EDUCATION 4874

SPECIAL TOPIC: MUSIC ACROSS THE CURRICULUM

Spring Semester, 1990

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Instructor:

Dr. R. Walker

Thursday,

Location: MPX

4:30 -

76108:20

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Phone:

Office:

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MPX

291-3192

8635

Prerequisite:

Educ. 401/402 or permission of instructor.

Course Description:

The integration of music with mathematics, language arts, visual art, social studies,

science, drama, and movement is the focus of the course content. This content will be

designed so as to provide a series of classroom projects in subject integration which

the teacher can apply directly to his/her teaching situation.

Course Objectives:

a)

To provide substantive content to curriculum integration by means of careful

selection of project work which utilises concepts which are genuinely common to

both music and other subjects.

b)

To provide teachers with ample curriculum materials for the classroom

implementation of integration.

c)

To provide teachers with an understanding of common concepts across different

subjects. For example: western musical scales are based on Pythagorean

proportions. In order to understand the construction of these scales (i.e., major

and minor), and melody and harmony resulting from them, it is necessary to

understand mathematical proportions. Pythagoras saw melody as the

concretization of mathematical proportions. A study of proportions in

mathematics is, therefore, directly applicable to musical melody and harmony.

There is a great deal of practical work which can be carried out in both subject

areas. Another example would be between visual art, language arts and music

(all three). Here is reference to the notion of Aristotle's unity of the senses, in

particular the work of Lawrence Marks of Yale where he had found biological as

well as psychological evidence for the Unity of the Senses in language, music and

visual art. These examples indicate the underpinning of theory I am using, and

the kind of activities which teachers will engage in. All through the course there

will be reference to both works of art in literature, visual art and music, and

children composing, writing and painting/drawing.

d)

It is intended to cover the grades from K - 7.

Course Requirements

Lectures, seminars, and practical activity will comprise the nature of the course. The

preparation of teaching materials based on the content will form the main goal.