Integrating General and Jewish Music in Elementary Jewish Day Schools

This qualitative multiple case study examines how music teachers at Jewish day schools (JDSs) integrate general music skills and repertoire with Jewish repertoire and themes in their curriculum. Research on music education in faith-based schools and JDSs in the United States is rare, and no apparent research has examined integration of general and Jewish music. Three elementary school music teachers from two JDSs provided data through interviews, observations, and artifacts. Data analysis revealed that participants integrated general and Jewish music by using Jewish songs to teach music concepts and making deliberate curricular integration decisions. Participants planned integrative lessons through the repertoire-first or concept-first approaches, then made sure that their lessons were multicentric. Challenges for participants included struggles with time and tensions between values and practical considerations. Participants Shira and Tamar’s beliefs and values from the general music world, the Jewish music world, and a combination of the two, influenced their integration. Kate, who did not identify as Jewish, derived her beliefs and values from the general music world and expressed an openness to Jewish music. All participants intentionally integrated in a variety of ways and viewed integration as important to their roles as music educators.