039 - A Creative, Integrated Approach to Teaching Music Theory

039 - A Creative, Integrated Approach to Teaching Music Theory

Often in our teaching and learning experiences, music theory is taught as a standalone subject. We have theory books in our private studios, AP Theory in high school, and a sequence of theory classes at the college and graduate level.

Theory courses and books are a good thing, don't get me wrong. We need to develop an understanding of theory and musical structure just like we need to develop an understanding of syntax and grammar in language. But I've been wondering lately if there's a better way to incorporate these learning experiences and theoretical conversations into our teaching, especially when teaching online.

How can we as music educators make more connections between music theory and music practice, between the analysis and study of music and the actual creation of it? How can we make music theory more experiential?

That's what we're going to talk about today.

038 - The Secrets of Interleaved Practice: What We Can Learn From Cognitive Science

038 - The Secrets of Interleaved Practice: What We Can Learn From Cognitive Science

In the last episode, Episode 37, we talked about playing your instrument for fun and why that is vital to your music career. Today, we're going to follow that up with a conversation about practicing.

If there's one thing we know it's that practicing is fundamental to developing skills as a musician. And as music teachers and educators, we're always looking for new ways to encourage and inspire our students to practice at home.

Interleaving is an approach to learning and practice that involves mixing up the sequence of topics, skills, or strategies so they are woven together throughout a practice or study session. In this episode, we’ll talk about what it looks like and how it’s beneficial to longterm learning.

037 - Do You Play Your Instrument for Fun?

037 - Do You Play Your Instrument for Fun?

When was the last time you sat down at your instrument and played music for fun? I mean, not music you had to practice or prepare, not the music you're teaching this week, but music you chose to play for yourself, for your own enjoyment?

In this episode, I'm sharing four reasons why playing your instrument for your enjoyment and creative expression is really vital to your music career:

,

036 - Let's Talk About Improvising

,
036 - Let's Talk About Improvising

It's one of those words that makes some of us uncomfortable: improvisation. Did your palms start to sweat when I said that?

In this episode, I’m sharing a story from the early days of my studio when I was still a student myself. It's about a lesson I had one October with an 11-year-old student.

035 - How to Help Children Develop Their Singing Voices

035 - How to Help Children Develop Their Singing Voices

If you teach elementary music in some capacity, you know the importance of singing to introduce, experience, and learn musical concepts. You may also know from personal experience that some children have trouble finding their singing voices.

Today, I'm sharing six practical strategies for helping children discover their singing voices and learn to sing in tune.

034 - Do We Really Teach How We Were Taught?

034 - Do We Really Teach How We Were Taught?

Perhaps you've heard the age-old adage: we teach how we were taught.

Of course, we know this isn’t the full story: we all have unique backgrounds and a variety of experiences that inform the people we are today and the teachers we are becoming. As you reflect on your own teaching practice, here are three things you should know:

,

033 - How to Teach Music Literacy Using Color

,
033 - How to Teach Music Literacy Using Color

When first introducing music-reading, it can be challenging for young students to recognize patterns and organize the content visually when everything is black and white.

For this reason, color can be a helpful tool. In this episode, I’m sharing four simple, unique strategies to use color to teach music literacy.

,

032 - "I Make Music Because..."

,
032 - "I Make Music Because..."

Today's episode is a special one because for the first time on this podcast, you'll hear someone other than me talking. In fact, you'll hear 22 other voices — my students!

031 - A Summer Reading List for Music Educators

031 - A Summer Reading List for Music Educators

One thing I love about summer is picking out a new book (or three) to read.

I love having a book with me when I travel, but also the everyday times like sitting by the lake on a hot summer day, relaxing on the porch with a glass of sweet tea, or curled up in the sunroom on a quiet Sunday afternoon.

During the year, I like to read a mix of books from different categories: Business, Spiritual & Lifestyle, Fiction, Personal/Intellectual, and Nonfiction/Memoir.

In the summer, I like to have at least one book that's an easy, light-hearted read — easy to pick up and put down, read outside or on a plane or in the car. I also like to choose a lifestyle-related book that will challenge me in some way or help me assess the rhythms and routines I've developed so far this year. And finally, I find summer is a great time to catch up on my development as a musician and educator, so I like having one book that I can learn from in that way.

If you're looking for a few books to add to your summer reading list, you're in the right place. Today, I'm sharing a few of my favorite summer reads (plus a couple I’m planning to read myself).

,

5 Ways to Develop Creative Musicianship (Music Education Basics)

,
5 Ways to Develop Creative Musicianship (Music Education Basics)

Welcome back to Music Education Basics!

Today, for our final lesson, we’re talking about one of my favorite topics, creative musicianship—what it is and how to teach it, and 5 ways to cultivate creative musicianship in your students.

First, let me explain what I mean by creative musicianship. When I say creative musicianship or musical creativity, I’m talking about improvising or creating music spontaneously and also, the ability to write those ideas down.

Now, if the thought of that makes your palms begin to sweat, I get it! If you had classical music training growing up, you probably didn’t spend much time improvising, composing, or creating your own music. I know that was my experience. Instead, the focus was probably on learning how to read and interpret what was on the page. Can you relate to that?

I'm sharing a few ways you can introduce musical creativity to those you teach in this lesson.

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

Maybe this is an unpopular opinion— But in this season of goal-setting and checklists, I think it’s important to acknowledge that not everything can be measured. Not everything follows a set of orderly steps (as much as I may try!). Tha
What’s the biggest challenge you’re facing in your music career? Here’s what I hear most often: “I don’t know where to start” “I don’t know where to put my focus” “Not sure which path to ta
Sending you love and warm wishes this season! Here’s to another year of teaching, writing, creating beautiful music, and building community wherever we are. 💛🎵🥂 Love, Ashley, Steve, and Rory