By Krystal Esau

In collaboration with the Music Library, we’ve put together a display of music education materials! Come check out the display in person or read on to see the books, curriculum resources and children’s fiction we have to inspire your use of music in the classroom, no matter what subject you teach. You can also check out the matching display at the Music Library and read about their materials on their blog!

Theme 1: Music Education: what is it and why do we do it?

Highlights:

Music matters : a philosophy of music education by David Elliot and Marissa Silverman discusses the importance of music and how we teach it, from listening to playing to creating. Chapter 12, Music Education and Curriculum, offers a praxial philosophy for creating music teaching curriculum.

MasterClass in music education : transforming teaching and learning, edited by John Finney and Felicity Laurence, explores the insights of music educators throughout the UK. Highlights include Transforming an 'Unmusical' Primary Teacher into a Confident Musician: A Case of Personal Narrative Enquiry by Zoe Bremner and An After School Rock School Investigated: Why Are They Here? by Joanne Cheetham.

The origins and foundations of music education : international perspectives, edited by Gordon Cox and Robin Stevens, takes us on an international tour of music education in primary and secondary schools. Similarities of struggles and successes, as well as unique insights are discovered. Check out chapter 9 by Nancy F. Vogan: Canada: Diverse developments across the decades.

Other resources:

Issues of identity in music education : narratives and practices
Pop-culture pedagogy in the music classroom : teaching tools from American idol to YouTube
Vitalizing music history teaching
Educating music teachers for the 21st century

Theme 2: Children's books to inspire a love of music

Highlights:

Desert queen by Jyoti Rajan Gopal and Svabhu Kohli is a biography in verse about the drag queen and folk dancer Queen Harish, who began dancing to provide for his sisters at 13 years old.

The green piano : how little me found music by Roberta Flack tells the true story of the five-time grammy winner’s first piano, which her father brought home from a junkyard and fixed up for her.

Hello, Mister Blue by Daria Peoples is a beautiful picture book about a little girl who loves to play music with her father. She meets Mr. Blue, a friend of her fathers who is unhoused. She sees how he contributes to the community through the music he plays on the street and asks her father hard questions about where he lives.

Other Resources:

Theme 3: Tools to create and deliver music education

Highlights:

Teaching instrumental music in Canadian schools by Edwin B. Wasiak is a thorough guide to teaching instrumental music. It covers everything from planning programs and lessons to creating a positive environment for learning, to the specifics of jazz education.

Kodály today : a cognitive approach to elementary music education by Michael Houlahan and Philip Tacka shares the Kodaly concept, a music education pedagogy based on the teaching philosophy of Zoltan Kodaly, a Hungarian composer. It includes curriculum and detailed instruction for teaching children to sing.

Stomp, boom, blast 2 : creating more music with everyday stuff by Cathy Blair is full of songs to play with grades 3-6 students. Instruments using household items are suggested, from rubber bands to boxes of uncooked pasta.

Other resources:

Theme 4: Using music in your classroom- for learning and community building

Highlights:

Let the music play! : harnessing the power of music for history and social studies classrooms by Anthony M. Pellegrino and Christopher Dean Lee covers the importance of music throughout major historical and social events and how to incorporate into your classroom to enhance learning.

"We've been doing it your way long enough" : choosing the culturally relevant classroom by Janic Baines, Carmen Tisdale and Susi Long shares first-hand knowledge on creating welcoming and relevant classrooms for racialized children. They discuss how the current curriculum and examination standards in America are unjust. Chapter 4 Musical Literacies in the Culturally Relevant Classroom describes how Janice and Carmen use music to build community and strengthen identity in their classroom.

The rock 'n' roll classroom : using music to manage mood, energy, and learning by Rich Allen and W. W. Wood is a guide to using music daily in any classroom. They give advice on how to use music for memory support, brain breaks, calming energy and more.

Other resources:

Music Education Materials