All too often, the music classroom stifles students with one-size-fits-all curricula and repertoire. In Pass the Baton, authors Kathryn Finch and Theresa Hoover turn that paradigm on its head, offering a vision of music education that empowers students as critical thinkers who exercise voice and choice to question, discover, connect, and play like never before—in and out of the classroom.
Pass the Baton offers readers a comprehensive guide to crafting engaging music lessons that transform students from passive consumers to vibrant creatives. Whether you’re looking to rethink general music or overhaul your ensemble groups, Pass the Baton is chock-full of generative, actionable, and impactful tools. Finch and Hoover have drawn on deep research and years of experience in the music room to provide a guide for all music educators to create a learner-centered environment and give students the opportunity to truly own the creative process.
Support for Pass the Baton
What are people saying about Pass the Baton: Empowering All Music Students?
This book is a must read for teachers who want to empower students to become self-sufficient lifelong learners. It is a guidebook for creating a vibrant classroom where student learning is the first priority.
Pass the Baton is a must-read for all who desire to provide their students with access and opportunities to a lifetime of music making and a deep love of music. With an emphasis on the artistic processes of creating, performing, responding, and connecting, the authors have done an outstanding job at presenting concepts and connections to build a culturally responsive, relevant, and meaningful music education that is collaborative and student centric.
Pass the Baton is the perfect, adaptable resource we have needed in music education! Kathryn Finch and Theresa Hoover have achieved the ideal balance of thought-provoking, accessible guidance and practical resources and activities. Music educators looking to facilitate their students having more autonomy, buy-in, and voice need to check out this book! We need to take a step back so our students can take a step forward; this book gives us the tools to do so!
-
Episode 120 – When Students Take the Lead: Rethinking the Role of the Choral Director
When Students Take the Lead: Rethinking the Role of the Choral Director In episode 120, we talk with choral music educator Ocie Banks about what happens when teachers move out of the center of the learning and give students real…
-
Episode 119 – The Concert is Not the Curriculum
The Concert is Not the Curriculum In episode 119, Theresa and Kathryn talk with Tim Bupp about rethinking what school music is really for, and what happens when we stop treating the concert as the curriculum. Tim shares how his…
-
Episode 118 – From Teacher to Facilitator: Making Space for Creativity
From Teacher to Facilitator: Making Space for Creativity In episode 118, Kathryn and Theresa talk with elementary music teacher Ashley Cobb about creating music classrooms where students are active participants, creators, and decision-makers. Ashley shares how her own experiences as…
