"Integrated Arts" Pedagogy and Philosophy

This dissertation proposes and discusses the pedagogy and philosophy behind an original method titled IAM (Integrated Arts Method), which is an alternate experiential, integrated, conducive, and student-centered music and arts pedagogical method that can facilitate effective teaching for effective learning. Three key philosophical principles and a number of general techniques and attitudes are suggested as contributing factors to observed success of IAM. These generalized contributing factors, the IAM pedagogy and philosophy, are comparable with existing related pedagogical methods, which offer indirect explanation and support for the success of IAM. In turn, these pedagogical principles and attitudes allow generalization of IAMs advantages to other subject areas. IAM pedagogy contributes to the field of education generally, and arts education specifically, with original music and interdisciplinary programs, materials, compositions, and procedures, which represent practical and effective tools for both educators and students success. The three key principles of IAM pedagogy suggest that learning can be effective if it is: 1) physical experience based, 2) with synthesis of related subjects, and 3) taught in a positive and stimulating atmosphere. Accurate facilitation of these key principles involves techniques, aspects, and pedagogical attitudes which this dissertation specifies and explains. IAM pedagogy is embodied through a set of general principles, specific attitudes, and practical tools for achieving required emotional, mental, physiological, and psychological functioning of both learner and teacher for their mutual effectiveness. Results of real world IAM programs in subject areas of music and arts suggest that the pedagogy of IAM contributes to effective, enjoyable, and memorable education. Explanation and support of this contribution stem from scientific, educational, sociological, philosophical, neuroscience, cognition, and music and arts literature. Hence the research conducted in this dissertation has been from real world practice toward grounded theory. IAM programs have been conducted 7 times with success (in 2007-2009 public school based extracurricular settings), with the aid of original pedagogical programs and materials developed for these programs. These specific programs and their parameters and materials will be offered in the dissertation as concrete sample pedagogical solutions to practical application of the proposed principles in music and integrated arts education.