The Kodaly concept of music uses a child-developmental approach, and it introduces the skills in harmony with the capabilities of the children. In this approach, the children are first introduced to the concepts of music through various experiences such as singing, listening, or movement. Only after the child becomes familiar with the concept of music, he or she learns how to compose it. Most of the successful music lesson plans are based on this method.

The Kodaly Concepts are constantly reviewed in regular intervals; and they are reinforced through various methods such as movement, games, songs and exercises.

The Kodaly Method incorporates the use of the rhythmic movement, which is a technique that is inspired by works of a Swiss music educator, known as Emile Jaques Dalcroze. In order to reinforce the various rhythmic concepts, the Kodaly method uses a wide variety of rhythmic movements, such as running, walking, marching, and clapping. All these activities need to be performed at the time of listening to the music or while singing.

The concept was explained to the children with the help of the traditional educational music games of that time. According to the researches and studies, it has been proved that the Kodaly Method improves the rhythm skills, intonation, music literacy and the aptitude to sing in progressively more complex parts.

There is a lot of talk about the “Mozart Effect” where the listening to certain types of classical music are shown to have benefits in ordering the brain and thus improving intelligence.

Some have found this to be false, and that just listening to certain types of music cannot possibly help improve intelligence. Some say that playing or being involved in music definitely helps their mental abilities, but the “jury is still out” on its final proof.

During my time as a music educator I have seen many students get a load of both intrinsic and extrinsic benefits from learning a musical instrument. The enjoyment that a child will get from being involved in music should be a reason enough in itself, and who is to say whether in the long term it is going to benefit their intelligence in other areas?

When developing lesson plans for music it is important for educators to simply realize that while you might want to help children develop their intelligence, your primary goal is simply to teach them music for music’s sake.

Music Education Advocacy is very important for all music educators, as without a belief in music the schools will not fund what can be expensive programs with instruments and teaching costs. Even purchasing cheap Music Theory Worksheets will be difficult for school boards who do not believe in the value of music education.

Music, even if it is expensive is definitely a worthwhile subject to teach. Through developing musical skills children will improve their confidence, their social skills, have greater understanding and awareness of the arts and lastly and most importantly have a great time doing it.

An knowledge of music theory assists musicians, not because it makes them play better, but because it helps them communicate better with other members of their group.

What do you do to communicate it? how do you get across the critical parts of it, without frustrating or boring the student?

I’ve come up with three critical concepts which can help in this area.

Critical Concept Number One – Start with the music, then move to theory.

Nearly all music teachers agree that music tuition should start first with sound, and then move onto written understanding. Therefore it is important to always start with what something sounds like, then explain why it is the way it is. For example if showing students chords it is very important for a student to know at first what a major or minor chord sounds like, the emotion that it is conveying and the reasons why a major or minor chord might have been chosen for a particular piece of music. Once they can hear the sound, and its reason for being the mechanical knowledge will come.

Important Idea #2 – Learn one thing at a time

Music is a multi-dimensional language. How do I mean? Well it means that in order to understand written music many different pieces of information have to be taken in at one moment. That is the thing that makes it most challenging. A given musical event has both a pitch (what note it is), and a duration (how long it is played for). Add to that it also has a dynamic (how soft it is) and also expression marks that have to be read by the musician. That is why music can be so challenging to learn to read music. Well written Music Theory Worksheets will help in this area, because they only focus on one thing at a time.

Important Concept Number Three – Ensure it is always relevant

The final critical concept with music theory is to keep it relevant. The music that the student is currently learning is the music that should be used to connect with their music theory. For example if a student plays jazz music then they should study jazz music theory. The music that students are playing is what should be used as the basis for their music theory tuition.

If when teaching music teachers keep in mind these basic philosophies then music lessons will be more rewarding and fun for music students of all ages.

An knowledge of music theory really helps musicians, rather than making them play better, it assists them to speak the same language as other members of their group.

What do you do to communicate it? how do you get across the important concepts in it, without frustrating or making the student lose interest?

I believe that there are three concepts which if you keep in mind when helping students to learn music theory will really help.

Critical Concept #1 – Begin with the sound, then move to theory.

Nearly all music teachers agree that music learning should start first with sound, and then move onto written understanding. Therefore it is important to always start with what something sounds like, then explain why it is the way it is. For example if showing students chords it is very important for a student to understand firstly how a major or minor chord sounds, the emotion that it is conveying and the reasons why a major or minor chord might be chosen for a particular situation. Once they can hear the aural sound, and its reason for being the theoretical knowledge will come.

Important Idea #2 – Learn one thing at a time

Music is a multi-dimensional language. What does that mean? Well it means that in order to understand written music many different pieces of information have to be absorbed at one moment. That is the concept that makes it most difficult. A music note has both a pitch (what note it is), and a duration (how long it is played for). Add to that it also has a dynamic (how soft it is) and also expression marks that have to be interpreted. That is why music can be so difficult to learn to understand music theory.

Important Concept #3 – Ensure it is always relevant

The final important concept with music theory is to have the music theory be relevant to the student. The music that the student is learning currently is the music that should be used to connect with their music theory. For example if a student is playing classical music then they shouldn’t be learning jazz harmony. The music that students are currently performing is what should be used as the basis for their theory lessons.

If when teaching music teachers keep in mind these basic philosophies then music lessons will be more rewarding and fun for music students of all ages.

The author, Kevin Tuck is an experienced music theory teacher, having taught music theory in schools and his own private music studio. He has studied music theory himself to a high level through all the major exam systems, and has had outstanding results in music examinations. Kevin works as editor of Music Theory Worksheets for the Fun Music Company.

There is nothing like the old saying “If you don’t prepare, then prepare to fail”. However, once you are a little more experienced then preparing lesson plans becomes a lot easier.

For those who are just starting out, here are a few guidelines for creating compelling music lesson plans.

1. Consider the students age group and situation

A very good starting point when you are preparing a lesson is to think about the age of the children you are teaching. What are their likes and dislikes? What sort of music do they listen to on a regular basis? What are the other cultural factors that affect them at this age? Are they at an age where they are extremely hesitant to do anything in-front of their peers?

Whenever you create a music lesson plan, in your head or on paper these are the things that you need to consider. This is why ready made, fit all situations lesson plan usually doesn’t work. Lesson plans need to be tailored to the needs of the students in each individual class. When a teacher has been in the classroom for a few years they are usually able to do these adaptations on the spot, and may seem to not have to prepare at all. When you are just starting however a good starting plan is to spend a few minutes researching the age group, and learning how they think and interact with each other.

2. Have much more than you thought you would planned

Often you’ll prepare a lesson with (say) ten activities. Sometimes you’ll only get up to the fourth one and the bell will ring for the end of the lesson. If you were to do the same lesson with a different class you might go through all ten points and there will still be another 20 minutes left! Its always an excellent idea to have a backup plan just in case you need more than you anticipate. If you have a few minutes its a good idea to have a game or a music theory worksheet copied and ready, just in case you need it.

3. Include a mixture of activities.

In many schools the curriculum is planned for set lessons for the week: one lesson will practical, one theory etc. Often this is unavoidable due to practical concerns and the length of the school lessons, however why not try and mix them around a bit. You could spend half a lesson on theory, then pull out the instruments for the second half of the lesson. It’ll be interesting for the students and keep them guessing.

4. Think simple – then expand

if you’re working on something a little complicate, you may want to have a backup which is a very simplified version – just in case! This is particularly needed if working with young students. For example if you’re introducing a new piece of music in a practical lesson you may wish to plan for the scenario of it being way too hard for the students. Start with a section that you know the students will be able to play, then come back and deal with the harder sections.

5. The feedback is there for you, if you listen for it!

Students will give you feedback – even if it is extremely subtle. Students (particularly teenagers) will never say “Mrs Jones I thought you did a brilliant job today, you gave us a lesson that was lots of fun and we learned heaps.” Perhaps you might have a dream that your student says that – but its not going to happen in real life! What you will see is your students more happy to be in your classes than in other classes, and happy to laugh with you and eager to come to class. Students when they enjoy music will also put a priority on band or orchestra ahead of other things. When you start to see this you’ll know that your music lesson planning is going well.

An understanding of music theory assists people who play music, rather than making them play better, it assists them to speak the same language as other members of their group.

So how do you help students learn it? how do you get across the critical parts of it, without overwhelming or making the student lose interest?

Aside from using effective Music theory worksheets, Here are a few effective methods which work in this area:

Important Idea #1 – Begin with the music, then move to theory.

Nearly all music teachers agree that music learning should start first with sound, and then move onto written understanding. Therefore it is important to always start with what something sounds like, then show the students why it is the way it is. For example if teaching chords it is very important for a student to know firstly how a major or minor chord sounds, the emotion that it is showing and the reasons why a major or minor chord might be chosen for a particular piece of music. Once they can hear the sound, and its reason for being the mechanical knowledge will follow.

Critical Concept Number Two – Learn one thing at a time

Music is a multidimensional language. How do I mean? Well it means that in order to read music many different pieces of information have to be taken in at one time. That is the thing that makes it most difficult. A note has both a pitch (what note it is), and a duration (how long it is played for). Add to that it also has a dynamic (how soft it is) and also expression marks that have to be read by the musician. That is why music can be so difficult to learn to understand music theory.

Critical Concept Number Three – Ensure it is always relevant

The final critical concept with music theory is to keep it relevant. The music that the student is currently learning is the music that should be used to connect with their music theory. For example if a student plays jazz music then they should study jazz music theory. The music that students are currently performing is what should be used as the basis for their theory lessons.

Hopefully if music teachers students can learn to approach the study of music theory with these primary concepts in mind then music lessons will be more fun and rewarding for music students of all ages.

Are those games really worth spending our hard earned money, time and energy on?

In Music there are all kinds of games: Some of the music games which are available today are nothing more than an evolution of the toy guitar that you’d give a toddler to play with. There are a few that are far more advanced, and are almost close to playing a real instrument.

Where do we draw the line? Music teachers are definitely split on this issue. Most I know still teach the same way they always have, and probably won’t be spending money on too many games. However there is real educational value in some aspects of the game.

This is the question we need to ask before engaging in any game activity: ”What does this game show or teach me (or my students or children) that I previously did not know?”

When you learn something you take something which you didn’t know before and make it known. That’s as simple as it is. Are you making anything known that wasn’t already when you are playing that computer game? If you are simply playing one level of one game over and over again nothing will happen except that you’ll be good at that one thing. You’ll really know that one thing, but nothing else.

If however when playing a music game you are constantly introducing new songs, and you use the music game as a vehicle to move forward with skills, then you’ll find this to be a well worthwhile educational experience.

When developing these music games it is my hope that the developers consult instrument specialists so that learning to play the game does not affect the students technique when learning the real instrument. I believe that most of the game companies do that research, however there is always cheaper versions who cut out the features and cut down on the educational value.

So always ask that question – What is this activity teaching me that I didn’t know before? Then you’ll find that time spent on games will always help… besides being great fun!

The Fun Music company is currently developing educational music games for school students at the Fun Music Company.

Of course, many would disagree with that statement. Maths, Science and History teachers of course work very hard and no-one would say they don’t work extremely hard to bring excellent lessons to their students.

Music Teachers however have to do a lot of extra duties that other teachers don’t have to Рlike running choir and orchestra programs, preparing student concerts, organizing instrumental programs and communicating with parents about practices and raising funds for instruments.

WIth all these activities consuming the teachers time, it is vital that they be extremely organized to make sure that their lessons are both fun for pupils and trouble free for themselves.

Here are a few ideas that can help music teachers every day

A planner. This simple thing can save you all sorts of problems from double scheduling events if it is well managed. It is so easy to double schedule school events with personal events, as most music teachers would well understand! You can use a modern Palm Computer or i Phone, or use the traditional paper diary for just a couple of bucks.

A consistent management plan for equipment. Even if you’re school has one old xylophone and a broken guitar with three of the strings missing it is vital that those two instruments have their place, and that your students come to appreciate that when in your classroom. When you are seeing hundreds of children every week and sometimes many hundreds of dollars worth of instruments it is vital that it is put away carefully. Make a plan, write it down and stick it on all the walls near the equipment. Being careful about this for a couple of weeks will make your life a lot less stressful in the long term!

Your very own blog – What if you could have a place on the internet where you place news for band members, music parts for practice and assessments so they can complete without you even being present? Its as easy as setting up a personal page on blogger or word press, and getting going. Just consider – if you put materials there that you ask students to access for additional work… once its completed this year you will never have to do it again!

Computer and Technology tools. The latest music software often has inbuilt assessment and worksheet creation tools, so you can create your own resources in minutes.

Ready Made Music Lesson plans accessing instant print worksheets and lesson plans from the internet can save you many hours preparation, and there are many great sources of material available now.

Teaching Music can be a very rewarding and enjoyable choice of career, and with the right tools it is even easier.