The Issue:
How can students continue to receive an education in music in the midst of a pandemic?
Background
Music has been a part of the education system since as early as 500 BC when music, dance, and drama were an integral part of Ancient Greek society. The great philosopher Aristotle stated in Politics that music is the most important subject in education, besides gymnastics, due to its ability to influence the character of young people. He also believed it was important to study music because it is a part of humanity and social life and curriculum should reflect the needs of both the community and the individual. Many others who followed shared the same beliefs, including Lowell Mason who founded the Boston Academy of Music in 1832 and is accredited with the inclusion of music as a curricular subject in schools in the United States. Because of his work, schools all across the country today include music in their student’s daily instruction. In 2012, a National Center for Education Statistics report stated that 94% of elementary schools, and 91% of secondary schools across the country offered music programs. While it is unfortunate that these percentages have not yet reached 100, it shows that a majority of schools across the country recognize the importance of music as a part of their student’s daily curriculum.
Our Current Situation
The problem arises when students are out of school and unable to receive the music education they so rightly deserve. On March 15, South Carolina governor, Henry McMaster issued an executive order to close all public schools in South Carolina through the end of March due to the global outbreak of COVID-19. This was later extended through the end of April. Similar cancellations were issued across the country as families hunker down to protect themselves. While this is the safest option to stop the spread of disease, it leaves millions of students out of school and begs the question of how they will continue their education. This question becomes particularly difficult for music educators who are unable to hold rehearsals or actively make music with their students in person due to this pandemic. However, students need music more than ever during this time when life can be confusing and difficult and they may feel lost or trapped in their current situation while stuck at home. With music, students are able to find an escape and release all the tension they have been holding inside due to the current situation and take some time to have fun and enjoy themselves which is important for both their mental and physical health. Therefore the question becomes how can educators continue to make music with their students while the students are out of school? As a student teacher and future music educator, it is my professional and civic duty to find an answer to this question so that my students and others across the country can continue to learn and grow as musicians during this time.
Solution
Luckily in our current age of technology, there are plenty of resources available to allow students and teachers to stay connected, even if they are unable to meet in person. While typical choral or band rehearsals may be difficult to orchestrate online, there are still ways for the students to stay engaged with music during this time. Teachers have to be open to search for solutions, even if they are different from the ways in which the teacher would typically present information to their students. It is important for both students and teachers to be creative during this time and find ways to continue to make music without the tools, and instruments they may have in their physical classroom. This is also a great time to offer students opportunities to create their own music to express their thoughts on the current situation. This not only allows them to meet the Artistic Process of Creating, a part of the South Carolina College and Career-Ready Standards for Visual and Performing Arts Proficiency, but also allows them to develop their emotional regulation and expression skills as they could be feeling overwhelmed and need an outlet for all that stress and emotion.
Steps to follow
- Establish Communication: First, it is important for teachers to establish communication between the students and parents at their school. The students must know how to contact their teacher during this time, and the teacher must relay to the students and families that they are there for them during this difficult time, will continue to provide an education for their students, and are available for questions. The students should also know the procedures for receiving and turning in assignments during this time.
- Advocate for Music: Teachers may also need to advocate for their program. During difficult times music and the related arts are typically the first programs to be cut or pushed aside as many administrators find math, science, and language arts to be more valuable to the students. Teachers must show administrations that their programs are still important and need to be continued during this time. Now more than ever, students need music to help them process what is going on in the world. This is not the time for programs to be cut, and with administrator support, teachers may be able to gain subscriptions to online resources such as Quaver Music, SmartMusic, and Sight-Reading Factory, that will help their programs stay alive.
- Know District Policy: Educators must research what resources and materials they are allowed to present to students when not in school as stated by their district. Some districts have strict policies on whether new material can be presented to students when not physically in school. If teachers are not allowed to present new information as per district policy, they must find new ways to present old material to keep the students engaged. Other districts allow more freedom in the information that may be presented and therefore allow teachers to be more creative in their online lesson plans. Educators must also research the means in which they are allowed to present information. Many resources exist that allow students to engage with music online such as SmartMusic, Sight-Reading Factory, Musictheory.net, Youtube, and other applications and social media platforms, though many of these resources are restricted by schools district policy. Teachers must find out which platforms are allowed by their district and which are not before they begin to use them to create online lesson plans.
- Research Online Music Technology: Once educators are familiar with the policies and guidelines that surround online instruction in their district they can begin to research the options they have for online instruction. Once they have found a platform to present information it is important to explore how they can use it to present the information they want their students to know, and how students might interact with the resources to learn and complete assignments. Free music notation software such as MuseScore and Note Flight may be useful to create exercises and theory examples for students to practice and explore. This may take some trial and error to see what works well for you and your students and what may not. It is important for teachers to know their students and what will be best for them to meet their needs during this time.
- Connect with colleagues: It may be beneficial to get in touch with colleagues in their school district to see how they are presenting materials to their students. Teachers can also reach out to members of professional organizations such as the American Choral Director Association, and the National Association for Music Education to see how other members are adjusting to the situation. Many of these associations have created forums for members to join and discuss ideas on, or have published articles with suggested resources. By connecting with others you can learn from their experiences, and see what worked for them and apply that information to your own practice.
- Create Materials: Once the educator is familiar with the online resources available to them they can begin to craft online lessons and assignments to share with their students. Teachers could create videos, PowerPoints, or use other means to create lessons to share with their students depending on what is allowed by their district. It will also be important to craft a variety of assignments for students to complete. The goal of this is not to create busywork but to give students tasks that allow them to practice and apply the skills they are learning in a variety of ways. Teachers should also include at least one formative assessment at the beginning of the online instruction to assess students’ prior knowledge and one summative assessment at the end of the unit to see if students were able to grow and achieve success through the online activities.
- Post Materials: Once all materials are ready teachers may post to their platform of choice to reach students. This may be through blackboard, PowerSchool, Schoology, email, or another means. Teachers should be prepared to answer questions and troubleshoot issues that are bound to come up when dealing with technology and remote instruction.
- Ensure all students’ needs are met: While many schools give students laptops, or tablets that they are able to take home to complete work, and many others have computers available to use at home, some do not and it is important to consider their needs as well. If that is the case with a student or students in any particular class the teacher can modify their plan to include a printed transcript of the lessons, and alternate assignments of similar difficulty to their online counterparts to be distributed to these students. This ensures that all students are able to engage with the material on some level and no child is left behind.
Each of these steps is ongoing and requires a process of continual monitoring and adjusting to see what works for the students and what needs to be changed. That may mean going back to the drawing board and researching new ways to present information and resources to use. Teachers must not be afraid of failure but instead be open to communicate and learn from their students what works and what doesn’t.
Evaluation
In the context of an educational setting, a formal evaluation of this plan is simple. The teacher may look at the grades they have collected from prospective assignments and assessments and see if their students have achieved growth on any of the musical topics presented. This can be done by comparing data between formative and summative assessments, if students did the same or worse on summative assessments then it is clear that the students are not understanding the material as it is presented. Teachers may also collect feedback from students on how they felt about the online assignments and instruction and if their needs for musical development were met. If students are not showing growth and their needs are not being met the plan should be re-evaluated to find a better solution that will allow students to grow in their musical intelligence and meet their full potential.
References
Maas, G. (2019). From Ancient Greece to Contemporary Music Education (Music and character building – more than a myth?). Advances in Social
Science, Education and Humanities Research, volume 255, 297-300. https://doi.org/10.2991/icade-18.2019.69
Campbellsville University. (2016, September 2). History of Music Education in the United States. Campbellsville University Online
Programs. https://online.campbellsville.edu/education/history-of-music-education/
Mallory, L. (2020, March 24). S.C. governor closes public K-12 schools through April 30. WIS News 10.
https://www.wistv.com/2020/03/24/sc-governor-closes-public-k-schools-through-april/
South Carolina Department of Education. (June 13, 2017). South Carolina College- and Career-Ready Standards for General Music Proficiency. Retrieved
from https://ed.sc.gov/scdoe/assets/File/instruction/standards/Visual%20Arts/General_Music_Design_and_Media_Arts_Standards.pdf
Science, Education and Humanities Research, volume 255, 297-300. https://doi.org/10.2991/icade-18.2019.69
Campbellsville University. (2016, September 2). History of Music Education in the United States. Campbellsville University Online
Programs. https://online.campbellsville.edu/education/history-of-music-education/
Mallory, L. (2020, March 24). S.C. governor closes public K-12 schools through April 30. WIS News 10.
https://www.wistv.com/2020/03/24/sc-governor-closes-public-k-schools-through-april/
South Carolina Department of Education. (June 13, 2017). South Carolina College- and Career-Ready Standards for General Music Proficiency. Retrieved
from https://ed.sc.gov/scdoe/assets/File/instruction/standards/Visual%20Arts/General_Music_Design_and_Media_Arts_Standards.pdf