Summer 2023 MECA
Continuing Education Courses
Overview
Students will explore current research and best practices in music learning and teaching with respect to brain anatomy, development, and function, psychological and sociological intersections, personal learning styles and habits and music teaching methods. Culturally responsive teaching will be examined as it pertains to accommodating differently abled music learners, students of widely varying cultures and traditional music learning and teaching methodologies. Course participants will examine current practice as well as analyze their own practice and devise practical approaches to planning for and implementing music instruction. The course is designed to allow participant learners to pursue their personal interests and professional practices and to provide an opportunity for reflection and revision or reinforcement of their practices.
By the end of this course, students will be able to:
- Analyze their own personal learning and instructional style
- Identify and use the concepts and practices of action research
- Conduct a short action research project in a personal area of interest
- Identify basic brain function and anatomy as it relates to learning, retention and mastery
- Discuss brain function as it applies to music instruction and practice
- Identify the connections between music learning, instruction and brain function with cultural relevance, diverse learners, and current music instructional practice
- Apply principles of music learning, teaching and brain function to planning for music instruction
Requirements
Chat Session
Prerequisites
Required Text(s)
How the Brain Learns
by David Sousa
(Corwin Press)
This Is Your Brain on Music
by Daniel Levitin
(Penguin)
Learning Platform Information - Online Courses Only
Schoology is a learning management system that allows you to interact directly with your instructors, fellow students, and members of the greater VanderCook community.
The evening before your class begins, be on the lookout for an email from Schoology with log-in instructions. Once you receive credentials, visit www.online.vandercook.edu to login.
Some courses have specific online chat meeting times (please see course descriptions), while others have a flexible meeting schedule. You can expect all courses to meet together in a live online chat. If a live meeting time doesn’t work, you can work with your instructor to make other arrangements.
More information about Schoology can be found at www.schoology.com
Please see specific software/hardware requirements in the course description.
Online course grades are available within two weeks of the course(s) completion. If you need a transcript, please CLICK HERE to access the online transcript request form. For a faster turnaround time, please submit the transcript request to the registrar prior to the end of your course(s).
Instructor
