Comments on: How do your students learn?

By: R. Scott Devoe

R. Scott Devoe — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 20:26:02 +0000

The important thing is to find out what motivates students to learn, what gets them excited about the content. The hard part is that this can be different for different students.
Thanks!

By: Jack

Jack — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 03:32:39 +0000

For those of you who might need a reminder of the joy involved in teaching music to young people, or perhaps just a good dose of further inspiration, you might want to check out this video — ahamoment.com/pg/moments/view/203 — it’s a beautiful story of one musician’s “aha moment” when he realized how rewarding teaching music can be. I think you’ll like it.

Thanks,

jack@ahamoment.com

By: Dorene Byler

Dorene Byler — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 18:18:39 +0000

I teach elementary general music to students in grades K through 4. I teach some level of theory in each grade and I tend to focus on it quite heavily. I have found that teaching it the “traditional” way each time is very relevant. There are some learners who will benefit from seeing it “dissected” on the board or by listening to your explanation. However, for most students I have found that a combination of a variety of different approaches works the best.

One approach I take is using manipulatives. I have created and laminated cards that the students use in creating rhythms – the size of the quarter note paper takes up the space it should in a given measure. This puts the items into solid terms for the students.

Another approach I take is association. We work a great deal with rhythm of the words. We take syllables and divide them out, figure out the rhythm, and then create “raps” together. This provides an association to something that they are either currently learning in their classrooms or have already mastered.

Finally, I agree that repetition of these approaches (as well as a variety of performanc opportunities within the music classroom) is key. I do these activities for each grade level. Every year it gets better. In the younger grades, we do it at the beginning of the school year and at the end of the school year. Each time, they remember more.

By: Anthony Maloney

Anthony Maloney — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 19:11:03 +0000

Here’s a for instance-when teaching dynamics I get my students to play a four bar phrase(on percussion in my case )and get them to plan out the possible dynamics, after explaining the range- ppp-pp-p-mp-mf -f-ff-fff, crescendo and diminuendo. It’s only after they have experienced the completely different effect that their own dynamics plan has made to the 4 bars that they get the idea and feel the full effect.Also personal experience of dynamics differs between students-some think that someone elses p is pp -so discussion here is important.

By: Rebecca

Rebecca — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 19:48:32 +0000

WOW! I have nothing more to add, but I want to say that this has been GREAT to read! Everyone has so many fabulous suggestions. I can’t wait to implement these in my studio!

By: BNC Education: June Blog Carnival-Your Students | BNC Education

BNC Education: June Blog Carnival-Your Students | BNC Education — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 11:15:33 +0000

[...] How do your students learn?– Janice Tuck has a great essay on how students learn and the difficulties we directors create in our instructions. (The Music Teacher’s Blog) [...]

By: Judy

Judy — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 04:15:32 +0000

You’re on the right track. If we can make learning fun and interesting, the students will respond.

By: Celine

Celine — Sat, 30 May 2009 06:39:24 +0000

I try to teach theory or fun music activities as I go. The modern child has no time to sit at theory – they just don’t have the time or the inclination. All the majority want is to learn to play.
As part of my lesson in about 3 minutes I include either a quiz, flashcards or games in my lesson which becomes theory in our language.
Theoretical knowledge and singing skills all help to instil the musicianship and not just the mechanics of learning notes on a keyboard!

By: Wai Ling

Wai Ling — Fri, 29 May 2009 04:12:42 +0000

Students always find theory lessons boring and most of the time they can not relate theory to their practical. So as teacher we’ll have to take up some of our lesson times to drill on that.

For the younger kids, it is much eariler to deal with, as there are lots of theory books with colourful pictures and stickers to catch their interest and some of my younger ones just can’t wait to peel out the stickers to fininsh their work books and they even volunteer to do more.

The attitude changes as they grow older and higher in grades. No more colourful cartoons but all instructions and terms on the theory book, some of them don’t even bother to read the instructions and examples so they made lots of mistakes and lost interests in the theory.

Perhaps we can try to slow down our pace when this happen. Find out what they don’t understand, derives some games out of the topic using flash cards or manuscripts. Try to make it fun playing the games during the lesson rather than giving them assignments and homework.

Sometimes, we can even use the pieces they have learnt or they are playing, to teach them theory or question them. For the older ones ask them to analyse a section on their scores.

By: Fiona Phillips

Fiona Phillips — Fri, 29 May 2009 02:33:42 +0000

Music and education about music for me is about giving students enough about the language to join the conversation. I agree with all that has been said, but would add that students, of any age, when they are engaging in music theory need to know why they are learning, it needs to relate to their world. I use this analogy of “language” a great deal when I am talking to pre-service teachers. When we are learning the language of French, we don’t learn a whole sentence at first. we learn words that we need to know to join in with the conversation, or things that are going to assist us in surviving. It is also a known fact that we learn languages best when we are immersed in the language, when we are forced to use it to survive. I believe that the language of music is similar and that as soon as the students are walking into my classroom i am singing or playing or using the language. It is up on the walls around me.

The language of music is unique because there are two sides to it almost two ways of ‘speaking’ and there are some learners that are ‘ear’ dominant and others that are ‘eye’ dominant. My students might be able to engage in most conversations ‘by ear’ but I need to encourage them to be able to join in the conversation if another ‘speaker’ is communicating in a visual representation of the sound.

My comment – teach them so they can join in the conversation. Make sure you go slowly, a word at a time. Read it, write it, speak it, use it.