When Music Goes to School

Danette Littleton is a former professor of music education and elementary school music teacher. She lectures and writes on children’s musical development, specifically the relationship between music learning and play.

Weaving together reflections on practice, policy changes over time, and childhood musical development, Littleton (a specialist in music education) examines music education in public schools and the various forces that shape the conceptualization and delivery of instruction. The author divides the book into five thematic sections: ‘Individualism: A Curriculum of One,’‘Imagination: The Musical Culture of Children's Play,’‘Originality: The Voices of Children,’‘Inventiveness: Making Meaningful Music with Children,’ and ‘Perspectives: Voices of Teachers.’ In contrast to texts that offer reflections on a career and practical advice, this volume balances thoughts on practice with research and/or historical events. Each section begins with a robust discussion of research on the topic. Particularly noteworthy is Littleton’s success weaving historical context of policy decisions together with thoughts about developmentally appropriate practices that teachers can consider as they develop instruction for their classrooms. Though the text sometimes seems to move in many directions simultaneously, in fact it provides an accurate picture of the forces and factors at play in the delivery of musical instruction in the public schools. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty and professionals.

• Preface: A Child’s Mind is a Terrible Thing to StandardizeIntroduction: Toward Individualism, Imagination, and InventivenessEssay 1: Individualism: A Curriculum of OneFirsthand Perspectives on Learning and Teaching MusicDiscovering MusicPlaying with MozartMusic in ContextRepertoire and ResourcesFollow the Children Essay 2: Imagination: The Musical Culture of Children’s PlayProblem Seeking: The Play Factor Observational Studies: Free Play with MusicPrimary Source: The Pillsbury StudiesMusic Setting, Instruments, and MaterialsTheories of Children’s PlayCultural Perspectives of PlayAesthetic Perspectives of Play Historical Perspectives of Play The Nature of NurturingMother-Infant Music PlayChildren’s Cognitive Music Play BehaviorsChildren’s Social Music Play BehaviorsPedagogy and Play “Why Can’t We Play?”Essay 3: Originality: Voices of ChildrenChildhood’s Markers and TalismansNeotenous Traits of the ChildThe Goodness of ChildrenInfluences of Great Educators Ecology of LearningPedagogy of CultureWhen Children Hurt Pedagogy of PossibilityFinding Your Way Essay 4: Inventiveness: Making Meaningful Music with ChildrenMusical Teaching Music Repertoire Music InstrumentsA Music Lesson Plan FormatIdeas, Procedures, and Materials for Instruction: Shiver Me Timbres!Ideas, Procedures, and Materials for Instruction: American Indian Legends, Songs, Drums, and Dances: Dancing Drums and Singing ClayIdeas, Procedures, and Materials for Instruction: American Composer George Gershwin, A Jazzy ClassicIdeas, Procedures, and Materials for Thematic InstructionMusical Evaluation and AssessmentWhen Children Sing Unwelcome Incidents in the ClassroomMaking Music Classroom Rules that MatterEssay 5: Perspectives: Voices of TeachersTeaching Music Under New Rules1994 National Standards for Music2014 Common Core Standards for MusicToward Constructing CurriculumThe Big Picture Education for the 21st-Century Epilogue: On the Cusp of PossibilityBibliographyWorks Cited Index