My students love to play games. No matter what else I may have for them to do on a given day, as soon as I mention that we will be playing a game that day, they all smile and get excited. Music games are fun, yes, but there is also a learning goal to be … Continue reading Games in the Elementary Music Classroom
General Music
Why I Became A Music Teacher and Why It Matters
It is good to recall from time to time why we became music teachers. In my case, it was the desire to find something to do for a living that would include music making, and that would bring the immense enjoyment I had for making music to others; a kind of give back opportunity. I … Continue reading Why I Became A Music Teacher and Why It Matters
Time Is Precious, How We Use It Even More So
One of the challenges of being an Arts Educator is the relatively limited time we have with our students. Whereas Math or L.A. teachers see their students every day, music teachers often see a class once or twice a week. Teaching a year's curriculum within these curtailed contact hours can be daunting. A common response … Continue reading Time Is Precious, How We Use It Even More So
Use Student Talking in Class to Your Advantage
I'm not sure when I realized it, but I am certain that this is true: I will never entirely stop my middle school students from talking in class. It is like telling an ice cube to stop melting while it is in an empty glass on a picnic table on a warm summer day. Instead … Continue reading Use Student Talking in Class to Your Advantage
The Thing About Learning
I am by nature a very thoughtful person. People who know me well frequently accuse me of overthinking many things, and I have to admit that they are right--I do overthink often. As someone almost constantly in conscious thought about something, there are many thought that come and go, forgotten as quickly as they arrived, … Continue reading The Thing About Learning
Artful Learning
In this, the centennial anniversary of Leonard Bernstein's birth, all sorts of things that this American musical icon did are being brought out into the public consciousness. Of course, most know of Bernstein's work as a conductor, composer and teacher, what with his numerous recordings, lectures, young peoples concerts and musical compositions. Of all that … Continue reading Artful Learning
Iconic Notation and Music Literacy
Honestly, for years I considered iconic notation a cheap substitute for "real" music notation. I thought it was something music teachers used as a last resort when they had thrown in the towel at successfully teaching their students to read and write in standard music notation. Because of this view of iconic notation, I avoided … Continue reading Iconic Notation and Music Literacy
What Does Music Mean?
One of the more perplexing questions of the ages concerning music is the question, what does music mean? Philosophers from Aristotle to Bernstein have tried to answer this question, but none have done so in a way that once and for all settles the matter. Bernstein devoted much of his lecturing life to tackling the … Continue reading What Does Music Mean?
Using Student Feedback to Plan Music Instruction
When it comes to teaching, I'm a pretty old school kind of guy. Many teachers, and I count myself among them, tend to teach the way we were taught, especially if we were generally successful in school. For me and I would guess most others of my generation, we accepted what the teacher told us … Continue reading Using Student Feedback to Plan Music Instruction
What Is Musical Texture?
As I was writing my lesson plans for this week, I decided I wanted to teach a lesson on musical texture. I had mentioned texture in passing, but decided I needed to go further with it than that. As I prepared my lesson, I was surprised to find a limited amount of information on the … Continue reading What Is Musical Texture?
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