“Please write a blog post about your current understanding of the concept of developmentally appropriate pedagogy within your field of study/expertise.”
My current understanding of the concept of developmentally appropriate pedagogy within the field of study of instrumental music education:
Through my study of developmentally appropriate pedagogy, it seems that the majority of common practice among music educators are embolic of Vygotsky’s theory of development. Vygotsky focused on the importance of social interactions among students, as well as cultural influences and how these impact childhood development.
It is my understanding that music education is tightly connected to Vygotsky’s theory, for it is a cross-cultural study which not only has a rich history but also enables students to learn about other people.
Some examples of developmentally appropriate pedagogy, per age level would be as follows:
In a general music classroom, teachers cover a wide array of age levels and developmental. Since students will be of generally lower ranges of cognitive development, pedagogy needs to cater to their stages. This would look like repeat after me assignments, or heavy reliance on visual curriculum, and finally a lot of clear explanation of concepts both new and recurring.
In a middle and high school classroom, where focuses have been shifted into instrumental pedagogy and orchestral pedagogy. This instruction still remains large group focused, as it did in general music classroom, however due to the new factor of each individual student having an instrument in their hands, teaching needs to change to help show students how each of their own instruments fit into the ensemble.
A classroom community-centered pedagogy is the constant in every music classroom. Developmentally, music helps build the “humanism” side of an individual. This should be preserved in all pedagogy, and I am of the opinion that musical study should promote emotional health and understanding.
