RUTH DEBROT
Ruth Debrot has spent her career demonstrating a joyful approach to teaching music. Ruth is a music specialist for the Sharon Public Schools in Massachusetts and a faculty member at Boston University, where she completed her doctorate in music education. Publications include the MENC Spotlight Series, the MENC web site jazz series, The Orff Echo, The Arkansas MEA Segue, and the Massachusetts Music Educators Journal. Most importantly, Ruth encourages her students to be creative-minded musicians, but her primary goal is to instill a lifelong love for music in all students, regardless of ability.
|
Are We Burning Bridges? The Discourse Surrounding Choral Music Education
Middle school programs occupy a unique place in choral music education. When students enter middle school, they bring with them vast repertoires of music reflecting their personal interests and passions, music that does not easily fit into traditional methodologies and prescribed curricula. Chorus may be about learning to sing in a group, but from an adolescent perspective it is primarily a means of meeting people and making new friends (Shehan-Campbell, Connell, & Beegle, 2007). This session will explore the construction of critical, alternative pedagogical practices for the purpose of making middle school choral music education more musically relevant for learners.