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CMP

Comprehensive Musicianship through Performance (CMP) is a planning process which can be applied to any level and type of music performing group.  The process leads to a program of teaching and learning which emphasizes the interdependence of musical knowledge and musical performance.  The CMP model is not a curriculum but rather a means to start looking at the ensemble rehearsal period as a learning laboratory--a laboratory where students can work toward achieving the standards and develop an understanding of musical concepts such as expression, melody, rhythm, harmony, texture, timbre, and form by involving students in a variety of roles including performance, improvisation, composition, transcription, arranging, conducting, rehearsing, and analyzing music. 

 BENEFITS

The CMP process can assist in selecting good music literature, planning effective rehearsals and concerts, clarifying long term goals and short term objectives, developing new teaching strategies, and applying appropriate assessment of learning.  Students will be actively involved in the learning process as they become more musically independent.  Learning experiences for students can be personalized to include roles such as performing, improvising, composing, conducting, and analyzing.

 HISTORY

The Comprehensive Musicianship through Performance Project (CMP) was initiated in Wisconsin in 1977 as a means of assisting teachers with the development of "performance with understanding" in school music programs. The project began with a group of respected music educators from diverse school districts and a project steering committee which facilitated development.  The teachers and steering committee developed and field tested a process for planning and carrying out instruction in performing groups which has demonstrated that the school music performing group can be an effective way to develop lasting musical skills and concepts.  

The original need for the project was documented by the writing and research of many educators including, among others, Charles Benner, who concluded after a research project in 1972 that "in order to have an impact on musical behavior, there must be a planned effort by the teacher to enrich the performing experience with additional kinds of musical understanding."  The need is even more critical today with the trend toward outcome based education and the call for verification of the development nature of music learning.

 CMP MODEL

The CMP Model was developed through a careful examination of the teaching/learning process in music performing groups. The learner and the music are central to the CMP planning process. Though the five components of the model are equally important, planning instruction can begin at any of the points. For instance, the selection of music is often a starting point for planning but the decision about what music to use maybe based on assessment of student needs or previous learning. Assessment is appropriate before, during or after the process of study. A desired outcome may be identified through the assessment process or outcomes maybe stated in a local curriculum guide. It then becomes the task of the teacher to select music which is appropriate for working toward that outcome. Analysis leads to recognition of those music elements that need to be learned to develop true Comprehensive Musicianship Through Performance” (or true understanding through performance). Strategies are the ways in which the teacher attempts to bring the music and the performer together so that quality performance and meaningful learning can take place simultaneously.

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