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Research
Mapping the Beat: A Geography through Music Curriculum
Investigator: Liane Brouillette
Funding: National Geographic Education Foundation
Mapping the Beat is designed to address the lack of standards-based geography content and culture-based arts instruction in U.S. schools. Several factors are believed to contribute to this lack of attention to these instructional areas:
- a lack of arts and geography training among elementary educators
- limited knowledge of lesson planning resources and geography standards
- increased pressure to prepare students for standardized testing that does not include geography or art among the disciplines tested
- school district mandates that limit time spent on topics other than literacy and math
The Mapping the Beat curriculum of music and geography instruction is being implemented in 20 fifth grade classrooms in four states (California, Michigan, Oklahoma, and Wisconsin). The curriculum teaches students about the integral ties between physical environments and music. Students explore the cultural and geographical features of different U.S. regions and compare them to the musical practices that grew up in these geographic and cultural environments. The project includes professional development workshops for participating teachers.
An earlier pilot program conducted in California demonstrated a shift in the way elementary students responded to music and geographic subject matter, fueling their curiosity about the geographic features that determine culture and art forms. The current project includes an evaluation component to examine the outcomes of the program.
For additional information about Mapping the Beat, click here.
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