Imagine a conversation among leaders who are passionate about their general music teaching, who have found incredible power in Music Learning Theory (MLT), who exchange ideas about how to be successful in the classroom, and who are eager to share what they’ve learned with one another. This is the magic of Q & A for MLT.

Drawing from their expertise, experience, and unique perspectives, authors Jill Reese, Heather Shouldice, and Jennifer Bailey—along with a series of guest contributors—provide practical suggestions for managing the challenges and choices in a Music Learning Theory-based classroom, sometimes agreeing and other times highlighting differing perspectives that encourage the reader to consider what best fits their understanding and context.

The book addresses key topics, including:

• An overview of Music Learning Theory
• Suggestions for classroom activities
• Developing the teacher's own musical skills and content knowledge
• Blending MLT with the Kodaly and Orff approaches
• Measuring music aptitude and assessing student growth
• Long-term and short-term planning
• Adapting MLT for diverse populations (students with disabilities, visual impairments, and English Language Learners)
• How to use MLT in various contexts (the preschool classroom, urban settings, elementary choir, and middle school general music)

Through a conversational blend of research, scholarship, stories from the classroom, and humor, this book gives educators a reliable source for finding answers to real-life questions and suggestions for navigating the specifics of successfully applying MLT in the classroom.

Jill Reese is Associate Professor of Music Education at the State University of New York at Fredonia. Dr. Reese is also the author of Navigating Music Learning Theory: A Guide for General Music Teachers. Heather N. Shouldice is Associate Professor of Music Education at Eastern Michigan University. Dr. Shouldice is also the author of Weaving It All Together: A Practical Guide to Applying Gordon’s Music Learning Theory in the Elementary General Music Program and the host of a podcast about Music Learning Theory called “Everyday Musicality.” Jennifer M. Bailey is an elementary vocal music teacher in Farmington Public Schools with over 25 years of experience using Music Learning Theory in the classroom.