Term Paper on "History Education"

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Empowers students to travel into divergent areas;

Sharpens students' insights;

Facilitates students making new discoveries. (Teitelbaum 1- 2)

The value of the researched thesis supersedes college classrooms, as they constitute a vital part of "humanity's continuing desire to gain insight into and an understanding of the world. If the true purpose of higher education is to make one a better and more understanding person, and students must be given the tools with which they can continue to reached for this ideal.… Research is only one of the important tools of an educated person. (Teitelbaum 2)

During the course of completing research for this thesis, this researcher also made a point to search for what West notes in the introductory quote of this study, the value great music asserts. (Simpson)

History notes the evolution of music evolved from the simple Gregorian Chant to jazz and a myriad of contemporary classical styles. Culture and events of particular time periods, which served to propel forces behind changes in music, influenced composers and great minds of each era. This thesis discusses how culture and history have also affected students' learning experiences in the high school music classroom.

Factors outside of high school, as well as outside of music have initiated changes in music throughout time. These factors ranged from particular events occurring during a designated time, to specific people who may have influenced the great minds that composed some of the music that continues to "live" today. d1.2: Study Area

Relevant Thesis Questions

The following research questions proved relevant when researching information for this thesis as they also serve to help keep this researcher's focus in line with the purposes previously proposed.

1. Who were some of the great leaders/composers in music history; during Renaissance, and Baroque eras?

2. What are some of their contributions which continue to be relevant? Why?

3. What leadership strategies from research can be utilized to empower the high school music student body?

Hypothesis

Securing answers to this study's proposed thesis questions, this researcher contends, will contribute to the ultimate determination of the following hypothesis:

When some of the prominent, positive ideas contributed by leaders of the Renaissance and Baroque Eras, integrated into the great music of these prominent time frames, are extracted and taught in the high school music class, then this practice will contribute to better helping affected youth to become better educated, better-rounded students.

In the past, as well as, in today's times, culture and history have affected the students' learning experiences in the high school music classroom, Incorporating various cultural events in history that influenced the music greats of the specified eras into the classroom constitutes a great teaching strategy. Ways to comprehend music in the high school classroom constantly change. Each unit taught, albeit, enerally includes different genres of music, such as classical and jazz.

Each single genre of music has its own composers and great minds which contributed to the development of different music styles. Other people back in time and/or certain events of their time, however, also influenced the astute minds behind the brilliant works and ideas in music. In this thesis, this researcher discuses great leaders throughout the history of music, as well as, a number of events which influenced them. In turn, their novel ideas impacted music as a whole, transforming concepts taught in the high school music room.

1.2: Study Area

Thesis Description:

In developing this paper, using the internet, journals, along with Questia, reportedly the world's largest online library and, virtual nearby libraries, this researcher extensively explored the following disciplines:

Multiculturalism;

Leadership (leaders);

Music history;

World history;

Human sciences, e.g. psychology and biology.

Leadership Qualities

Learning gleaned from this researcher's tier two classes enabled this researcher to delve deeply into the science of learning in the classroom and implement a number of ideas of the great composers and great minds during the Renaissance, and Baroque eras. From the retrieved leaderships' ideas, this researcher utilized particular leadership qualities and strategies to reflect ways to empower today's high school music student body.

The following classes, completed by this researcher, contributed vital considerations to the creation of this researched thesis.

MLS 661: Cultural Perspectives: Interpretive Strategies / / 3.0 credits

In the Cultural Perspectives: Interpretive Strategies class, this researcher explored numerous other cultures, along with particular ways these individuals' interoperability with other world events. One pertinent theory this researcher grasped from this class purports that more than one way exists to perceive and solve a problem. One must also take what occurs all around them and utilize the influencing factors to help reach a goal.

Knowledge gained from this course enabled me to dig for ideas from other cultures and search for ways great composers from the past may have adopted new ideas from these cultures and personified them. During the Renaissance, composers retrieved many relevant ideas from great thinkers and scholars of their time and transformed these mental "nuggets" into new ideas and integrated them into their manuscripts.

MLS 660: The Art of Leadership / / 3.0 credits

In the class entitled, the Art of Leadership, this researcher discovered that in their philosophical writings, Plato and Aristotle made a point record what they believed, which for their time, proved to be extremely profound. Their writings, consequently, affected more than the thoughts of individual who lived during their time. With the leadership Plato and Aristotle demonstrated, complemented by their advanced thinking process they purported, composers during that particular time, in turn, implemented what they believed right for music of that era into the music they created.

In this thesis, this researcher utilized this class' knowledge to foster descriptions of how the actions of great leaders of different eras influenced the ideas of the composers during their time frame. Leadership qualities displayed during these times also proved to be like "key" to unlocking understanding and empowering the student body of a classroom to concentrate and learn more readily. This researcher shows how ideas of great thinkers can be conveyed in the music classroom.

MLS 633: Darwinism and its influence / / 3.0 credits

Lessons learned from the study of blank slate theory (John Locke) to the survival of the fittest (Charles Darwin) in the course, Darwinism and its influence, proved helpful when this researcher examined the world of education. Ideas, along with question, help when reflecting on and/or discussing education and its history. One pertinent question this researcher reflected upon also aptly stimulated this researched thesis: Are children born already with everything they need to know?

As an educator, this researcher argues that a child is, in fact, born with a "blank slate," and further discusses learning regarding children in this researcher's high school class. Students in high school music groups, as well as, individually can make links to the music they play. They can also readily link to what has happened in history during particular time periods to make music evolve into its current compositions, points this researcher discusses in this thesis.

ENY 714: Brain Compatible Learning / / 3.0 credits

During the course of Brain Compatible Learning, this researcher and other students explored the answer to the question, "How does the brain function when someone is learning a new idea?" Studies in this class related a number of ideas on how to teach new ideas to children by connecting new information with the old information currently stored in their brains.

Studies in this class also portrayed the fact the human brain functions in ways most individuals may seldom consider. Until approximately twenty years ago, a common conception purported that the brain basically stored ideas and did not complete many more functions. Now, research confirms that the human brain actively links from one part to another. This researcher presents ways this linkage phenomenon is used in the classroom by… READ MORE