Classroom Management for Music Teachers

A teacher successfully manages his or her classroom when students are willingly doing what they are supposed to be doing. Students are able to do this if at all times they know what they are supposed to be doing, and know how to do it. This demands that the teacher’s instructions be clear and specific. … Continue reading Classroom Management for Music Teachers

Much Appreciated

When I play classical music for young children they love it. They delight in its energy, in its ups and downs, in its quiet moments followed by sudden surges. It is notable that as they are enjoying the music, are unaware of what they are listening to, and they don’t know what an expositions or … Continue reading Much Appreciated

Popular Music in Music Education–A Perennial Debate

The question of using popular music in school and studio music programs seems to come up frequently. Although there are many arguments for and against, a few assumptions seem to arise from all of them. One assumption is that some genres of music are worth a student’s time, and others are not. The trouble with … Continue reading Popular Music in Music Education–A Perennial Debate

Everybody Now

Frequently I hear people my age talking about how much things have changed in our lifetime. These conversations inevitably arrive at a statement of how much better things were then than now. Of course, things weren’t as great then as we remember them. That’s what makes our memories nostalgic. There is one thing, though, that … Continue reading Everybody Now

Assessment in the General Music Class

There is no question in my mind that music is fun. It is fun to perform, fun to teach, fun to listen to, dance to, create, even fun to practice. It has been that way for me since my childhood, and it is that way for many, perhaps even most of the children I teach. … Continue reading Assessment in the General Music Class

Scales – Laborious to Glorious, part 2

Last Friday, I wrote about teaching scales using a technique that includes teaching sound before touch or sight. I mentioned that the functional tendencies of individual pitches in a scale should be taught first and with singing before having the student practice playing the scale. Doing so would result in the scales being more meaningful, … Continue reading Scales – Laborious to Glorious, part 2