MUS 177: Introduction to Music Education

Fall 2013 Section 001

Course Syllabus
Instructor: Adam Kruse Course Time: Mondays & Wednesdays
11:30am-12:20pm
Email: kruseada@msu.edu
Course Location: Music Building
Office Hours: Mondays & Wednesdays Room #145
12:30pm-1:30pm
Music Practice Building Course Website: http://www.edmodo.com
Office #221 Group Code: 79tk4f
Course Goals:
To explore teaching identities, foundational topics, and social issues in music education.
To challenge our own positions and experiences as well as the dominant narratives affecting
our assumptions and beliefs about music teaching and learning.
To grow as individuals and as a community of learners, educators, and musicians.
Required Materials: Readings and other materials will be posted online at http://www.edmodo.com.
Policies & Procedures
Attendance: Students are permitted two absences during the semester. Each absence beyond two will
result in lowering a students grade by 0.5 (on the 4-point scale). Every two instances of tardiness will be
counted as one absence. Students are not required to contact the instructor ahead of time regarding
absences, but advanced notice and prompt communication are appreciated.
Participation: This is a seminar format class, which depends on all students participation. Students will
participate in full class and small group discussions in person and through the course website. Students
will be evaluated on the quality of their participation and their preparedness for discussions.
Classroom Etiquette: This classroom will support an inclusive learning environment where diversity and
individual differences are appreciated, respected, and recognized as a source of strength. It is expected
that all participants will respect differences and demonstrate diligence in understanding how other
peoples' perspectives, behaviors, and worldviews may be different from their own.
Written Assignments: The development of writing skill is an important attribute for a successful teacher.
Assignments will be evaluated with a rubric on the basis of content and writing mechanics. Rubrics will
be posted to the class Edmodo website. Writing assistance is available for students by appointment at
http://writing.msu.edu. All written assignments (other than Edmodo responses) should be submitted as
attachments in Microsoft Word format (.doc or .docx) to kruseada@msu.edu. Assignments should be
written in 12-point Times New Roman font, be double-spaced, and have 1-inch margins all around.
Do not turn in paper copies of assignments.
Due Dates: All assignments must be completed and turned in by 11:59pm the evening prior to the due
date listed on the syllabus regardless of a students class attendance. Late assignments will be reduced
by 0.5 (on the 4-point scale) for every day that they are late.

Academic Honesty and Integrity: It is assumed that the student is honest and that all course work and
examinations represent the student's own work. Violations of the academic integrity policy such as
cheating, plagiarism, selling course assignments or academic fraud are grounds for academic action
and/or disciplinary sanction as described in the university's student conduct code. Incidents of plagiarism
are taken very seriously and will be pursued. Students are strongly cautioned not to copy any text
verbatim or use someone else's ideas on class quizzes, tests, reports, projects, or other class
assignments without using appropriate quotations and source citations.
For University regulations on academic dishonesty and plagiarism, refer to
http://www.vps.msu.edu/SpLife and http://www.msu.edu/unit/ombud/plagiarism.html.
Accommodations for Disabilities: Students with disabilities should contact the Resource Center for
Persons with Disabilities to establish reasonable accommodations. For an appointment with a counselor,
call 353-9642 (voice) or 355-1293 (TTY). The course instructor may request a VISA Form (Verified
Individual Student Accommodations Form) from a student requesting services.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION: MICHIGAN BASIC SKILLS TEST
Music education students MUST take and pass the Michigan Basic Skills Test in advance of application
to the College of Education in the second year and the Advanced Standing process in the College of
Music. The music subject portion can be taken at the same time or at a later date. Information is
available at http://www.mttc.nesinc.com. Study guides are provided on the website. You must register by
the deadline, typically March 1
st
.
Assignments
DISCUSSION
Classroom Participation: This course relies heavily on class discussion of assigned readings and other
materials. All students are expected to contribute respectfully to classroom discussion, which includes
completing all readings and coming prepared to discuss assigned topics, participating consistently and
thoughtfully without dominating the conversation, and actively listening to the input of other students.
Due: Ongoing
Edmodo Responses: Assigned readings and other materials will require a posted response (around 200
words) to the class Edmodo website. Prompts for response will vary based on the topic of assigned
materials and will be posted to the Edmodo website prior to the due date. A typical response prompt will
involve three parts: (1) a brief summary of the material, (2) a statement of response (e.g., why you might
agree/disagree with the authors position OR a personal experience you can relate to the topic discussed),
and (3) a relevant question posed to the class for consideration and discussion.
Due: Ongoing Edmodo Responses will not be accepted late.
MANDATORY ASSIGNMENTS
Mini-Lesson Teaching & Reflection: Each student will lead the class in a 5-minute (no longer!)
learning activity. Students will type a description of their learning activity including the specific musical
concept that will be covered (e.g., melody, rhythm, harmony, tonality, texture, tempo, expression, timbre,
form) and the activity in which the class will participate and email the description to the instructor prior to
the class when they will teach. Students are encouraged to discuss their planned activity with the
instructor prior to teaching. (Suggestions: Do not plan to lead an activity about reading/writing music
notation, and do not plan to lecture or talk at the class for five minutes.) Following the teaching episode,
students will write a 1- to 2-page reflection considering the following questions: (1) What went well?
(2) What did not go well? (3) What would you do differently if you led this activity again?
Due: Teaching activity dates will be arranged during the semester. Reflections will be due no more than
one week after the scheduled teaching occurs.
Classroom Observations & Reflections: Students will complete three observations in local music
classrooms. Students are expected to dress professionally (e.g., no jeans, sweats, t-shirts) and arrive at
least ten minutes in advance of class. They should check in at the schools main office (prepared to show
photo identification) and be sure to introduce themselves to the teacher they will be observing and thank
her/him for allowing them to observe. Reflection papers should be 2 to 3 pages in length and include a
description of what the student observed as well as a personal reflection on how the observation
influenced the students thoughts and feelings about music teaching and learning.
Due: Observations will be scheduled outside of our class time during the semester. Reflections will be
due no more than one week after each observation takes place. Observations cannot be made up!
CHOICE ASSIGNMENTS
(Complete 3 of the following assignments. A fourth assignment can take the place of a grade for a
previous CHOICE ASSIGNMENT only. Skipped assignments will not be accepted after the due date.)
Personal Narrative: Students will write a 3- to 4-page narrative describing their personal background in
music education. Using rich description, they will tell the story of their experiences with music teachers
and describe their journey to becoming a musician. The narrative will also explore students personal
strengths and weaknesses as they relate to adopting the role of music educator. This should include
personality characteristics, prior preparation as a musician and/or teacher, and any other factors they feel
might impact their ability to lead others.
Due: September 16
th

One Students Story: Students will arrange to interview a young student (K-8) that they know (e.g., a
relative or friend) who is currently enrolled in a school music course. Interviews should focus on what the
young student values in her/his music education and why. Questions during the interview might include:
Why do we have music in school?, What do you learn in your music classes?, What would you like to
learn in your music classes?, What makes a good musical performance?, How do you know if youre
good at music?, etc. Students will write a summary of their interview experience including a description
of their interviewee (using a made-up name) and her/his musical background, a description of the music
class(es) in which the interviewee is currently enrolled, and the important topics and responses from the
interview (while not required, using direct quotes from your interviewee will strengthen your paper). The
paper should conclude with a brief statement about what music educators should consider in light of the
interviewees statements. Paper length will vary for this assignment.
Due: October 16
th

This I Believe: For this assignment, students will create an audio or video recording of a personal
statement between 3 and 5 minutes in length and upload their file to the Edmodo website. The recorded
statement will relate to a students belief(s) and experience(s) relevant to the music education foundations,
topics, or issues discussed in this course. It is highly recommended that students write this statement
and rehearse reading it prior to recording. Sample essays on a variety of topics are available online
(http://www.thisibelieve.org) as well as writing guidelines (http://www.thisibelieve.org/guidelines).
Due: November 27
th
Final Exam - Critical Reflection & Internal Inquiry: The final exam will be a written paper of at least
5 pages exploring students perspectives on music education. Guiding questions are as follows: How did
your past experiences affect the way that you approached this course? How will past experiences and
those from this class impact your future experiences in music education? What did you learn about
yourself and music teaching that surprised you this semester? Have your beliefs about what it means to
be a music teacher changed? How so? What areas of personal growth do you feel are necessary for
your development toward becoming a music educator?
Due: December 11
th
Grading

Discussion (40%)
Classroom Participation (20%)
Edmodo Responses (20%)
Mandatory Assignments (30%)
Mini-Lesson Teaching & Reflection (10%)
Classroom Observation Reflections (20%)
Choice Assignments, choose 3 (30%)
Personal Narrative (10%)
One Students Story (10%)
This I Believe (10%)
Final Exam (10%)

Grading Scale
4.0 = 100%
3.5 = 90%
3.0 = 85%
2.5 = 80%
2.0 = 75%
1.5 = 70%
1.0 = 65%
below 65% is
a failing grade
Course Schedule
Date Topic(s), Readings and/or Materials
Assignment
Due
Wednesday,
Aug. 28
th

Establishing a Positive Learning Environment
Introductions, Course & Syllabus Overview


Monday,
Sept. 2
nd

Labor Day No class


Wednesday,
Sept. 4
th

Teacher-Student Relationships
Video: Every Kid Needs A Champion Pierson
Edmodo
Response
Monday,
Sept. 9
th

Teacher Identity
Reading: The Courage to Teach Palmer
Video: Fish is Fish Lionni
(Bring scheduled commitments for the semester to this class.)
Edmodo
Response
Wednesday,
Sept. 11
th

Philosophies of Music Education
Reading: Philosophies of Music Education Labuta & Smith
Edmodo
Response
Monday,
Sept. 16
th

Early Childhood Music Education
Guest Lecture: Dr. Cynthia Taggart
Personal
Narrative
Wednesday,
Sept. 18
th

Observation Skills
Preparation for classroom observations

Monday,
Sept. 23
rd

The Aims of Education
Reading: The Aims of Education Walker & Soltis
Edmodo
Response
Wednesday,
Sept. 25
th

Healthy Musicianship
Guest Lecture: Dr. Judith Palac


Monday,
Sept. 30
th

The Culture of Competition
Reading: Lindys Story: One Students Experience in Middle School
Band - Scheib
Edmodo
Response
Wednesday,
Oct. 2
nd

Competition, Personality & Teaching
Guest Lecture: Dr. Mitchell Robinson


Monday,
Oct. 7
th

Music Education Pedagogy
Reading: Music Teaching Labuta & Smith
Edmodo
Response
Wednesday,
Oct. 9
th

Differentiated Instruction
Reading: Demystifying Differentiation for the Elementary Music
Classroom Hillier
Edmodo
Response
Monday,
Oct. 14
th

Popular Music & Vernacular Musicianship
Reading: Popular Music in School: Remixing the Issues Woody
Video: Rockin Education: Redefining Music in School Janov
Edmodo
Response
Wednesday,
Oct. 16
th

Mid-Term Reflections & Discussion
One
Students
Story
Monday,
Oct. 21
st

Centeredness
Reading: Stepping Aside: Teaching in a Student-Centered Music
Classroom Blair
Edmodo
Response
Wednesday,
Oct. 23
rd

Social Class & Music Education
Reading: Social Class and School Music Bates
Edmodo
Response
Monday,
Oct. 28
th

Environmental Contexts
Reading: The Rewards of Teaching Music in Urban Settings Bernard
Edmodo
Response
Wednesday,
Oct. 30
th

Race & Music Education
Reading: Missing Faces from the Orchestra: An Issue of Social
Justice? DeLorenzo
Edmodo
Response
Monday,
Nov. 4
th

Culturally Responsive Pedagogy
Reading: The Skin That We Sing: Culturally Responsive Choral Music
Education Shaw
Edmodo
Response
Wednesday,
Nov. 6
th

Exclusion in Music Education
Lecture/Discussion: Adam Kruse



Monday,
Nov. 11
th

Gender & Music Education
Reading: A Womans Place Is At The Podium Lawson
Video: The Story of Jazz
Edmodo
Response
Wednesday,
Nov. 13
th

Religion & Music Education
Reading: Rethinking Religion in Music Education Hoffman
Edmodo
Response
Monday,
Nov. 18
th

Sexual Orientation & Music Education
Reading: Sexual Orientation and Music Education: Continuing a
Tradition Bergonzi
Video: What Do You Say To Thats So Gay?
Edmodo
Response
Wednesday,
Nov. 20
th

Exceptional Learners & Special Education
Reading: Disability in the Classroom: Current Trends and Impacts on
Music Education Abramo
Video: I am a Person
Edmodo
Response
Monday,
Nov. 25
th

Bullying & Music Education
Reading: A Safe Education For All: Recognizing and Stemming
Harassment in Music Classes and Ensembles Carter
Video: To This Day Project Koyczan
Edmodo
Response
Wednesday,
Nov. 27
th

Postmodern Education
Lecture/Discussion: Adam Kruse
This I Believe
Monday,
Dec. 2
nd

Postmodern Education (continued)
Video: Changing Education Paradigms Robinson
Video: Why I Hate School But Love Education Breaks
Edmodo
Response
Wednesday,
Dec. 4
th

Discussion of Classroom Observations & Course Evaluations
Final Exam
due 11:59pm
on Dec. 11
th