Interpretation is included in the anchor standards for both performing and responding to music found in the national core arts standards. Interpretation is closely tied to expressive intent, which is what the composer intended to express in a particular musical work. This aspect of interpretation is important, because it gives the interpreter a starting place … Continue reading Teaching Music Interpretation
music literacy
Getting Beyond the Associative Property of Music
Music is a highly associative experience. I'm always interested in what is going on the the minds f my students as they listen to music, particularly classical music. Of course I can't know for sure-- no one can see into the mind of another person--but through careful questioning I find it valuable to try to … Continue reading Getting Beyond the Associative Property of Music
What Is A Musical Scale?
Yesterday, I was reading an online music lesson that was on learning a scale on the piano. The author defined a scale as a series of notes that ascends and descends. While nothing in that definition is untrue, there are many series of notes that ascend and descend that are not scales; arpeggios or any … Continue reading What Is A Musical Scale?
Some Thought on Teaching Rhythm
For those of us who received most of our musical training within the context of classical music, we sometimes forget that music is not primarily a written art, like the literary masterworks of Shakespeare or Milton, but an auditory art. While this may seem obvious, it is not so obvious to those who observe or … Continue reading Some Thought on Teaching Rhythm
We Just Gave Our Concert, Now What?
There is always anticipation and excitement leading up to a concert, and then the high energy level of the concert itself. So many hours have gone into preparing a school concert, the performance is given and then there is the inevitable release when it is over. There may be a school assembly performance, but the … Continue reading We Just Gave Our Concert, Now What?
Where Do I Begin?
For most music teachers, organizing instruction into units makes a lot of sense. Typically, we see see students once or twice a week, or every day for a few weeks out of the school year. Teaching a series of lessons all grounded in a single topic helps reinforce important points from week to week, and … Continue reading Where Do I Begin?
“How Do You Know What The Notes Are”?
From time to time as I am writing a melody on the board that I want my students to play or sing, they will notice that I am not looking at music, and that I am singing quietly to myself (though apparently loud enough for them to notice) as I write. They are fascinated by … Continue reading “How Do You Know What The Notes Are”?
The Learning Sequence for a Unit Plan
Previously, I have written about writing objectives and assessments for students. Today I will discuss the learning sequence across a unit. A unit consists of a well-sequenced series of lessons that guides students along to a final goal. While the teacher uses a lesson plan for each lesson within the unit--a plan in which activities … Continue reading The Learning Sequence for a Unit Plan
“But I Am Listening”
The direction to listen to music can mean different things to different people. To a music educator, listening to music usually involves giving attention to recorded music being played or to music being performed live, and also involves listening with a stated purpose. For example, a class might be asked to listen for a singer's … Continue reading “But I Am Listening”
What’s In A Word? The Importance of Music Vocabulary
Only in recent years have I come to realize how important naming a thing is to teaching children. We all use a lot of words when we are teaching. Between introducing new content and concepts, redirecting students, reviewing, guiding, facilitating, asking leading questions and so forth, we use hundreds, maybe thousands of words every day … Continue reading What’s In A Word? The Importance of Music Vocabulary
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