From the outset, I want to assure all of you who are Orff teachers that I am not going to oppose children playing instruments in general music. My students play recorders, barred instruments, and non-pitched instruments, and I understand the value in teaching all of them, In fact, that is what I want to discuss … Continue reading Why Teach Instruments in General Music?
General Music
Music Teaching and Bloom’s Revised Taxonomy
When I learned Bloom's taxonomy as an undergraduate, I always thought that the arts were short changed. Sure, there was the affective domain, but it just didn't have the depth to it that the cognitive domain had, and the affective domain was often presented as a sort of afterthought. When the taxonomy was revised, this … Continue reading Music Teaching and Bloom’s Revised Taxonomy
Teaching How To Learn
If you are a frequent reader of this blog, then you know that I am a strong proponent of goal and objective setting, and of the National Core Arts Standards (NCAS). But just like the chocolates and cookies I've been enjoying this week, too much, even of a good thing, is rarely best. In teaching, … Continue reading Teaching How To Learn
Musical Fractions That Make Sense
The nomenclature for durations we have (except for those who use the quaver family of names) really is not very useful. Whole note, half note, quarter note, eighth note, and sixteenth note are the terms by which teachers, both of music and of other subjects, connect music to fraction arithmetic. As far as it goes, … Continue reading Musical Fractions That Make Sense
Rubrics Aren’t What They Used To Be
For music teachers assessing students, rubrics are usually the most effective means. Rubrics can be used to assess pretty much anything. That's good for music teachers, because we assess a host of items in our students' performances, ranging from accuracy, to tone and overall musicianship. Aspects of music making that were once thought to be … Continue reading Rubrics Aren’t What They Used To Be
Assessing Student Learning: How To Get At What Really Matters
Yesterday, I met with my professional learning community (PLC) to write an assessment for an instructional unit we had been working on. The unit is for 3rd grade and is a responding to music unit. We wanted to assess students in the areas of selecting and interpreting music to which they listen. We made our … Continue reading Assessing Student Learning: How To Get At What Really Matters
Understanding How Music Composition Works
Over the course of my teaching career, I have had my students do a variety of things under the guise of creating or composing music. Too often, I have expected them to go further with composing than than I had prepared them to go. Part of the the problem for me was that I confused exploration, improvisation, … Continue reading Understanding How Music Composition Works
Common Core Words in Music
Lately, I've noticed an increase in web searches related to curriculum writing and common core. I'm supposing this is because many school districts engage in curriculum writing or revision during the summer, and educators preparing to do this kind of work are looking for resources to draw upon. Music educators are increasingly aware of common … Continue reading Common Core Words in Music
A Tie To The Past: Cantus Firmus and Improvisatory Drumming
If you remember your music history, you will recall that beginning around the 10th century, an existing melody, often a Gregorian chant, was written into one voice of a contrapuntal vocal composition, and then the other voices were composed around it. This chant or anchoring melody was eventually called the cactus firms. The technique was … Continue reading A Tie To The Past: Cantus Firmus and Improvisatory Drumming
Strengths and Weaknesses of Orff Schulwerk
Today I will discuss the advantage and disadvantages of the Orff Schulwerk Approach to music education. At the outset, I should mention that no single method of teaching music is sufficient for meeting the needs of all children, or for teaching all aspects of music. Each method bring valuable perspectives into the music classroom, and … Continue reading Strengths and Weaknesses of Orff Schulwerk
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