MUSC 851 Community, Culture and Relationship in Music Education

Study of how the music educator builds community and culture in the music program and grows relationships with other groups in the educational system and beyond. To sustain a thriving music program, the music educator must build a healthy culture and sense of community within the music program. It is also important for the music educator to build strategic partnerships with administration, other arts programs, academic programs, sports programs, community arts organizations, venues, and more.

For information regarding prerequisites for this course, please refer to the Academic Course Catalog.

It is important for the music educator to build community and culture in the music program and to grow relationships with other groups in the educational system and beyond. To sustain a thriving music program, the music educator must build a healthy culture and sense of community within the music program. It is also important for the music educator to build strategic partnerships with administration, other arts programs, academic programs, sports programs, community arts organizations, venues, and more.

Textbook readings and lecture presentations

The course assignments are supported by the lecture presentations, assigned reading, & teaching announcements. Therefore, the student is advised to complete the lecture presentations, assigned readings, and the teaching announcements by Wednesday of each module in order to prepare for submitting the assignments.

Course Requirements Checklist

After reading the Course Syllabus and Student Expectations, the student will complete the related checklist found in the Course Overview.

Discussions (4)

Discussions are collaborative learning experiences. Therefore, the student will complete 4 Discussions in this course. The student will post 1 thread of at least 300 words. The student must then post 2 replies of at least 200 words. For each thread, students must support their assertions with at least 1 scholarly citation in Turabian format. Each reply must incorporate at least 1 scholarly citation in Turabian format.

Annotated Bibliography Assignment

In this assignment, the student will prepare an Annotated Bibliography of sources to be used in the Research Paper Assignment later in the course. The student will select 1 of 3 options for his/her research and then identify at least 10 peer-reviewed and scholarly sources published within the last 10 years that address the chosen topic. The student will then create an annotated bibliography in Turabian format. Each annotation must be 3-6 sentences in length and include a summary of the book/article providing a concise description of the content and its relevance to the topic selected. 

Book Review and Application Assignments (2)

The student will write 2 book reviews in the course (1 review of Culturally Responsive Teaching in Music Education, and 1 review of Educational Partnerships). Using the Summary, Analysis, and Application format (what the author said, what the author means, and how it applies to the chosen context), the student will make specific application to his/her teaching context. Each part of the book should be reviewed for a total of 1,500–2,250 words.

Appreciative Inquiry Project Assignment

Using the techniques of “Appreciative Inquiry” described in this module, the student will analyze their context in light of the systems, relationships, resources, personnel, and history. In this 1,000–1,500 word paper, Part 1 will be a descriptive listing (in narrative form) of the student’s discoveries followed by Part 2 which will include an action plan with timeline for the continued development of the student’s program.

Research Paper Assignment

The student will compose a 2,000 to 2,500-word research paper using a minimum of 10 scholarly sources previously identified in the Annotated Bibliography Assignment, and focusing on 1 of the 3 topics listed below:

Building Community and Culture in the Music Program
How the Music Educator Establishes Partnerships within the Educational System
How the Music Educator Establishes Partnerships with Community Organizations

The paper must follow current Turabian formatting, and include a title page, body (content), and a bibliography.