3 Mini-Course Proposals

MUED372
Lexi Jennings

Course Title: Collaborative Show Choir

Course Description: The goal of a collaborative show choir class is to rely heavily on student
autonomy in order to produce a performance that reflects the artistry, musicianship, and overall
collective efforts of the class. In the initial phases of the course, students will brainstorm and
work together to choose a theme for the production, and in turn, choose songs that fit the theme
or message they are trying to portray. With encouragement and guidance from the instructor,
students will be lead to explore different genres that are appropriate for the style of show,
ranging anywhere from musical theater to classic rock to popular music. Students will work with
the instructor in a more traditional setting when it comes to learning the notes and foundational
aspects of the music, but the student collaboration will be heavily reflected in the work between
the student band and the performing ensemble. Students will be responsible for piecing together
the instrumental elements with choral elements, all while incorporating choreography. Student
choreographers must be responsible for dance instruction, which requires extensive attention to
detail with regards to the music from the band and choir. Students in the band are responsible
for transposing on their instruments, and providing instrumentation based off of the score that is
provided for the class. A performance will reflect the culmination of student efforts and
collaboration in this musical setting.
Need for the Course: A course that requires an extensive amount of communication and
overlap between different musical disciplines provides multiple diverse benefits for all students
interested in music. First and foremost, this type of course provides an artistic outlet that keeps
student interest at the forefront. The musical choices are delegated to the learners, which allows
them to incorporate what is meaningful to them into a classroom environment where those
choices become validated through artistic expression. Show choir itself also provides the
opportunity to combine music and dance. There are multiple benefits that come from adopting a
kinesthetic approach to learning, and in combining movement with music, a new vehicle for
performance is adopted. This course will also serve to provide more overlap between the
instrumental world and the choral world. Especially in higher levels of a K-12 education, the
vocalists and instrumentalists start to become separated in terms of their discipline and
instrument. This course would call for collaboration across the board, bridging that existential
gap. In the article "The Show Choir Movement: Uses and Abuses" by Peter Tiboris, he states "a
show choir in the music program informs the public that the [school] recognizes and endorses
various kinds of performance aesthetics and practices." (Tiboris, 1983).
Expected Impact on Students: Students will learn to approach music of varying genres with
proper technique that is still stylistically appropriate. Students will also learn how to provide
choreography for music that results in a performance where the aesthetic is appropriate and
does not take away from the integrity of the choral setting in conjunction with the instrumental
accompaniment. Students will observe and collaborate with various forms of instrumentation to
figure out what type of accompaniment is necessary for an effective performance that
appropriately fits the style of each chosen song.
Standards that are emphasized in this course:
HCI.9 The student will investigate aesthetic concepts related to music by
1. analyzing and explaining how the factors of time and place influence characteristics
that give meaning and value to a work of music;
2. describing personal emotional and intellectual responses to works of music, using
music terminology;
3. analyzing ways in which music can evoke emotion and be persuasive;
4. applying aesthetic criteria for determining the quality of a work of music or importance
of a musical style; and
5. explaining the value of musical performance to the community.
HCI.8 The student will analyze and evaluate music by
3. applying accepted criteria for evaluating works of music; and
4. applying accepted criteria for critiquing music performances.
HCI.7 The student will explore historical and cultural aspects of music by
1. describing the cultures, musical styles, composers, and historical periods associated
with the music literature being studied;
2. comparing and contrasting a variety of musical periods and styles, using music
terminology;
3. comparing and contrasting the functions of vocal/choral music in a variety of cultures;
4. describing how musicians, consumers of music, and music advocates impact the
community;
5. comparing and contrasting career options in music;
6. examining the relationship of choral music to the other fine arts
Expected Impact on the School/Community: Endorsing performance of music in a show choir
setting would be reflective of an arts program that fosters student interest and cultural
relevance. In allowing students to choose music and production methods that are most
meaningful and effective to them, the course itself will be a product of what students are truly
valuing in their lives both inside and outside of the walls of a classroom. This course promotes
musical recruitment as a whole because it spans across different musical disciplines, and
provides training for serious musicians, as well as those interested in popular music.
Performance variety in general promotes musical diversity and gives students more options.
Course Title: Hip-Hop and Rap as a Cultural Statement
Course Description: A hip-hop/rap music class would emphasize the use of technology and
promote cultural awareness through the use of this genre of popular music. Students will spend
initial units on identifying the role that hip-hop and rap music has played in society over time,
and how it has been approached as a means of reform and social change. After identifying the
history and evolution of hip-hop and rap, students will then be introduced to musical concepts
like rhythm, form, diction, and other sound elements that are a trademark of this genre of music.
At this point, students will be able to use their knowledge of the societal nature of hip-hop in
combination with their understanding of the musical elements to approach different examples of
music from an educational understanding. Then, students will start to become involved with
basic forms of mixing and remixing, and even writing some of their own music that they feel fits
into this genre based on their studies and knowledge. Students could have multiple
assignments that reflect their interests within the genre, like remixing or covering a pre-existing
hip-hop or rap song that they find compelling, or picking a historical event or social movement
that could inspire new music and making something of their own from scratch.
Need for the Course: Although the use of hip-hop and rap in music education remains
somewhat unexplored, this course will manage to provide students an education in musical
elements as well as cultural ones. The course will provide students with tools to help them
discover what aspects of this genre of music contribute to popular music, and how that
contributes to society. In the article "How hip-hop Musicians learn: strategies in informal music
making," authors Johan Soderman and Goran Folkestad state that "an important feature of
hip-hop is that it is not only a musical genre, but a whole culture." (Soderman and Folkestad,
2004) I believe that it is important to bridge the gap between educational music and cultural
identity that educators choose to tread carefully on, and if we were to provide students with the
tools to form the connections themselves, they can bring their culture into the classroom and
learn from music in the process.
Expected Impact on Students: Students will be able to explore the more traditional and
educational facets of music that are usually emphasized in a more traditional music classroom,
such as theory, aural skills, and basic music literacy training. This course will allow for students
to get in touch with those skills but with a genre of music that is more non-traditional and still
prevalent in society. In the uprising of a highly political and vocalised society, there is myriad of
use music and art to create a statement or communicate a message. Providing students with a
healthy and unique medium for self-expression will allow them to make connections to the
political and cultural world, and they will be concurrently practiced in music literacy.
Standards that are emphasized in this course:
HG.1 The student will read and notate music, including
1. notating original musical ideas on the treble and bass staves;
2. identifying and using the standard notation symbols for pitch, rhythm, dynamics, tempo,
articulation, and expression;
3. notating music from dictation; and
4. using contemporary technology.
HG.2 The student will compose and arrange music within specified guidelines by
1. incorporating appropriate voicings and ranges; and
2. using a variety of sound, notational, and technological sources.
HG.6 The student will explore historical and cultural aspects of music by
1. describing distinguishing characteristics of musical forms and styles from a variety of cultures;
2. identifying ways in which culture and technology influence the development of music and
musical styles;
3. identifying the relationship of music to the other fine arts and other fields of knowledge;
4. researching career options in music; and
5. explaining ethical standards as applied to the use of social media and copyrighted materials.
Expected Impact on the School/Community: A non-traditional music course that highlights
the use of an increasingly popular genre of music has the potential to spark interest among the
student body, and interest students that may not be as interested in a more traditional music
course. Students can share their original creations that will reflect their culture and personal
statements, which creates ties to their community.
Course Title: The Evolution of Composition
Course Description: A class for songwriting would serve to educate students on a wide range
of skills necessary for musical competency and literacy, all while fostering a creative space for
students to express their ideas through music. This course would be open to students of all
interests and instruments, and it would be accessible to students on voice, instrumentalists, or
even students seeking to use technology as the basis of songwriting. Different units in the
course will highlight different time periods and genres of music, and students will spend time
learning and composing a bit of music appropropriate for each. At the beginning of the course,
students will be assigned the task of writing a jingle for a commercial, because this is something
hopefully everyone has been exposed through in various forms of broadcast media. It will cover
the basics of simple chord progressions, rhyming phrases (form), instrumentation, etc. This unit
will serve as an introduction to what the bulk of the course can and will consist of, in the hops of
retaining student interest. The course will cover composition in the form of part-writing in SATB
style, composition in jazz, composition in contemporary music, and students will be encouraged
to explore the various methods of composition on all instruments, not just their primary.
Need for the Course: The main focus of this course will be student creation. The benefits of
this course would span across multiple aspects of a holistic music education, including music
history, theory, and performance. By requiring students to create compositions in different styles
and genres ranging from different times periods, it will call for an in-depth understanding of the
different elements associated with each style. It will also establish a class that requires musical
appreciation. Students will not only adapt a sense of appreciation for the different genres and
style periods, but for different instruments as well. The class participants will be encouraged to
try new instruments and forms of composition. In the article "The Three Artistic Processes:
Paths to Lifelong 21st Century Skills through Music", author Scott C. Shuler states to educators:
"Teach your students to carry out the three artistic processes independently, and you will set
them on paths to lifelong musical involvement." (Shuler, 2013) One of the three emphasized
artistic processes in music education is creating, which will serve as the basis of this course.
The other two processes are performing and responding, which will also be utilized in a
composition class.
Expected Impact on the Students: Students will be given a creative outlet to express their
musical knowledge and ideas through various different musical styles. This will require an
extensive knowledge in music history and theory, which covers many musical standards.
Students will be required to create original music, perform the original music, and respond to the
original music of others- the three artistic processes that are of importance in music education.
Standards that are emphasized in this course:
-All HMT standards (0.1-0.13)
-All high school performance standards (instrumental and choral)
The student will explore historical and cultural aspects of music by
1. comparing and contrasting the cultures, musical styles, composers, and historical periods
associated with the music literature being studied;
2. assessing musical periods and styles, using music terminology;
3. analyzing the characteristics of instrumental music from a variety of cultures;
4. analyzing and evaluating opportunities for music performance and advocacy within the
community;
6. assessing the use and misuse of ethical standards as applied to social media and
copyrighted materials; and
7. modeling exemplary concert etiquette as an active listener.
Expected Impact on the School/Community: This course will promote student creativity and
self-expression, and will be open to students of all musical disciplines. This provides an option
for a musical outlet for all students, even if they dont play an instrument. Students will form their
own opinions on music of different genres and styles, and contribute their own musical ideas
based off of their own experiences. Students will also perform a concert of their own
composition of their choice, which extends their musical knowledge into the rest of the student
body and the community.
Sources Used:

Tiboris, P. (1983). The Show Choir Movement: Uses and Abuses: A Symposium. College Music
Symposium,23(2), 21-31. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/40374334

Johan Sderman & Gran Folkestad (2004) How hip-hop musicians learn: Strategies in
informal creative music making, Music Education Research, 6:3, 313-326, DOI:
10.1080/1461380042000281758

Shuler, Scott C. "The Three Artistic Processes: Paths to Lifelong 21st-Century Skills through
Music." Mej.sagepub.com. NAfME, 10 June 2013. Web.