2, 4, 6, 8, Now It's Time To Annotate!

In addition to the many resources I referenced in my literature review, these are some of the materials that I came across and intend to make further use of as I develop and implement my innovation plan.




Bartel, L. (Ed.) (2004). Questioning the music education paradigm. Waterloo, ON, Canada: Canadian Music Educators' Association.

A collection of twenty expert articles dealing with a wide range of topics in music education. Of particular interest to me, as I further develop my innovation plan and examine the question of how many creative opportunities students are really getting in performing ensembles, are chapters on incorporating popular music in the classroom, comparison of high school music and sports educators, and re-examining the roles of conductors and performers in school ensembles.


Conley, D.T., & Darling-Hammond, L. (2013). Creating systems of assessment for deeper learning. Stanford, CA: Stanford Center for Opportunity Policy in Education.

An examination of possible approaches to moving above and beyond traditional sit-down tests to assess deeper learning. Particular attention is given to the need to assess "21st century" skills such as problem solving, creative thinking, and communication.


Darling-Hammond, L., Chung Wei, R., Andree, A., & Richardson, N. (2009). Professional learning in the learning profession: A status report on teacher development in the United States and abroad. Oxford, OH: National Staff Development Council.

An analysis of data from a larger study, this report evaluates successes and failures in teacher development practices around the world. While it is an older publication, I want to examine this as a baseline as I develop the professional development aspect of my innovation plan.

Farrington, C.A., Roderick, M., Allensworth, E., Nagaoka, J., Keyes, T.S., Johnson, D.W., & Beechum, N.O. (2012). Teaching adolescents to become learners. The role of noncognitive factors in shaping school performance: A critical literature review. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Consortium on Chicago School Research.

This literature review looks at material dealing with social and emotional learning and how it impacts the academic performance of secondary students. It pulls together a large library of resources.

Gulamhussein, A. (2013). Teaching the teachers: Effective professional development in an era of high stakes accountability. Alexandria, VA: Center for Public Education.

In comparison to the work of Darling-Hammond et al. listed above, this report is more forward-looking, examining what needs to be done make teacher development as effective as possible, especially given that many teachers are now being asked to teach in a way that they have never experienced. This is very relevant to the implementation of my innovation plan.

Kleon, A. (2012). Steal like an artist: 10 things nobody told you about being creative. New York, NY: Workman Publishing Company, Inc.

I have been using elements of this book in my current Technology-Assisted Music class, which I am developing an online version of as part of my innovation plan. The near-conversational style of the book and its practical look at how to "do" creativity have led to many interesting class discussions.


Miller, A.K. (2015). Freedom to fail: How do I foster risk-taking and innovation in my classroom? Alexandria, VA: ASCD.

Developing a failure-embracing, growth mindset culture is central to the course I am developing; indeed, this freedom to fail and to learn are the entire aim of the course.


Peppler, K. (2013). New opportunities for interest-driven arts learning in a digital age. New York, NY: The Wallace Foundation.

This report combines an examination of the learning theory and philosophies behind recent developments in digital arts education, as well as providing information on practical resources, such as a list of online digital arts learning communities.

Watson, J., Powell, A., Staley, P., Patrick, S., Horn, M., Fetzer, L., . . .Verma, S. (2015). Blending Learning: The Evolution of Online and Face-to-Face Education from 2008–2015. Vienna, VA: International Association for K-12 Online Learning.

This look at the prior decade of blended learning is of interest to me as I look to develop the long-term, blended learning aspect of my own innovation plan.