Creating Meaningful Learning in Contemporary American Civilization Using the Lens of Music
Meaningful teaching transforms students’ learning experience. Teaching contemporary American civilization through music fosters deeper learning and serves as a vehicle exploring identity, self-expression, and belonging.
Presented by:
Galit Gertsenzon, Ball State University
From the author, in their own words...
Galit Gertsenzon, Ball State University
Transcript:
Hello, my name is Galit Gertsenzon. I’m a professor in the Honors College at Ball State University. My poster explores creating meaningful learning in contemporary American civilization through the lens of music. I begin with the idea that music carries the experiences of the people and the time in which it was created. When students listen to music in that way, a song becomes more than something to hear and enjoy, it becomes a way of encountering American society. What makes this learning meaningful is that students begin with something that they are already familiar with, and gradually they discover what lies beyond it. Listening leads to curiosity, which then leads to questions, and those questions open the door to understanding experiences and perspectives they may not have considered before. So music becomes both a primary source and a bridge, connecting what students already know to what they have yet to discover.
Abstract:
Meaningful teaching transforms how students experience learning. Teaching from the lens of music can help create such experiences. This poster explores an interdisciplinary approach to teaching contemporary American civilization through the lens of music, demonstrating how music serves as a vehicle for understanding historical events, identity, self-expression, belonging, and cultural empathy. Students engage with musical traditions, social movements, and social changes while developing a deeper understanding of events in American history through the lens of music. The poster presents course design, teaching strategies, and examples of student engagement that shows how music fosters meaningful learning across disciplines in higher education.
Key Words:
Music, Meaningful Learning, Contemporary American Civilization
Outcomes:
1. Identify ways for teaching familiar topics in new ways.
2. Develop strategies for meaningful teaching through the lens of music.
3. Create interdisciplinary pedagogy that successfully engages students in new topics.
References:
Gertsenzon, G. (2024). Becoming culturally responsive: Music pedagogies in honors curricula. In G. Harper (Ed.), Advancing honors education for today and tomorrow (pp. 49–60). Cambridge Scholars Publishing.
Gertsenzon, G. (2021). Bridging the interval: Teaching global awareness through music and politics. Journal of the National Collegiate Honors Council, 22(1), 135–167.
Gertsenzon, G. (2021). Teaching from "Sum Total": Commemorating the Holocaust through contemporary performance. Journal of Performing Arts Leadership in Higher Education, 12, 41–57.
Gertsenzon, G. (2020). Music in the Holocaust as an honors colloquium. Honors in Practice, 16, 15–28.