In my music classroom teaching context, I am always looking for ways to make connections to other areas of curriculum and content. Many students who come into my class have a passion for music, but there are a few that were placed there by guidance and show little interest in the subject. To keep them engaged, I try to create cross-curricular references where possible to show them that Music does not have to be a stand-alone practice, and can always be related back to a topic that does interest them. Besides the more obvious connections such as relating music back to Theatre, Visual Arts, and Dance, there are opportunities for Music to be connected to STEM, or STEAM education. One of my goals this year is to create a short unit plan on a musical record my colleague has in the Science department, based on sounds of the human heart.
Later this year, I am hoping to bring in a guest speaker to talk about an Indigenous language app for schools in relation to the Arts. “Community-connected experiential learning opportunities enhance the already rich learning environments of our schools, providing students with alternative ways of engaging in their learning” (Ontario Ministry of Education, 2016). I am hoping to open up this talk and invite other classes to join, and give students the opportunity to hear from somebody directly in the field of research.
I always start my semester by asking my students to fill out an about me form so I can gain a better understanding for the type of learners I have in each group. One of the questions on the form provides students with the opportunity to share with me a genre of music they might like to explore further. What I love most about this question is that for every group that I work with, the student choice unit will always be different. It is a very simple yet constructive way of making connections to our local, national, or global community.
In my mind map, I mention the Wellness Day that we have at our school. It is a full day of workshops that students can sign up for. It features members from the community and staff coming together to facilitate workshops ranging from curriculum ideas, to life skills, to community opportunities. These connect to the ideas in the Furco (2010) reading which discuss students being active members in their community in order to participate in fulfilling connected classroom experiences.
The beautiful thing about Music is that there is so much that can be communicated through actions and practical aspects. In my guitar class, one-third of my students are ESL. Instead of teaching a whole class lesson which is often ineffective because these learners have a language barrier, I split my time working with students in pairs or individually. With the help of technology, students can express their creativity and broaden their connections using methods that suit their preferred learning styles. This goes back to the ideas Lock (2015, p. 133) described regarding learner centered environments. A collaborative global classroom setting is student-centered that focuses on the “knowledge, skills, attitudes and beliefs that learners bring to the educational setting” (Lock, 2015, p. 133). Using the plethora of music creation websites, apps, and technological tools available, students can make meaning of their learning and showcase their understanding of content (Connected Learning Alliance, 2018).
References
Connected Learning Alliance. (2018, December 20). Connected learning explained [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HacgaDN971Y
Furco, A. (2010). “The community as a resource for learning: An analysis of academic service-learning in primary and secondary education.” (“The Effects of Service Learning on Student Problem Solving: The ...”) In H. Dumont, D. Istance, & F. Benavides (Eds.), The nature of learning: Using research to inspire practice (pp. 227–249). Paris, FR: OECD.
Lock. (2015). Designing learning to engage students in the global classroom. Technology, Pedagogy and Education, 24(2), 137–153. https://doi.org/10.1080/1475939X.2014.946957
Ontario Ministry of Education (2016). Community- connected experiential learning: A policy framework for Ontario schools, kindergarten to grade 12 (pp. 4-20). Toronto, ON: Queen’s Printer for Ontario.
Toronto, July 2021
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