INTRODUCTION
If you ask a classroom teacher or music specialist about integrated curriculum, you will probably get a positive response. "Oh, yes. I integrate music into the curriculum." Probe a little deeper, and you may discover that "integration" means linking Social Studies and Music by singing Thanksgiving songs in November, or Language Arts and Music by singing the "Alphabet Song" when students are learning letters of the alphabet.

In this text you will explore a more sophisticated, deeper, relevant consideration of integration. You will gain the foundations necessary to work within your school to create meaningful, integrated curriculum designs.

As an educator, you may recognize the joy, stimulation, and learning that springs from a good music program. No doubt you have also witnessed funding cuts, budget slashes, and the elimination of many valuable programs -- particularly in the arts. The purpose of this text is three-fold. You will explore and come to a new understanding of why music is a critical component of a complete education, and some characteristics of defensible elementary music programs. Thus, you will be a more articulate advocate for your Music and arts programs -- a defender against senseless budget cuts.

Secondly, you will learn to develop Music lessons based on broader understanding of the relationship between music, the brain, and other disciplines/intelligences. You will discover the differences between teaching in, about and through music; and when each is appropriate. In this way, your planning will provide deep, meaningful learning experiences that account for a variety of learning styles.

Finally, you will develop interactive strategies that enable you to work with colleagues to create truly integrated curriculum units. A thoughtful, well-developed curriculum that honors the concepts and skills, as well as the materials and tools of each discipline, will enhance your students' learning immeasurably. It will also help to assure Music's rock-solid place at the crux of any well-balanced curriculum.

CONTENTS

Introduction	Is Music important? How do you know?
Chapter 1	The Discipline of Music
Chapter 2	Why Integration? Why Now?
Chapter 3	Current Practice: Connection, Correlation and Integration
Chapter 4	Models of Connections
Chapter 5	Models of Correlations
Chapter 6	Integration Lesson Plans
Chapter 7	Model for an Integrated Unit:
Chapter 8	Weavers and Weaving
Chapter 9	Connection, Correlation, Integration Revisited: Mexico / Bate, Bate and Las Mananitas
Chapter 10	Thinking About Themes
Chapter 11	Developing Individual Pods
Chapter 12	Issues and Opportunities
Conclusion
Glossary of Terms
Bibliography of Selected Readings

Dr. Sue Snyder
Sue Snyder is president of I.D.E.A.S: Inventive Designs for Education & the Arts, a consulting company dedicated to facilitating child appropriate educational models and programs. She has taught children for over twenty years, and holds a BS and MA in music education, a Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction, an Orff Master Teachers' Certificate, and a Cooperative learning Trainers' certificate. She has extensively studied topics in education including creativity, curriculum design, early childhood education, integrated language arts, integrated curriculum designs, learning theory, movement, multicultural education, special learners, and authentic assessment.

She combines her interest to develop curriculum designs and products which promote activity based, integrated learning. Sue is an Author of McGraw-Hill's Music and You series, Coordinating Author of Share the Music, Contributing Author of Glencoe's Choral Connections. and Author/Publisher of Integrate with Integrity, ArtSmart: Arts Activities for Classroom Teachers, Teaching Music in the Elementary School: A Guide for Classroom Teachers (with 3 videos), Classical Moves, by Barb Stevanson (with CD and video); Music Memory 1998-99, Grades 5/6 and 3/4, Mollie Tower, Senior Author (with CDs, ancillary materials, and software). Sue has both consulted on and created educational texts, videos and software. She actively teaches and consults at universities, school districts, for teacher groups and media corporations internationally.

She is currently Scholar-in-Residence with the BEST program at the CT State Department of Education; is co-chair of RETA (Reading Excellence Through the Arts), a special interest group of the International Reading Association; and curriculum facilitator for the HOT (Higher Order Thinking) Schools in Connecticut, for the CT Commission on the Arts. She is the proud mom of Aaron.

Link to Sue's homepage

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