You will see a few music theory worksheets listed above, but if you're after a more comprehensive curriculum you might like my 'Thinking Theory' books. I believe that approaching music theory concepts from every angle is the best way to ensure thorough understanding. Written music theory exercises still have their place in my studio. If you want some quick and easy rhythm movement ideas, check out my book 'Rhythm in 5'. Teaching these things through movement rather than purely intellectually is more inclusive of learning differences and better for every learner overall. Movement activities are one of the best ways to teach rhythm, beat, metre, pitch and a whole range of other topics. So why not use piano lessons as an opportunity to move together?! In fact, I think we can agree that most of us are not moving enough in general. Most piano lessons are altogether too stationary in my opinion. You can learn more about Kodály and the basics of solfa singing here. Don't let a student's (or your own) shyness discourage you from singing! Not every student will be willing to sing but through simple activities which you'll find here on the blog and gentle coaxing, most of them can be brought around if we start young enough. The voice is our baked-in instrument and it's the most intuitive way to understand music theory. I'm no Kodály expert, but I definitely believe in the power of singing to teach us about music. Games provide a great opportunity for this type of learning since students naturally need to puzzle through part of the game by themselves and learn from the other players as they go. Games have the power not only to make music theory more fun but also to make our students' understanding of music theory more elastic.Įlastic or flexible knowledge can applied in many different contexts and used to figure out new concepts. (But if you've been around even a wee while I'm sure you already know that!) If this is your first time on the Colourful Keys blog then there's something you should know about me: I'm really passionate about games-based teaching. When we make these concepts come to life, our students are more likely to retain them for the long-term. The best music theory teaching tactics are interactive and engaging. Teaching music theory should represent a smorgasbord of tactics. And, moreover, let's teach music theory in a way that scaffolds our students' learning and makes playing awesome music easier so that they see it as a helpful aid, not a chore. Then, let's apply the phrase "music theory" to a much more diverse palette of in-lesson and at-home activities. For starters, let's stop calling workbooks "theory" and start calling them "written work" – 'cause that's really what we mean when we say that. The first thing we need to do is give music theory a bit of a face-lift. Theory should not be synonymous with boring and repetitive worksheets. Worksheets are mostly to blame for this, I think. Many students (and even teachers) groan when it comes to that part of the lesson.īut why? Music theory is really just the language of music so what is it that makes it dry and dull? Let's face it, music theory gets a bad rep.
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