Meaningful Music Learning Through Integration

“Let’s do it again!” Four simple words that always manage to make my day. To me, those words are an indication that my students are engaged in meaningful music learning—something that requires purposeful planning and thoughtful consideration on the relevance of what they are learning. I have found that some of the most meaningful music lessons I have taught are those that integrate music with other subjects. A part of this can be attributed to the fact that integration is representative of daily life where our day-to-day activities are not confined to silos. We integrate and draw on knowledge and experience throughout all that we do. We should educate in the same way.

Equity, inclusion, creative problem solving, 21st-century skill development, meaningful learning, student engagement, motivation, and empowerment are just a few of the benefits attributed to integrated teaching and learning (Burnaford, Brown, Doherty, & McLaughlin, 2007; President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities, 2011). Music educators have acknowledged the value of integration in providing meaningful and relevant music learning experiences for their students (Barnes, 2012; Barrett, 2016; May, 2013). The 2014 National Core Arts Standards include “connecting” as one of the four artistic processes, alongside “performing,” “responding,” and “creating.” There are two anchor standards for the connecting process: (1) synthesize and relate knowledge and personal experiences to make art and (2) relate artistic ideas and works with societal, cultural, and historical context to deepen understanding (National Coalition for Core Arts Standards, 2014). However, while the other arts forms (dance, media arts, theatre, and visual arts) acknowledge connecting as a fourth artistic process, the National Association for Music Education (NAfME) does not view connecting as a separate artistic process in music, but rather as an essential part of creating, performing, and responding that should be embedded naturally in our instruction (Zaffini, 2018).

To integrate other subjects within our instruction we have to actively seek logical connections between what we are teaching and other subject material. Munroe (2015) advises teachers to look for logical connections such as multiple works inspired by one another, multiple works related by subject matter, cultural context of a work, or natural connections with personal experiences. Barrett, McCoy, and Veblen (1997) recommend exploring a particular piece and identifying aspects related to the music properties through analysis of the music elements (e.g., form, expressive qualities, etc.); identifying the context in which the work was created (composer, place of origin, and purpose); and finally considering personal experiences with the work. By thoroughly examining and considering all aspects of a piece of music, or other work, natural connections with other disciplines will emerge that contribute toward more meaningful integration opportunities.

In my experience, when I am creating an integrated lesson I do so in one of two ways, either by starting with a theme or by identifying a shared concept. When starting with a particular theme, topic, subject matter, shared resource or materials (e.g., book, artwork) as a basis for a lesson, I take care to establish separate learning objectives for both music and another subject based on state or national standards. Ideas for integrated lessons based on a shared concept or big idea that moves across both music and another subject often manifest themselves as I analyze repertoire I intend to teach, review the state or national standards for both music and another discipline, and engage in collaborative conversations with other teachers. While both are an acceptable means of developing integrated lessons and can lead to meaningful integration, looking for complementary relationships between disciplines and identifying common concepts, themes, terminology, or other shared connections allows for more significant learning as students are compelled to think deeply and critically about a particular idea from multiple viewpoints (Barrett, 2016; Russell-Bowie, 2009). Following are two examples of how I approached, developed, and created integrated lessons by starting with a theme and identifying a shared concept.

Recently, I was invited to present music integration activities at a statewide arts integration conference. I eagerly accepted the invitation prior to being informed that the focus of the conference was on integrating the arts and other subjects with study of the solar system. Science is a subject that I find particularly challenging to the integration process. My first impulse was to create a listening lesson with Gustov Holst’s The Planets, Op. 32. I spent some time reviewing the background of the work and listening to the different movements before deciding to focus on Mars: The Bringer of War. I included a series of activities like making predictions about the piece based on both facts about planet Mars and its environment as well as information about the Roman God Mars, for which the piece was actually based; conducting the piece with a music map and identifying various music elements in the piece such as ostinato, form, timbre/texture, and expressive qualities; and finally, comparing and contrasting John Williams Imperial March from Star Wars with Holst’s Mars (see attached lesson plan). As I developed the activities I referred to the state standards to identify the appropriate standards for music and science. I also identified standards in language arts and social studies that could be addressed through the lesson as well. The Holst lesson and accompanying activities are an example of developing a lesson from a particular topic or theme—the solar system—and included standards-based objectives for multiple subjects that could be addressed throughout the lesson sequence.

On the other hand, I also developed another lesson plan for the event based on shared concepts between music and science (see attached). While reading through the third-grade science standards I came across a particular standard on describing and demonstrating the movement of bodies in the sky. The standard specifically addressed revolution and rotation. To be honest, I had to take a moment to remind myself what the differences were between revolution (when a planet or moon travels once around an object—Earth’s revolution around the sun = 1 year) and rotation (when a planet or moon turns all the way around or spins on its axis one time—Earth rotation = 1 day). After reminding myself of the terms I learned in elementary school, I thought about how a musical round could be considered a musical representation of a rotation. The song spins around itself like the earth spinning on its axis. On the other hand, singing a song over an accompanying rhythmic or melodic ostinato is like a revolution, where the song is moving around a repeated phrase.

Before sharing either of these lessons at the conference I took them into a local elementary school. The students made some insightful predictions about what Mars: The Bringer of War would sound like based on information we discussed about the planet’s environment and the background of the Roman God. They enjoyed following the listening map and discussing the various music elements of the piece and how the composer used those elements to convey an aural image of the Roman God. The students were also eager to compare and contrast the music of John Williams and Gustav Holst, the composers themselves, and the Roman God Mars to Darth Vadar. With additional time, this lesson could have easily been extended into a unit of study where the students study the other planets and create their own compositions using some of the music elements we discussed during the analysis of Mars and Imperial March.

The lesson on rotation versus revolution was also well received by the students. They had a wonderful time singing and performing the round. We represented revolution and rotation through both music and movement. Students created movements for each phrase of the round that could be performed individually in place to represent rotation, and then adapted their choreography slightly so they could move around the ostinato. I was reinforced by a chorus of “let’s do it again, but this time . . .” statements as the students brainstormed and shared ideas about how they might move differently, try new ostinato patterns with instruments and body percussion, lengthen or shorten the song to better depict revolution (longer) or rotation (shorter). It was especially exciting to watch the students deliberate and practice ways of representing rotation and revolution simultaneously, as that’s what actually happens in space!

An examination of the literature on integrative practices yields a variety of terminology, definitions, and interpretations. However, there is a common emphasis in existing literature on the importance of maintaining the integrity of individual disciplines or subjects when teaching integrated lessons. As music teachers it is important that when we develop integrated lessons that care is given to fostering learning outcomes in both disciplines. By doing so, whether an integrated lesson is developed from a theme or a shared concept, students will be afforded meaningful learning opportunities as they synthesize their knowledge and experiences and make relevant connections across subjects.