Partnerships in Action: University Models David Smith


In reflecting on my own feelings con- cerning partnerships in music education, I’ve come to the conclusion that they are an essential component to the educa- tional process. Whether they are formal or informal, longstanding or of short du- ration, mutually beneficial or relatively one-sided, they enrich the curriculum and hold the potential to meet more of the learner-participants’ needs than I can on my own. This article focuses on partnerships I’ve been involved in, and their role in the educational process of university music education students.


One of the defining characteristics of music education at Western Michigan University (WMU) is the emphasis on field-based learning. Methods classes are scheduled in three-hour blocks, two mornings each week, to allow stu- dents to engage in field experiences in area schools. When I began teaching at Western Michigan University, some methods classes were conducted on- site at an area school that did not have a music education specialist. An agree- ment had been reached with this school whereby music education methods stu- dents planned and taught music lessons to classes of students two mornings a week for 10-weeks, under the super- vision of graduate teaching assistants and university music education faculty. The school funded a WMU graduate teaching assistantship position for an individual who would provide addi- tional music instruction. partnership


This formal allowed music education


methods students to gain valuable expe- rience teaching K-8 students in a con- trolled, supportive, field-based setting. The arrangement proved to be greatly beneficial to our music education stu- dents; however, increasing challenges in scheduling eventually led to an end of this partnership after nearly 20 years.


The first impulse following the dissolu- tion of a long-term partnership may be to follow one formal partnership with another, but that isn’t always possible,


Scheduling seems to be one of the most difficult challenges to overcome in any partnership relationship. In the current field-based partnerships, we look to partner with schools that can schedule two or three classes of the same grade level


consecutively during our class


time period. This timing allows univer- sity teaching pairs to observe the music specialist provide instruction during the first class, then assume leadership for segments of the same grade level les- son during subsequent classes. When


The master teachers prepare and teach lesson plans suitable for younger (kin- dergarten and 1st grade children) and older children (2nd through 5th grade children) for each Saturday Music Lab. In addition to being on-site instructors, they also mentor the university mu- sic education majors who are assigned to their classrooms. Using the same master-apprentice


model developed


for practicum, the master teacher inte- grates the university students into lead- ership roles within each lesson, allow-


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especially when there are factors that limit the possibilities. In our case, sev- eral considerations led the search for a new partner—flexible scheduling, prox- imity to the university, lack of a music specialist,


and administrator support


for music education. There were some schools that met some of those qualifi- cations, but no viable candidates could fulfill all of them.


In making contacts with schools, sev- eral music specialists who were mem- bers of the West Michigan Orff Chapter (WMOC) expressed an interest in pro- viding authentic teaching experiences for our university students. I’m fairly sure their interest was a direct result of an informal partnership I had developed with the WMOC—we hosted several chapter meetings on campus and wel- comed chapter members for methods class demonstrations. Since a posi- tive relationship already existed with WMOC members, we began to talk about various ways that they might as- sist the university students. We eventu- ally came up with a master-apprentice model, whereby music specialists men- tor a pair of university music education students in the Introduction to Music Education class. Given the restrictions of travel time and scheduling, the uni- versity students are on-site in an area elementary school for two or three con- secutive classes, depending on the start- ing time of the school and their class schedule on campus.


schools aren’t able to schedule same grade classes during the practicum time period, we’ve found that similar grade combinations also work, as long as the instructional content is similar between the two grades. However, when there’s a greater age span between classes, or there are multiple grades during the practicum time, we aren’t able to work together.


School-university partnerships aren’t al- ways one-way, with university students traveling to schools in the community. In one recent initiative, inservice music educators come to campus to serve as master teachers in a campus-based com- munity enrichment experience.


The


Saturday Music Lab was created several years ago to provide opportunities for university music education majors to re- fine instructional and leadership skills, as well as provide a music enrichment experience for area children in kinder- garten through 5th grade. This free two- hour experience is held at Dalton Cen- ter on the campus of Western Michigan University, and involves singing, mov- ing, and instrument-playing activities designed by inservice music educators who are master teachers.


Each Satur-


day Music Lab is built around children’s song literature, with children rotating between three developmentally appro- priate classes to focus on melodic and rhythmic aspects of songs in prepara- tion for an end-of-morning interactive performance with their adult guardians.


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