Learning Sequences in Music: Skill, Content, and Patterns is a milestone in music education. This book is perhaps the most provocative exploration ever written of how we learn music, from infancy to adulthood, and what we should do to teach music more effectively. Revised, expanded, and completely rewritten for this eighth and final edition, Professor Edwin E. Gordon's continued research reaffirms his place as perhaps the world's principal thinker and researcher in music education. Early controversial ideas championed by Gordon have now been widely accepted in the field: the importance of standardized tests, the crucial role of early childhood music education, and the fundamental need to teach audiation as a precursor to music reading.

"With clear and compelling language, Eric Bluestine sheds light on the most vexing issues in music education—all the while drawing from the contributions of perhaps the most influential thinker in the field today, Edwin E. Gordon. In the process, Bluestine unlocks the mystery that frees a child’s mind to think on its own musical terms. If you teach music and are looking for the perfect introduction to the ideas of Edwin Gordon, this book is for you. If you are a parent curious about where the field is headed, this book is for you. If you are concerned about the major issues that face music education today (including sequence, aptitude, accountability, and early childhood), this book is definitely for you!"

"Drawing from their expertise, experience, and unique perspectives, authors Jill Reese, Heather Shouldice, and Jennifer Bailey—along with a series of guest contributors—provide practical suggestions for managing the challenges and choices in a Music Learning Theory-based classroom, sometimes agreeing and other times highlighting differing perspectives that encourage the reader to consider what best fits their understanding and context."

"James Jordan has spent the past 35 years developing applications of the Music Learning Theory of Edwin E. Gordon to the choral rehearsal. Inside the Choral Rehearsal is the culmination of his work—a comprehensive teaching resource detailing all aspects of skill development for choral ensembles of all ages, and deeply rooted in the psychology of music learning. This book explores both the philosophy and practical application of audiation development for choral ensembles, with the goal of contributing to a lifelong acquisition of music skill and audiation."

"Navigating Music Learning Theory, by author and educator Jill Reese, is an accessible and practical guide for general music teachers interested in incorporating the innovative concepts and ideas of Music Learning Theory in their own instruction."

"Musician, educator, and creator of The Improving Musician Andy Mullen has created a guide for self-starting musicians to learn to hear, think, speak and read the language of music."

"MLT Any Music Teacher Can Du…De breaks down Gordon’s Music Learning Theory into simple, easy to understand language and manageable chunks. No Ph.D. required!"

"In Weaving It All Together, author Heather Shouldice draws from her two decades of experience with Music Learning Theory (MLT) to present practical activities, ideas, and strategies to help elementary general music teachers thoughtfully and purposefully weave together the many instructional threads of MLT."

"These songs and chants are an excellent resource for bringing young children through the various stages of preparatory audiation, from acculturation to imitation and assimilation. Written in different tonalities and meters, these songs and chants present a rich and varied musical syntax, and they are also a great way to hold a child’s attention. Intentionally without lyrics (so children concentrate on the music and are not distracted by the words), these songs should be sung by an adult using a conversational and relational approach rather than as a formal musical performance."

Music Play: The Early Childhood Music Curriculum, Guide for Parents, Teachers, and Caregiversis an innovative, complete, full-color book and CD resource for early childhood music classes. Children are naturally fascinated with sound and movement play as they teach themselves how to function in the world. Moreover, each child born on this earth has the potential to learn music. Without early, sequential music development guidance, however, the potential for true music understanding and enjoyment is left underdeveloped in most children. This developmentally appropriate music series is based on the groundbreaking book A Music Learning Theory for Newborn and Young Children by Edwin E. Gordon as well as years of practical and experimental research. Music Play is designed to assist teachers, parents, and caregivers of newborn and young children in the development of basic music skills such as singing, rhythm chanting, and moving.

There are two other books of Music play A/B

Jump right In: Insturment Series

Helps develop musicianship beyond instrumental classroom with:

Progress from sound to sight in logical, common sense sequence

Opportunities for improvisation from early stages of instruction

Tools to help students learn to read and write with better comprehension

Arrangements of familiar songs in each book

Sequential and proven materials are:

Designed specifically to attend to individual differences

Based on current experimental and practical research

Based on the music learning theories of Edwin E. Gordon

Relevant to National Standards and include suggestions for measurement and evaluation

Extensive Teacher’s Guide:

Contains lesson plans

Includes teaching procedures

May be used independently or in conjunction with Jump Right In: The Music Curriculum and Developing Musicianship through Improvisation

There is another teacher book for strings

Jump Right In: The General Music Series

Is based on how children learn music, rather than how it has always been taught

Can be used with ease by teachers of any methodological background

Focuses on helping children learn to audiate and become independent, creative musicians

Allows teachers to adapt all lessons to meet the needs of individual children

Incorporates outstanding folk repertoire from all over the world

Conforms to the National Standards

Includes comprehensive lesson plans for each song and activity

Features high-quality CD recordings of every song

Contains four components for each grade: a full-color, hardcover student book; a spiral-bound teacher resource guide with lesson plans, indexes, and scope and sequence information; a complete set of recordings on compact disc; and a piano accompaniment book

There are books K-5, but you that does not mean that you can't use music from one book with multiple grades.

Book 1 Teacher's Edition is for students of all ages, from first grade through adult beginners. The lesson plans provide sequenced activities, keyboard skills, pattern instruction, and study of songs and performance pieces.

Rote teaching, or learning by imitation while applying skills, is the first step toward audiation. Activities away from the keyboard and at the keyboard guide students on the pathway to complete music literacy. Music literacy includes performance, listening, improvising and composing. Activities are carefully sequenced to provide readiness, repetition, review, and reinforcement.

Listening, performing, and keyboard skills are the first steps toward understanding music notation.

Sample Pages

Audiate! Play Guitar through Audiation is the first guitar method based on Music Learning Theory. It guides beginners (K–8) through progressive levels of technical and musical content and also provides audio and jam tracks featuring real musicians playing popular genres such as pop, blues, jazz, classical, and rock. Perfect for the music classroom or the private lesson studio! This innovative series.

Audiation Based Guitar Instruction

The newly revised Jump Right In: The Instrumental Series for Strings incorporates hundreds of improvements designed to make the series practical, engaging, and, most of all, musical.

Like its counterparts for winds and recorder, the string series includes high-quality CD recordings of folk songs and melodies and performances by some of the world’s greatest musicians.

And, of course, this series incorporates the latest research and is sequenced according to Edwin E. Gordon’s Music Learning Theory.

The 522-page Teacher’s Guide incorporates all of Book 1 and 2 and includes complete lesson plans, an introduction to Music Learning Theory, connections to the National Standards, and information on testing, recruiting, scheduling, and many other critical issues.