Newsletters

Music and the Brain Newsletter No. 14 – June 2004

NOVEMBER RHYTHM & KODALY WORKSHOP
 

It was great to see the many MATB teachers who attended our November workshop at Theater Row (and lunch Chez Josephine)! We heartily thank Nicole Becker for the work and expertise she put into the Kodaly workshop. We also appreciate the tremendous amount of work from percussionists, Peter, Trevor, Ben and Tom that went into the new Rhythm CDs. We received great feedback from many of you regarding the value of the training. Some teachers appreciated one part of the training more than others, and we hope everyone was able to find elements of both sections that will help you in your classrooms.

 

OBSERVATIONS


As we began last year, we are happy to continue to videotape MATB teachers in action for your own education. It is very difficult to really assess how you can get the most out of your students and the program without an ability to observe what is happening during your lessons from an outside perspective. Please let us know if you haven't been and would like to be videotaped as soon as possible so we can schedule it before the end of the school year. REMINDER: These tapes will be for your eyes only and would never be used for any purpose without your knowledge and consent

 

MOVING AHEAD


As we observe more classes, it is overwhelmingly apparent that beginning music classes with movement is very beneficial to the students. Having children mimic your movements is a wonderful way to focus attention and is a great segue to singing exercises and rhythm work. Establishing a routine in this manner at the beginning of lessons can really help particularly for classes that struggle with behavior and concentration.

 

RHYTHM CD FEEDBACK


Students get the most out of lessons that introduce famous composers when you read a story and talk about the lives of composers. Without this, children may miss out on the significance of these beautiful pieces.

 

DIFFERENT APPROACHES TO THE KEYBOARDS


Environment is very important for learning. You may want to take inventory of your music classroom and check that you have evidence of the important musical concepts you teach on your walls. We always encourage students to read the room for clues to questions about note values and other musical information. If your children are struggling with certain music concepts make sure you put up posters that are a constant reminder of what you want them to know. Check out www.musicmotion.com for music posters and ideas.

 

USING THE RECORDINGS


PRACTICING SONGS IN SECTIONS: _Several MATB teachers have students practice a few measures of a piece first for a few minutes with headphones and then have performances of that section of the song before moving on. As your students encounter more challenging fingering at the keyboards, this is an excellent way to make sure they are focusing on tougher elements of the song by breaking it into sections at a time. Practicing song sections can be done with headphones or out loud as an ensemble.

ABANDONING FINGER NUMBERS  Edel Boland of PS 71Q has challenged her students by writing a 4 measure song in one clef on the board that the children have never seen without any finger number clues. The piece is filled with steps, skips, and jumps. The students are given about 5 minutes to practice the short song and encouraged to do their best with the exercise. She has volunteers perform it for the class. This exercise can really reveal what areas the students need to work on. Many students played the correct pitches and incorrect rhythms or vice versa, or played with the wrong hand.

PIANO RECITALS _Many MATB teachers work towards a piano recital for their students and parents. It provides a reason to review songs the children have learned and let them pick the song they like the most. The children feel wonderful to be able to perform for their parents and also feel the accomplishment of reviewing all the material they have learned throughout the year. The parents are most impressed and often don't even know that their children are able to play so well. Recitals can often lead to parents making the investment in purchasing keyboards for their children to practice at home. If you plan this well in advance you should be able to have the children practice their performance piece for a few minutes at the end of each class and not have to sacrifice too much lesson time on rehearsal.

PERFORMANCES DURING RUG LESSON _Francesca DiGiovanni of PS 58Q regularly has a few students come up and try playing the new piece of the day at her keyboard before the class has gotten to practice. This builds confidence and courage for the children to come up and try to play through a piece out loud by reading and not relying on any memorization that naturally comes from repetition.
 

 

STORIES FROM THE FIELD


Melanie Madsen of PS 66B played a game with her students where the children stand in a circle and she tosses a multicolored beach ball to a child and whatever color their right thumb lands on is the color of the rhythm card they will have to clap.
 

QUOTE of THE MONTH


At PS 92Q when asked what song the class had worked on last, a little boy responded with certainty, “ Mary Had A Little ANT!!!”