I'm pretty sure many of us use sports analogies with our students. Whether it's a point to be made about teamwork, the importance of practice, or any of a number of other important subjects, sports seems to be an effective way to make this kind of thing relevant to students. I believe that the most … Continue reading Things We Can Learn About Teaching from Coach Belichick
General Music
What Is Musical Dissonance?
When I was a high school student, I was sure I knew what dissonance in music was. If it sounded wrong, it was dissonant, and if it sounded right, it was consonant. An interval of a 2nd, or a try tone, or a seventh was dissonant, and all the others were consonant. Then in college, … Continue reading What Is Musical Dissonance?
The Other Expectations
Today I would like to discuss expectations, but not the usual sort. Often, when expectations in education are discussed, they are the kind teachers have of students. These may be behavior or performance expectations, and both are important. There is, though, another sort of expectation that is embedded in the how successfully people perceive and … Continue reading The Other Expectations
What Do You Do?
When striking up a new acquaintance, sharing what we do for work is nearly always one of the first things we talk about. I have always responded by saying that I'm a music teacher, an answer no one who knows me would dispute. But lately I began to wonder just how accurate that really is. … Continue reading What Do You Do?
Second Half Adjustments
Now that winter recess is over, and we're all back to school after the holidays, it is good to keep in mind that the second half is very different from the first. I have found that if I simply continuing going about my business in the second half just as I did in the first … Continue reading Second Half Adjustments
The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Has Something For Your Students
As musicians and music educators, we know that it takes much commitment, work, and many hours to prepare a performance for presentation to an audience. But sometimes it's difficult, even for young music students, to appreciate or even realize just how much goes into preparing a concert. It can be enlightening to have the opportunity … Continue reading The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Has Something For Your Students
Pacing and Energy are Not The Same
Engaging students in classroom activities and keeping their interest throughout the lesson are both necessities and difficult. While many elements contribute to motivating students to stay on task and be productive in class, two important ones are pacing and energy. Pacing is the rate or speed at which you teach. Pacing that is too fast … Continue reading Pacing and Energy are Not The Same
Pros and Cons of Stick Notation
Stick notation is a method for teaching music reading that involves presenting written notes with the note heads removed. The method is most often associated with the Kodaly method, but is used by non-Kodaly teachers as well. In this article I will consider reasons for using stick notation, and also some drawbacks. Stick notation is … Continue reading Pros and Cons of Stick Notation
Why Practice?
I was in my senior year of my undergraduate studies, during my apprentice teaching semester. I shared an off-campus apartment with two other men, one a music major the other a psychology major. One day, after I had been practicing my clarinet, the music major said to me, "I don't like listening to people practice." … Continue reading Why Practice?
The Better Way
Times have changed. It used to be that teachers taught everyone the same way, without considering that children don't all learn the same way. Then we realized there are different types of learners, and we began meeting the needs of visual, auditory, and kinesthetic learners. Howard Gardner taught us about multiple intelligences, and a greater … Continue reading The Better Way
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