SKU: GI.G-10575
A Practical Guide to
Applying Gordon's Music
Learning Theory in the
Elementary General Music
Program. Composed by
Heather Shouldice. Music
Learning Theory (MLT).
Music Education. 472
pages. GIA Publications
#10575. Published by GIA
Publications
(GI.G-10575).
ISBN
9781622776023.
In
many ways, teaching with
Music Learning Theory
(MLT) is like weaving a
tapestry. There are a
multitude of threads that
must be thoughtfully and
strategically woven
together to create the
intended piece.
—from the
Introduction Children are
capable of remarkably
sophisticated musical
skills and
understandings, and for
decades music teachers
have been using Edwin E.
Gordon’s
groundbreaking method to
successfully develop
independent music makers
and thinkers in their
classrooms. In Weaving It
All Together, author
Heather Shouldice draws
from her two decades of
experience with Music
Learning Theory (MLT) to
present practical
activities, ideas, and
strategies to help
elementary general music
teachers thoughtfully and
purposefully weave
together the many
instructional threads of
MLT. The book is divided
into three parts. Part I
(“The Big
Pictureâ€) presents
the core concepts and
tenets of MLT, including
a summary of
Gordon’s
foundational Skill
Learning Sequence. In
Part II
(“Navigating Skill
Learning
Sequenceâ€),
Shouldice dedicates a
chapter to each of the
eight levels in the Skill
Learning Sequence, with
suggestions for learning
activities and teaching
strategies for each. Part
III (“Weaving the
Threadsâ€) takes a
broad view of how
students’
audiation and musical
skill development can be
guided throughout the
elementary years, with
chapters devoted to
informal music guidance,
harmonic skill
development, instrumental
applications,
facilitating and
documenting individual
student growth,
implementing Learning
Sequence Activities
(LSAs), and planning and
sequencing instruction.
Equally suited for
veteran and novice
teachers alike, Weaving
It All Together provides
a detailed yet flexible
roadmap for music
instruction and bridges
the gap between
Gordon’s
theoretical ideas and
their practical
implementation in the
general music classroom.
Heather Nelson Shouldice
is Associate Professor of
Music Education at
Eastern Michigan
University, where she
coordinates the music
education program,
teaches graduate and
undergraduate courses,
supervises student
teachers, and directs the
early childhood music
program. Prior to
entering higher
education, Dr. Shouldice
taught elementary general
music for ten years in
the public schools of
Michigan.