I am not your typical music teacher.
Luckily, I found a principal who was open to a less-than-typical music class. He hired me to teach a
class we call Music+STEM - an interdisciplinary class based on the concept of STEAM but with the
intention of keeping music at its core. I was encouraged to go as far with the integration as I wanted to.
His words, “Don’t hold back”, became my fuel as I created the curriculum for this course.
In my research, I find it is challenging to find examples of STEAM that (1) include music (the majority I
find seem to include visual arts), and (2) integrate music (or art) in an authentic way. That’s not to say
that writing a song or rap about a specific area of study isn’t valuable. But if students are studying
STEM subjects to prepare for life and careers in the 21st century, the inclusion of music and the arts to
create STEAM should carry the same substance as the original STEM subjects. With this in mind, I try
to create units that incorporate music in an authentic, relevant manner. I want to engage students in
critical thinking and 21st century skills while keeping music at the center of learning.
What does this look like in my
classroom? An example is a unit I call
“Pandora’s Challenge”. The idea for it
came after reading about the Music
Genome Project, the basis for the
technology behind music streaming
services like Pandora. I taught this
unit myself, inserting the basic biology
content on my own. You could,
however, team with a science teacher
so that you can expand the science
and genetic component of the unit. Or,
perhaps you’re a science teacher with
enough musical background to teach
the unit on your own. Either way, the
unit can be adapted to meet the
resources you have available. I teach
this unit to sixth, seventh, and eighth
graders.
As an introduction, I start with what my
students already know - themselves. I
ask, “What characteristics describe
you?” My students already start class
with journal entries so this is a natural
STEAMed Magazine
7
July 2016 Edition