Engaging Students Through Focused Instruction

When it comes to music education, we often find ourselves immersed in the melodies, harmonies, and rhythms of our favorite songs. But have you ever thought about the art of asking questions in the music classroom? It's a topic rarely discussed, yet it plays a profound role in shaping the musical journey of students. Join us on a captivating exploration of Dr. Philip Tacka's innovative strategies that illuminate the path to a deeper understanding of music.

Philip Tacka received his doctorate from The Catholic University of America and completed a year of postdoctoral work at the Franz Liszt Academy, Budapest/Zoltan Kodály Pedagogical Institute in Hungary. He is a Professor of Music in The Tell School of Music at Millersville University of Pennsylvania. His research interests center on the all aspects of music education though he has a particular emphasis on music perception and cognition. He writes in collaboration with Dr. Micheál Houlahan, chair of The Tell School of Music. Their publications include Kodály Today and the accompanying seven volumes in the Oxford University Press series. Two new volumes, Choral Artistry: A Kodály Perspective for Middle School to College Level Choirs and Choral Sight Reading are scheduled to be published in 2023 by Oxford. A more complete listing of publications is included below. He has been involved in Kodály Teacher Training programs every year since the early 1980s and has written and provided professional development for four United States Department of Education grants awarded to both the Austin and Houston, Texas Independent School Districts. Dr. Tacka has also served on editorial boards and served as a grant evaluator for more than a decade on the American Fellowship Panel for the American Association of University Women. Prior to his current position, he was an Associate Professor of Music in the Department of Art, Music & Theatre at Georgetown University, Washington, D.C. and worked with the Georgetown University Medical School’s Institute for Cognitive and Computational Science in the neuropsychology of music perception. He regularly presents papers and workshops both nationally and internationally on aspects of music education, music perception and cognition, and Kodály studies and has lectured in Italy, Denmark, Finland, Hungary, Estonia, the Netherlands, and England. In March, 2016 he was awarded the Organization of American Kodály Educators (OAKE) Lifetime Achievement Award and in 2017 received a distinguished alum award from the Hungarian government.

Connect with Dr. Tacka at:

• Website: Sound Thinking Interactive
• FB and Tiktok: @soundthinkinginteractive
• Facebook Group: Houlahan & Tacka & Kodály Studies

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