Entry 4: Content Knowledge
Understanding musical concepts, inquiry tools, and structures of the disciplines are important qualities of a music educator to have in order to create quality learning experiences for students. Each of these qualities work together in order for the teacher to provide differentiated instruction and to teach the whole student.
For elementary students, I’ve recently taken a deep dive into a unit study based around a musical concept which was based off of the Manhattan public school’s curriculum. Within this unit I created a series of lesson plans in a “Prepare, Present, Practice” form of sequence. The prepare portion allows students to explore the new concept without seeing it on paper first. The present stage in when students put a name to the concept and see it in standard musical notation. In the practice lessons, students further study the concept, but this time with a deeper understanding. Elementary music is a popular choice of study and theories as children are so creative and susceptible to learning at this age. Multiple pedagogies have been developed including Kodaly, Orff, and Dalcroze, just to name a few. My preference is to use a combination of all, incorporating play, instruments, and movement in lessons as frequently as possible.
I also feel like musical exploration is just as important at the secondary level. Although direct instruction to students is necessary at times, I prefer to ask the students questions and give them activities that guide them to finding proper solutions on their own. This can range from the smallest technical necessities to the largest of musicality discussions. For example, in the tuning sequence one may ask the students to make a change, decided for themselves if it helped or hindered the intonation, and to change again if necessary. Then, you ask the students to walk you through their process rather than telling them what physical change to make and leaving it at that. On the other end of the spectrum I may also ask students to journal their thoughts from a specific passage of music. This allows them to share their minds images with me in a timely manner and see how they are thinking about their playing.
The main benefit students gain from these methods is the differentiation of instruction. Every student can participate and grow alongside their peers regardless of their current level. Each visit to the classroom has a lesson with exploration and engagement awaiting them, and students will want to come back for more.
For elementary students, I’ve recently taken a deep dive into a unit study based around a musical concept which was based off of the Manhattan public school’s curriculum. Within this unit I created a series of lesson plans in a “Prepare, Present, Practice” form of sequence. The prepare portion allows students to explore the new concept without seeing it on paper first. The present stage in when students put a name to the concept and see it in standard musical notation. In the practice lessons, students further study the concept, but this time with a deeper understanding. Elementary music is a popular choice of study and theories as children are so creative and susceptible to learning at this age. Multiple pedagogies have been developed including Kodaly, Orff, and Dalcroze, just to name a few. My preference is to use a combination of all, incorporating play, instruments, and movement in lessons as frequently as possible.
I also feel like musical exploration is just as important at the secondary level. Although direct instruction to students is necessary at times, I prefer to ask the students questions and give them activities that guide them to finding proper solutions on their own. This can range from the smallest technical necessities to the largest of musicality discussions. For example, in the tuning sequence one may ask the students to make a change, decided for themselves if it helped or hindered the intonation, and to change again if necessary. Then, you ask the students to walk you through their process rather than telling them what physical change to make and leaving it at that. On the other end of the spectrum I may also ask students to journal their thoughts from a specific passage of music. This allows them to share their minds images with me in a timely manner and see how they are thinking about their playing.
The main benefit students gain from these methods is the differentiation of instruction. Every student can participate and grow alongside their peers regardless of their current level. Each visit to the classroom has a lesson with exploration and engagement awaiting them, and students will want to come back for more.
vanessa_diazdeleon_observation_3_elementary.pdf | |
File Size: | 175 kb |
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secondary_lesson_observation_021919__2_.pdf | |
File Size: | 86 kb |
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contentexam.pdf | |
File Size: | 322 kb |
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