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Semester Reflection

Linda Kiekel

MUS 777: Curriculum Development and Music Education

Dr. Wendy van Gent

July 1, 2022
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Semester Reflection

This semester’s curriculum course offered the opportunity to think about curriculum

and planning in new ways. The texts and discussions challenged me to think about the

curriculum beyond what is written down in a textbook or pacing guide and to see how

curriculum encompasses every moment in the school day.

During the first week, the Walker and Soltis text explained that a curriculum will

usually have at its center one of three core designs: benefit of the individual student, passing

on knowledge of the subject, or the improvement of society (2009). This core belief about the

purpose of education will shape the curriculum as it is developed. Furthermore, the text

explains that every teaching moment is part of the curriculum, because it reflects the beliefs

and priorities of the teacher or school.

The Conway text focused on music education curriculum specifically, and I was

fascinated by the text’s examination of how the teacher’s definition of music will affect the

way that he or she leads the classroom (2015). The text also talked extensively about

assessment in the music classroom, which is difficult because of the skills-based nature of

music learning. The author argued that authentic assessment should reflect what actually

happens in the classroom every day. Most teachers struggle with skills-based assessment

because it requires much more time to complete and is subjective.

Week two in the Walker and Soltis text examined the different processes that a person

can when building the curriculum (2009). Tyler’s method of curriculum writing starts with

the objectives and evaluations, then builds down from there. Schwab sees the process as more

of a give-and-take, letting the process influence the ending objectives. Freire was most

concerned about the curriculum’s ability to empower the student to elicit change in their

communities.
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The Conway text during this week looked at both Understanding by Design (UbD)

and Universal Design (UD), as applied to music education. UbD starts at the end of the unit

or year, determining goals and objectives first, then works backwards to each lesson and the

learning activities (2015). UD is an effort to make multiple entry points for the students, so

that each student is able to achieve success in the way that works best for him or her. We then

considered how UbD and UD might be used together in order to plan well to serve each

individual student in the music classroom.

Week three in the Walker and Soltis text was an examination of several case studies,

highlighting controversies teachers might face when working within curriculum (2009).

Several questions from the student stood out to me, including freedom vs. structure for the

student, the importance of content as a means of teaching critical thinking, the balance of

traditional and new content (music) in the classroom, and how to effectively administer and

pace individualized learning.

The Conway text during this week helped us think about several issues of curriculum

development, especially in regards to working with other people in the development process

(2015). How much should parents, administration, politicians, and the community be

involved in the curriculum development process? How much autonomy should the teacher

have? Who determines the methods of teaching? All of these questions are being answered in

each of our schools every year.

The experience of building a curriculum was helpful for me, as it filled in several

holes in my understanding of teaching. Beginning with the standards was a helpful exercise

for me, especially because was able to understand them and how they can guide my teaching

after studying them closely. Writing out a pacing guide gives me confidence as I go into the

coming school year, because I have clear goals laid out for myself and my students. Pulling

together our work from the philosophy and pedagogy classes helped me to apply several
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ideas from these classes into my teaching. Watching my classmates present their curriculums

gave me ideas for how to polish my own. I enjoyed hearing how each person adjusted their

curriculum to their students’ needs and to the demographics of their school.

This short semester was a whirlwind, but when the dust settles and school begins in

August, I hope I will be able to apply what I have learned, and become more confident to use

and develop curriculum that will guide my teaching.

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Resources

Conway, C. M. (2015). Musicianship-focused curriculum and assessment. GIA Publications,

Inc.

Walker, D. F & Soltis, J. F. (2009). Curriculum and aims (5th ed.). Teachers College Press.