Asking students to describe music you play for them has several benefits. Most obviously, descriptions tell us what the student though about and experienced from listening. We may learn how the music affected his or her emotions, what musical elements were noticed, or what and when certain musical events occurred. For the most part, when … Continue reading How We Describe and Write About Music We Hear+
music education
Classroom Management in the Music Classroom
Classroom management is part of good teaching in any discipline. Because of the more active nature of music activities, it is especially important in the music classroom. In general, students who know what they are expected to do, how they are expected to do it, and why they are expected to do it, will be … Continue reading Classroom Management in the Music Classroom
More On Differentiation in Music Classes
The Core Arts standards include selecting music for performance and listening. Among the things to be considered are student abilities and student interests. Students should have an accurate assessment of their abilities so that they can choose music that is within their capacity to play or sing, and students should have the opportunity to study … Continue reading More On Differentiation in Music Classes
Value Outside The Testing Box
Before you read the rest of this post, I want you to make a list of the five things you do that add the most value to your life. These should be things that are not the source of regret or seem fun at the time but exact a high emotional or financial price afterwards. … Continue reading Value Outside The Testing Box
What’s In A Name?
Although we humans rely heavily on our senses of sight and hearing, our world would not make much sense to us if we did not have language in which to think, and words with which to know things. By naming something, our minds are able to categorize, connect, apply, analyze, evaluate, and represent everything that … Continue reading What’s In A Name?
A Special Event and the Shubert Theatre in New Haven
What do the musicals Wonderful Town, My Fair Lady, Brigadoon, The King and I, , Oklahoma, She Loves Me, Annie Get Your Gun, Carousel, A Funny Thing Happened On The Way to the Forum, Damn Yankees, The Pajama Game, Two by Two, The Sound of Music, Bells Are Ringing, Fiorello, Pipe Dream, and The Boys from Syracuse all have … Continue reading A Special Event and the Shubert Theatre in New Haven
A Method for Improving Rehearsal Efficiency and Enjoyment
One of my most often used phrases when teaching musical works to students is that a right pitch played at the wrong time is still a wrong note. While pitches, rhythm and beat are all important, it is often advantageous to teach the rhythm first, separated out from the pitches. This gives the student less … Continue reading A Method for Improving Rehearsal Efficiency and Enjoyment
The Versatility of Tic-Tac-Toe
When I was a kid, I like playing tic-tac-toe. It's an easy game to play and almost every child knows how to play. With a little creativity, it can become a useful and versatile teaching tool in the music classroom. I like to use it periodically as a fun way to give my students practice … Continue reading The Versatility of Tic-Tac-Toe
Resources for The Amazing Human Musical Mind
Over the last ten posts, I offered a series on early childhood music education. Today, I'd like to share with you some of the songs I mentioned and recommended in that series. Below you will find some videos of music educators performing these songs. The materials from John Feierabend are available from GIA Publications. "The … Continue reading Resources for The Amazing Human Musical Mind
The Amazing Human Musical Mind, Part 7
Besides those things I mentioned yesterday, I could switch to rhythms. Now I will gently bounce the child to a beat. The child is not able to do anything to a steady beat yet, but I can again model that, teaching the child what that feels like, letting the child experience it. So I’ll bounce … Continue reading The Amazing Human Musical Mind, Part 7
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