
relating
There are five theories of guidelines
based on the theories of teaching and
learning.
o They provide for the effective
delivery of instruction by
teachers to children in preschool
and elementary grades.
a. The Classroom Environment
b. The Child-centred Curriculum
c. The Teacher as Transmitter
d. Instructional Strategies
e. Motivation and Management
THE CLASSROOM ENVIRONMENT
What should the music classroom look like?
 Theories of child development, musical
play and learning inform the physical
setting of the music classroom.
o The furniture must be minimal so
that great variety of musical play
and performance experiences
can occur.
o For seated activities, floor space
is preferable to desks.
 Equipment basic to any successful
music instruction:
- High-quality sound
system
- Laptop with the capacity
to play audio and video
downloads
- Compact disks (CD’s)
- Digital video disks
(DVD’s)
What should the music classroom feel like?
 Music room should be well ventilated
o Plenty of windows for fresh air
and light.


Low on ambient sound + moderate in
temperature, ventilation and light.
Teachers need to be aware of factors
that create an environment conducive to
the learning process.
What other resources can enhance a music
classroom’s potential for effective
instruction?
 Visual appeal
o Motivate children to want to
come to music and to learn.
o Whiteboard or chalkboard
(preferably with staff lines--the
sine qua non of the music room,
especially when notation is
introduced)
What print, audio, video, and web-based
materials should a teacher have available
for music instruction?
 Personal collection of audio and video
files + favourable websites bookmarked
and ready to use
 CD recordings
 DVD’s based on series textbooks,
storybooks, supplemental books
o Stimulate the design of
successful lessons.
A CHILD-CENTRED CURRICULUM
 Offers instruction that is relevant to the
child’s experiences and abilities, needs,
and interests.
Know the children
 What musical skills and knowledge do
the children possess?
 What music interests and moves them?
 What are their cultural and familial
backgrounds?
 What, if any, are their musical and
educational attainment?
 Generalizing children leas to
experiences that fail to reach them.
 By talking to parents, reviewing school
files, and asking questions to the
children themselves, teachers can offer
more relevant musical experiences and
training.
Begin where the children are
 Many specific questions may be asked
for which answers should be sought.
 Universal concepts must be considered
when designing music instruction for
children.
Allow time for musical play and exploration
 For older children: the music curriculum
can be linked to solving musical
problems creatively through
experimentation
o The pitches for a rhythmic
pattern and create a new song
o Write a poem and perform it
rhythmically and with dynamic
expression.
Integrate music into the other parts of a
child’s life
 Songs blend with stories
 Music listening mixes with movement
 A study of musical instruments is also a
lesson in the science of acoustics.
 Musical experience can be enhanced by
experiences in the visual arts, stories,
poetry, theatre, movement and dance.
THE TEACHER AS TRANSMITTER
 Teachers are transmitters of culture.
 How they package + present information
to children is critical to whether the
transmission process is completed.
o Whether the information is
received and assimilated by
children.
Know the Subject Matter
 Effective music teachers know the
music, concept, or technique to be
taught.
 Knowing the music requires preparation.
 Russian folk songs can’t be taught
before the teacher has practiced the
song’s words, melody, and rhythm.
Model the Musical Behaviours
 Effective music teachers serve as live
models for the musical to be learned.
o Performance skills are learned
by children who imitate or are
influenced by the behaviour and
comments of their teacher.
o Verbal explanations are less
effective than demonstration.
Present with Energy and Enthusiasm
 Effective music teachers are
enthusiastic about music and children.
o Present lessons that are charged
with energy.
o High energy + vitality =
successful conveying of ideas.
 necessary phase toward that
development.
INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES
 Recorded music for aural learning can
 The clearest way to understand be supplemented by live performances
instructional theories is to apply them to given by the teacher.
your teaching.  For older more experienced students:
visiting artists and amateur musicians
from the community.
Starting the Class

 Gaining students attention: Providing for Repetition and Rehearsal

1. Play live or recorded music as
the children enter.
2. Ask questions
 How might a composer
portray the sound of a train?
3. Tell a story
 Beauty and the Beast
4. Sing a song or play a piece.
5. Perform a familiar song with the
class.
 Acquisition of performance and listening
skills takes time and effort.
o Children show considerable
progress through repeated
attempts to achieve them
 The words, rhythm, melodic patterns,
and tonality may take many listening
and occasions of singing before the
components begin to fall in place.

Supplying Feedback: The Test

 The interactive instructional Kernel of

the teaching and learning process is a
three-step sequence:
1. T = Teacher’s presentation of
information.
2. S = Student’s response to that
information.
3. T = Teacher’s specific feedback to
the response.

Stimulating Aural Learning

 Understanding and skill building in

music require careful listening.
 Music literacy is advanced through aural
learning.
o Includes the use of modelling,
imitative devices, and strategies
for strengthening the memory.
o The aural acquisition of music
facilitates music literacy +