The longer I teach, the more I value simplicity and careful thought. There was a time when I chased after every piece of equipment I could get my hands on. I absolutely had to have more computers, software, instruments, books, microphones, and on and on. Now all of these things are useful, and all of … Continue reading What Are The Essentials For Teaching Music?
Robert Adams
How Is Reading Music Relevant Today?
One of the things I find most challenging in my music classroom is keeping music reading relevant to students who by and large don't need to read music in order to have their daily musical experiences. Those of you have been following this blog know that I am a fan of the new NCCAS music … Continue reading How Is Reading Music Relevant Today?
How Do Composers Know When a Musical Work is Finished?
I read an interesting question on social media the other day. A composer asked, “When do you know that a composition is finished?” Several answers were offered, ranging from “when the composer has expressed everything he or she wanted,” to “when the parts are passed out to the musicians.” The first of these has potential. … Continue reading How Do Composers Know When a Musical Work is Finished?
What Can Be Learned About Children from Producing A Musical?
It is good to beck with you again. Our production of Grease School Version was highly successful and great fun. Now I am happy to once again have time to post here. Last week the culmination of months of practice took place as my students gave performances of the musical Grease School Version. The students ranged … Continue reading What Can Be Learned About Children from Producing A Musical?
How Can Music Students Work Smarter?
This week I will be conducting my students in performances of Grease School Version. Because of my schedule associated with the production, my next post here will be Sunday, May 25. It will be good to see you here then. We’ve all heard the saying, work smarter, not harder. In music performance, this is especially good … Continue reading How Can Music Students Work Smarter?
What’s Your Interpretation?
Yesterday, I discussed creativity in the music classroom. When children perform music, and when I say perform I include practice, rehearsal, and concertizing, they need freedom to explore the interpretive possibilities before them. I think it is an unfortunate result of our pre-service training and perhaps also of our experience playing and singing under some … Continue reading What’s Your Interpretation?
Creative Thinking in Music Classes
Among the many reasons for a person and a culture to have music is that making music is a creative enterprise, and creative thinking helps us cope with life, solve problems, and make things that we can enjoy and benefit from. At the very heart of creative activity is the act of making something. Indeed, … Continue reading Creative Thinking in Music Classes
What’s All The Movement About?
Movement and music are a natural pair. When we listen to music, we naturally want to move. Researchers have found that just listening to music stimulates the motion center of the brain just as if we were actually moving. There is also an emotional aspect of movement as well. This morning, during my pre-kindergarten class … Continue reading What’s All The Movement About?
What Are Strategies for Keeping Students’ Attention?
I think that the single most difficult obstacle to overcome when teaching is keeping students attention focused on what I have planned for them to be doing. This is especially true if the activity requires them to problem solve or practice something over a time span of five minutes or more. Because practice, refinement, and … Continue reading What Are Strategies for Keeping Students’ Attention?
What Is So Important About Music?
Life is all about relationships. Relationships with people, with God, with things we enjoy doing and making. Being alone is not good. Music is so powerful in the lives of people because it offers us multiple relationships. First, each individual person has a relationship with music. Our musical experiences are always interactive. Music elicits movement, … Continue reading What Is So Important About Music?
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