Brain-Based Education in Music: A New Science or Science-Fiction?

We can see increased interest in the brain and brain-based education everywhere. Google turns up over one million hits on “brain-based education.” Nearly every education and music education conference offers sessions that teach ways to utilize new research on the brain. Places like MIT and Stanford increasingly sponsor workshops and courses where teachers pay big bucks to attend “learning and the brain” conferences. They believe this research is substantial enough to use in classrooms. The number of new books on brain-based education is also startling. Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain by Oliver Sacks and This is Your Brain on Music: The Science of Human Obsession by Daniel Levitin have both recently hit the best-seller list. However, thus far, conclusions are conflicting. Parents are asking educators about what technology to purchase in order to increase their child’s cognitive functions. In a Kaiser Family Foundation study conducted in 2004, more than half of the parents surveyed said that educational videos and toys are “very important to children’s intellectual development.”1 Is this a marketing ploy, or can this be verified through research

Nurturing the Musical Open-Earedness of Seven-Year-Olds

Today’s 7-year-old children exhibit openness and excitement about many genres of musical styles experienced in their every day lives and in their ever widening world. As these young children from around the world are growing out of their early childhood, they continue to enjoy singing, dancing, moving, and playing at home or on the playground alone or with extended family members as they have since they were toddlers. Many still delight in sharing songs that they have learned at school from their friends and teachers, at home from their parents and siblings, or as they begin to participate in music lessons. Some 7-year-olds still enjoy creating their own spontaneous songs much as they did when they were younger. Music is an important part of their expanding world

Harnessing the Power of Failure in Your Music Classroom: Grit, Growth Mindset, & Greatness

No pain, no gain. What doesn’t kill us makes us stronger. If at first you don’t succeed, try and try again. These and other similar phrases represent attitudes most teachers hope will inspire their students. Surrounded by walls adorned with such inspirational quotes, we music teachers walk a fine line between identifying students’ musical mistakes and encouraging them to keep trying. We may wonder during this process why some students seem to crumble under criticism while others never quit, despite constant difficulty. What can we do to encourage students to learn from their mistakes? What roles do talent and hard work play in the music learning process? And what is the relationship between struggle, failure, and learning that lasts

Harnessing the power of failure in your music classroom: Grit, growth mindset, & greatness

No pain, no gain. What doesn’t kill us makes us stronger. If at first you don’t succeed, try and try again. These and other similar phrases represent attitudes most teachers hope will inspire their students. Surrounded by walls adorned with such inspirational quotes, we music teachers walk a fine line between identifying students’ musical mistakes and encouraging them to keep trying. We may wonder during this process why some students seem to crumble under criticism while others never quit, despite constant difficulty. What can we do to encourage students to learn from their mistakes? What roles do talent and hard work play in the music learning process? And what is the relationship between struggle, failure, and learning that lasts

Applying Brain Research to Classroom Strategies

Research in the field of neuroscience has exploded in the past decade. The word brain appears in the title of nearly 40,000 books and CDs indicating intense interest in this area of study. What can music educators learn from recent investigations—often termed brain research—to guide music teaching and learning? The following ideas are intended to have broad applications and may inspire you to investigate this fascinating area of literature more thoroughly. While some findings are new, other studies affirm what music educators have previously found to be effective

Faculty Development in Higher Education: Long-Term Impact of a Summer Teaching and Learning Workshop

Past participants of the Associated Colleges of the South Summer Teaching and Learning Workshop were surveyed to determine long-term impact of this type of professional development experience. Results indicate a large majority of participants across rank and academic discipline continued to view the workshop as effective and valued feedback from the perspective of the learner. Females were more likely than males to report more awareness and thoughtfulness about their teaching since having attended the workshop and to report having tried new strategies and taken more risks in their teaching. This study supports the importance of an interdisciplinary forum for faculty development of teaching

Arachnophobia: A Case on Impairment and Accounting Ethics

This case requires students to apply accounting and ethical decision-making within the context of a potential land impairment decision. Students are required to research the relevant professional literature and provide appropriate FASB Codification references and IAS cites as they investigate the significant uncertainties that frequently are associated with valuation and impairment analyses. Students also are required to evaluate the ethical implications of the decisions that could be made regarding the necessity of impairment. The case provides an opportunity for students to extend their research and financial accounting abilities, to consider the consequences associated with a set of potentially reasonable accounting alternatives, and to begin to appreciate how the significant uncertainties that are present in many accounting and auditing situations require consistent technical and ethical decision-making. The case could be used in Intermediate Accounting I as well as in undergraduate and graduate Auditing or Ethics classes

Applying Brain Research to Classroom Strategies

Research in the field of neuroscience has exploded in the past decade. The word brain appears in the title of nearly 40,000 books and CDs indicating intense interest in this area of study. What can music educators learn from recent investigations—often termed brain research—to guide music teaching and learning? The following ideas are intended to have broad applications and may inspire you to investigate this fascinating area of literature more thoroughly. While some findings are new, other studies affirm what music educators have previously found to be effective