| This purpose of this study was to develop a curricular prototype for a college level music appreciation course based on the functions of music in society rather than the widely-used Western European historical approach. The creation of this curricular prototype was guided by four objectives: (1) The incorporation of recent research on teaching and learning (e.g., constructivism, problem-based learning, metacognition); (2) the inclusion of significant multicultural content; (3) the generation of an instructional design that can accommodate multiple musical genres; and (4) the integration popular musical genres (e.g., rap, reggaeton) as a vehicle for connecting music appreciation with students' lives beyond the classroom.;The curricular prototype consists of a theoretical framework and an implementation of that framework within seven fully realized teaching units. The theoretical framework places particular emphasis on issues of instructional design and multiculturalism. Each of the teaching units includes lecture materials, discussion questions, listening guides, and a PowerPoint presentation.;The curricular prototype was subjected to a preliminary trial, and student feedback from that trial was used to refine the prototype. The curricular prototype was then further refined via formative and summative evaluations. |
