Music Teaching

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How to Develop a Musical Vocabulary (Music Education Basics)

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How to Develop a Musical Vocabulary (Music Education Basics)

Welcome back to Music Education Basics!

Today, we’re talking about what it means to develop language skills in music—namely, the importance of building a vocabulary of tonal and rhythm patterns, something you’ll hear me describe as the building blocks of music.

Tonal patterns are short, 2- to 5-note groups or phrases. Think of them like words: instead of reading and focusing on the individual letters that make up a word, our eye recognizes the group of letters together; we understand the letters within the context of the word. The same is true in music: instead of focusing on individual notes, we want to help our students learn to read groups of notes as meaningful patterns.

The goal is to understand the notes within the context of the music.

Rhythm patterns are the same: short, 2- to 4-beat groups or phrases. It’s important to recognize them as patterns vs. reading individual note values.

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The First Step in Music-Learning That’s Often Overlooked (Music Education Basics)

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The First Step in Music-Learning That’s Often Overlooked (Music Education Basics)

To begin Music Education Basics, we’re going to talk about a primary component of music teaching and learning and something you may not immediately think of as being the first step in the teaching process: listening and responding.

In the introduction last week, I talked about the Music Learning Theory and the idea that learning music is a lot like learning how to speak a new language.

When you learned how to speak your native language, you probably didn't start with reading; you spent time listening to others speak the language around you, soaking it up, exploring how to create sound yourself, and eventually, imitating them.

It’s so important to build listening and responding into your teaching, because, while it's vital at the beginning of musical development, it’s something we come back to over and over again as we learn.

Everyone can learn from opportunities to listen and respond to music, at all stages of musical development, something I explain more in this lesson.

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Welcome to Music Education Basics

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Welcome to Music Education Basics

Music Education Basics is a free online workshop for music educators in all types of settings.

It’s available as a video series, but I’m going to share the audio version right here on the podcast so you can tune into the content here each day if that’s easier for you.

Each day, we’ll explore a different foundational aspect of music teaching and learning — a core mindset or process or sequence or approach that will apply to you and your work whether you’re teaching elementary or secondary students or even working with adults. Each lesson has a corresponding workbook and a brief challenge to encourage you to take action in some way.

In this introductory lesson, we're going to talk about the Music Learning Theory and how learning music is a lot like learning a new language.

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030 - Five Myths About Music Teaching & Learning

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030 - Five Myths About Music Teaching & Learning

You know those things you’ve heard that seem true? I mean, they sound plausible. Plus, if enough people say it, it must be true, right?

Before long, we find ourselves buying into the hype, retelling the story, believing something we’ve heard without stopping to ask questions.

This is how myths begin.

Sometimes, there’s simply a lack of information—nothing to disprove this theory or that idea. Other times, they sound good on paper but are only surface-level with no substance to back them up.

Whatever the case may be, we’ve all encountered myths (big and small) in various parts of our lives.

But have you ever stopped to think about myths related to teaching and learning?

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029 - The Cost of Perfection (A Teaching Story)

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029 - The Cost of Perfection (A Teaching Story)

Music and perfectionism often go hand-in-hand, don't they?

In music school, we're trained to pursue excellence, to strive to be the best. We're taught to set high standards for ourselves, to work hard, and live up to the high standards our teachers have for us.

The thing is, there are two sides to perfectionism.

The value of perfectionism is that it's a commitment to achieving at a high level. But the cost of perfection is a crippling fear of failure, an unwillingness to try new things, negative self-talk, and an unrelenting pursuit of something that may not always be attainable. In fact, it might not even exist.

I mean, have you ever had a perfect performance? What does that look like? Of course, there's technical perfection — the right notes and the right rhythms with the right fingering at the right tempo and the right dynamic level, whatever that might be for you — but is that what we're aiming for, technical proficiency? Or is there something more?

028 - The Case for Musicianship Skills (My Response to the Rolling Stone Article)

028 - The Case for Musicianship Skills (My Response to the Rolling Stone Article)

Last week, a controversial article written by a Juilliard graduate was published by Rolling Stone. The author argued that a more innovative approach to education at music conservatories could reverse the decline of classical music in the face of pop culture.

It generated a lot of conversation in the classical-music world. Some people sided with the author that music conservatories need to change and integrate more popular music styles into their curriculum to stay relevant and others argued that orchestras aren’t dying and that taking a class on Taylor Swift won’t make you a more well-rounded musician and guarantee that you have a successful music career.

I read the article. Perhaps you did, too.

I’m not here to take a stand on one side or the other, per se. Instead, I thought I would share a bit of the conversation that I had with my husband, Steve over dinner one night last week after the article came out.

027 - 8 Ways to Save Time This Week

027 - 8 Ways to Save Time This Week

I hear this over and over from music teachers and educators: there never seems to be enough time to get it all done.

You know what it's like, right?

Time to teach
Time to plan
Time to write
Time to practice
Time to read
Time to exercise
Time to learn

We’re always looking for new ways to be more productive, get more done in the little time we seem to have, and save time in places where, like money, we might be overspending.

026 - My Favorite Aural Skills Games & Activities

026 - My Favorite Aural Skills Games & Activities

Aural skills (also known as ear-training) is a fundamental facet of musicianship. Learning to listen, identify, discern, and understand music without notation present helps us develop the inner listening skills needed to become well-rounded, well-versed musicians.

What kinds of aural skills experiences are we giving our students, of all ages? How can we incorporate aural skill activities in our weekly lessons?

I've done a little research on this and found several helpful resources for fostering the development of aural skills in private lessons (and at home) with students of all ages.

If you don't already include aural skill experiences in your teaching on a regular basis, I hope this inspires you as much as it has me!

025 - New Year, New Teaching Goals (What I'm Learning from Bob Ross)

025 - New Year, New Teaching Goals (What I'm Learning from Bob Ross)

I have to be honest: I have a love-hate relationship with goals. I’ve had years of setting detailed goals in categories like Business, Teaching, Professional, and Personal. I’ve set monthly goals and sometimes weekly goals to stay on track.

Other years, I’ve been happy with a few new habits and a book list. And that's where I'm finding myself this year.

How do we plan and set goals for the year ahead when everything feels misty and grey? How do we change and grow when things around us are staying the same?

Today, I'm sharing a few helpful strategies and a glimpse at what my pseudo-goal-setting process looks like this year.

024 - The Secret Strengths of Introverts (+ Survival Tips for Teachers)

024 - The Secret Strengths of Introverts (+ Survival Tips for Teachers)

Are you an introvert or an extrovert?

Society often makes us feel like we are one or the other, but in reality, these personality traits are two opposite ends of a spectrum, and most of us fall somewhere in the middle (source).

I’ll admit it took me a while to figure this out for myself. When I realized what I was feeling was a natural part of being an introvert, I planned my days and weeks differently. I became aware of how and when I used my social energy and I was much more intentional about rest and alone time.

The secret is to use your natural strengths. And that’s what we’re going to talk about today.

Follow along with my creative work and daily adventures: @ashleydanyew

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