Brianna Beaupre

Mused 353
McCoy Reading Log
Self-identification and self-concept are important processes that
adolescents continually go through while maturing. They start looking at
adults, other than their parents to observe, when creating an identity.
Successful adolescents are those that are committed to achieving goals.
Music programs should focus on developing adolescents identity and selfesteem, especially in non-competitive environments. As they develop they
will need more freedom and less strict guidance. Ways to allow for this
freedom include activities that allow for personal preference and experience
in music. This can help create an environment of musical respect.
The brain of an adolescent continues to develop, especially in
intellectual development. It requires individual motivation for this
development to occur though. Another thing that happens is that
adolescents begin to be able to think abstractly. The better differentiated and
integrated an adolescents cognitive structures are, the better they will be
able to adapt to the environment or develop problem-solving skills.
Metacognition is important also, because it allows for adolescents to revise
their own thinking. Things in the classroom that can help with musical
development are self-reflection, self-assessment, and audiation because the
adolescent brain is developed for these things.

Adolescents often crave social connections so it is important to create

activities that allow for communication and collaboration. It is also important
that they are able to observe and learn from their peers. Researchers also
found that by understanding the multiple social worlds of adolescents,
teachers could make to transition between the settings much easier.
Because adolescents are less willing to listen to other peoples music,
teachers should create environments that foster communication and respect
and guide the students to listening to different musical cultures. One activity
that could help would be having students keep a journal about music that
they hear in their lives outside of school.
Teachers should recognize that current adolescents are deeply involved
with technology. Teachers should make the effort to use technology in
various ways. Teachers should also focus on teaching students how to think,
solve problems, evaluate, and adapt effectively. Adolescents are exposed to
an unparalleled amount of influences and need to be able to think for
themselves.
Reflection
I liked the information in the reading log. I knew quite a bit of the
psychological parts already because of previous psychology classes and I felt
as though it could have been explained in simpler ways. It took a few
readings for me to really grasp fully the concepts and information being
discussed. I really liked the classroom examples though. The ideas could

have maybe been expanded upon to make it easier to know what they were
talking about, but the general idea of them was very solid. I especially liked
the idea of using the students personal preferences to develop pathways to
accepting other musical genres. I also really liked the idea of group projects
because they were never used enough in my music classes and putting
students in groups is such a great idea.