Kansas Music Standard #7: The teacher of music has an understanding of music in relation to various historical periods and cultures.

Knowledge

• The teacher understands musical events and characteristics of various historical periods and culture.

Performance

• The teacher demonstrates effective strategies for developing student exploration of the music of various historical periods and cultures as appropriate for various developmental stages.

      When past societies are studied various elements are evaluated and reviewed, and one of the main elements is music. Teachers of music must be able to understand and express these cultural connections to their students. Various elements of culture such as literature and art have impacted musical creation and in order to fully understand and appreciate music we must understand the other elements. Why was a certain music created, what was going on in the world when this piece was composed, why was it composed a certain way; these are all questions that a teacher should be able to answer using his/her knowledge of history with regard to music. This insight will helps students to grow a deeper and more meaningful appreciation for all styles of music.

      Full year curriculum: This is a full year curriculum I created that involves music from many different historical and stylistic periods and styles. Each concert includes works from different historical periods including the baroque, classical, romantic and 20^th century. This serves to encourage students to embrace all musical styles.

      Biography on Brubeck: This is an excerpt taken from a research paper that I wrote for Music History III. This illustrates my ability to learn and apply information about historical musical figures.