Imagine a middle school music program that incorporates songwriting, music tech, guitar, ukulele and Ghanaian music. That’s what Music Teacher Joshua Emanuel has created at A. MacArthur Barr Middle School in Nanuet, New York. He modernized and expanded the 10-week general music course for 8th graders focuses on songwriting, but it also includes digital audio workstations (DAWs), MIDI controllers and microphones “to create a more authentic songwriting experience,” Emanuel explains. “Students arrange instrumental tracks and record vocals, and they learn how to use the software to arrange pre-recorded musical loops into musical forms, program original MIDI patterns and record original lyrics.”

Emanuel also started teaching guitar as part of his 8th-grade general music curriculum and was able to secure a classroom set of 30 acoustic guitars, 3 electric basses and amps, method books, instrument storage and accessories through Innovation Grants during the 2024-2025 school year. His 8th graders learn how to read tab and chord diagrams, then choose songs they would like to learn and perform for the class. The goal is to incorporate guitars into the students’ songwriting.

The grant also helped Emanuel start an after-school Modern Band. Currently 15 students in grades 6 to 8 meet once a week to form bands and learn how to play guitar, bass, keyboard and drums. He also runs an after-school Music Technology Club at the high school where students explore individual projects that have included electronic composition, beat-making, DJing, AI and recording.

Emanuel’s 6th graders participate in a self-directed gamified ukulele program that he developed. “I created playlists of over 800 play-along videos from YouTube that are organized by level of difficulty — from 0 to 5,” Emanuel says. “Students can choose what songs and levels they want to learn and practice the songs either individually or with a small group and perform. If they’re able to play the song with accurate chord changes, they earn points based on the level of the song.”

After three or four weeks, students must earn at least 75 points and complete a level 2 or higher song. If students earn 200 points and complete a level 4 or higher song, they are able to listen to their peers perform and award points. “This system not only allows for student choice, but differentiated instruction, student autonomy and self-directed learning,” Emanuel says.

Students in 6th grade also learn music tech. They use Scratch, an online programming language, to design interactive virtual instruments, assign different keys on the keyboard to play sounds and create music with those sounds. Then, students use Makey Makey to create physical controllers out of recycled materials to play the instruments they programmed.

Another unique aspect of Emanuel’s program is Ghanaian music. “In 2008 and 2017, I traveled to Dagbamete, Ghana to study the culture and music of the Ewe people. My time there was personally transformative,” he says.

Emanuel brings his experience in Ghana into his 6th–grade classroom as a way to expose students to a culture, music and way of learning that may be unfamiliar to them. “We learn a traditional style of music called Gahu and its place in Ewe culture. Following this unit, students conduct research and present on a culture of their choice, many choosing to represent their own heritage,” he explains.

Emanuel is currently pursuing a PhD, and his dissertation focuses on developing his identity as a songwriter and songwriting teacher through curriculum design. “The big takeaway is that it’s difficult to be a songwriting teacher without practicing songwriting. This is a skill that I did not have until a few years ago, and I still struggle to identify as a songwriter,” he explains. “Teacher preparation programs should be introducing songwriting and songwriting pedagogy to pre-service music educators so they can begin to develop this identity earlier in their career.”

Because Emanuel is the only teacher in his district to teach songwriting, he has started to build a network of classroom songwriting teachers who meet on Zoom a few times a year to share ideas and offer feedback.