Michael Parker

MUED 380
Jesse Rathgeber
9/1/16
Abril and GaultIntroduction & Ch. 1 Response
1. The authors state that general music "remains somewhat amorphous and
problematic in both theory and practice" (Abril & Gault, 2016, p. 5) and then
go on to elaborate. In what ways do the authors demonstrate the
"amorphous and problematic" nature of general music (give specific
reference to the text)? What are your thoughts about general music
(recollections, interests, values, beefs, etc.)?
The blanket term general music can be difficult to pin down in terms
of definition and practices. One of the reasons for this difficulty is because it
does not assume a particular philosophy of teaching and lacks a cohesive
philosophical underpinning (Abril & Gault, 2016, p. 6). This terminology is
also seen as problematic in placing a specific definition on the wording. For
some teachers, general music could mean students are learning simple
notation, and for others, students could be simply listening to and
experiencing different types of music.
I believe that both of these could be seen as positive attributes, as
well, because educators are free to sample, experiment with, and utilize
many different methodologies to custom-fit the needs of their students.
Personally, I would love to see some form of a general music class in every
school, not just elementary schools where the majority of them are found.
The values that students learn in general music classes, (i.e. self-expression,
collaborative learning, eclectic problem solving), reach far outside the
bounds of elementary school. Music is seen as an almost essential part of
everyday life and we can teach that through general music classes at all
levels. Music can help secondary-level students express ideas, be creative,
or even cope with life. It is too precious of a gift to not pass it on to all
generations
2. What are your concerns and feelings regarding the terms "approach,"
"Method," and "eclecticism" as it relates to general music? How important do
you think it is to know "what was" and "what is" in order to "pave the way for
what can be" (Abril & Gault, 2016, p. 19)? What do you think a general music
teacher needs to know with regards to methods to be "efficient and
effective"?

I believe it is highly important for educators to learn the history of the

many different methodologies. At the very least, these approaches lay a
foundation for daily activities and lesson plans, but at a broader level, these
methods do help pave the way for new and innovative methods to begin. As
teachers, we should examine what these great educators saw as valuable,
how they put it in to practice, and why they chose certain aspects that they
did so that we may, in turn, be able to create our own way of thinking and
design new methods based off of their thought processes, not necessarily
each of their individual beliefs.
As an educator, eclecticism is one of my core principles when it comes
to teaching. There are as many ways to learn a subject as there are people
in the class. Having an eclectic mindset also allows us to reorganize and
create new ideas that work best for our individual teaching situations. This
individualized teaching and learning experiences hold the key to making our
methods as efficient and effective as possible; if we know our students and
their needs, we can choose the best content and method to teach our
students.
3. Pose at least 2 questions that you might ask a current or future peer in
order to start a discussion related to the contents of this chapter.
1. What do you believe are some essential elements of music that should
be taught in any music classroom?
2. How will you incorporate your own beliefs, personalities, methods, and
creativity into these core principals?