Music educators take the stage as part of summer special topics courses.
This summer, students gathered at the Kent State University campus at the Glauser School of Music for music education special topic courses. Open to music education majors, graduate students and P-12 educators as a workshop or for credit, the two-week courses included: Methods in Rock Band Performance and Pedagogy, Orff I-III and Culturally Responsive Song Research: Applications to Instruction for General Music and Youth Choirs.
Methods in Rock Band Performance and Pedagogy
In Methods in Rock Band Performance and Pedagogy, students learned about the philosophical and theoretical basis for using popular music in the classroom. A key aspect of the course was creating and performing songs as a cohesive rock band.
“It is so fun to guide them through playing instruments they’ve never played before and help them understand pedagogical techniques for approaching those instruments. Another key factor in popular music education is student autonomy, so students in this class choose the repertoire and how they want to contribute to each song,” said Dr. Jay Dorfman, coordinator of music education.
Dorfman continues: “My favorite part of the class is the influence it has— every time the class has run, several students have gone back to their own classrooms and started popular music ensembles. Nothing can replace the experiences they get in this class as they start their own journey in popular music education.”
The course ended with a final performance at the Venice Café in downtown Kent, where students took the stage and performed hit songs like "Eleanor Rigby," "Tainted Love" and "HOT TO GO!"
Orff Levels I-III
Orff teacher education courses embrace the Orff Schulwerk approach, which encourages experiential learning, play, and improvisation in music education. Spearheaded by Dr. Butch Marshall, associate professor of music education, the two-week courses ended with a student-inspired performance full of vocals, recorders, percussion instruments and movement.
Culturally Responsive Song Research: Applications to Instruction for General Music and Youth Choirs
This partially online course utilized Culturally Responsive Teaching and Kodály-inspired pedagogy to help educators review and revise music curricula and song choices for cultural relevance. Participants studied literature, researched song origins, evaluated their curriculum and practiced new teaching strategies, culminating in three days of reflecting on best practice and sharing the culture units they had designed. This course was co-taught by Dr. Butch Marshall and guest Kathy Kuddes.
The summer sessions ended with music educators recharged and ready to take on the new school year!
About Music Education at Kent State
Kent State’s Glauser School is a leader in music education in Ohio and one of only two public universities in Ohio to offer the B.M. through Ph.D. in Music Education. It is also home to one of the largest 100% online Master of Music in Music Education program in the United States.