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.

How rigidly you stick to your music lesson plans is entirely dependent on how well your students react to them. Some children are faster learners than others, and it is a shame to hold the brighter students back while concentrating on the ones who find music, or aspects of it, that bit harder to learn. In this case, it is better to have your music lesson plans organized to include more advanced worksheets that your brighter students can work on while you concentrate on getting the slower students up to grade. Ideally your plans will cover all possibilities, a class full of exceptionally able students, or a class full of less than able students, will call for a different approach from you.

Music lesson plans have to cater for all eventualities, including sickness. Whether that affects you, or your students, you will have had to prepare your plans in such a way that this possibility is taken into consideration so that at the end of the session or course, you can be assured that all your students received the teaching as outlined in your initial curriculum.

In the end, you can tell whether your music lesson plans are effective or need improvement based on your students’ performance. Identify which part of the plan they enjoy the most or find difficulty in and improve them.


There is one thing that over everything else makes certain worksheets and educational materials more effective in this area. This one thing is an educational concept that good educators in every subject understand, and that whether you’re teaching preschool or very young children right up to adults need to understand.

That one thing is concept isolation. The worst theory books are those that introduce everything in a hap-hazard way, and have a mixture of concepts taught on one page.

The best books take one concept and expand on this through different activities based on that one concept. For example if you are working on understanding scales, don’t introduce a rhythmical element to it until the students are very familiar with what you are trying to teach them.

For example a badly written question asks the student to write a scale in a particular rhythm, or fit it into a set time signature. Then the student is not really learning anything – they are trying to assimilate two concepts at the same time. Leave the learning about time signatures and meter for another worksheet focusing on that content, and teach the scales properly.

A much better way to ask them is to ask them to write a scale and don’t mention any specific rhythmic type of note at all. This way the child will be able to concentrate on writing the scale and won’t be split between concepts.

As music is such a multidimensional language with pitch and rhythm coming together it is obviously impossible to isolate everything, but doing it as much as possible will definitely help the students with their learning of music theory.

Music Teachers have a very busy schedule. Possibly music teachers have the busiest life of all teachers. Here are a few ideas to help Music Teachers be more productive.

Music Teachers however have to do a lot of extra duties that other teachers don’t have to – like running marching band and orchestra programs, preparing student concerts, managing instrumental music lessons and talking with parents about rehearsals and raising funds for instruments.

WIth all these duties consuming the teachers time, it is vital that they be extremely well prepared to make sure that their music sessions are both fun for children and stress free for themselves.

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

A diary. 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 teachers would well understand! You can use a modern personal digital assistant or Mobile Phone, or use the old fashioned paper diary for just a few dollars.

A location plan for all the school equipment. Even if your school has one well used xylophone and a broken guitar with three of the strings missing it is important that those two instruments have a specific home, and that children come to appreciate that when in the music classroom. When you are seeing lots of children every week and sometimes thousands of dollars worth of instruments it is vital that it is put away with respect. Draw a diagram, write it down and put it up near the equipment. Vigilance over this for a few weeks will make your teaching a lot easier in the long run!

A personal blog – What if you could have a website where you place information for band members, music parts for practice and assessments so they can get it done without you even being there? Its as simple as setting up a personal blog on blogger or word press, and getting started. Just consider – if you put resources there that you ask children to download for additional work… once its completed this year you will never have to do it again!

Computer and Technology tools. The latest software for music often has built in test and worksheet building tools, so you can write your own teaching materials in minutes.

Prepared Lesson plans accessing instant print worksheets and lesson plans from the world wide web can save you many hours preparation, and there are many brilliant sources of material available now.

Music teaching can be such a rewarding career path, as it is sharing the love of music and teaching – and it should be enjoyable for all!

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.

Music Teachers have a very busy schedule. Possibly music teachers have the busiest life of all teachers

Of course, many would argue with that statement. Physics, Chemistry and English 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 activities that other teachers don’t have to – like running marching band and musicianship programs, preparing student recitals, arranging instrumental programs and communicating with parents about rehearsals and fund raising for equipment.

With all these duties consuming the teachers time, it is vital that they be extremely well prepared to ensure that their music sessions are both enjoyable for students and stress free for themselves.

There are a few practical tools that can help music teachers

A planner. This simple thing can save you all sorts of embarrassment 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 PDA or Mobile Organizer, or use the traditional paper diary for just a few dollars.

A location plan for all the school equipment. Even if your music room has one well used Recorder and a broken guitar with half the strings missing it is vital that those two instruments have a specific home, and that your students come to appreciate that when in the music classroom. When you are teaching hundreds of students every week and sometimes many hundreds of dollars worth of instruments it is important that it is put away carefully. Make a plan, commit it to paper and put it up near the equipment. Vigilance over this for a couple of weeks will make your life a lot less stressful in the long term!

A personal website – What if you could have a website where you post news for your students, music parts for practice and tests so they can get it done without you even being there? Its as easy as setting up a personal page on blogger or another blog platform, and getting going. Just consider – if you put materials there that you ask children to download for additional work… once its done this year you will never have to do it again!

Software tools. The latest music software often has built in assessment and worksheet creation tools, so you can create your own resources in minutes. Alternatively there are lots of ready made Music Lesson Plans to help you.

Ready Made Lesson plans downloading instant print worksheets and lesson plans from the world wide web can save you many hours preparation, and there are many brilliant sources of material available now.

Music teaching can be such a rewarding career choice, as it is sharing the love of music and teaching – and it should be enjoyable for all!

Of course, many would disagree with that supposition. Physics, Chemistry and History teachers of course work very hard and no-one would say they don’t work extremely hard to bring excellent lessons to our children.

Music Teachers however have to do a lot of extra tasks that other teachers don’t have to – like running marching band and ensemble programs, preparing student concerts, co-ordinating private music teachers and communicating with parents about rehearsals and raising funds for instruments.

With all these duties consuming the teachers time, it is vital that they be extremely organized to make sure that their lessons are both fun for students and stress free for themselves.

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

A diary. 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 teachers would well understand! You can use a modern personal digital assistant or Mobile Phone, or use the old fashioned paper diary for just a few dollars.

A plan for the organization of equipment. Even if your music room has one old Recorder and a battered guitar with half 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 lots of children every week and sometimes thousands of dollars worth of equipment it is vital that it is put away with respect. Make a plan, commit it to paper and put it up near the equipment. Vigilance over this for a few weeks will make your life a lot easier in the long run!

A personal blog – What if you could have a website where you place information for band members, music parts for practice and tests so they can complete without you even being there? Its as simple as setting up a personal blog on blogger and getting started. Just think – if you put resources there that you ask children to access for homework… once its done this year you will never have to do it again!

Computer and Technology tools. The latest music software often has inbuilt test and work sheet building tools, so you can write your own music lesson plan in minutes.

Ready Made Lesson plans downloading ready made worksheets and lesson plans from the internet can save you lots of preparation, and there are many brilliant sources of material available now.

Music teaching can be such a rewarding career path, as it is sharing the love of music and teaching – and it should be enjoyable for all!

Of course, many would argue 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 our children.

Music Teachers however have to do a lot of extra tasks that other teachers don’t have to – like running concert band and ensemble programs, preparing student concerts, co-ordinating private music teachers and communicating with students about rehearsals and fund raising for instruments.

WIth all these duties taking the teachers time, it is vital that they be extremely organized to ensure that their music lessons are both fun for students and stress free for themselves.

There are a few practical tools that can help music teachers

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

A consistent management plan for equipment. Even if you’re music room has one broken down xylophone and a broken guitar with three of the strings missing it is important that those two instruments have a set storage place, and that children come to appreciate that when in the music classroom. When you are seeing lots of students every week and sometimes many hundreds of dollars worth of equipment it is important that it is put away with respect. Draw a diagram, commit it to paper and put it up near the equipment. Being careful about this for a couple of weeks will make your life a lot easier in the long run!

Your very own blog – What if you could have a website where you post 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 blog on blogger or word press, and getting going. Just think – if you put resources there that you ask students to access for additional work… once its done this year you won‚Äôt have to do it again!

Software tools. The latest music software often has inbuilt assessment and worksheet building tools, so you can write your own resources in minutes.

Prepared Lesson plans accessing ready made worksheets and lesson plans from the world wide web can save you lots of preparation, and there are many brilliant sources of material available now.

Music teaching can be such a satisfying career choice, as it is sharing the love of music and teaching – and it should be enjoyable for all!