SUMMER 2021
All online Summer MECA
courses begin on June 7
and conclude on August 1,
except as noted.
Registration for
all online courses
closes at 12:00 noon CST
on May 28, 2021.
Questions?
Visit our MECA FAQs page.
Add, drop, change or withdraw
using the Add/Drop Form.
For all other MECA-related
questions, contact us at
meca@vandercook.edu
or 312.788.1139.
Conversational Solfège
Level 1 & 2
Virtual Certification Course
ONLINE
August 2–5, 2021
Two credits, four days only
Through carefully sequenced activities, this fun workshop will demonstrate how to enable students to joyfully assimilate the content and skills necessary to become musically literate, including the acquisition of listening, rhythmic and melodic reading, dictation, composition and improvisation in an intuitive manner. Participants will experience a curriculum that grows out of tonal and rhythmic elements that exist in folk song literature. Each rhythm or tonal element will be explored in patterns, songs and themes from classical literature. Participants who successfully complete this course will receive an official certificate of completion from the Feierabend Association for Music Education (FAME).
Conversational SolfègeTM is a pedagogical method created by Dr. John Feierabend that develops musical literacy. Conversational SolfègeTM is for children who have already developed their tuneful, beatful and artful skills and are ready to develop a deeper understanding of rhythm and melody. Conversational SolfègeTM develops an understanding of music through the use of rhythm syllables and solfège syllables at a conversational level, and then gradually evolves into traditional notation. Through carefully sequenced activities, Conversational SolfègeTM enables students to joyfully assimilate the skills and content necessary to be musically literate. Patterns, folk songs, poetry, rhymes and classical music are the primary source materials that are used to develop those musical skills. Ample time will be spent on creating effective lesson plans and opportunities for peer teaching will be made available.
Instructor: Dr. John Feierabend
Dr. John Feierabend is considered one of the leading authorities on music and movement development in childhood. He is a professor of music education at the Hartt School of the University of Hartford, and is a past president of the Organization of American Kodály Educators. He has given presentations in all 50 states and a number of countries. He is the author of over 70 books, recordings, and DVDs, several of which served as the inspiration for the award winning PBS children’s television series Lomax: The Hound of Music.
Dr. Feierabend has been honored as a Lowell Mason Fellow by the National Association for Music Education (NAfME); named University Educator of the Year by the Connecticut Music Educators Association; received the outstanding alumni award from Wayne State University; and received the Outstanding Educator Award from the Organization of American Kodály Educators, the James Bent Award for outstanding achievement in scholarship and creativity from the University of Hartford. In addition, he was the first U.S. recipient of the LEGO Prize, an international award given annually to “an individual who has made a distinctive contribution to the betterment of children.”
Dr. Feierabend continues his commitment to collecting, preserving and teaching the diverse folk music of our country and using that folk music as a bridge to help children understand and enjoy classical music. His ongoing creativity and research has resulted in two music methods: First Steps in Music, a music and movement program for infants through elementary-aged children; and Conversational Solfège, a music literacy method suitable for elementary through college-aged students. In the summer of 2012, a group of dedicated and like-minded educators honored Dr. Feierabend’s 40+ years of teaching and research with the formation of the Feierabend Association for Music Education. More information may be found at www.feierabendmusic.org and www.giamusic.com/feierabend.
Course Details
Conversational Solfège
Level 1 & 2
Virtual Certification Course
Course Code 7611
Instructor
Dr. John Feierabend
jfeierabend@vandercook.edu
Dates & Meeting Times
August 2-5, 2021,
8:00 a.m.–Noon and
1:00–3:00 p.m. daily.
2 Graduate Credits
Tuition
$710, due in full with registration
Prerequisites
None
Required Text(s)
Conversational Solfège Level 1
Teacher's Manual
by John M. Feierabend
(GIA Publications)
Students are responsible for purchasing all required texts and materials.
Required Materials
None
MECA Online
is powered by Schoology
Schoology is a learning management system that allows you to interact directly with your instructors, fellow students, and members of the greater VanderCook community.
Summer 2021 MECA courses officially begin on Monday, June 7. Soon after you register, be on the lookout for an email from Schoology with log-in instructions. Once you receive credentials, visit online.vandercook.edu to login. On the morning of June 7, you'll have access to your classroom and course material.
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.
Online grades will be reported by mid-June. If you need a transcript, please visit the online transcript request page. For faster turnaround time, please submit the transcript request to the registrar prior to the end of your course(s).
More information about Schoology can be found at www.schoology.com.