Julia Brook’s wonderful article “Placing elementary music education: a case study of a Canadian rural music program” explores the benefits of place-based education with a particular focus on social studies and arts. Brook explains that exposing students to ideas and traditions from nearby sources and their community can engage students and develop an understanding of the people and places around them. Place-based education presents an opportunity for students to engage with the local community and culture and encourages curiosity, personal expression, and reflective/critical thinking. Brook’s article explores the connection between place-based education and music education programmes in a rural Manitoba town. Creativity and active learning are emphasized for music education; students learning music by doing generate the opportunity to create and freely express the art of music as they learn. By incorporating local music, inviting local musicians, and teaching speech poems and folk songs, music education can directly engage with place-based learning. One distinguishing point of the article is that children demonstrate different cultures than adults; the age/generational difference creates a boundary that divides people by age, whether it is babies, toddlers, young children, teenagers, or adults. Engaging students with music from each of the “micro-cultures” in the community develop a representation for all. The engagement of the different cultures develops that sense of understanding for the community and the place they live in.
Place-based education is an incredible instrument for teachers who seek to engage their students with the surrounding environment. I thoroughly enjoyed Brook’s article because it presents ideas for me to utilize in my future classrooms. As a social studies major, I will have countless opportunities to actively use place-based education; history is all around us, and understanding the history of the place we live in deeply connects us to the roots of the land. Field trips, Indigenous knowledge keepers, and local figures can all provide to creating a sense of place for my future students. Saskatchewan has multiple monumental locations and historically significant sites that can engage students with the land they live in. Indigenous knowledge keepers can share their connections to the land and the place they call home. Local figures, such as mayors, farmers, etc., can provide specifically local history to Regina, for example, directly engaging students in learning about their direct surroundings. Geography is a significant topic in understanding the importance of place in society. Place is beyond the concept of a location; it is also about one’s physical, emotional, and mental attachment to that location and the specific culture and impact of that place on a person’s life.
I hope to integrate music into my classroom, whether it be playing in the background while students work or if I can directly engage with it. Saskatchewan is home to an abundance of amazing artists, such as Colter Wall and The Dead South, just to name a few. I want to expose students to local arts and the history of their craft in hopes of inspiring students. If not to inspire, at the minimum, it will educate students about the culture and arts of Saskatchewan and develop a connection to the land, culture, and history.
Brook, J. (2013). Placing elementary music education: a case study of a Canadian rural music program. Music Education Research, 15(3), 290-303.
I really like the emphasis you placed on place-based education and how you related it back to the article. You could potentially add more specific examples of how you’re going to implement these activities in a social studies classroom. I also admire your passion towards integrating the importance of music education and history in your future classes.