MUED 2310: Musicianship for Teaching I
Syllabus, Spring 2015
MW, 11-11:50AM
Music Annex 113
Instructor: Dr. Sean Powell Office: MU 302
Telephone: 940.565.3713 Office Hours:by appt
E-mail:
Syllabus
Course Description (from Catalog): Overview of foundational principles in music education. Explores these principles in terms of the skills, characteristics and attributes of the musician teacher.
Course Goals:
- To encourage self-exploration of personal strengths and strategies for improvement so that students may thoughtfully consider their future as music educator and their potential contributions to the field.
- To provide a range of opportunities for students to explore music education settings, methodologies and instructional tools, through readings, discussions, observations of school settings, an interview with an important teacher, peer teaching, and by reviewing the professional literature.
- To mentor students’ entry into the music education degree program.
Course Objectives
Students in this course will be able to demonstrate learning by:
- demonstrate excellence as a professional educator through class attendance, appearance, behavior, consistent preparation, and participation;
- discuss the reasons for formal education in America, reasons for music education, and contemporary issues within the music education field.
- describe the functions of music education in the schools as well as the larger philosophical influences upon those functions;
- articulate personal beliefs regarding the role of music education in life;
- reflect on school experiences, through observation assignments, and the influential interview, as a means of self-directed growth and professional development;
- practice reflective teaching through planning, delivering, and self-evaluating a musical concept lesson;
- review one article from pertinent professional literature and discuss its applicability in music education;
- write one’s personal autobiography, including strengths, strategies for improvement, and personal goals.
Evidence of preparation and full participation in class discussions is expected of every class member. The instructor reserves the right to give pop quizzes on the readings at any time. In addition, each student must complete the field component of the course during the semester, or a grade of “I” will result.
Work Due Policy
Assignments are due at the beginning of class (11 a.m.) on the date stipulated in the instructions for the assignment. Late work will not be accepted unless previous accommodations have been made in writing with the instructor.
Grading Scale
A90%-100%
B80%-89%
C70%-79%
D60%-69%
Fbelow 60%
Failure to complete field experience component (as described above) = F
Assignments (see class schedule for due dates)
**All assignments will be available on and submitted to Blackboard unless otherwise indicated**
In-class Discussion, Participation and Pop Quizzes (20%)
Readings should be completed for the day that they are due. Come to class prepared to ask questions, engage in meaningful dialogue, and reflect on how the material can serve you as a future music teacher. The instructor may give pop quizzes, so read each assignment thoroughly.
Successful/Unsuccessful Teachers (5%)
It is highly likely that a great many of your ideas about teaching and learning come from the teachers who you thought were successful or unsuccessful in some way. The purpose of this exercise is to help you think about those teachers. Respond to the prompt and submit on Blackboard.
Personal Autobiography, Self-Assessment and Professional Goals Statement (5%)The purpose of this assignment is to reflect upon your musical/education background, as well as your own motivation to be a music educator. In Part I, please describe your musical experiences and what led you to want to become a music educator. In Part II, examine your own qualifications for music teaching. Describe your strengths and current limitations. What are you good at? What can you contribute to the field of music education? What do you need to improve upon? In Part III, describe your plan for improving those things that need to be improved. Be specific about your plans for self-improvement. Your document should be 3-5 pages in length, 12-point font with 1-inch margins, double-spaced. Complete a spell check and ask a peer to read your work!
LeBlanc/Lee/Robinson Video Response Journal/Discussion (2%)
Pick 2 of the 3 videos and write a response to each in your Journal on BB. Be prepared to discuss these in class. Consider: What’s the point? Is the point made well? Do you buy it? (Do you agree? Or not? Why?) What experiences do you have that do or do not align with their messages?
Master Teacher Readings Response Journal/Discussion (3%)
Read the articles in the Master Teacher folder and respond to each in your journal on BB. Be prepared to discuss these in class. Consider the great teachers in your life. Do these articles describe what you experienced with these teachers? How, how not? Have these authors missed anything? What would you add?
Teacher Interview Journal/Presentation (10%)
Interview a teacher. Ask him/her anything you may be concerned with about teaching, a teacher's life, how to teach, etc. Save all your notes from this conversation in your journal on BB. Share your insights with the class in a non-traditional, non-lecture, very creative way. Help us learn well. You will only have a few minutes to do so.
Teaching Video (10%)
Teach a classmate to do something cool in your discipline. VIDEO the teaching PROCESS. Your goal is to get your classmate to actuallydosomething in music within 25-30 minutes of instruction. The lesson should culminate with your students’ demonstrating a tangible skill (e.g., singing or playing an instrument)and doing it well. Submit the video to BB.
This task will require a lot of decision making on your part.
- You must first decide upon a task that’s cool, interesting, and worthy of being learned. If you don’treallythink it’s cool, it’s not.
- You must teach a student whose primary performing medium is not the one your are teaching!
- You must select a task that is learnableto a level of competencein 25-30 minutes. At the end of the lesson, your classmate should have accomplished something of quality, rather than simply having been dragged through an activity. The goal here is quality of work, not difficulty of the task.
- Your lesson must end in a tangible product that is recorded on videotape.
Learning Theories Group Project/Presentation (5%)
We will explore a few learning theories that can inform our work as music teachers. You will be assigned to small groups and given a theory to research. You will present an overview of the theory to the class (as a group) in a brief, creative, fun, interesting, and memorable way. You will have 10 minutes to complete a thorough overview of the theory, including concrete examples of how the theory would be played-out in a real music classroom (or multiple types of music classrooms). Be creative with this project. Use of multimedia or other visual/audio aides is encouraged. I will provide a self-assessment survey to the group that asks about the contributions of each member.
Competition Readings Response Journal/Discussion (2%)
Read the articles in the Competition folder and respond to each in your journal on BB. Be prepared to discuss these in class. What is the role of competition in music education? What are the positives and the negatives? What is your experience with competition?
Top Ten Things You Want for Your Students Poster/Presentation (5%)
Make up a poster for your classroom-to-be, entitled: “Top 10 Things I Want You to Walk Away With Each Day." This can be in any medium - electronic, posterboard, cardboard. Be ready to present this to us in class (either electronically or physically).
Powerful Experiences as a Learner Paper/Presentation (5%)
Respond to the prompt on BB to reflect on your experiences as a learner. We will share these with the class and turn in the written version on BB.
Powerful Experiences with Music Paper/Presentation (5%)
Respond to the prompt on BB to reflect on your experiences as a learner. We will share these with the class and turn in the written version on BB.
Article Review Paper/Presentation (5%)
Select one article from the Music Educators Journal that is not being read for this course. Past issues of the Music Educators Journal can be found in the music library. Read the article and complete a 2-3 page type-written review: (a) Provide a brief synopsis: What is this article about? What music educator is it for (elementary, middle, high school, vocal/instrumental)? (b) What is the goal of the article and how can teachers within the field serve to benefit? (c) What have you learned because you have read this article? Make sure to provide a full reference for your article, so that the instructor may access it. Your document should be at least 2-3 pages in length, 12-point font with 1-inch margins, double-spaced. Complete a spell check and ask a peer to read your work! Submit to BB and share in class.
Why Teach Music? Paper/Presentation (5%)
After taking this course, let’s reexamine your thoughts about a career in music education. Do you still want to do this? How have your thoughts changed? Respond to the prompt and submit in BB and share with the class.
School Visit Journal/Discussion (3%)
Reflect on our school visit and respond in your journal on BB. How did this visit make you think differently about music teaching? How did it compare to your experiences? What insights did you gain? Etc…. We will discuss our reactions in class.
Tonal Patterns Test (10%)
DevelopingMusicianship:
Youwillneedtohaveexcellentmusicianshipskillsasamusiceducator.Duringthiscourse,wewillworkonerrordetectionandsight-singing.Youwillberequiredtotaketestsineachoftheseinthisandothermusiceducationcourses,specificallyMUED2310,3100,and3200.
YouwillberequiredtoPASSthesetestsinordertoreceiveagradeinthesecourses,andthereviewsmustbecompletedbytheendofthesemester.ReviewsaretakeninMU307,anditiswisetostartontheseearlyintheterm.Failuretocompleteand/orpassstudentreviewsbytheendofthesemesterwillresultinan Incomplete(an“I”)forMUEDclassesandmaypreventyoufromregisteringforupper-levelMUEDcourses.Ifthedelinquentreviewsarenotpassedwithinonecalendaryearfromtheconclusionofthepresentsemester,the“I”willautomaticallydefaulttoan “F.”Studentreviewsinclude(1)Sight-Singingand(2)ErrorDetection.Inaddition,takingandpassingtheTonalPatternTest(aseparateassessment)willbecome10%ofyoursemestergrade.
*Youwillhavethreeattemptstopasseachstudentreviewand/ortonalpatterntest.Theduedatesare:
First Attempt: Friday, Feb. 20
Second Attempt: Friday, April 3
Third Attempt: Thursday, April 30
Ifyoufailtocompleteyourattemptsbytheassigneddates,youwilllosethatparticularattempt.Forexample,ifyou waituntilMay1 totakeyourfirsttestanddonotpassit,youwouldreceiveanIncompletebecauseyouwouldhavelostyourprevioustwoattempts.
IMPORTANT:YoucancomeintotakeyourErrorDetectiontestanytimethatMU307isopen.However,whenyouwanttotakeyourSight-Singingand/orTonalPatterntests,YOUMUSTSIGNUPFORATIMEonthesign-upsheetsthatarepostedonthewalloutsideMU 307.
**In addition, you must complete the field observation portion of the course or receive an INCOMPLETE grade. These hours are mandated by the State.**
Professional Expectations
- Show up on time to all class sessions, both on campus and in the public school sites.
- Be prepared. This means having read assigned material (long before the morning before class – read early so you have time to think about the reading, take notes, re-read, and formulate questions or discussion points), have all equipment and materials necessary, and having rested enough to be fully engaged in the moment.
- Dress professionally. During our meetings on campus, you may dress casually, but I ask that you remove any caps or hats during class. During our teaching sessions at local public schools, please “dress-up.” This means button-up dress shirt or blouse (tie highly recommended, if appropriate), dress pants (or knee length or longer skirt), and dress shoes. When in doubt, err on the side of “dressing up” too much. Do not take your cue from the classroom teacher. As (young) guest teachers, you should dress more formally than they do.
- No cell phone usage of any sort in the public school classrooms.
- All absences must be called into the official 2310 absence line (940.565.3713) or emailed to (do not send a message on Blackboard) before 8:15am on the day that you are going to miss class. This is particularly important when we are teaching in the schools. If you are truly sick (fever and/or vomiting), please stay home. If you are simply “tired” from the night before, fight through it and come to class.
***Special Note: I am always willing and able to consult with students on an individual basis concerning their work in this course or for any other reason. Please feel comfortable about asking me for assistance. You may speak with me or email me anytime to setup an appointment. I am here for you and my main goal is your success!
ACADEMIC DISHONESTY
Students caught cheating or plagiarizing will receive a "0"for that particular assignment or exam [or specify alternative sanction, such as course failure]. Additionally, the incident will be
reported to the Dean of Students, who may impose further penalty. According to the UNT catalog, the term "cheating" includes, but is not limited to: a. use of any unauthorized
assistance in taking quizzes, tests, or examinations; b. dependence upon the aid of sources
beyond those authorized by the instructor in writing papers, preparing reports, solving
problems, or carrying out other assignments; c. the acquisition, without permission, of tests or
other academic material belonging to a faculty or staff member of the university; d. dual
submission of a paper or project, or resubmission of a paper or project to a different class
without express permission from the instructor(s); or e. any other act designed to give a student an unfair advantage. The term "plagiarism"includes, but is not limited to: a. the knowing or negligent use by paraphrase or direct quotation of the published or unpublished work of another person without full and clear acknowledgment; and b. the knowing or negligent unacknowledged use of materials prepared by another person or agency engaged in the selling of term papers or other academic materials.
ACCEPTABLE STUDENT BEHAVIOR
Student behavior that interferes with an instructor’s ability to conduct a class or other students' opportunity to learn is unacceptable and disruptive and will not be tolerated in any instructional forum at UNT. Students engaging in unacceptable behavior will be directed to
leave the classroom and the instructor may refer the student to the Dean of Students to consider whether the student's conduct violated the Code of Student Conduct. The university's
expectations for student conduct apply to all instructional forums, including university and
electronic classroom, labs, discussion groups, field trips, etc. The Code of Student Conduct can
be found at
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ADA STATEMENT
The University of North Texas makes reasonable academic accommodation for students with
disabilities. Students seeking accommodation must first register with the Office of Disability
Accommodation (ODA) to verify their eligibility. If a disability is verified, the ODA will provide
you with an accommodation letter to be delivered to faculty to begin a private discussion
regarding your specific needs in a course. You may request accommodations at any time,
however, ODA notices of accommodation should be provided as early as possible in the
semester to avoid any delay in implementation. Note that students must obtain a new letter of
accommodation for every semester and must meet with each faculty member prior to
implementation in each class. For additional information see the Office of Disability
Accommodation website at You may also contact them at (940) 565-4323.
EMERGENCY NOTIFICATION & PROCEDURES
UNT uses a system called Eagle Alert to quickly notify you with critical information in the event
of an emergency (i.e., severe weather, campus closing, and health and public safety emergencies like chemical spills, fires, or violence). The system sends voice messages (and text
messages upon permission) to the phones of all active faculty staff, andstudents. Please make certain to update your phone numbers at Some helpful emergency preparedness actions include: 1) know the evacuation routes and severe weather shelter areas in the buildings where your classes are held, 2) determine how you will contact family and friends if phones are temporarily unavailable, and 3) identify where you will go if you need to evacuate the Denton area suddenly. In the event of a university closure, please refer to Blackboard for contingency plans for covering course materials.
RETENTION OF STUDENT RECORDS
Student records pertaining to this course are maintained in a secure location by the instructor
of record. All records such as exams, answer sheets (with keys), and written papers submitted
during the duration of the course are kept for at least one calendar year after course
completion. Course work completed via the Blackboard online system, including grading
information and comments, is also stored in a safe electronic environment for one year. You
have a right to view your individual record; however, information about your records will not
be divulged to other individuals without the proper written consent. You are encouraged to
review the Public Information Policy and the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) laws and the university’s policy in accordance with those mandates at the following link:
STUDENT EVALUATION OF TEACHING (SETE)
Student feedback is important and an essential part of participation in this course. The Student
Evaluation of Teaching (SETE) is a requirement for all organized classes at UNT. This short
survey will be made available at the end of the semester to provide you with an opportunity to
evaluate how this course is taught.
SUCCEED AT UNT
UNT endeavors to offer you a high-quality education and to provide a supportive environment
to help you learn and grown. And, as a faculty member, I am committed to helping you be
successful as a student. Here’s how to succeed at UNT: Show up. Find Support. Get advised.
Be prepared. Get involved. Stay focused.
To learn more about campus resources and information on how you can achieve success, go to
Tentative Class Schedule
W 1/21Introductions; syllabus; tonal patterns; Successful/Unsuccessful Teacher assignment
M 1/26Discuss Successful/Unsuccessful Teacher assignments
Personal Autobiography, Self-Assessment, and Professional Goals Statement due 3/23
W 1/28Discuss LeBlanc/Lee/Robinson videos/journal entry due
Teacher Interview assignment – due 4/6
M 2/2Master Teacher readings discussion/journal entry due