In this series of articles, the authors discuss strategies for integrating student interests as part of their classroom music experience. The articles specifically reference grades 3-5. The first article provides an overview of literature that explores how teachers make connections with students’ interests in their classrooms, and how this approach supports positive teacher-student relationships. The second article reveals data collection on student preferences in classroom music. In the third article of this research-to-practice series, the authors use the results from the data to create three hypothetical music classes and activities that center students’ interests.

The method of data collection for this study was surveys because of their accessibility for students and for teachers who wish to recreate this study in their own classrooms. The data was organized by age group. Third graders prefer free dance and movement, picking music themselves, and working with a partner. Fourth and fifth graders like listening to music best, as well as picking the music on their own and working with a partner. More details about the children’s preferences can be seen in the detailed tables presented in part 3 of this article series. After the presentation of the tables, the authors draw upon scholarship, pedagogies such as culturally responsive teaching and student-centered learning, and their own personal experiences as former classroom music teachers to craft recommendations for the hypothetical classes based on the student preferences.

Incorporating student interests in curricular design can improve student motivation and create pathways for accessing students who feel disconnected to traditional music education practices in the US.

This article centers many important facets of the elementary classroom music teacher experience. What I appreciate most about this article is how the authors frame the ways teachers can conduct this research in their own classrooms. Academe can benefit from more documentation of individual teacher, student, and classroom experiences. Furthermore, inviting teachers to take a seat at the research table can in itself make strides toward filling the “research-to-practice” gap.