How to Use Music Teaching Aids
Whether you are teaching the history of music or music theory, you can't do your job without a variety of music teaching aids. Music is, above all, a visceral experience. To understand it, your students have to hear it, play it, and see how it affects the imaginations of great thinkers and artists. Your students have to feel the power of music in order to understand the structure and history behind it.
Instructions
-
-
1
Use music to introduce the lesson. Playing something truly inspiring, or a piece that your students may not have been exposed to before, will get them into the lesson. You can use the musical teaching aids to stimulate discussion about the subject and get the students thinking about what you are going to teach them.
-
2
Use instruments as music teaching aids. If you can play a little piano, you can use it to illustrate points about melody, harmony and many other musical topics. You can also use instruments to discuss the influence of one type of music on the development of another. For example, a lesson on the African roots of American music could incorporate traditional African drums and a modern drum set.
-
-
3
Allow your students to try the instruments out. Even in a music history class, a little bit of hands-on experience with the instruments will really bring the lesson home. Teach some very basic arrangements from whatever style of music you are exploring.
-
4
Use visuals to discuss the relationship of music to art. You can show musicals, or paintings and sculptures from a period. For example, looking at impressionistic paintings would compliment a lesson on impressionistic music.
-
5
Bring in local musicians and music experts. No matter what style of music you are teaching, you should be able to find speakers in your community willing to come in and give a talk.
-
6
Have your students explore music outside. Give them choices of different cultural events they can attend. Then, have them write up reports on at least two events.
-
7
Allow your students to share music that inspires them. Let each student play a few minutes of music and discuss it with the class.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
Don't be afraid to simplify a structure or arrangement to make it more accessible for your class. If you are dealing with non-musicians, it is better to let them succeed in trying a simplified version of something than fail at a more complex arrangement.
Don't get caught up in taste wars. It is alright to ignore a piece of music or a band that you don't view as very valuable, but it usually doesn't help anything to bring it up in order to trash it.
Resources
More Like This
Comments
-
sarahlynnknows
Jan 08, 2009
This article gives teachers numerous ways to engage students with music! Thank you! -
sarahlynnknows
Jan 08, 2009
This article gives teachers numerous ways to engage students with music! Thank you!
