use the
Suggested Reading common metaphor of curriculum as a
these documents resemble
* Harwood, Eve, and JackieWiggins."Composing a Lesson: ExaminingOur journey,
the itinerary. They give us a general
Metaphors."TheMountainLakeReader:Conversations on the Studyand Practice
sense of the major destinations, the
of MusicTeaching2 (2001): 32-41. time frame in which the journey will
* Poelman, B. B. "Harvard's Teaching for Understanding." In Musical
occur, and the order in which we will
Understanding: Perspectivesin Theoryand Practice,edited by Betty Hanleyand travel from one location to another.
Thomas W. Goolsby, 137-56. Victoria, BC: Canadian Music Educators
Association,2002. Examining the documents can give us
a broad answer to the question of
* Pogonowski,Lenore."TheRole of Context inTeachingand LearningMusic." what the music curriculum includes
In Dimensionsof MusicalLearningand Teaching: A DifferentKindof Classroom,
and how to organize it.
edited by EuniceBoardman,21-37. Reston,VA:MENC,2002.
* Wiggins,Jackie. Teachingfor Musical Understanding. Boston: McGraw-Hill,
2001. Reconceptualized Curriculum
As any traveler knows, an itinerary
* Wiske, MarthaStone, ed. Teachingfor Understanding: LinkingResearchwith is not the
Practice.San Francisco:Jossey-Bass,1998. journey itself. The overall
plan for the curriculum is not the
same as the curriculum that students
22 MUSIC EDUCATORS JOURNAL
and teachers experience. A different A story of practice will most aptly his own growing interest in music
model emerges from the more phe- illustrate this shift from delivering a technology and the capabilities tech-
nomenological view of postmodern specific curriculum (the traditional, nology afforded for exploring ideas in
thought. In this view, the lived expe- or positivist, mode) to constructing sound. He sensed that some students
rience of students takes center stage. the curriculum (a more postmodern in his rather successful band program
The ways that students make sense of orientation).4 As you think about this were profoundly creative but had few
the school experience and relate it to example, however, keep in mind that opportunities to pursue their ideas
their lives outside of school become reconceptualization is in itself a within the traditional rehearsal struc-
the focal point for creating the cur- process that reflects newly trans- ture. Moreover, he felt students
riculum (figure 2). formed beliefs and practices. Rather would be far more likely to remain
than leading educators to renounce engaged in music outside school if he
all familiar habits and traditions, could only foster their independent
innovations often spring from the musicianship within the classroom to
reconfiguration of familiar elements a greater extent. He realized that he
toward new ends, as you will see in enjoyed making musical decisions,
the following example. but he felt that his students did not
Timesof conflictandI have enough opportunities to make
challengeoftenpromptus An Example of Changing their own choices and form their own
Practice judgments about the music they were
to reconsiderregularhabits Teaching
Change often springs from a studying.
dis- These factors led White to recon-
and reassessfamiliar( potent blend of inspiration and
satisfaction. Nick White, a high figure his high school band curricu-
patternsof organizingthe school instrumental music teacher in lum. He recast the typical schedule of
a large suburban district, had been five rehearsals per week. The band
curriculum.! inspired by a mentor to think broad- met in the usual rehearsal setting
ly about "music for all"-the notion three days a week, but on Tuesdays
that music could engage more stu- and Thursdays students rotated
dents in more meaningful and imagi- among chamber music groups, a tech-
native ways.5 He was also inspired by nology-assisted composition class,

In figure 2, students' musical

understanding is at the center. Under-
Figure2. A ReconceptualizedView of Curriculum
standing is broadly construed as the
various ways that students organize Students' Musical
Experiences Outside of
knowledge in order to solve musical School
problems, createnew musical ideas, or
derive meaning from music. To facili-
tate this understanding, teachers draw
upon what students alreadyknow and S/tudents' Prior
their particular dispositions toward /,/ Knowledge and Diverse Musics
learning as they encounter new / / \"'". Beliefs / and Engaging
works, processes, and musical ideas. A // ......... Examples' \
curriculum centered on meaning pro- / / Dispositions .~, \ \
ItowardI iStudentsd
vides time for students and teachers to Musical Varied
Learning
Learning
reflect on music and its value, uses an Understanding \ Settings:
arrayof instructional strategies to pro- Formed through Individual,
mote inquiry, features varied settings Reflection on School Small, and
to promote independence, and offers Learning: Experience Large Group
Formative
plentiful avenues for exploring diverse Assessment/ Teacher. /
musics in school and community set- - /
L \ /\Knowledge and
tings. Essential questions for teachers Strategies to Community
to consider include the following: \ Promote Resources
How can classroom experiences Inquiry
directly engage students' musical
thinking? How can the curriculum
foster students' abilities and desires to Students' Lifelong
relate to music as a lasting presence in Engagement in Music
their lives? What is the essence of a
musical experience with this sort of
power?
MARCH 2005 23
and individual or small composition other teachers frequently asked White postmodern stance toward the cur-
groups. White pulled together what- how he could give up two rehearsals riculum becomes clearer. What
ever hardware he could find and per week without sacrificing his over- guides a teacher through the process
started modestly, but with determi- all goals for performance. White of reconceptualizing curricular prac-
nation. It was a learning process for found that the students' increased tices so that understanding and mean-
all as he and his students discovered sense of ownership and musical inde- ing making are central? Prescriptive
together what technology enabled pendence enhanced the large-group formulas, checklists, training manu-
them to do. rehearsal and that his goals for cham- als, or rigid methodologies are cer-
In the years that White facilitated ber music and composition comple- tainly inappropriate and incongruent
this arrangement, his role shifted mented the large-group components with this paradigm, since they draw
from primary decision maker to cur- of the overall instrumental program. from a scientific approach to trans-
riculum broker, ready to assist stu- Although this capsule summary mitting discrete bodies of knowledge
dents in carrying out their plans for makes the project sound tidier than it from teachers to students. Clearly,in
musical projects they wanted to pur- probably was as it unfolded, this brief a postmodern milieu, we need to artic-
sue. Students in chamber music description of one teacher's curricu- ulate how shifts in teachers' concep-
groups selected repertoire from lists lum experience illustrates some of the tions of curriculum planning enable
White provided, critiquing and central ideas of the reconceptualized shifts in student understanding.
coaching one another. Over time, the curriculum. The teacher expanded
emphasis on technology became less how he interacted with students, giv-
prominent as students used the soft- ing up some direct control in order to
ware to generate and record their foster independence. Students learned
musical ideas in new combinations in more open-ended and collaborative
(for example, flute and guitar duets). ways mediated by technology and the
incorporation of more varied instruc- Howcan the curriculum
tional groupings (individual, small
group, and whole ensemble). A wider fosterstudents'abilitiesand
array of musical processes and prod- desiresto relateto musicas
ucts were available for critique and
assessment of student learning. a lastingpresence
A curriculum centeredon This reconfiguration represents in
some ways the best of both worlds. in theirlives?
meaningprovidestime for The traditional full-ensemble rehears-
al existed side by side and in comple-
studentsand teachersto
mentary balance with the chamber
reflecton music music and composition curriculum.
Although the students who partici-
and its value. pated in this curriculum were not
systematically observed and inter- Postmodern approaches to plan-
viewed once they graduated, we ning strive to be open-ended and
might assume and hope that they responsive rather than closed and
have continued their musical engage- predictive. Instead of predetermining
ment beyond high school, because and sequencing all of the elements of
while in school they constructed the curriculum before students set
Although the Monday,Wednesday, musical dispositions and understand- foot in the classroom, teachers create
and Friday rehearsals continued as ings that would enable them to per- general frameworks that will evolve
they had before the change, students form, create, critique, and respond to and take different shapes as students
experienced the music curriculum music in their lives. reveal what they know and what they
differently. Rather than responding have yet to understand. This shift
first and foremost to the teacher as Toward a Reconceptualized suggests that curriculum planning
the primary authority, they made View of Curriculum Planning occurs in cycles throughout the edu-
more confident musical decisions, Many calls for reform build a case cational experience as the teacher
invented interesting musical prob- for change by juxtaposing traditional responsively modifies and adjusts
lems to solve, and negotiated solu- practices with innovative perspec- the curriculum to support and
tions with others in their chamber tives. These dichotomies help us extend students' thinking in new
groups and composition partner- examine and define new ways of directions. Unexpected turns of
ships. Patterns of social interaction thinking about teaching and learning thought give rise to further avenues
also changed as students began to through comparison and contrast, of exploration.
look to one another for guidance, even though they sometimes paint For example, in a curriculum for a
help, and constructive criticism. differences with too broad a brush. required sixth-grade general music
When this project was implemented, Through this intellectual exercise, a course, a teacher might plot out the
24 MUSIC EDUCATORS JOURNAL
broad scope of a "worlds of music" grade general music course, students in their lives and lead to deeper
curriculum, articulating the breadth might conduct oral history projects in interpretations of music they study
of cultural traditions and practices which they interview and observe and perform.
that might be explored, given access community musicians who represent
to resources, people, and materials. diverse musical styles. They might Notes
The path of exploration through collaborate with one another in small 1. For more on these paradoxes,see
those cultural traditions might be groups, work individually, or con- Andy Hargreaves, Changing Teachers,
determined based upon the interests tribute to large-grouppresentations of Changing Times: Teachers' Work and
and prior knowledge of the students their findings. The panoramic ways Culturein the PostmodernAge (New York:
and the musical events occurring in that students work in music and on TeachersCollegePress,1994).
the community during the course. their own understanding give teachers 2. David Tyack and Larry Cuban,
many forms of evidence for assessing Tinkering toward Utopia: A Century of
learning. An important constructivist Public School Reform (Cambridge, MA:
technique is inviting students to HarvardUniversity Press, 1995).
derive criteria by which their work 3. For more on postmodernism,see
will be judged. Betty Hanley and Janet Montgomery's
The process of examining long- introductionto this special focus issue,
standing beliefs and practices-the "Challengesto MusicEducation:Curricu-
Postmodernapproachesto patterns and rules that form the lum Reconceptualized," MusicEducators
underlying grammar of our class- Journal91, no. 4 (2005): 17-20.
planningstriveto be open- room work-is challenging, fre- 4. Foran illustrationof the differences
endedand responsiverather quently unsettling, and unrelenting. between the traditional,positivist cur-
Yet the exhilaration of observing stu- riculumand the morepostmodernrecon-
thanclosedand predictive. dents' unfolding confidence, compe- ceptualizedcurriculum,see Hanley and
tence, and creativity makes loosen- Montgomery, "Challenges to Music
ing the reins of predictability and Education,"18, figure1.
control worthwhile. Curriculum 5. This case is drawnfrom GeraldB.
planning in this reconceptualized Olson, Janet R. Barrett,AnthonyBaresi,
mode calls upon teachers to be Nancy Rasmussen, and Janet Jensen,
astute observers of students. Looking in on Music Teaching (New York:
Through problem seeking and solv- McGraw-Hill/Primis, 2000), and an April
The relevance of content takes on ing and through greater understand- 2004 interview with Nick White, who
particular importance in bridging the ing, students' questions become gave permissionfor his curriculumproj-
world of the classroom and the world insights about the role of the music ect to be described.U
outside school. Students' experience
and the teacher's knowledge become
avenues for connecting the curricu-
o m
lum to personal and collective mean- z z
ing. Attending to the purpose for | o
23N3W MENCResources
studying a particular tradition ampli-
fies this relevance, as does choosing
depth over breadth and understanding The following MENC publications offer more information on new
over coverage. A postmodern music
approachesto music education, learning,and curriculum.For more informa-
curriculum also strives for valid con- tion, visit www.menc.org or call 1-800-336-3768.
nections as students relate musical
ideas and examples to disciplines out- * Boardman,Eunice, ed. Dimensionsof MusicalThinking.Reston, VA:
side music. In this general music set- MENC, 1989. Item #1081.
ting, for instance, the curriculum
might include studying history, cul- * Boardman,Eunice,ed. Dimensionsof MusicalLearningandTeaching:A
tural practices and beliefs, and other DifferentKindof Classroom.Reston,VA:MENC,2002. Item #1082.
art forms to enrich and deepen under-
standing of the music and the people * Madsen,Clifford,ed. Vision2020:The HousewrightSymposiumon the
who engage in it. Futureof Music Education.Reston, VA: MENC, 2000. Available at
Instructional strategies provide
http://www.menc.org/publication/vision2020
occasions for students to perform, cre-
ate, critique, describe, and respond. * Reimer,Bennett, ed. Performing
with Understanding:
The Challengeof
Inquiry-based strategies are particu- the NationalStandardsforMusicEducation.Reston,VA:MENC,2000.
larly rich, since they develop students' Item #1672.
abilities to name and frame their own
problems. For the proposed sixth-
MARCH 2005 25