Fertile Ground in Middle Level General Music guides music educators to inspire their middle level students (grades 5–8) to engage more deeply in the general music classroom, where students are given the opportunity to "try on" a range of roles: musician, composer, listener, and critic. The book outlines the Fertile Ground Framework, a teacher's aide for curricular decision-making that unites the middle level concept with the National Core Arts Standards while emphasizing the developmental needs and cultural identities of students. This resource-rich book provides teachers with an array of adaptable classroom support tools, including: Lesson sequences Activity ideas Teacher resources and worksheets "Do-Now" exercises Featuring the real-world perspectives of thirteen music educators, Fertile Ground in Middle Level General Music is both practical and theoretical, presenting methods for creating rich, inspiring learning environments in middle level general music classrooms of all shapes and sizes, and highlighting the unacknowledged strengths that already exist therein. Focused on the aim of motivating students to pursue lifelong music learning, this book helps instructors find joy and excitement in teaching a wide array of musical topics to diverse groups of middle level music students.

Middle School General Music is a guidebook for music teachers trying to navigate the sometimes turbulent waters of teaching middle school general music. Written by an in-service teacher, this publication contains strategies and lessons that have been tested and refined in the 'real world' of a public school music classroom. Organized according to the nine National Standards for Music Education, each chapter presents tips and lessons for helping middle school students meet high standards in their understanding of music. Ideas include a Music Critics Unit, composition projects, rhythm games, and tips for encouraging students to sing with enthusiasm. Also contained in the book is a rationale for the inclusion of general music courses in the middle school program, and tips for working with young adolescents. A list of suggested resources is included. For middle school general music teachers looking to create a program that is viable, participatory, and motivating to adolescents, this publication is a useful tool.

This book echoes and enhances the generative, dialogic, knowledge-building process that took place at the AMLE 2021 conference, reflecting the way in which middle-level researchers work collaboratively and draw ideas and inspiration for their studies from prior research and accounts of practice, as well as their own experiences in the field. Each of the five sections features a recent study presented at the roundtable session at the 2021 AMLE conference, accompanied by two companion pieces offering different perspectives on the work. In the latter, the authors enrich and extend the original research by incorporating feedback from the conference session discussions, revisiting their findings and conclusions, considering alternative approaches to further research, and proposing new or clarified implications for practice. Addressing themes across theoretical frameworks and diversity of research design, and with topics ranging from music education to teacher agency and the productive struggle, the volume crucially presents and discusses recent innovations in the field with a view to prompting future research questions and deeper inquiry. As such, it will benefit researchers, doctoral students, and academics in the fields of middle level education, educational research, and specifically research methods in education. Those interested in teaching and learning, and adolescent development more broadly will also benefit from this volume.

Model Cornerstone Assessments (MCAs), that were developed for the National Core Arts Standards in Music, are curriculum-embedded measures designed for music students to apply relevant knowledge and skills while demonstrating learning in the standards that define the artistic processes. They are meant to engage students in tasks authentic to a school’s curriculum and honor the intent of the Music Performance Standards. They are created as models to allow for usefulness in a variety of curricular contexts and demographics. The intent of each MCA is to provide research-based assessment tasks that is specifically focused on the expected learning for the performance standards with rubrics that has been tested for scoring consistency. Following substantial development and piloting in schools across the United States, this book provides a thorough background of the MCAs and the confidence measures administered to guide implementation by teachers, administrators, and the educational community.

This text presents essential theories and methods for teaching music in the elementary and middle schools in a format that reflects current thinking in teacher training. Through the use of case studies, cooperative tasks, and teaching scripts, students are engaged in the challenging realities and joys of teaching general music. The text helps student develop skills in lesson-planning and evaluation and offers effective ways to engage children in meaningful music experiences through singing, listening, moving, playing instruments, composing, and reading music. Kodaly, Dalcroze, and Orff approaches are covered, as are major learning theories. Current topics include mainstreaming, multicultural classrooms, gender issues, creative and critical thinking, cooperative learning, and whole language approaches. Because of the many innovative teaching approaches found in this text, it can serve a wide variety of students. The case studies, teaching scripts, and role playing activities will work equally well in courses for music education majors and in courses which prepare elementary school teachers to incorporate music into their curriculum. The book can also serve as a resource for graduate music education courses.

The purpose of the Strategies for Teaching series is to help music teachers implement the K-12 National Music Education Standards and MENC's Prekindergarten Standards. Hundreds of music teachers across the country participated in this project, the largest such participation in an MENC publishing endeavor. Each publication focuses on a specific curricular area and a particular level. Each includes teaching strategies based on the content and achievement standards, a preface and an introduction, and a resource list.