If you're a regular reader of this blog, then you know that I enjoy playing golf. I also enjoy watching the PGA on television most weekends. Often, I will hear the commentators discussing a players rhythm, especially if things aren't going well for him. They'll comment that his rhythm is off. The use of the … Continue reading Rhythm All Around
music literacy
The difference between rhythm syllables and note kinds
If I point to a flute and ask you what I'm pointing to, how many of you would tell me that it was a toot toot? Hopefully, no one would. Instead, you would tell me that I was pointing to a flute. We all understand that the instrument is called a flute, and that the … Continue reading The difference between rhythm syllables and note kinds
Musical Meter Is Everywhere
Over the last few years, I've noticed that meter is a concept that many of my students really don't understand. I discovered this because of improved assessment techniques, so I suspect that this has been the case for some time. As long as I was assessing understanding of meter with head knowledge such as asking … Continue reading Musical Meter Is Everywhere
Phrases and Musical Understanding
It is probably safe to say that every musician knows that phrases and phrasing in music are important and critical to musicianship. It is perhaps less known that phrases are key in our making sense of the music we hear, and in making musical performance even possible. Our brains love patterns and groups. Think about … Continue reading Phrases and Musical Understanding
Why Writing in Musical Note Names is a Bad Idea
Band and orchestra teachers do it, students do it. It's arguably the quickest shortcut to playing music from standard music notation there is: writing in the letter names of the notes under each note. I've seen it over and over again. Students with the best of intentions and wanting to enjoy early and quick success, … Continue reading Why Writing in Musical Note Names is a Bad Idea
Why Are Dotted Rhythms Such A Problem?
One of the most frequently made searches I see on this site is teaching dotted rhythms. Most music teachers run into difficulty teaching them, and many of us can remember a time when dotted rhythms presented a particular challenge to us as music students. Overall, notes lasting longer than a beat, which are called elongations … Continue reading Why Are Dotted Rhythms Such A Problem?
A Variety of Music Speed Types
It seems simple enough; when music gets faster, we call it an accelerando. Orchestral musicians know they have to watch the conductor, and conductors know they have to give an increasingly faster beat to create the accelerando. As far as it goes, this is all correct. But increasing the beat is not the only way … Continue reading A Variety of Music Speed Types
The Power of the Exit Ticket
Exit tickets are a helpful and efficient tool for assessing student learning. While you (should) have communicated your objective and expectations for students at the beginning of the lesson, and while students may have completed all work that you assigned for them to do during the lesson, none of this gives is a reliable indicator … Continue reading The Power of the Exit Ticket
The Difference Between Visual Meter and Aural Meter in Music
Of all the structures and elements of music, meter is arguably one the most confusing. This is due at least in part to the fact that unlike rhythm and pitch, and to a lesser extent unlike dynamics and tempo, our Western system of music notation is often vague or imprecise when it comes to representing … Continue reading The Difference Between Visual Meter and Aural Meter in Music
Artistic Choices
How do musicians make artistic choices? This is an essential question that should be at the center of our music lessons. Too often, the answer to this question is a secret kept by music teachers from their students. The music director makes all the choices, and then instructs the students to play or sing this way … Continue reading Artistic Choices
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