Erwin, Joanne :

Dr. Joanne Erwin is string pedagogy specialist at Oberlin Conservatory of Music and conductor of the Northern Ohio Youth Orchestra. She has been a presenter at state and national music education conferences and is published in the leading journals for string education and music education. Her performing instrument is cello and she has conducted youth and honor orchestras throughout the country. Her public school teaching experience was in grades 4-12, strings in Illinois and Texas.


Edwards, Kay :

Dr. Kay Edwards is early childhood and elementary music specialist at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. She has served as a director of early childhood music education programs at Oberlin Conservatory and at UNC-Greensboro. She has presented at state, national, and international music education conferences on topics related to general music and multicultural music education. She has published articles and teaching materials in leading journals, basal series, and MENC texts. She is a guest teacher in local schools and a participant in ethnic music ensembles. Her public school teaching experience was in preK8th grades in Arizona.


Kerchner, Jody :

Dr. Jody Kerchner is choral and secondary general music specialist at Oberlin Conservatory of Music and conductor of the Oberlin Youth Chorale. She has presented at state, national, and international music education conferences and is published in the leading journals for music education. She has conducted honor choirs and performs as soprano soloist in community concerts. Her public school teaching was in K-8th grades in Pennsylvania and Illinois.


Knight, John :

Dr. John Knight is band pedagogy specialist at Oberlin Conservatory of Music and conductor of the College Community Winds. He also maintains an active schedule as adjudicator, clinician, lecturer, and guest conductor throughout the United States and Europe for orchestras and bands. His public school teaching experience was in grades 5-12, band in Missouri. He has published over 100 articles on conductors and conducting in professional journals.

In the new millennium, we find the field of music education thriving and in need of more energetic, dedicated teachers. The Music Education Division at the Oberlin College Conservatory of Music in Ohio consists of four faculty specializing in elementary/multicultural music, secondary/ choral music, orchestra and band. We have team-taught a first-year course--Introduction to Music Education--for several years and knew there was a need for a text that would be inviting, informative, and practical to students either already committed to or considering entering the music education profession.

Our Introduction to Music Education course is offered the first semester of our students' first year. Throughout the semester, we share our integrated approach toward music making, music research, and music teaching. In order to set the tone for each topic, each chapter opens with a scenario derived from our collective fifty-plus years of experience in public school music programs. Each chapter includes a lesson plan, discussion questions, and resources should students wish to pursue the topic further. Not only do each of the four authors have different career specializations, but also we have somewhat different writing styles. We have purposely opted to preserve that distinctiveness.

Prelude to Music Education represents our desire to help students develop a passion for sharing music with others and to help them peek through the porthole to see vast possibilities that a degree in music education opens to its graduates.

One other ingredient of each class we teach is the application of the National Standards for Arts Education as adopted by Music Educators National Conference: National Association of Music Education in 1992 and published in 1994. We choose to continue to refer to the organization as MENC.

Music Education Content Standards

1. Singing, alone and with other, a varied repertoire of music.
2. Performing on instruments, alone and with others, a varied repertoire of music.
3. Improvising melodies, variations and accompaniments.
4. Composing and arranging music within specified guidelines.
5. Reading and notating music.
6. Listening to, analyzing, and describing music.
7. Evaluating music and music performances.
8. Understanding relationships between music, the other arts, and disciplines outside the arts.
9. Understanding music in relation to history and culture.

Unique in its practical approach to music education, this introduction covers the broad scope of the profession integrating musicianship, scholarship and pedagogy. It includes practical approaches to different music class situations with lesson plans that include the national standards and features scenarios of school teaching to assist students in looking at teaching through the teacher's eyes.

• Practical approach.
  • Provides students with realistic approaches to different music class situations.
• National Standards.
  • Provides students with the application of nine standards as adopted by MENC.
• Opening scenarios.
  • Provides students with a look at the authors' real-life experiences in school settings.
• History and development.
  • Provides students with a brief background of each chapter's topic within school music programs.
• Key components of music instruction.
  • Gives students an idea of the scope of the profession.
• Lesson Plans, Discussion Questions and References in each chapter.
  • Provides students with helpful guidelines that they can apply and enables students

Table of Contents

1. Becoming a Music Teacher.
2. Developing Tools for Teaching.
3. Early Childhood Music Education.
4. General Music in the Elementary School.
5. General Music in the Secondary School.
6. Band Programs and Performances.
7. String Education.
8. Choral Music Education.
9. Multicultural Music Education.
10. Including Diverse Learners.
11. Special Topics.
12. Developing a Philosophy of Music Education.

Appendix.
Index.