Things You'll Need:
- Recorders
- Piano
- Basic sheet music
- Basic music instruction books
-
Step 1
Provide a simple and basic overview of music history. Use colorful storyboards to illustrate key periods during the narration.
-
Step 2
Talk about musical instrument families. Use real instruments and demonstrate how they work as you explain their purpose within the context of a band or orchestra. Allow your young students to touch and use the instruments.
-
Step 3
Teach the basics of the music language. Explain the musical staff, the bass and treble clef, and how musical notes tell us what we should play. Teach young students an easy way to remember the music staff. A good example is FACE for the four spaces and the phrase "Every Good Boy Does Fine" for the five lines.
-
Step 4
Use online resources that offer special activities designed to teach children music. (See "Resources" below). These resources are free and were developed by educators who have years of experience teaching music to children.
-
Step 5
Make it fun. Present musical instruction in the form of games whenever possible. "Music Memory" and "Guess the Note" are great games that teach children to recognize notes by sight and sound. "Music Memory" is a game based on traditional memory. Have students make cards with music symbols drawn on them. Make two cards for each symbol (note and rest values, musical embellishments, articulation and dynamic markings) and then lay them out. Anytime a match is made, have the student name the musical symbol. For "Guess the Note," play notes on the piano and other instruments in different octaves. Each time a student can name the note, he wins a prize. This is a great ear-training game that can help children distinguish the subtle tones of each note in the musical scale.
-
Step 6
Encourage children to bring their favorite songs to class. Discuss the songs and determine what instruments are at the forefront. Allow children to tell you how the songs make them feel and why they like them.
