My June article submission, Learning Music in a Quick-Fix Society: 7 Tips to Foster Music for Life for the Alfred Music Blog, is now live. Here’s a sneak peek:
The quick fix. Today’s society thrives on doing things bigger, better, faster. Timers are placed in fast-food drive-throughs, crash diets are a dime a dozen, and recipe videos are on fast-forward.
Music teachers may find themselves continually reminding families that learning an instrument is not just a summer or semester-long activity but an ongoing process that requires dedication, determination, and grit. Gentle conversations may occasionally be had regarding realistic expectations such as “no, playing Beethoven’s Für Elise is perhaps not an appropriate piece for a first-year student to be learning quite yet.”
Having information available at our fingertips in an instant has made it hard to not expect everything in life to function in the same way. Today I’m going to share with you seven ways we as music educators can create an environment for our students and families that fosters a sense of “music for life” in a society that values quick learning and information gathering.
1. Assign rich and rewarding repertoire.
Beginning repertoire doesn’t have to be boring. It doesn’t even need to be just in major or minor or in a fixed position such as Middle C or C major. Keep your music library stocked with quality pieces that introduce students to all kinds of interesting sounds, tonalities, and meters. For piano students in particular, find music that explores the entire keyboard from the first lesson. Rote pieces are a wonderful way to allow students to experience exciting music beyond what they can read.
Continue reading this article on the Alfred Music Blog.
If you’re interested in checking out other articles I have written on Alfred Music Blog, they are:
- Audiation: The Foundation of Music Learning Theory (October 2017)
- 4 Ways to Motivate Students: Banishing the Summer Practice Blues (June 2017)
Here are some other posts you might enjoy:
