Curriculum Analysis of Three Elementary Reading Curricula: Implications for Music Therapy Integratio

The current state of the public education system in the United States is rooted in standards-based curriculum. The standards outline milestones that all students must achieve in order to demonstrate competency in their grade level. New curricula have been created to satisfy these standards and implemented in schools across the country. Music therapy has been used in schools to work with students on a variety of goals. The purpose of this study was to evaluate three elementary reading curricula and provide implications for integrating music therapy into these programs.;Using a basic curriculum analysis approach, the curricula were evaluated on a number of criteria, and all three were found to have the qualities of an effective curriculum. Only one of the programs used music, however, music could be added to the lessons in each curriculum with ease. Sample music therapy interventions are provided to demonstrate the incorporation of music therapy in all three curricula. The results of this study suggest that music therapy has the potential to effectively enhance academic instruction.