I have more experience now with music and teaching than I had at the beginning.
When I first started teaching after graduating UNT I had a ‘good idea’ on what an excellent music lesson plan should consist of. Basic fundamentals such as ear training, rhythm, theory and essential repertoire that have stood the test of time are some of the components of the plan.
Throughout my years teaching I’ve applied this plan to several of my students, many of whom still keep in touch with me, still play music and have gone off to ivy league schools and now are working professional adults.
I’ve also had the privilege to teach side by side at the studio with world-class musicians and instructors, and during that time we bounce ideas off each other on what works and what doesn’t and we’ve learned from each other about teaching and music itself.
To top it all off since beginning teaching, I’ve been blessed with four children (2 step-kids, 2 sons of my own) who play music, and given me first hand experience on what its like to be a parent trying to get their kid to practice and discover music.
I’ve always said and believed it to be true that the two most important qualities of a music lesson are that the student
1. Learn 2. Have Fun
Ideally both of those are happening. We could expand on that a little bit more to give you an idea of what we are capable of guiding your student to, you could say it’s a goal.
Through music lessons with us we can show your student in time
-How to listen to any song and learn to play it ‘by ear’
-How to sing in tune
-How to feel good rhythm
-The basic building blocks of chords & scales
-Simple pop songs that they enjoy
-Standard Repertoire that has stood the test of time
-How to read music & participate in a musical ensemble
-How to play in a rock/pop/worship band
-How to improvise
-How to compose and create music
-How to operate modern recording equipment
And lets not forget the academic importance music has that is generally accepted as truth and was spoken by the philosophers and teachers Plato, Aristotle and Socrates.
However probably most important to you as a parent is the joy that you feel hearing your child sing or play a song! There is a certain unexplainable emotion that you experience when you hear your child play or sing. That moving feeling and emotion that you experience compounds when we train your student to play and/or sing at a high level of skill. And the best time to do that is now when they are young, their brains are still developing and they have free time (hopefully).
So, I’m happy to present you with what I believe is the best music lesson plan, its different stages and what your role as a parent plays into the process.
The Steps
Step 1. (takes on average 1-2 years of weekly hourly lessons)
Lesson Home
Ear Training 15 minutes Listen to new music
Rhythm 15 minutes Play simple songs
Technique 15 minutes Play simple skills
Simple Songs 15 minutes
Step 2. (takes on average 2-3 years of weekly hourly lessons)
Lesson Home
Ear Training 15 minutes Listen to new music
Technique 15 minutes Play simple skills
Standard Songs 15 Minutes Play standard songs
Simple Songs 15 Minutes Play simple songs
Step 3. (takes on average 3-5 years of weekly hourly lessons)
Lesson Home
Ear Training 15 minutes Listen to new music
Reading 15 minutes Play standard songs
Standard Songs 15 minutes Play ensemble pieces
Improvisation 15 minutes
+
Participate in a Reading/Modern Ensemble/Band
Step 4. (takes 5+ years of study)
Lesson Home
Ear Training 15 minutes Listen to new music
Reading 15 minutes Create Compositions
Standard Songs 15 minutes Play Standard Songs
Composition 15 minutes Play Ensemble Pieces
+
Participate in a Reading/Modern Ensemble/Band
Skills
There are eight different skills that we work on in Music Lessons, I like to simplify them into one word each.
Listen – Ear Training
Count – Rhythm
Spell – Theory
Play – Simple Songs
Read – Reading Music
Remember – Standard Repertoire
Together – Ensemble
Create – Composition
The top three skills to work on in a music lesson (which in my opinion are the best use of the student & teachers time as well as your money) are Ear Training, Rhythm & Theory. These skills you can’t learn well from a book, they are passed along from person to person and they require gentle correction and encouragement. They are the building blocks that make more difficult songs possible and are the doorway to a deeper experience of music.
The other skills are important but once the student is enabled and able to listen, count and read, the instructor takes on more of a role as a coach and guide. When a student can learn songs by listening and/or reading a reproduce them accurately with good rhythm the student can independently learn extra work on their own. Ensembles often occur outside of the lessons, we have some at the studio, but the larger ensembles like Band, Orchestra, Jazz Band, Choir, Worship Team, Rock Bands etc. occur and should for the most part occur outside of the studio.
Finally the majority of composition assignments (when the student reaches that point) will occur in their rooms in the late hours of the night, not in a short one-hour weekly lesson.
Listen – Ear Training
Brief Description: In music we have 12 different notes that have 12 different relationships to each other. Ear training teaches the student how to recognize the notes and their relationships by singing, recognizing & auralating the pitches (visualize sound).
Exercise Examples: The instructor plays two notes and has the student sing them, the instructor then plays the notes individually and the student detects what they are by listening. We add more notes and more relationships as the student progresses.
What it enables the student to do: Learn songs by ear without an instrument, sing with excellent pitch, imagine songs in their minds. Ear training brings the colors of the notes to life.
Count – Rhythm
Brief Description: In music we divide Time into beats and subdivide( and multiply) those beats into different patterns. Rhythm exercises develop an inner metronome and feel for how music moves through time by repeating patterns at different speeds.
Exercise Examples: I prefer to use ‘Progressive Steps to Syncopation For the Modern Drummer by Ted Reed’ to teach the Rhythmic alphabet. It has complete quarter, eight, triplet, sixteenth note exercises as well as accents. We practice these with a metronome until they are perfect by tapping out the rhythms on our legs.
What it enables the student to do: Rhythm brings music to life and gives motion to their playing. The stronger the command of rhythm that you have, the clearer the feeling that the student will be able to experience and convey. When a student doesn’t take the time to develop great rhythm, the music they play feels anxious and forced. Rhythm opens up the other emotions.
Spell – Theory
Brief Description: Theory is the abc’s of music. Reading, Writing and Spelling Intervals, Scales and Chords. When you take two notes together or one after the other you have an interval, when you have three or more you have a chord, when you take a pattern of intervals in succession you have scales.
Exercise Examples: Major & Minor (happy & sad) chords in all twelve keys. Major, Minor and Pentatonic scales in all keys.
What it enables the student to do: Learn songs easier by practicing the basic patterns. By reading and playing these patterns and internalizing them the student starts to see the reoccurring patterns in music and it makes it easier to read and play more difficult pieces.
Play – Simple Songs
Brief Description: Simple songs are easy to play, read and remember. They are primarily melodies and take a short time to play.
Exercise Examples: Nursery Rhymes, Pop Songs, Rock Songs, Christmas Carols, anything that has a simple melody and is easy to remember.
What it enables the student to do: Simple songs get the students feet wet and give a sense of accomplishment. Its fun to recreate music and melodies that they’ve heard before and give them momentum into the more advanced music.
Read – Reading Music
Brief Description: Looking at a sheet of music and correctly playing the notes, rhythms and dynamics.
Exercise Examples: Sight Reading classical songs, reading chord charts, reading chord and melody charts, reading choral and orchestral sections.
What it enables the student to do: When we practice reading in the lesson we are preparing them for ensemble reading. Students that are able to sight-read are more effective ensemble members.
Remember – Standard Repertoire
Brief Description: Playing music that has stood the test of time and is beyond the scope of simple songs.
Exercise Examples: Music by the Masters. Classical such as Bach, Beethoven, Mozart, Debussey, Tchaikovsky, Chopin, Sor, Segovia, Tarrega, Scott Joplin. Jazz Standards and the great American song book.
What it enables the student to do: Standard Repertoire gives the student a rich history of the music greats that have made a profound impact on our culture.
Together – Ensemble
Brief Description: Playing and/or reading in a musical ensemble with other students.
Exercise Examples: Marching Band, Choir, Worship Ensembles, Orchestra, Bands.
What it enables the student to do: Ensembles give the student the experience of playing music together with other people.
Create – Composition
Brief Description: Arranging melodies, harmonies, words and rhythms into original patterns.
Exercise Examples: Composition study of artists & scores. Emulation assignments, recording of compositions.
What it enables the student to do: Composition is the peak of the musical experience, it enables to student to create their own work.